Son of John Peel to host radio show for Channel 4

The son of the legendary DJ John Peel is following him on to the airwaves.

Tom Ravenscroft is to host his own weekly show on Channel 4 Radio, from 24 August. SlashMusic will feature unsigned talent from across the UK.

The show will be the first radio job for Ravenscroft, 26, a music journalist. His father died in October 2004 at the age of 65.

Peel, Radio 1's longest-serving DJ and the host of Radio 4's Home Truths, championed unknown bands. He introduced his son to music from an early age - at 11 he saw Nirvana play the Reading Festival. Last year Ravenscroft made John Peel's Record Box, a documentary about his father's favourite songs.

"I'm very excited about SlashMusic and delighted that Channel 4 Radio has given me the opportunity to spread my passion for music by allowing me to create the programme that I want," said Ravenscroft.

More than 12,000 unsigned acts have uploaded tracks on to the Channel 4 website and Ravenscroft will select the best.

"The aim of SlashMusic is to give exposure to the vast amount of fantastic music out there that is relatively unknown - a subject close to my heart," he said.

"I hope that the show will offer something different to the music-loving audience and that people will get as much pleasure from listening as we get from making the programme."