Kevin Roberts Camera man Sun 2nd Aug 09

Great stories, wonderful insights & behind the scenes glimpses
of news heads, documentaries & films from Kevin, always laced
with a touch of humour & a good grin where ever possible.
He spent time with the Brookside cast, became practically one
of the family & nearly came unstuck with the Manchester bomb.
His hunger for the pictures that are vital in telling a great
news story has often put him in harm's way, yet he still
feels his nine lives are in tact, well most of them!
As well as being a sought after news camera man, Kevin
is also a gifted stills photographer, his passion for capturing
memorable moments started quite young.

Jerome Macmurray Sun 26th July 09

Watching Jerome work is a true pleasure, a man at ease in
his skin & in tune with his guitar.
This evening was a rare opportunity to see the man perform
alone, we usually see him with a rhythm guitar, a sax or a keyboard
player. We talked on this occasion of a gig due the following Friday
evening on which his new cd would be showcased, North West Blues.
I was present at the recording of some of the tracks, so was aware
that there were one or two good movers featured thereon.
We always have a good time on air when J is around & tonight was
no exception ,great fun & good music.
The same was certainly the case on the following Friday night.
As I expected, the place was rockin', he surely knows how
to pass on a good time. Twas a treat to be part of.

Cole Page Sun 19th July 09

Oh how we love LIVE radio, it introduces that "edge".
It was good to see Mr Crooner again and very much on
form. Slightly tanned from his tour of duty, first at
The Belfry then north to The Open, at Turners!
Cole on this occasion brought his own desk, through
which he played his i pod for backing music and his mic.
It was the first time we had used this modus on the
show and were just a touch apprehensive.
How right we were to respect the law of Murphy,
it could and so it did, wonderfully & spectacularly.
We looked a right pair of nanas, but what the hell,
we got it right the next time & it was well worth it!
"Fly me to the moon & let me.................................

John Helliwell. Supertramp Sun July 12th 09

It's been some time since I bumped into THE sax man.
John eats & breathes jazz & returned from Malibu to take
exams at the Royal Northern College of Music, revealing
his birthday along with colleagues young enough to be his
kids ..... no problem.
There was the gig last January in Geneva with Creme Anglaise
and a guest turned up to do a number... it was Kevin Spacey who
produced a creditable Bobby Darin tune or two!
John was recently called upon to present an award to Chris de
Burgh in Munich & soon it will be Kaltenburg for Excalibur, closely
followed by Italy for a little Puccini.
We had many calls for some new music from Supertramp, to which
John looked optimistic but of course, it's not just down to him.

Tim Chu and Pete Frampton Sun June 7th 09

Two talented guitarists & vocalists came my way via mutual pal
Jerome Macmurray. These two guys are the student & the teacher
and you would be hard pressed to tell which is which.
They play & sing together when their schedules allow, but normally
Tim runs his studio & organises festivals, which were born from
open mic nights.... & Pete (ex Poacher) teaches and builds guitars.
They play extremely well & it's easy to see that they love what
they do. Their acoustic Layla was supreme & I for one look forward
with relish to their return.

Rev David Gray, the punk monk Sun 31st May 09

When you see "religious man" in the schedule, to some it can
be slightly off putting..but David is a punk monk of St Francis.
He regularly guests with a Manchester band & is totally at home
amidst the sweat, tattoos piercings goths et al, in fact he admits
to being accorded great respect. He muses, if that same section of
the community walked into his church, would they receive the
same respect from those within?
His background is psychiatric nursing, working in & for the
community & seeing the good in all people..
"every sinner has a future & every saint has a past"
David once spent a fascinating period with the great apes at Belle
Vue & his story about the gorilla, the medicine & the chimpanzee
was breathtaking.....when his book is published take time to read it.
He is one of the brains behind the Monastery of St Francis, Gorton
it was once a shell, but see it now! ... a Franciscan Monk who
is quite simply a pleasure to be around...
" Our ideals are like the stars & just as unattainable"

Dave Goodman Sunday May 24th

My old chum Dave was good value on this occasion when
he reported on his passion Eurovision, live from his home
in Amsterdam.
He has loved the song contest for many years, so that made
it even more fun when we both went to Athens to cover the
event for BBC only a few years ago. The Greeks made us more
than welcome and made our reporting debut a real pleasure.
This time Dave told of his recent visit to Moscow & gave the
flavour of it all.. the scenes..the scenes...& ..even more scenes.
New country, new voting system & new commentator too
namely Graham Norton, who was reported as a resounding
success! No vodka for Dave, so he said. Take that as you will
...with or without ice!

Tony Michaelides Sun May 10th 09

We were in Florida, in spirit & on the phone on
Sunday to chat to the music biz raconteur on the
brink of publication of his first book "Insights from
the engine room"
Tony always talks with great passion about his time
with Bono & U2, Sting & countless other world class
artistes in the days when they were famous as opposed
to their present stratospheric position.
Interestingly, the common thread connecting all of these
personalities seems to be an unshakable respect for those
around them.
David Bowie, for whom Tony handled much of the promo
work for the 98 tour, was described as a charming man
who always had time for those around him........ those
who were constantly contributing to his success.
....Charming, clever, sensible and very bright too.

Roger "Twiggy" Day Sun May 10th 09

Four decades on air for Roger & he still remains
intoxicated by the business of broadcasting.
Lovely stories of Margate in the 1800 s when
the young Roger worked at his parents' workhouse
....... sorry B&B.
The three hour visit from Graham Nash to his live studio,
exclusive performances of brand new songs there
& then, just when radio one could not get a word from him...
well as we all know, GN never does interviews!
Romance, rock n roll & radio piracy on the high seas,
treasured memories of the Beach Boys super fan who
lived the dream & compered the tour....yes he did..
and it opened at The London Palladium.

They all said "I do" 2/3 May 09

Not on air this weekend as we had two weddings
to attend. Each affair quite different, yet both a
delight to be a part of.
Great futures are assured for the happy couples
I wish them well as they head off to confront life's
challenges and reap its rich rewards...together.
Simon & Sam .. Jake & Kaz....Cheers!

"Matt Nickson Trio" Sun April 19th 09

Live music played on air is a joy to behold.
On this evening we were joined by Matt on
sax, Laurence McNaughton on keyboards &
Tom O'Shea on double bass.
The music was magic, cool jazz for late night
radio, a feel of coastal California on a balmy
mid summer night. The Nightfly.
It often fascinates me how musicians such
as these who don't play together so often manage
to deliver a performance that appears so effortless
& practised. They all agreed, theirs is a common
language, a passion for music.

Bob Greaves Sun April 5th 09

Always a pleasure to see Lord Greaves of Timp.
Again on fine form, Bob was senior presenter on Granada's
regional programmes for over 30 years. He was Tony
Wilson's partner on Granada Reports, Bob confessed to
having enormous admiration for Tony & missed him
terribly. Bob's stories of Tony opening the Hacienda were
a joy. I had forgotten that his old BBC adversary S.Hall
& he had actually presented a TV programme together...
Greaves & Hall, or was it Hall & Greaves?
Then, of course there was the ......elephant.

Vince Miller guest Sunday March 15th 09

Vince is always good value on the wireless, he always
enjoys the studio atmosphere & has certainly earned
the title of Mr Manchester. He is one of the best comperes
on the circuit & has been for many years, he sings tells
great stories..... something of a Forsyth in his own way.
Originally a dance band singer, he made his name as the
resident compere at Stockport's Poco a Poco cub.
On this occasion we heard of his recent trip to Dubai and
Melbourne. His daughter & her family have lived in Oz
for a few years now. Vince called his daughter live from
the studio on his mobile phone to explain he was on the
air with me ... so she logged on down under to listen to
her Dad, doing what he does, live for an hour, on the other
side of the world.... nice to hear you...

Dimitri Grillipoulus guest Feb 15th 09

Dimitri's at the "Greek end of deansgate" has been reminding
visitors of their happy holidays in Greece for some years now.
Dimitri spent his childhood in Nigeria in the rarefied atmosphere of
privilege & servants. Dad was Greek & Mum was Welsh, & they
spoke in English. Not sure who taught young D to play bouzouki,
but play he does.
Schooldays were spent at Shrewsbury with selected members of
Genesis, The Pythons were just ahead of our man.
Dimitri always wanted to act but loved music too, so he went into
Rock Trucking big time..... & acted part time. At first he moved the
bands' equipment around Europe, then he moved the bands
themselves....oh yes, great stories.
A keen wine fan & keeper of a fine cellar too, he loves nothing
more than travelling n tasting, well if not him, who else?
Dimitri's Tapas Bar & Taverna celebrates it's anniversary soon...
doubtless early morning revellers will be heard shouting..... Squid!

Steve Blacknell. guest Feb 8th 09

Steve is always great fun to talk to, we last chatted
in the late 70s & early 80s......so a bit of a gap.
Then, he was a record plugger & plugged artists like
Steely Dan....say no more!
He is now in management & operates both here in UK
& in America, where he lived for some time & was a
huge success. Drink & other more sinister commodities
became his friends & the association was a disaster.
He is quite open about all of it, including his eating
disorder which was significant & all in all he got very
close to the edge. He is a fascinating & colourful
character with a sensational story to tell. One episode
saw him on Concorde interviewing Phil Collins on a
live link up between London & Philadelphia for Live Aid
..... remember?

Tim Grundy RIP

I lost a friend quite recently.

He had a lasting positive effect on many lives because
he had time for people and invested in them.
Tim put much more into his work than he took out, he was
a giver and was thoroughly genuine.
We worked together on Piccadilly Radio in the
golden days of the 80s....he produced & did most
of the work, & I presented.
I loved working with him because he was as daft
as I was, we were allowed to be even dafter on air.
Then, we laughed so much we cried
Lately I just cried, there has been no laughing...

Jerome McMurray sings live Sunday Feb1st 09

Whenever possible I do like to feature live music on
the show, this was an example of how good it gets.
JM plays guitar, sings R & B & great jazz & has for some
time, I think he is well over 21 now.
Not only does he play & entertain, he is a true master
of the live audience....knowing what they want before they
want it....so, they get it before they need it.
Caught him recording some tracks recently, along with
a group of accordingly gifted musicians, it was a treat.
It was a joy to witness.....no dots.....no rehearsal, result
pure magic!
J can be seen performing in Manchester on Saturday nights
seek him out, it will be worth the search.

More Funster

Pressed the wrong bloody button! ..........oops

Funster was plying his wares around the time of Timmy
Mallet & Chris Evans on PiccadllyRadio.... I recall he
worked with a band of so called Elves, lots of them!
The Carrington's home is idyllic & nestles in the hills
around Castle Howard, famous for that celebrated period
drama, Rising Damp.
One of the features of a good friendship is when you only meet rarely,
yet the conversation is picked up & continued as though it had
stopped only the day before.
We were delighted to visit their village pub to discover not
only did it feature a brand new landlord, but he had a micro
brewery & all ale was made on site, wonderful too!
Although The Funster has matured more than somewhat
not far below the surface lurks that madcap nutter, that
thankfully requires little temptation to be on parade.

Remember The Funster?

The lovely Mrs Wood & I spent a terriffic weekend with
Paul Carrington & Lady Carrington who live in North Yorkshire.
Paul's alter ego used to be known as the funster at the time
of Timmy Mallet & Chris Evans on

Henry Matthews. Guest Sun 25th Jan 09

A wonderful voice I always associate with Piccadilly
Radio in it's heyday, that Welsh lilt and a manner that
told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Henry has always told wonderful stories and it's easy
to see that he so loves to tell them....
Spike Milligan responsible for single handedly wrecking
H's first day on air, as he attempted to read the news
whilst chicken noises emanated from underneath the desk.
Piccadilly's Man City reporter, Brian Clarke netting an
exclusive with Oasis,"a beat group", when no other
interviewer could get within miles of them!
And that wonderful, priceless Clive Lloyd story...

Coming soon

I am looking forward to Jerome McMurray returning
to the show soon. Now, there is a class act.
Guitar & vocals delivering Rhythm & Blues at it's best
and....100% LIVE. I wonder, will he feature sax or guitar
to support?

My old pal & broadcaster Henry Matthews is sheduled
for appearance this coming Sunday.
He is always a pleasure to spend time with, a first rate
raconteur & dry wit with enough Welsh brogue to
shake a leek at. Henry is a true cricket fan & I find
myself hoping that he will do his Clive Lloyd story.

John Mundy, guest. on air Sun 18th Jan '09 MRO

Such great fun to catch up with an old pal from
some years ago. John presented BBC TV's
North West Tonight alongside Stuart Hall, the
laughing cavalier from It's a Knockout.
John started as a stage hand at Manchester's
Opera House theatre on his quest to become a
tv director. Continuity was his ticket to telly
first at Newcastle, then Wales & eventually at
Manchester.
Like schoolboys we spent much time discussing
"corpsing & drying", it tickled me so much I
found myself delivering a more than passable

impression of S. Hall, laughing & wheezing

throughout. A joy!

John Benson-Smith, Chef... On air Sunday 11th Jan

JBS as we know him is a great supporter of simple
good honest food, done well. He is very passionate about
his work & has been rewarded with many honours. He was a
regular judge on BBC TV's Master chef with vocal gymnast
Gross Loydman.
It was interesting to hear John remember how, as a lad in
Sheffield he was made to sit at the dinner table with his 6
siblings, and behave! Transgression was punished with
speed & severity in the form of a loud whack to the backside.
The conversation was then derailed ( for Python fans )
by memories of the presenter dreaming of being whacked,
for as a boy, he was pilloried by his parents & disemboweled
if he as much as even breathed at the dinner table....

Nigel Havers

Always great fun to bump into The Nigemeister.
He has a wicked sense of humour and always
manages to look double dog dapper, even when
the dappometer is running low.

On this occasion he was describing with some relish

his latest play involving the inevitable group of
nubile young ladies.
His anecdote eventually climaxed, so to speak with his
his description of waking up in the morning with an
erection he could have played croquet with!

Alan Rickman

This guy was a real hoot!
Professor Snape, Hans Gruber...et al. They adore him in the States
& we quite like him here too. Not an easy interview as he does not suffer
fools gladly....yeh yeh so how come he suffered me?
Well we got him eventually & he giggled a lot. This was at the Manchester
Festival, the weather was dreadful but failed to dilute the enthusiasm of
visitors from all over the show. AR was narrating a live piece at the Bridgewater
Hall, put together by director Mike Figgis ( Leaving Las Vegas )..... oh yeah

he's done a movie or two, too

Steve Harley

What a gentleman & certainly not a Cockney rebel when I met him.
He wanted me to auction some of his personal items of memorabilia during the
interval of his Manchester Palace Theatre concert..... proceeds to his fave charity.
I did so, with quite a few usherettes strategically placed so as not to miss a bid.

A keen audience, all the lots went....and at the right money too!

testing testing

Don't panic Mr Mainwaring.... all is going according to plan

hello world!

Well here we are on the air, & I must say it feels rather good.

Over the following weeks & months I will be spouting forth
the ramblings of an itinerant broadcaster with an appreciation
for Steely Dan & crispy bacon sandwiches.