In The Spotlight | The Sunday Shuffle

In this series of reviews, we’re putting some of our shows into the spotlight. Led and run entirely by volunteers, Radio Harrow broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from our studios in Northwick Park, and this week, we caught up with Sarika Unadkat, who hosts The Sunday Shuffle.

Firstly, tell us about yourself. What brings you to Radio Harrow?

I joined Radio Harrow’s predecessor Radio Northwick Park several years ago as a means to gain experience in radio and journalism which I was pursuing a career. It certainly helped with that, but what actually kept me was the charity side and the friends I made. I loved visiting patients and talking to strangers about their day and finding out about the music they loved and trying to cheer people up. The second biggest thing was the other volunteers at the station, hospital and community radio is special as it brings together the biggest variety of people of all different ages and backgrounds all coming together to be creative – it’s a unique environment that nothing else matches with! I’ve become solid friends with people I would have never otherwise encountered in life and it has been beautiful to experience that.

And now, the show. What is The Sunday Shuffle all about?

I love music – and i’m not just saying that like everyone normally does say it. I love music of all kinds and have hugely eclectic taste. I’m that person who has a gazillion genres listed in their Spotify Unwrapped at the end of the year. I’ve always loved discovering new music, but several years of volunteering at Radio Harrow and taking patient’s requests and working with a wide variety of people has educated me about so many great classics that I wouldn’t have been otherwise exposed to. So now I find that I like to consume every genre under the sun and I do get bored listening to just one thing for several hours. Growing up, I found that there’s not many shows that cater to people who like a bit of everything – and that’s where the Sunday Shuffle comes in, because I will literally go from playing a Stevie Wonder classic, to a Metallica anthem, to a South Asian hidden gem, to a Fred Again… dance banger – and so on it goes! It really is the show that will have something for everyone and be the space where if your ears are willing to be more opened you might hear something you definitely won’t be expecting.

What should listeners expect in a typical week on the show?

Expect high energy, lots of music jumping from one end to the other in terms of the spectrum of genres and a heavy dose of silliness. I love a tenuous link and often go overboard with a musical theme – but I do try to balance out the silly, with some splendid tunes and a Sunday chillout designed to soothe your soul.

Do you have a radio idol?

It’ll come as no surprise that much like my music taste, I listen to LOTS of different radio too. From the clear and concise news presenters like Mishal Hussain, to the warmth and entertainment of Greg James to the musical expertise of Annie Mac to name a few – there’s just so many people to choose from to pick one idol!

Lastly, you’re stuck on a remote island for the rest of time! Who would you bring with you for the ride?

A plane to get out of there – hahah!

How to listen!

You can listen to the Sunday Shuffle every Sunday from 11am via this website, on the TuneIn app, or through your smart speaker by telling it to ‘Play Radio Harrow’.

Contact the studio!

You can contact the studio during the show by calling 0208 869 3959 or by sending a Whatsapp to the same number. You can also email studio@radioharrow.org.