Going into the BBC Radio York Studios
12th March 2025 - New Experience Number 4
That was a Wednesday morning with a difference, as it saw me going into the BBC Radio York Studios!
Whilst I have been interviewed on radio York before, (once about my new year’s resolution of cooking a dish from every country in the world, and once live when I was at Glastonbury festival!), that had been over the phone.
Actually going in to the studio for the very first time was a whole new experience and definitely counts towards my goal of trying 52 new things in a year.
How I Got Invited To Be On BBC Radio York
My email account had decided to have a slight hissy fit and locked me out. After a week of putting it off, I finally got it sorted. Alongside the expected spam, was an email from someone called Sarah, with the subject line of ‘hello from BBC Radio York’.
Opening it up with a little trepidation, any concern over its validity vanished as I read the message.
Referring back to previous calls I’d had with them, Sarah was interested in chatting with me about my challenge of trying fifty-two new things each year, and wondered if I’d be up for going into the studio to be interviewed.
I want to get bolder in talking about Challenge Fifty-Two this year, so this was a brilliant opportunity for me to do just that! Excitedly, I sent an email back. After a couple of back and forth messages, (including asking if I was free to go in the next day!) I was booked in!
Later that afternoon we had a call. Producer Sarah asked me some questions to get to know me a bit more, and to get an idea of the sort of questions that they might want to ask me on air. We also hatched an idea of trying something new live whilst I was there!
Preparing For Going Into The BBC Radio York Studios
The phone call had been really helpful. Knowing timings, the topics and the people helped to make me feel more comfortable about it all.
Sarah asking me some questions on the phone had been really helpful. Whilst I was able to answer them, it did make me realise how many of the new things I’ve done that I’d forgotten, after all I have been doing this for a few years!
Looking back over all of the new experiences was such a nice thing to do, reminding me of the people I’ve met, the daft situations I’ve been in, and some of the amazing things I’ve been lucky enough to do.
I made a list to take in to the studio with me, including some of the things that I thought might be good to mention on air, and any key messages I wanted to get across. If my mind was going to go blank, this would be a great prompt to keep me on track!
A Warm Reception
The studio is fairly central in York, but tucked away in a car park behind one of the main streets. I buzzed the intercom and Sarah came to meet me at reception. Her big smile was a wonderful friendly welcome and she took me through to the office.
I was very excited to meet host Joanita. We’d spoken twice before, interacted a few times on social media, and I’ve listened to her bubbly personality many times. I was really looking forward to meeting her in person.
We had about 15 minutes until I went through to the studio, so Sarah and I had a brief chat, and made a start on collaborating on our poem.
The time quickly flew by, and as a song was playing, Sarah took me through to the studio to meet Joanita. Awesomely, she is a hugger! I love a hug. I know it’s not for everyone, so I do check in rather than just launching myself on someone, so it was brilliant to have a warm embrace reciprocated.
A quick microphone check to test the levels, the track played out, and the faders went up.
Going Live
Giving me a really lovely introduction, Joanita asked the first question, and then it just flowed as we chatted about some of the things I’ve been up to since I began the challenge, how it started, and what I get out of doing it.
I am well aware that I can talk quite quickly at the best of times, so I did try to pace it, but I’m not sure I did a very good job!
After the initial conversation, we had around 15 minutes whilst songs played and a traffic report went out. Sarah popped into the studio and we used the time to finish the poem, and have a quick debrief of how the next section would go.
Back On Air
The second part of the interview began with the first ever reading of our collaborated poem! Asking about my current running streak, and then more about challenge fifty-two, we discussed some of the people I’ve met, the benefits of trying new things, and book ideas! (I’ve got several ideas for books, so I really ought to crack on and get writing them!).
I glanced at my trusty notepad several times for prompts, as we discussed some of the daft and daring things that I’ve done. Whilst I wasn’t by any means perfect in my delivery, I felt really chuffed that I’d been able to talk about what I’m up to, and I’m really hopeful I may have inspired and encouraged listeners to try something they’ve never done before.
Wonderful Hosts And A Brilliant Experience Going Into The BBC Radio York Studios
Going into the studio had been such a fantastic experience. Everyone had been super friendly and encouraging, and they had put me at ease. It was also great to see behind the scenes!
With an open door to get in touch if I am up to anything else that might be of interest to the listeners, I left the studios with a big smile.
Listen Back
The clips are on the BBC Radio York website, so if you’re curious to hear the interview, you can listen back.
Available on BBC Sounds, you need an account to listen, but it’s quick and free to set one up.
At just under 3 minutes, this edited clip briefly explains more about my challenge of trying fifty-two new things each year.
The full interview, without the music intervals. Hear more about the challenge to try fifty-two new things a year
The full show with Joanita. Including all of the music and announcements. You can hear me around the 12 minute mark, and again at 36 minutes.
Want To Try It Yourself?
- Whilst BBC Radio York got in touch with me, if you’ve got something to share, or a story of interest, have you considered going on the radio to talk about it?
- Find the contact details for your local radio station and drop them a line about what it is you would like to discuss.
- Follow and interact wth your local radio stations on social media to get an idea of the sort of guests who they invite on air, and to start to build some connections with them.
Cost Of Experience
- Free!
Recommendations
- Don’t be nervous. Ok, so I know that’s easy to say and hard to do, but the producers and presenters want to get the best out of you and will try and help encourage you and feel relaxed.
- Stay hydrated. I gratefully accepted a glass of water to take in with me.
- Be yourself. Let your personality shine through.
- Make some notes. It’s totally fine to have some notes to take in with you. You could always use a mind map or images to help you remember your key messages. Try to keep them to one side of paper so you don’t have to turn the page.
- Tell people. Let people know you’re going to be on air so they can tune in and listen live!
- Don’t worry if you forget to say something. I realised afterwards that I completely forgot to mention the name of my website! What a rookie mistake! But, listeners don’t know what you were going to say. If you forget to mention something, only you will know you forgot.
- Enjoy the experience! Soak up the atmosphere of being behind the scenes.