Richard Spendlove
Richard Spendlove MBE (born Carlton-on-Trent, Notts 16 June 1939) is a British radio producer/presenter and television writer.
Life and work
Educated at the Chandos Street Secondary School in Netherfield,[1] Richard Spendlove worked for the former British Railways for 35 years, and in 1963 was appointed Relief Station Master at Cambridge, one of the youngest men in that job. He retired from the railways at 50 - "The earliest age at which his pension was available"
Now working for the BBC, his radio show is broadcast to a number of regions across the UK from 9pm to 11pm on Saturday evenings, including:
BBC Radio Norfolk, BBC Radio Suffolk, BBC Radio Essex, BBC Three Counties (Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire), BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, BBC Radio Northampton and BBC Radio Kent.
It is believed to be the longest continually running phone-in show on UK radio[citation needed]. It holds a clutch of local and national awards,[2] and has been running for over 25 years. It is broadcast on various BBC local radio stations in the South and East of England and worldwide on the web.
In October 1996, he assumed the position of Afternoon Presenter on a BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. Within the first two years, he had increased the audience - in some half-hourly segments - by as a much as seven hundred percent[citation needed], and, in the following year, effected a further increase of approximately fifty four percent[citation needed]. He relinquished those duties in March 2000 when his contract wasn't renewed.
He created and co-wrote - with David Croft, OBE., - for BBC Television, the comedy series, Oh, Doctor Beeching!. On transmission, the 'pilot' turned out to be the 'Highest rated comedy pilot of the decade'[citation needed]. It ran for two series and nineteen episodes, is still being seen all over the world, and has been released on DVD he can also be seen in it as an actor, playing the role of District Inspector Ernest Orkindale.
He received - late in December 1999 - the Cambridge Evening News 'Medal for Outstanding Work in the Community' - also in connection with this work. This was followed in June 2000, by the award - In the Queen's Birthday Honours - of the MBE, "For Services to Regional and Local Broadcasting".[3][4]
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://richardspendlove.com/page4/page10/index.html
- ↑ {{cite web. "Sun Newspaper Caring Medal, April 1993", "Help the Aged, Living Legend Award Certificate 18/3/2005","Daily Mail, Golden Jubilee Unsung Heroes Award of Merit", Cambridge Newspapers Millennium Medal, For Outstanding Work in the Community", "yours Magazine - Most Popular Regional and Local Radio Presenter in the Country", "Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, 16/6//2000" | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = BBC News In Depth: Birthday Honours 2000 | work = | publisher = BBC News | date = 2000-06-16 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/in_depth/uk/2000/birthday_honours_2000/793831.stm | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2009-01-09}}
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
