Face behind the voice
Age Current job
Presents four podcast shows on Share Radio — The Bigger Picture, The Business of Film, Gadgets and Gizmos, The Financial Outlook. He has been withthe station since it went on air in 2014. It went online only in 2017. “Gavin Oldham who set it up really believes that the more people understand about money and are able to manage their own finances, the happier, wealthier and more savvy they will be.”
CV Born in Berkshire, he was raised in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He worked at a local theatre and travelled with it to the Edinburgh Fringe, where he met BBC producer John Lloyd. While at King’s College, London (1977—80), “I found myself in the pub with John Lloyd and said, ‘Can I have some work?’” He became a researcher and gag-writer for shows including The News Quiz,
Week Ending and The News Huddlines. From 1983 to 91 he was a reporter for the BBC Financial Unit, where he initiated a business news slot on Radio 4’s Today. 1987—89 he presented a slot on The City Programme (ITV). Then for about 30 years he reviewed films for BBC local radio stations. He was the first to review film scores on Classic FM. 1994—5, he co-presented The Net for London News Talk Radio. 1995—9 he was film critic for the Daily Mirror.
Social media — yes or no? “For Share Radio, yes, but not particularly aggressively. I use Facebook for my proper friends and X/Twitter when companies have annoyed me.”
Best moments “Hearing a joke I’d written on the radio for the first time. And when Share Radio started. Any start-up is more exciting than going into something that’s already been in existence for years.”
Worst moments “On The Net I had two people who claimed to have been alien abductees. If aliens were to abduct anybody, these two would be the least prepossessing people they could have chosen.”
Off air Lives in south-west London. He has three children and a grandson. “I’m old and I’ve taken up gardening.”
First radio memory “I think Radio 2 did repeats of Dick Barton: Special Agent; I used to rush home to listen.”
Favourite broadcasters “Billy Butler and Wally Scott used to do a show on Radio Merseyside called Hold Your Plums in which they would ask simple questions of Scousers. Because the Merseysiders were hysterically funny, it was a famous show. People apparently came from Japan to see it being recorded! Attending one of the recordings was one of the highlights of my life. Wally’s death [on 30 April] is such a loss. For fans of Hold Your
Plums, he was always one of the radio greats. I still listen now and it never fails to make me laugh.”
Ambition/Dream job “I would love to present a show in which I play Hold
Your Plums and comedy records, the sort of things we grew up loving when more people knew the same things.”
Secret skills “I took up the spoons. If there’s a folky or jazzy thing going on, I can play along!” DAVID MCGILLIVRAY
Listen at shareradio.co.uk