Peel was an early supporter of the Inspiral Carpets, who went on to record four sessions and have eight Festive Fifty entries, including the 1994 Festive Fifty #1, 'I Want You', which also featured the Fall's Mark E Smith. In Jon Robb's "The North Will Rise Again" (pg 324), Graham Lambert recalled Peel starting his 06 July 1988 show with 'Keep The Circle Around' as a landmark for the band: In the 1993-4 football season, Oldham Athletic supporter Graham Lambert twice phoned in reports of his team's matches to Peel's show. (See 27 November 1993, 05 February 1994.)