interview13

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The Duncan Barkes Q&A Interview
Exclusive to talkSPORT1089.co.uk

Duncan Barkes is ready to fill-in for Ian Collins, Charlie Wolf and Mike Rutherford
when they head for foreign climbs. He has worked for a number of stations in
the UK and is currently working at talkSPORT and Sussex's Spirit FM alongside
a former talkSPORT presenter in Mark Green, also known as Iain Meadows.

Duncan gives us a frank interview on the state of radio in the UK as well was what
is wrong with the current Government. He also tells us about his favourite sports,
taste in music and his favourite holiday destination.

You have worked for both the BBC and for commercial radio stations, but which
stations do you currently work for and what kind of shows do you present?
I can currently be heard on a number of radio stations, including talkSPORT.
However, I do bits and pieces elsewhere, in various forms, in various roles so I don't just do presenting.

Having worked for a number of radio stations, both for the BBC and commercial stations, when did you join the radio broadcast industry and how did you get into the industry?
I have been in the industry, on and off, for around eleven years. I started at my local commercial station as a producer, in the days when radio wasn't just boring ten songs in a row presented by some weird creature in a beanie hat. I have, however, worked in both the BBC and commercial sectors.

Currently you fill in for a number of talk presenters on talkSPORT, including Ian Collins, Mike Dickin and Mike Rutherford. How did you get onto the airwaves at talkSPORT and who did you first fill in for?
I sent them some material from my Sunday lunchtime phone-in on a commercial radio station. talkSPORT contacted me while on holiday on Gozo and they wanted to talk about what I could do for them. I was given various non-sports shows to present and the first presenter I filled in for was Ian Collins on the Unbranded show all the way back in October 2002.

You work alongside Ash Gould, Piers Hearnu and George Alexander as they produce your shows when you stand in for Ian Collins on talkSPORT. What is it like working with them?
Ash, Piers and George are all good men. They're the kind of guys that you want beside you when you go over the top of the trench. They're also the kind of blokes that you'd happily go out drinking with.

Would you like the opportunity to become a permanent talk show host whether it be on talkSPORT or another commercial radio station in the UK such as The Wireless Group's new All Talk FM?
I believe talk radio is the way forward in this country and, if I stay in radio, this is what I want to do. I was saddened that the recent West Midlands FM licence went to yet another music station, this time to cater for a load of long haired greasers that don't wash properly and play air guitar in their bedrooms. It's a waste of a licence and within 6 months will sound like all the others in the area.

When was the first time you did a phone-in based talk show on commercial radio and what do you say to people who criticise your programming on talkSPORT?
My first phone-in based talk show was about 3 years ago. I felt fine and it was a relief not to have to play manufactured pop and roll out the clichés. On people who criticise my shows, clearly they are not very intelligent, but it goes with the territory so I'm not really that bothered by it.

Having criticised the state of commercial radio in the UK earlier in the interview, what do you think is specifically wrong with it at the moment and what do you think could improve it?
It's bland. There are very few outlets for people to have their say and have a voice. You'd expect me to say this, but talkSPORT is virtually the only radio station that gives people a platform. Radio in this country is sterile, it's all better music mixes and today's best music. It's all balls. It's not real. The people in this country are being conditioned not to have an opinion, there's no individuality anymore. Anything that fights against this is a good thing, regardless of the politics involved and that's a good thing.

You are obviously massively in favour in having talk radio stations. What programming would your ideal commercial talk radio station broadcast on it on a typical day?
Robust debate and conversation from morning to night. Presenters that have something to say and are not afraid to take it to the limit. I almost certainly would put Carol McGiffin back on the radio, as I believe that she is vastly underrated. I'd also have a weekly Clash of the Titans style show, where different hosts each week went up against each other with caller participation. It goes without saying, Dr Fox would present the breakfast!

You obviously take an interest in the politics and current affairs currently on-going in the UK at the moment. When did you first take an interest in the subject as it is something you are passionate about?
I can't pinpoint an exact time. I studied politics at college. For a time I had a left leaning, as many people do in their early years. But then you start paying taxes; you grow up, and realise that a lot of the ideology would never work in practice. Look at Cuba. We all have a duty to take an interest in politics and current affairs and a role to play. There is apathy in this country, but I can understand why. If I can make people a little bit more interested, get them to form an opinion then that's a good thing. A socialist Government would never work. Deep down, we're all little Tories at heart. We want the best for ourselves, and some of us are prepared to work hard for it. Sadly, there are those who won't, and these people think that the world owes them a living and lifestyle.

This country with it's people, it's heritage, it's customs, it's culture and it's future. The dying fishing industry in this country because the Government does not have the balls to stand up to Brussels. The all too powerful supermarkets, screwing the farming industry and conditioning people to eat sub-standard food. The slow suppression of the individual, the growth in celebrity, the fact that healthcare in the UK needs radical reform for it to best meet the needs of this country in the future. The NHS is a good thing, but it needs to change radically in the future. The increased amount of scuffers to be found on our streets, and polluting our society. These people have no self-respect or decency. And as we keep tolerating them, they keep multiplying.

Are you a fan of any sorts and which sports teanms do you support?
Rugby and greyhound racing. Rugby is the game. I like nothing better than a few pints of Best, and watching a match in the pub. Greyhound racing is a much under-rated sport. I often go to my local track, and head trackside for a few whiskies and hot dog. Want a top tip, watch for the dog that takes a dump just
before the race and back him. They have a habit of winning.

Globally, I support England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. England in the rugby as it is a far superior side, they are going to win the World Cup this time. I keep a lazy eye on Brighton and Hove Albion and their plight. Sadly, until they get a new stadium, there's no solid foundation for them to progress from. I only wish that the authorities in Brighton would do more to ensure that the stadium and realise what a bonus it can be.

What CD's do you currently have in your car?
The Dark Side of the 80s - The Best in Indie, Gothic and Alternative Tunes, new jazz supremo Jamie Cullum - Twenty Something, Best of The Clash, The Speeches of Winston Churchill, REM - Green, and The Bible - Eureka (one of the best 80s bands to come out of Scotland but never to make it big).

Have you recently read anything that you would recommend?
Bernard Ingham, Margaret Thatcher's former press secretary wrote his memoirs recently, definately worth purchasing, also, Max Hastings is the former editor of the Daily Telegraph and his book Editor was excellent. I've also just finished a book about the Press Association by Chris Monicreiff. For a corking insight into the world of British journalism, it is a must.

What was the last film you saw at the cinema and what did you think of it?
The Italian Job. Despite my fears, it was nothing like the original and was a good old-fashioned heist movie. They should not have called it The Italian Job, it was mistake as people like me would naturally be wary of it as for many, including me, the original 1969 film is one of the all time greats.

Where did you go on holiday this year?
Bath and Goza which just off the coast of Malta.

Thanks to Duncan Barkes for the chance to interview him. You can hear Duncan on talkSPORT regularly filling-in for Ian Collins, Mike Rutherford and Charlie Wolf.

The Duncan Barkes Q&A Interview
Duncan Barkes
October 2003