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As you know, Alan Partridge was a parody of so many TV presenters, and like some of them, they disappear from national view and end up doing the regional news or local radio. That made me think of the presenters who have done just that - hidden away locally doing other presenting jobs, while elsewhere they become a "where are they now?" sort of person.
Just like Partridge, BBC Radio Norfolk's Wally Webb is often thought of as a real-life version, for obvious reasons he does the early slot not just in Norfolk, but across East Anglia. One good example is Simon Bates who did the breakfast show on BBC Radio Devon between 2015 and 2017, and does feel that despite Bates being local to Devon these days, one feels that he was too famous to do that, and lo and behold, he left after nearly two years for pastures new. Even Sarah Kennedy felt like that to anyone who didn't get up before 8.00 am on a weekday, and she did national radio as well. It made the local radio page of the Radio Times really exciting.
Mike D'Abo formerly of Manfred Mann, was a weekend presenter on BBC Radio Gloucestershire, and also did their Drivetime show in around 1997-ish. Even Ronan Keating is co-presenting the Magic breakfast show, and it made me think that during the heady days of Boyzone 20 years or so ago, I doubt that he would have done that back then for obvious reasons - it is welcoming of course.
BBC Radio Berkshire is full of them in a way - they must have the record (so to speak) of having the most nationally known presenters on their station - even Tony Blackburn pops in now and again (someone who I think has made the history books regarding British radio). This happens a lot more in the south rather than in the north.
And of course it can happen in reverse - the late Dale Winton was a DJ on Radio Trent before he moved to Beacon Radio in Wolverhampton; David "Kid Jensen" was poached by Trent from Radio Luxembourg until Radio 1 poached him; and Simon Mayo was on BBC Radio Nottingham before Radio 1 took a fancy to him.
I suppose that when national work dries up, and when one becomes a face of the past, there is always local radio to fall back on - going back to square one in many cases...
Just like Partridge, BBC Radio Norfolk's Wally Webb is often thought of as a real-life version, for obvious reasons he does the early slot not just in Norfolk, but across East Anglia. One good example is Simon Bates who did the breakfast show on BBC Radio Devon between 2015 and 2017, and does feel that despite Bates being local to Devon these days, one feels that he was too famous to do that, and lo and behold, he left after nearly two years for pastures new. Even Sarah Kennedy felt like that to anyone who didn't get up before 8.00 am on a weekday, and she did national radio as well. It made the local radio page of the Radio Times really exciting.
Mike D'Abo formerly of Manfred Mann, was a weekend presenter on BBC Radio Gloucestershire, and also did their Drivetime show in around 1997-ish. Even Ronan Keating is co-presenting the Magic breakfast show, and it made me think that during the heady days of Boyzone 20 years or so ago, I doubt that he would have done that back then for obvious reasons - it is welcoming of course.
BBC Radio Berkshire is full of them in a way - they must have the record (so to speak) of having the most nationally known presenters on their station - even Tony Blackburn pops in now and again (someone who I think has made the history books regarding British radio). This happens a lot more in the south rather than in the north.
And of course it can happen in reverse - the late Dale Winton was a DJ on Radio Trent before he moved to Beacon Radio in Wolverhampton; David "Kid Jensen" was poached by Trent from Radio Luxembourg until Radio 1 poached him; and Simon Mayo was on BBC Radio Nottingham before Radio 1 took a fancy to him.
I suppose that when national work dries up, and when one becomes a face of the past, there is always local radio to fall back on - going back to square one in many cases...
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