Broadcaster Becky Want says she “can’t ever imagine retiring” after two years presenting BBC local radio’s The Late Show.
Speaking on the latest episode of the This Is MediaCity podcast, she made it clear she has no intention of slowing down anytime soon, promising to continue hosting the show “for as long as they’ll have me”.
“I am Manchester, born and bred, always been proud to work in radio and television in the North. Frankly, astounded that I’m still doing it!” she told host Stephen Chapman.
At 60, she recalled receiving the call to present the networked show now broadcast across all 39 BBC local radio stations in England, as a moment that left her “staggered” and “thrilled”.
“You’re never too old. Who’d have thought it, at my age, I’d get that?”
From a dominatrix recalling a custard-loving client to a former prison officer airing their views on what’s broken in the prison system, she described the programme’s success as being unafraid of tackling “tough” or “extraordinary stories” from ordinary people.
But the job came up at a sensitive time, as the BBC restructured late-night output across local radio stations with some evening and weekend programming being replaced by regional or national programming.
“It was a very strange time,” she told Chapman, as there was initial “opposition” to the changes. Having spoken to a number of local radio presenters affected by the changes, she said they have since told her: “We don’t blame you — we blame the powers that be.”
Although listeners were initially wary of a single voice replacing familiar local presenters, the audience has gradually become a late-night “family”. Whether it’s Ruthie from Dover tuning in every night or Claire, a carer in Suffolk, she described them as “the loveliest, kindest audience I have ever had”.
The conversation also charted her impressive 40-year career, from starting out as a secretary at Signal Radio in Stoke-on-Trent before persuading them to let her on air and moving on to Manchester’s Piccadilly Radio during its heyday.
The show launched the broadcasting careers of the likes of Chris Evans, Timmy Mallett, Gary Davis, Mark Radcliffe and the late Andy Peebles.
“To be part of that team was enormous. It was chock-a-block with huge talent,” she said.
“There were real similarities between that and The Late Show that I do now, as far as the audience is concerned, because they were very loyal. There were regulars.”
The conversation also delved into how she achieved her “dream” of working at Granada Television on almost “every regional programme”, the “shocking” blow of redundancy at 40, and the path that led her to working in radio for the BBC.
The latest episode of This Is MediaCity podcast, produced by 39 Pictures on behalf of MediaCity in association with the University of Salford, is available to watch now.
