Read this: Double-acts during lockdown - with Bush and Richie

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We're talking about doll headers during lockdown power roving reporter and BBC Newcastle occasional standing presenter and former heart north east Coast Tom Campbell talks to Bush and Richie from absolute radio radio station which may soon lose its licence in London because Greatest Hits radio could be coming in the near future on 105.8 if you don't know what that's all about.

It's on radio today.co.uk right now in this week's edition as a bonus we got coverage of a recent radio event for you the Radio Academy has recently been holding a series of three diversity and inclusion webinars which started with the

Audio and radio events last year you may remember they help the latest event last week and this one was focused on disability in the industry and invited panel of Disabled People Who in radio and audio shared the lived experiences in interests of exploring common themes and identifying areas of effective change and coming out later on with some highlights from The Event will is producer something else's Derby Doris will look forward to that after we've heard from bush and Richie how are radio double acts coping during lockdown to talk about it with me currently many miles apart bringing their show to life through the power of the internet is flashing Richie from the home time show on Absolute Radio just lost 4-1 to Wycombe Wanderers and 1-0 to Derby County in the pro evo.

I was just playing what does

Download all the update kits otherwise you play me the fun of it was a better football game but wasn't official but he was official game not as good as pro evo Evo but sometimes you can't believe you can't be playing against West London white arlingford and stuff like that is not at all, but I thought you said you was lost did yeah, I'm pumped.

I'm like an early and find the departure though seeing Dave Berry move into breakfast hometime.

Show was born but how do that all begin Paul Silvester asked Andy and I've we fancied doing a little their pilot together and we both known each other since since our days in the gwr group so

It's a long time.

So it was it was it was a no-brainer to say yes to a to a pilot.

I would be quite happy to say that I sat there and felt wow.

Ok.

They want us to do a pilot for this.

Well this this can't fail to sound half-decent cos we know each other so well and yeah, that's how it started and thankfully it did it was the first time.

Yeah, it wasn't it? I think the first time we probably work together.

We do a couple of the Burton to two pilots or something like that and then yeah, then we will have thrown in there and it was already looked back since really to go to the found out about yourselves start with you Bush for itchy body found out about Richard the time you work together may not have known during the gwr days one thing that's been brilliant if they were both really been radio for ages.

It's quite easy to just gonna like get to your way, you're out and just kind of Coast a little bit and kind of thing right.

I'm going to go on autopilot.

This is this is my past the way I go on WhatsApp

Great about working with witches is that he we both got the same thing over quite hard on ourselves quite tough on ourselves.

We always want to give 100-percent and then leave a show feeling like you you couldn't have done anymore.

I feel like we've still got you know it's great to be in a working with somebody who has got the same ambition that we want we want to keep improving and make the show the best that we possibly can do and perspective towards me you know you don't know what someone is going to be like you know you can see what someone was like from the outside and sons of working be never quite know whether they're gonna you going to be going to match up with each other in terms of you want to do things you out lucky work, ethic and all that kind of stuff I fell out with you know we've matched up perfectly with with the way we we approach radio.

We want to do radio and where we want to take this show it's been great when you ask push first.

I had a sense that this question with them come down the line to me, so I don't have anything and and he's I'm afraid boring.

He said similar to what I was thinking you.

Can you can have you could have gone to all the gwr breakfast bootcamps together been on conference calls back in the day together and I'm known each other end and then known each other kicking around absolute for the 1000 years that we both been having all that kind of thing so there's been a good knowledge of each other and a good friendship, but we never done a show together.

So you can you can sit there and listen to the show and you can sit there and see ideas to go off on social like I think a good lad.

He doesn't stuff for us about a good idea all that kind of thing but you don't know the actual work.

Ethic is like because we haven't we haven't ever done a so together and so I guess yeah.

I guess my my learning has been a nice one.

2 years as it's like that's something that we cut from the same same class about I'd add to that we both just passionate passionate about this this medium is as each other just just the fun and excitement of getting an idea to wear that we both share the same sense when you experience something in your day today lives are in your relationship at home or or out and about we both have that same light bulb that goes off that is not just had fun there any normal person would have but it's the same light bulb, that is I can't wait to talk about that on the radio and it's get this it's been nice to know that that's the same ideas that come to life at the lightbulb moments the ones that you've been really excited to deliver.

What's the first one that comes to mind yeah.

We have a lot harebrained schemes that we come up with.

And the good thing is that we think when we do when we come up with an idea that we both love we just we just want to try and get it on here as soon as we possibly can go I'm just trying to think now that one of them.

What are the ones we've done because we go through everything we don't really have that money benchmarks in our show so we we we just every single day.

Show is pretty much blank sheet of paper and off we go.

What was some of the ones that we used to travel the breadth of the country and do something everybody has got an opinion on and do it in a way that makes everybody feel like home the home time showers on their doorstep things like that bring it to life as a fan.

I think you best moment.

I think it was the chip shop Till that certainly came came to mind for me when you are you.

The question because that is the same colour thing we both just like yes, yes yes, this is brilliant, but it might not necessarily be the kind of thing that you might normally find a national show doing but it's I think we both certainly believed even back at the when we had the idea of doing it it was an idea that very much born out of grounding under the love that we both had for the local radio in the you know is great fun doing a show out and about doing outside broadcasts we both done are sort of like Saturday so Saturday lunchtime is outside a bed showroom with a Vauxhall Frontera that says blackdunya on it kind of things so I think idea of doing a national show and all that kind of stuff in big markets every day across the week.

It really forms even more of a bond with your listeners if you are going out.

You've seen them all you've shaken hands.

Are you being in a city and he raved about it and I think we kinda felt a national show if you could do that then it would it would be limits help the bond with the list.

I think when I joined say it when I joined absolute from a local radio brand.

I feel like the wee thing that surprised me the most national wages.

They got absolutely nothing to do with no interaction with them very do anything with them seems kind of like an annoying by-product of just get on doing what they do so is it was strange to approach that where you're suddenly think we want to meet up with an important part of the show so I feel like with hometown.

We've completely put the emphasis back on to the listeners and they're great but the stuff they come up with thrush show they are like they present.

That's cos we doing and a lot of the year.

We might come up with a nucleus of like a little idea, but the when you when you take out there and they get it and they run with it and get these break calls in and it's people stories and stuff.

Tom show last element of crazy local radio phone call type thing that on a national scale is what this that is our kind of bread and butter really so yeah definitely we took over that show we just wanted to put listeners back in the mix of things and you'll be surprised.

How many people start at a national level straight and level the whole listener thing meeting physically seeing shaking hands with listens and going out and doing that that stuff just doesn't even on the radar.

It's really weird.

Where is we see it as part and parcel of come and be electioneering win the radio battle a little bit anime physically meeting anybody hasn't really been an option for the past well over a year now and the world's been on fire and you guys are currently broadcasting from from your home's once again.

There was a brief period we got back in the studio.

I've got to go back to that first lockdown.

What was some of the early.

You guys face doing the show I guess some specific the radio and another you know every single person in the world crap Wi-Fi by the wrong length Ethernet cable never change that actually there is a 30m ethernet cable coiled up in this bedroom right now.

I only probably around about 3 m of it, so it's absolutely ludicrous.

Maybe it was actually for us it would probably was more text other things which then everyone gets signed out after a short period of time.

I think we we tried to follow our daily routine of working up towards 4 and going to wear as much as we could in a in a virtual world so we exchange the Soho coffee cafe.

2:00 WhatsApp video call and then sitting down with the producer at 3 is still sitting down with the producer at 3, but that you know over I was just cleaned the connection instead camera thing so with kind of day to it.

We just can't see each other Stephanie bizarre, but it was at home now ability for timing.

I think is a huge huge issue because in the Studio with you know we have nothing from day one really good relationship in terms of being of the time things and know when someone speaking and not the radio we work someone else to radio to be filled with so many irritations were people don't listen to each other properly not allowing that person that the route to make an appointment.

They want to make you not listening properly andenas bill with all these kind of pitfalls and good with that and we are good listeners and we got clear idea of where.

We know what we're going to do with the links before we get talking about we do we never just go out there and just see what happens so one of the obstacles with working remotely like this.

Is that you got like even with the with the best Wi-Fi in the world this like one on a bit second delay.

You can't physically see each other so that kind of metronome you might have in terms of B never have the normal beat of a show with the way that you can share the painting of stuff can be quite difficult so you got to wait for the little gaps that seem really unnatural but you have to wait for a little gaps when you when you there now pretending.

I show you physically can't see each other and there is that slight delay and you know you've seen it's horrible someone who is a builder if they're going to sit and have a cup of tea and some was ruin the plasters or blown it make some money and it's the same thing for us a news interview where they got someone on Skype and everyone's talking at the same time.

It's glitching.

It's it makes you most like your answers, so it's trying to overcome that kind of the weird texts.

Things to try and present a show this is normal as possible you just eat which we just never wanted it to turn into a bad date if that makes sense as Bush says like you do yeah, even with the Grace is taking the world you got that slight delay.

So I think it's probably not that we want to have this time apart, but I hope it's made it sound like a couple going to marriage guidance made us stronger because you learn to listen to the other person more and where as normally where we're eating each other you know either side of a desk.

You know we're listening to each other you know we know the pattern of each other even more so trying to take the positives if you would if you would like a cleansing thing.

You cut out everything so you going to the mountains and meditate and all that kind of stuff and that's what it's been like a little bit in that you will be no what do we do is Radio presenters? We going experience we make observations on what people do or what people have said and all that kind of stuff and try and Connor capture the spirit of the times and what's going on and because of this weird lockdown thing particularly lockdown three different types of the other two lockdown which had this kind of fun knockabout Dunkirk Spirit never Say Die attitude was this one just over it.

We're not going out and doing anything will not have any experiences you not meeting anyone so you can he clearly point out the weird way that they butter bread in the evening and if you're talking about it on the radio as you're not having any others experiences so it's an interesting almost like Japanese endurance game show to see how long you can go without any form of external stimulus and still managed to keep a radio show going and and and it's kind of proof that the matter what comes in the future you it was.

I feel presenting and doing home show that hasn't lost too much of its ambition with what you're trying to do even though we're working in really bizarre circumstances here and in a strange environment so we know you mentioned.

Obviously that know the timing thing that we can work in these environments.

I never look back at like a bitchy isdn line with any even flinch.

Would that kind of stuff now then also content my sweet? We aren't doing any other stuff that normally we got really weird.

You know Groundhog Day of daily routine as everybody else as he's listening to this but still managing to find the little weird gap some things in life that you can pick out a notice and those things that fills 3 hours of Radio Show and that's that's been kind of good really if you test yourself to see whether you still got it going then that's kind of thing the other thing that we noticed when we came in after the the first one last year and I can't see any different this time round.

Actually, just it's starkly made you realise how much time you also just wasted in in the prep side of it.

We we come when we were like that.

You know that's September through to Christmas colour of little Interlude being back in the studio all our stuff before the so suddenly you just noticed how much quicker and more clinical in some respects you were with your meetings and your chats because when you're having to get stuff done remotely and different places and talking about our producers as well that them and Nick you're up against it so rather than having wooly chats about the late talked on Netflix or our bad Aston Villa were last night and all that kind of thing you cut straight to the chase and I think when we were we were back in that that certainly continued it.

I said so that's another benefit.

I think because you say all those elements that you would normally have in in observation.

They go out the window.

So you have to change it up will definitely because I think as creative people as personalities who like to talk.

I think that you if they're easy to go down the trap door when you when you get in the building you see your mates uclu workmates you see a co-host you want to just chat and I think sometimes it is easy to be honest.

It is really easy to lose the focus kind of thing I think almost like being in this Gulag of of lockdown right now.

I think you know something comes back in a couple of radio people who listen and they might be going through a similar issue with yourselves, whether it's as a solo presenter or as a double Act is there any little nuggets of advice UK

Lowestoft to those he might be listening to help them through it.

I think the first thing is even though it is hard.

I think it's a broadcaster and whatever kind of category at the moment where you get a number lever ball chance to be able to speak to the public so and to try and make sense of that that's where you going on after a terror attack or you going there during a global pandemic.

You do your normal thing but in a way that kind of speaks to people like you do so it's a great opportunity to connect with the audience and we've definitely found that with more people than ever are listening to the messages for people who don't normally listens because they that their entire day as completely change so see it as a great opportunity.

I think that the big issue is obviously engulfing they call it the chips or sports is like you're left alone with your own thoughts for ages.

I think is a radio presenter.

That's probably the biggest thing is like overly losing the plot because you

Miss you when you're not doing the call radio thing that you thought you know that your job is which is going into a studio which has got nice lights and all that kind of stuff and be playing records and everything and you just actually just talking to your PC or laptop which is not quite there the glamorous showbiz thing you're after but I don't know I just don't be afraid to talk about how you feel and that's the main thing for us.

You know obviously it's a Grim time and it's difficult on the people going through difficult stuff, but I think whatever in terms of your irrational talking about stuff.

You've got a right to be talking about that, so don't I wouldn't mind speak to try and talk to people through the lens of how you've seen this weird experience and what you've observed and don't be scared of talking about stuff people so scared to talk about anything and I got to Dawn offend anyone or am I this to you know we've been too funny knockabout in his way X and you know bow down towards and stuff like that.

Hell with all that just talking if you feel it, then you should say it but definitely not that's that for me.

I think he just staying on the straight and narrow during this similar sat here and I was thinking what would I say? I would say to believe in yourself and what you're wanting to say to the audience, but I think that's probably a piece of a side give any time.

I think an audience can smell horseshit pretty quickly because radio is such an intimate and one-to-one medium if you're being fake with the with what you're saying what the point you're trying to make a cross.

There's nothing out pretty quickly I certainly down the pub talking to a stranger colour thing ok, but it's talking crap and it's the same with an audience so yeah believe in the point you're making.

And you know I was processed you got the right to be making it and then and then secondly similar to What push the same B&B Salford don't be don't be afraid to be honest about being yourself whether that is about sharing something that is nerdy and yes, I really want to tell everyone about this know if you've got passion about it.

Go for it about what they think and then secondly being being honest regarding like how you are feeling right now never bad time you're feeling but particularly at the moment and goes back to it radio such a one-to-one medium if we can be ourselves and be honest with the audience.

You know could be broadcasting someone is struggling at as much time as you are and to hear somebody on the radio Uno share their struggles is

Is a powerful thing to hear if you if you've chosen to listen to them and you hear that person so that they're struggling to that could be the support that that person really neat so yeah two things small but I think I think the big obviously pandemic aside like what would you like to? What do you hope to get from hometime with bush and Richie in the next 12-months we submitted a a plan for the entire year at 12 box Paul Silvester literally.

I think about 3-weeks 4 weeks before we went into lockdown.

It was unbelievable so we've had so many ideas.

That's only big plans that we had for this year completely torpedoes out because of what happened.

So it's really busy can't win a weird situation the most difficult to plan a because resources because you know when things are going to go back to normal see because what's inside great joke on Monday by Friday can suddenly seemed really inappropriate or not.

It's really tough at the moment to Scope forward as a radio show and think this is what you want to do, but we have got some huge fans and you know the beginning of this with the chip shop to have in a good example of the way that we approach national radio with a local mindset that is more of that kind of stuff different but we want to go and try and get out there get the show out there and I meet as many people as we possibly can see absolutely love it when you get to go in me to Radio 2 listeners home time listener, so whatever is there such a good bunch and yeah, that's what we like to do work.

I just feel like one everyone's in a holding pattern until we get back out there again.

You know if they definitely yeah, I grow the show as as much as we can at home time will Absolute Radio is is is a great show to be doing and we are so fortunate to be doing it.

We give Paul a hell of a lot of first-degree.

But this isn't the place to be private about it, but we were both freely admit that we giving a hell of a lot of trust by Poland tinyint and our so it's it's a great audience to talk to because of the you know the audience that we're aiming at the musically pl02 B2B the people that have been trusted the show some we just want to keep growing it because it's some it's it's a great show to do if you asked him genuine the morning after all that you guys have pushed through persevered through over the last multiple lockdown surely a show from a tip is very little to ask for the very least I could do I think it's going to happen.

He's he's trying to put it off and he's launched legal beds to try and delay the the process of the Boats that kind.

ABBA Indian ring Paul knows deep down that it's coming aughertree football at the moment, is there I mean I was at my local one on on Saturday and they're outside every other day is closed it's so socially distance right now.

It's it's a place to be there's there's really very little stopping it now.

We would ask if we could have seen this platform to ask all We Need Is One of These refuse companies that own these tips are local council to come forward with a very sizable a sponsorship opportunity which Absolute Radio on Paul can't deny say that they want this show life and one of their sites and then there's no way pork instead in the way that don't mean it will happen a week.

How many people listen to the radio today podcast you biggest great interview.

Thank you very much Tom and bush and Richie as well on the radio Today programme this week.

Before we go into our next feature.

Let me tell you about cleanfit because whether you're doing and I'll be an interview or co-hosting like bush and Richie cleanfeed is designed for producers and broadcasters in it simple to connect live audio over the web the quality is great and you can record as well to do your double headed shop at cleanfeed doesn't cost anything to get started and you can find out more met the radiator day programme with broadcast bionics creators of The Bionic studio listening watching reacting to and learning from every corner suite and SMS to a mixed unlock the bionic studio transforms everything about radio except the way you make it last week the Radio Academy Howletts first disability in audio on radio webinar focusing on both the positive and negative lived experiences of disabled people in the industry.

Monaghan often heard fronting BBC disability podcast ouch the panel included BBC Asian Network presenter, Eastern Akbar and talk radio producer Holly Keogh discussing some of the challenges and disabled representation in the audio industry, and how it might be improved, but I was having this conversation with with Derby you put this together.

Yeah, I posted the idea.

No do you do you put them on the credit? If that's something we will be comfortable with do you outline these things.

I I I don't know I wish I knew the answer but I think that having events like this are really important and making sure their outreach because unfortunately we're at the place.

Where is incumbent on us as people who wear this badge with pride often to spread the gospel and until such a time with the rest of society.

Where can I have to be the trailblazers guys? Let's do it.

Why don't we be the ones to go out there and say you guys need to listen to us Kasim Ali what do you think? I think part of the reason that I felt as though I need to hide mitosis.

I didn't see anybody in journalism with a disability.

I didn't you know and not that I would Gable to hear someone with the disabled.

I'm obviously that's ridiculous, but it's not until I saw that BBC weather girl Lucy he was born with one arm it really because I thought it is possible.

It is possible to achieve immediate job and have a disability and they won't hold me back and I just think representation is so she's important as well as having the conversation the most recent Ofcom report identified the disabled people are underrepresented at all organisational levels overall.

Just a staggering 6% of radio employees were compared with 19% of the working-age population spoke about why he thinks this might be my observation having done podcasts and Radio podcast example I record in Central London in basement, buildings and basement Studios and physically it's quite the best sound has been a basement with some soundproofing.

I think there's a physical barrier.

I think 30 for my hearing impaired perspective.

It's not an obvious career choice that I've got a hearing impairment.

I'm ready some audio work but actually hopefully you know more and more people will be more open about this and I just wonder whether been told you can't do something at a young ages.

It's very restrictive.

Isn't it? And it stops you from having and so big advocate for for the percentage of people are behind the camera behind the microphone button to be out there in schools universities and letting people know that hey we can do this the different types on disclosing their disabilities when applying for jobs in audio and the impact this might have his Lauren Healy from Bauer Media Lauren has bipolar disorder head to have an applied for a role because I've been at our since diagnosis and it's something I've really contemplated would I disclose it and at what stage and I like to think I'm proud and not

End of my condition so I do think I would disclose it but I'm just not sure exactly what stayed that would be potentially after I was offered the role or I might say I have a mental health condition, but leave the suffix for later in my workplace at the moment.

I certainly following my long absence of sick leave in 2019.

I did a short presentation to the teams that I was aligned to to explain the specifics of my honest but also how it relates to me and then cos sometimes.

I need people that helps what my kind of warning signs so that's that's what I did internally with the teams from an educator perspective.

Yeah, it is a choice having a bad to me because my disability so evident there's no point me trying to hide it at any stage as it's good to be open about it and to clear it up front about it the more normal little become its own mental health even about these things and be true to yourself and not be ashamed about these things.

An animal media companies exchange employed several people so yeah, I don't think it's much disadvantage now.

It will say 2 years ago when I first joined and BBC4 In Our Time producer Victoria brignall.

Just Snapchat there or the Radio Academy disability webinar do head to radio academy.org ability to see the whole events on demand and I'll leave you with Holly career Ali Shan with someone steps.

They think me and you can take to bring about positive change having worked at talk radio and and then being so open about the fact that help for you.

I just think it's really important that businesses kind of explain that helps there so that you don't have to constantly asked for it all the time because I think that's why some of the embarrassment can stand for having somebody new business or new boss is just always let me know by the way you know if you need a time off because you have nerve pain.

It's there or by the way just to let you know the discovery adaptor.

If you are one handed, it's possible, I think that information as you come into new business is really brilliant leverage the thing that audio is so good at which is being in the ears of winning people's hearts and minds and be that through podcast or whatever us have more disabled people on your podcast on your radio shows talking about this video media company to the BBC 27.6 12% target stable staff monitor the progress was cheating that and we present a practical steps to get there by competitive and always knew you you get one by putting yourself forward and if someone's got no confidence confidence then they won't do that.

So I think it needs a bit more headhunting involved with come to you you go to stay with people and try and spot Victoria big NeverEnding that report from

Doris producer of the Radio Academy disability in audio and radio event for the radio Today programme and is Derby said you can watch the full hour-long webinar on the radio academies website which is academy.org disability and you can watch it even if you're not a member of the Radio Academy is free for everybody to watch right.

That's it for this week.

Thank you to Tom thank you to Bush and Richie and Victoria and Derby and everybody who's listen to this particular podcast thanks for staying with his right to the end and if you enjoyed it will do it all over again next week with something a little bit different.