During my 30 plus years with the BBC I’ve hosted countless concerts and events, ranging from public meetings to Christmas lights switch ons, from a gathering of ambassadors to charity auctions, from the Chairman of the BBC and a roomful of Bishops to the opening of a sensory garden for the RNIB. I’ll adapt my style and script to whatever you feel is needed and whatever the occasion suggests.

Recent events as host include the Leeds Architecture Awards 2023 and a brass band and choral concert at Huddersfield Town Hall. For well over a decade I was the MC for the ‘Raising the Bar’ awards organised by the West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.

I’ve often joked that a career on air at the BBC has given me splinters in my behind from decades sitting on the fence. Indeed about lots of issues I struggle to have, let alone voice, strong opinions: I can usually see the other side of the argument. That will come in very useful if you’d like an impartial chair to host a conference, in its entirety or for individual sessions. I’ve twice hosted the Association of Colleges Conference at the Harrogate Convention Centre and many events for the business community.

I first presented a live radio show for the BBC in 1991, two years after joining the organisation. In the years since I’ve accumulated many thousands of hours of air miles, including 15 years hosting or co-hosting the weekday breakfast show at BBC Radio Leeds. Apart from anything else that means I’m good at getting up early and remaining cheerful! I trained as a journalist and most of my shows have been all speech. In recent years I’ve come to love presenting programmes with lots of music as well as conversation.

I’m at home with various formats, including phone-ins, speech / music mixes, interactive gardening shows and religious broadcasting. I’ve presented networked election shows (eg European elections and the Brexit referendum) and a variety of through-the-night regional shows (eg general elections and at times of flooding and other emergencies). I’m very comfortable dealing with breaking news, working without a script of any kind and news reading.

I have a calm, reassuring, authoritative and trustworthy voice. I’m a northern lad, proud to be born and brought up in the East Riding of Yorkshire and to have spent most of my life in the West Riding. I have flat northern vowels!

Broadcasting folk sometimes say, rather grandly: ‘My voice is my instrument’. It’s true though. This is an area I’m hoping to work in more. In the past, because my role as a staff member of the BBC sensibly precluded doing outside work, I’ve only voiced a few charity films plus BBC idents and a number of documentaries. I’m planning to have a home studio so I can record, independently or with direction, scripts, books, narration and commercials.

I won’t pretend to have lots of practical podcasting experience. But what I do have is a long career producing radio programmes – structuring everything from short reports and features to all night, live election shows, with thousands of daily three and four hour shows in between. I can help you to think about content, how to vary subject, tone and emotion, to discuss formats and offer technical advice. We can make your podcast happen with the help of a long time friend and colleague who runs his own podcasting company.

Writing scripts that sound natural when they’re read out isn’t easy. Writing scripts that don’t sound like scripts at all is even harder. I can help you with as little or as much of this process as you’d like – from simply giving your words a final polish to producing a full script, including all the necessary research. The art of a producer includes being able to write in the ‘voice’ of different presenters. Some people want every word or question written out, including gaps for the hoped for laughter. Others simply want bullet points and enjoy the high-wire thrill of busking, but with the safety net of a careful briefing. Perhaps you would like me to write the script and record it for you? It’s all part of the service.