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Lockdown_Listen_A Lancashire Afternoon_January_1996
Warning! Today's Lockdown Listen is bit narcissistic. It's also the last for now as things hopefully return to a little normality.
Someone asked me recently. If I'd ever been interviewed. I had to think about it, and first reaction was to say no - I wouldn't be brave enough. But then, I remembered, an afternoon in Blackburn, back in 1996, which was to all intents and purposes, the start of a three year connection with BBC Radio Lancashire. I genuinely cannot recall why I was asked to appear on the station's daily afternoon magazine programme but, one Tuesday afternoon in January 1996, I parked outside the Darwen Street studios and unloaded my Technics EX30 organ from the back of the Citroen ZX into the reception area and was asked to go and park in the nearby shopping precinct. Duly obliging, I walked back to the building only to find that the organ had vanished from the foyer! Luckily, the station engineer George, had "kindly" removed it into the broadcast studio, had taken the back off and was poking and prodding around inside "the workings" to ensure it wouldn't blow up during the the show and take the BBC off the air! I wonder how many organists have a free service of their instrument by Auntie Beeb!
The presenter, Alison Brown, soon put me at my ease and as the 2.00pm news jingle faded...IAN WOLSTENHOLME went live to Lancashire!
Very ironically, that same evening, a BBC regional forum meeting had been scheduled in nearby Preston. I decided to go along, just to be nosey! The meeting, which was well attended, became somewhat rowdy when one Lancashire chap stood up and commented that he had been listening earlier today to “some bloke playing his organ” and why couldn’t the BBC put more of that on the radio! The poor panel, comprising BBC Northwest managers and other more senior luminaries had quite a struggle on their hands as shouts of “here here” and “well said” came from all quarters. I could feel myself shrinking into my seat when (and I’ve never known quite why) I jumped up and said “I was that man”!! The result was a return visit on the station’s Arts programme. The presenter was a lovely lass who taught me to use the “desk” and equipment and I spent a very happy three years until 1999 producing and hosting KEYView on BBC Radio Lancashire from the very same studio that my good friend the late ERIC LORD used to present his popular "Organ Showcase" for many years.
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By Ian WolstenholmeWarning! Today's Lockdown Listen is bit narcissistic. It's also the last for now as things hopefully return to a little normality.
Someone asked me recently. If I'd ever been interviewed. I had to think about it, and first reaction was to say no - I wouldn't be brave enough. But then, I remembered, an afternoon in Blackburn, back in 1996, which was to all intents and purposes, the start of a three year connection with BBC Radio Lancashire. I genuinely cannot recall why I was asked to appear on the station's daily afternoon magazine programme but, one Tuesday afternoon in January 1996, I parked outside the Darwen Street studios and unloaded my Technics EX30 organ from the back of the Citroen ZX into the reception area and was asked to go and park in the nearby shopping precinct. Duly obliging, I walked back to the building only to find that the organ had vanished from the foyer! Luckily, the station engineer George, had "kindly" removed it into the broadcast studio, had taken the back off and was poking and prodding around inside "the workings" to ensure it wouldn't blow up during the the show and take the BBC off the air! I wonder how many organists have a free service of their instrument by Auntie Beeb!
The presenter, Alison Brown, soon put me at my ease and as the 2.00pm news jingle faded...IAN WOLSTENHOLME went live to Lancashire!
Very ironically, that same evening, a BBC regional forum meeting had been scheduled in nearby Preston. I decided to go along, just to be nosey! The meeting, which was well attended, became somewhat rowdy when one Lancashire chap stood up and commented that he had been listening earlier today to “some bloke playing his organ” and why couldn’t the BBC put more of that on the radio! The poor panel, comprising BBC Northwest managers and other more senior luminaries had quite a struggle on their hands as shouts of “here here” and “well said” came from all quarters. I could feel myself shrinking into my seat when (and I’ve never known quite why) I jumped up and said “I was that man”!! The result was a return visit on the station’s Arts programme. The presenter was a lovely lass who taught me to use the “desk” and equipment and I spent a very happy three years until 1999 producing and hosting KEYView on BBC Radio Lancashire from the very same studio that my good friend the late ERIC LORD used to present his popular "Organ Showcase" for many years.