Um, I was e-mailed a week ago to see if, um, I could "supply an enthusiast" to , um, take part in a radio show at BBC Coventry & Warwickshire. Erm, not being one to turn down an opportunity for self-promotion I, um, volunteered to go along and do it myself.
So yesterday morning I was standing outside the Coventry studio trying to work out how to get in. There isn't anyone manning reception, or the phone number listed on the website, but some arm waving at people through the windows attracted attention and someone let me in. Since the studio and some of the offices back onto the plaza and are in the middle of the city, I'm surprised the people working there haven't developed better abilities to ignore idiots outside but fortunately, for me, they haven't.
Inside I was repeatedly offered drinks and had to sit and wait for the gardening bloke to finish his sport before being rushed into the studio. The presenter was none other than Wincey Willis who I vaguely remember from her weather presenting days with TVAM. The researcher who'd got in touch with me hadn't actually told me anything about the show other than the segment was called "Passions" and the idea was to bring people in to talk about their interests.
Guessing that most people don't have a clue about model railways other than train sets I took a copy of the Hornby Magazine with the Melbridge Dock feature. By stuffing this under their nose I hoped to head off any mention of train sets and instead talk about the craft side of the hobby.
As it happens I didn't need to worry. For around 12 minutes we chatted comfortably. I'd anticipated some of the questions such as "How did you start" and "Are there any women building model railways" and had answers for these ready. It's a shame there wasn't more time but the news was looming and thanks to a last minute text question, the green fingered guy had overrun a little.
Anyway, I enjoyed it and apart from constantly saying "um", something I should have remembered from my hospital radio days not to do, I think it went OK.
Listen for yourself for the next week - my interview is about 1 hour 44 into the show.
Excellent- and a good idea to take the magazine. It always amazes me how these organisations are so badly um, organised when you actually go there.
ReplyDeleteAre there many women in railway modelmaking? I know of only two in the 1:55 scale association.
To be fair to the BBC, I was just a very small part of the programme. They don't actually care much about 1 off contributors like me - it would have probably been better as far as they are concerned if I'd done the thing over the 'phone. I only went in out of curiosity. It wouldn't make any sense to do much research on the topic beforehand.
ReplyDeleteThere are female model makers out there. I used Maggie Gravett and Mrs "Mother of Charles" Insley as my examples but I know there are more including the chairman of one club. Didn't PECO publish a book on buildings by a female modeller in the 1970's ?