Simon Bates

Smooth Radio breakfast host Simon Bates is taking his show to Afghanistan to join British troops for a week of live programmes, becoming the first national commercial station to do so.

From Monday 12th December, and as the festive season approaches, Smooth Radio’s 6-10am breakfast show will broadcast live from Camp Bastion where Simon Bates will be both delivering Christmas messages from soldiers to loved ones back home, and capturing the spirit, camaraderie and difficulties experienced by those on the front line. He'll also be exploring what the future holds for Afghanistan as coalition forces look to handover control to the Afghan National Army, with a particular focus on the British role in the south of the country.

Smooth Radio has supported wounded soldiers charity Help for Heroes since 2009, raising £750,000 from its annual Help for Heroes Days, and this week of live shows further highlights the commitment and sacrifices of our armed forces.

Simon, who has previously broadcast from war zones including Iraq, said: “Christmas is always a difficult time of year for serving troops and we hope that by taking the show out to Afghanistan we will both highlight the incredible work  British soldiers are doing day-in-day-out and provide a link between them and life back home.”

Smooth Radio Programme Director Steve Collins said: “Our audience has shown incredible support for British servicemen and women so we are once again pushing the boundaries of commercial radio with a whole week of live broadcasts from the front line. We’re looking forward to providing some festive cheer to the troops and their families back home.”