Yes, it's Railton Howes
WEDNESDAY 9 JANUARY 2008
RAILTON HOWES
Railton is, I think, the longest-serving member of BBC Radio Newcastle staff - and the only man I’ve heard of who is named after a car (apart from rugby player Austin Healey). In fact, his name dates him just a little. I’m not sure when the 'Railton' car was in vogue, but it’s been out of circulation for quite a while now! Perhaps that’s to Railton’s advantage; a younger version would be called Astra or Cortina Howes, which wouldn’t sound right at all for the presenter of a fishing programme.
As a matter of fact, Railton does a lot more than that at BBC Radio Newcastle. I work alongside him early in the mornings (his mother provides the biscuits we have with our tea) and he foolishly agreed to let me scan this photograph of him onto the Truckshunters blog. It was taken just after he started his career at the station in 1973 ( - two years after the station itself was born). I would like to say that he hasn’t changed a bit. But he has.
I’m glad so many of you enjoyed the on-air chat I had with him on the station’s 37th birthday last week. I’m still getting feedback from it. Listener John Hindmarsh emailed me an explanation of those mysterious radio station codes that were used - in 1922, we were ‘5NO’. I’ll be featuring the information on one of next week’s programmes.
In the meantime, if you’re curious about how our other presenters looked 35 years ago (and who wouldn’t be?), just tell me their name(s) and I’ll try to inveigle an incriminating picture from them to post on the blog!
THE NIGHTSHIFT THEME
Listeners to the early part of the programme, Mondays to Fridays, may have noticed that, not content with one theme tune for The Nightshift - that would be far too ordinary - I have borrowed as many theme tunes from other radio and tv programmes - and the occasional film - as I can find. I play them one at a time, night by night. Have you recognised them all so far? At present, I ‘tease’ you by not revealing their identities - even though some of them are quite old. If, however, you can’t stand the suspense of not knowing, I’ll give the game away - but ONLY on the blog!
CONTACT ME
Post comments on this blog or contact me in any one (or more) of these ways....
ian.robinson@bbc.co.uk
text 07786 200954 (while the programme is on-air)
call (between about 0545 and 0630 Monday to Friday) 0191 232 6565
Ian Robinson, The Nightshift, BBC Radio Newcastle, Spital Tongues, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE99 1RN
NOTE
Please bear in mind that the views expressed in this blog are my own and NOT the views of the BBC.
RAILTON HOWES
Railton is, I think, the longest-serving member of BBC Radio Newcastle staff - and the only man I’ve heard of who is named after a car (apart from rugby player Austin Healey). In fact, his name dates him just a little. I’m not sure when the 'Railton' car was in vogue, but it’s been out of circulation for quite a while now! Perhaps that’s to Railton’s advantage; a younger version would be called Astra or Cortina Howes, which wouldn’t sound right at all for the presenter of a fishing programme.
As a matter of fact, Railton does a lot more than that at BBC Radio Newcastle. I work alongside him early in the mornings (his mother provides the biscuits we have with our tea) and he foolishly agreed to let me scan this photograph of him onto the Truckshunters blog. It was taken just after he started his career at the station in 1973 ( - two years after the station itself was born). I would like to say that he hasn’t changed a bit. But he has.
I’m glad so many of you enjoyed the on-air chat I had with him on the station’s 37th birthday last week. I’m still getting feedback from it. Listener John Hindmarsh emailed me an explanation of those mysterious radio station codes that were used - in 1922, we were ‘5NO’. I’ll be featuring the information on one of next week’s programmes.
In the meantime, if you’re curious about how our other presenters looked 35 years ago (and who wouldn’t be?), just tell me their name(s) and I’ll try to inveigle an incriminating picture from them to post on the blog!
THE NIGHTSHIFT THEME
Listeners to the early part of the programme, Mondays to Fridays, may have noticed that, not content with one theme tune for The Nightshift - that would be far too ordinary - I have borrowed as many theme tunes from other radio and tv programmes - and the occasional film - as I can find. I play them one at a time, night by night. Have you recognised them all so far? At present, I ‘tease’ you by not revealing their identities - even though some of them are quite old. If, however, you can’t stand the suspense of not knowing, I’ll give the game away - but ONLY on the blog!
CONTACT ME
Post comments on this blog or contact me in any one (or more) of these ways....
ian.robinson@bbc.co.uk
text 07786 200954 (while the programme is on-air)
call (between about 0545 and 0630 Monday to Friday) 0191 232 6565
Ian Robinson, The Nightshift, BBC Radio Newcastle, Spital Tongues, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE99 1RN
NOTE
Please bear in mind that the views expressed in this blog are my own and NOT the views of the BBC.
4 comments:
ian, i wish you hadnt given the year of rayltons pic. i,d have guessed that hairstyle anywhere,..he looks very dapper..i wondered if the fashion pic was complete with prince of wales checked trousers.. flares.!..
i sometimes listen to the fishing show, its relaxing..
put mugshots of them all up on the blog i say? name and shame..
i heard you say on truckshunters you,d be visiting st brandons church at brancepeth, it,d be really lovely to see a pic.
Hi Ian, delighted to see that you have posted the pic I passed on earlier and nice also to see the comments coming in as well, nice little write up as well, hair a bit shorter now Gilly and not quite the same colour, thats 30 odd years for you I suppose.
Best wishes to all Railton
hiya railton, age is just a number!... people improve with age like fine wine...especially in knowledge and wisdom..
and hair color? well a change is as good as a rest..
words from
my mother...who am i to disagree...
although i do think some of these film stars we see every day on t,v have a painting in the attic like mr dorian gray, have been very lucky with regards to the gene pool,
or simply have a good plastic surgeon..
naturals best, the way god intended..
railton,if i knew then what i know now i would have lost my job at cullercoats.
an explanation is in order way back in the sixties we moved to walkworth not a problem you say all right and proper me just failed the 11 plus ended up at amble school , during the evening hours i spent my time casting a fly into the coquet for the evening rise "trout of course".
then after x months we moved to the isle of wight NO GAME FISH.
but plenty sea .
while on the isle of wight i got interested in coastal radio at that time "niton radio" callsign "GNI" and i always said that i wanted to do that as a job, how wrong was i.
but may be just as well.
as BT pulled the plug on coastal radio a few years back , you may or may not know that most of the uk,s coastal stations were run by `"BT MARINE" and so towards the end of its days "CULLERCOATS" was actually controled by "STONEHAVEN RADIO"
and now the "NAVTEX" that radiats from "CULLERCOATS" actually comes/originates at HUMBER COASTGUARD.
i am rambling i will pack it in
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