Allan Beswick

Have you always been a radio broadcaster?		No, I've been broadcasting full time for more than 20 years and at BBC GMR for the past 15 of those and, given that I've just signed a new contract, I'll be here for at least another 2. That is assuming that I don't say something terrible and they sack me - it's not impossible by any means. Before I started talking rubbish for money I did a variety of jobs, including: bus driver, psychiatric nurse, soldier, driving instructor and Citizens Advice Bureau manager; I was also a milkman but that was too early, too cold and too much like hard work so I only lasted two days. That's far too many too's.
How did you first get into broadcasting?		As an 'on air' advisor for Radio City in Liverpool but that was just one day a week, I then did a phone-in for BBC Radio Carlisle on a Sunday morning and I'm quite proud of the fact that we beat Noel Edmonds on Radio 1 in the ratings. I first got a programme with my name on it in Newcastle Upon Tyne for a commercial station called Metro Radio.
Have you presented at other radio stations?		I also worked for Red Rose Radio in Preston where I suppose I first got noticed, we won a couple of awards, it was the most successful programme in the country and I was voted the rudest man in Europe which is some kind of achievement though my mum was not even nearly impressed. I also make documentaries for BBC Radio 4, I am presently working on 5 programmes for 2.45 in the afternoon called "A Room With A View that is scheduled to go out over a week in February 2003. I am also a regular contributor to 'live' debate programmes like the Message and You and Yours.
Does your family have a background in entertainment?		No, my Dad has the best sense of humour I've ever heard and I nick stuff off him all the time, but no one has ever done it as a job - they don't even believe that it is a job - mind you neither do I really.
Is Mother Goose your first panto?		I've done about half a dozen but Mother Goose is my first for ten years; the last one was also at Rochdale's Gracie Fields Theatre with Colin M, I played King Rat in Dick Whittington.
Are you looking forward to getting out from behind the mic?		Definitely ! For the past three years I've been a judge in the Manchester Evening News Drama Awards and enjoyed every second of it, I hope to be asked to do it again one day. My fellow judges really care about theatre of all kinds and sweat blood over every category, so after three years of poring over other people's work, I thought I'd go and remind myself just how a job acting is.
Do you have plans to do other theatre work?		I'm certainly not considering it as a career, but I would like to try a straight acting role, but with so many quality actors around I can't see a director casting the likes of me. Me and a pal are considering doing a theatre based tour of the north west in 2003 but that's going to be stand up rather than drama.
Has Beswick's Beat on North West Tonight finished?		I'm not sure, we'd done it for three years and when it came off for the summer it was just having a rest and the plan was that it would start again, but for the moment that's in abeyance, if only because I'm too busy with the Radio 4 thing to film it. Broadcasting is a roller coaster business so we'll see what happens after Christmas.