Hobart listeners are tuning in to a familiar voice this week as former ABC Classic FM breakfast presenter Christopher Lawrence returns to ABC Local Radio on 936 ABC Hobart.

As reported by radioinfo last October, Lawrence has returned from London where he has been working for the BBC for the past three years.

He has replaced Penny Johnston in Afternoons.

Christopher Lawrence’s career spans more than 25 years of broadcasting on both radio and television. He has written and produced numerous radio features (ranging from the love life of the 19th century French composer Hector Berlioz to the history of the songs and stories of Australian waterfront workers) and has been a guest conductor for several Australian symphony orchestras.

As well as working on air at ABC Classic FM, Lawrence presented Radio National’s Music Show and was heard on air on the Local Radio network. His recording work earned him three ARIA Awards and a 1992 Churchill Fellowship. The “Swoon” collection CDs which evolved out of his Breakfast program on ABC Classic FM have also broken records in the Australian classical music industry.

Lawrence has also written two best-selling books: “Swooning – a classical music guide to life, love lust and other follies” and “Hymns of the Forefathers”, based on his documentary about the history of hymns which aired on ABC TV.

Whilst Lawrence’s background is largely in classical music, he relishes the opportunity of working with the talkback format of ABC Local Radio: “It’s nice to interact with lot of living people. I’ve spent years trying to ring Beethoven but never got a call back!”