Set your alarms because Simon, Lana & The Breakfast Club are on air tomorrow 🎉
After six years 'in the wilderness,' Simon Barnett has returned home to More FM!
"Truly, it sounds like a cliché, but for me, it will be like walking in the front door of the family home after doing my OE for a few years," Simon shared.
For More FM's newest commercial, a heavily bearded Simon Barnett was lost on a deserted island until he discovered a message in a bottle from a familiar radio station friend. Heartened by the touching note, he journeyed over land and sea to return 'home' to the More FM studio, where Si had originally spent 20 years as a breakfast broadcaster.
While More FM listeners are familiar with hearing Simon's voice on air, seeing Si with a full, bushy beard will be new for everyone – but don't get used to it!
"[Production] said, 'Can you grow your own beard for this?'" Si recounted his new, wild look. "I literally would have to be stranded on an island for ten years to get this."
Si admitted he had watched the Tom Hanks film Castaway "a few times" and thought, "Could I do that?"
"It's a pretty ugly look. I look homeless! But that's the desired effect," he said.
In his months away from radio, Si spent some time really reconnecting with nature, including a solo four-day walk through the Abel Tasman National Park, which he described as something Kiwis "have got to do."
"Beaches, impossibly beautiful. It was like Blue Lagoon. I got my gear off and swam. Nobody could see – except the whales," he joked.
Si also had time to reconnect with Lana, Bondy, and Speedy, sharing how "they haven't changed" – joking that he was still the one who paid the bill for lunch.
Simon, Lana & The Breakfast Club return on January 20, and Si teased that the audience shouldn't "expect too much" as he has a lot of "first day of school" nerves. But he was looking forward to reconnecting with the listener family.
"A heartfelt thanks for showing me so much love over the last few years and for welcoming me back so fondly. Truly, it has meant the world to me to feel that warmth and affection, so a sincere thank you!"
Catch Simon, Lana & The Breakfast Club on More FM, weekdays from 5:30 am.
