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The Ian Collins Q&A Interview
Exclusive to talkSPORT1089.co.uk

Ian Collins: Unbranded is one of evening radio's most listened-to formats.
The show thrives on pop culture with a quirky mix of irreverent humour
and off-the-wall-debate with an array of guests and characters.

Playing a monster in Dr Who may not be a picture that instantly springs to
mind when you think of Ian Collins, but he did. He numbers the acting part
among his accomplishments during a career in stage and television. He
has also undertaken supporting roles in The Bill and London's Burning.

Ian worked as a journalist for several years before becoming a radio
presenter and was the last person to interview his friend Peter Cushing
before his death in 1993. During the interview he pledged to dedicate his
novel, once it is completed, to him. Working during the middle of the night gives Ian plenty of time to indulge in his hobbies, which include classic cars, British comedy, indie and alternative music and the arts.

Before joining Talk Radio, what other stations did you work for and what your positions at those stations?
I worked for BBC Radio Kent and Invicta FM in Kent as well. They were both phone-based formats but the Invicta FM gig also included music and the BBC one was mainly hard news.

You joined Talk Radio in 1995, what was your first role for the station in a broadcasting capacity?
I was employed to host the 2:00am-6:00am overnight show as it was back then.

How excited were you when you were asked to present Talk Radio's graveyard slot - The Creatures of the Night which aired through the night?
It was the first time in my life that I quite literally jumped for joy.

Do you remember how the first show went and how well it was received by the management at the time?
I have little memory of the finer details other than the then producer, Mike Hanson, being over-vigilant! I was his 3rd presenter in 8 weeks and I kind of see his point.

What sort of preparation did you have to do to make the show sound as good as it is/was?
It depends a lot on what we're talking about. Sometimes a show can take a lot of effort and even headache. Other times it can be a case of flying by the seat of your pants - this is often the best radio.

The original Creatures of the Night were Mike Hanson, Kev the Wondersheep and yourself, what was your first impressions of the two you had to work alongside?
They were freaks and weirdos. Hanson was Canadian and therefore automatically suspicious. Kev wore funny waistcotes and ate cheesburgers all the time. They were a right pair of oddballs.

Over the years you have had a number of people working alongside you, including Sarah Mulvey, Miff Daniels, Pop Up Pete, Phone Sex Scott, Andy the Beaver and Man with Dog. Who would you say were the best combination on The Creatures of the Night?
All the various teams worked in different ways. A show can only succeed if every now and again it re-invents itself. The odd team change assists that process. What I do like is that nearly all of the people were superb talents in their own right and have gone on to great things with their own projects.

Do you still keep in touch with any of these guys and do you know what they are up to now?
I actually see most of them regularly. We're all mates. Kev now works for Jazz FM, I think he's the receptionist.

There are probably too many to remember but are there any particular calls that you remember that stick out in your mind that can be classed as an all time great?
It's hard to choose but I suppose what does fascinate me is the vitriol with which you can be attacked for having an opinion that simply differs from someone else. These people believe you should lose your entire livelihood for this reason alone. It's quite breathtaking.

With the number of changes in management and ownership of the station and it's change in format in 2000, were you ever worried that, having been at the station for the number of years you had been, it would be your turn to be shown the door?
You can't worry about that sort of thing. Nick Ferrari once said that I always seem to be knelt down picking up a paper clip whenever the axe swings, and I suppose he's right.

In 2002, you were given the Weekend evening show after 7 years of presenting The Creatures of the Night. How aware were you by the level of fanaticism for the previous presenter that hosted that slot?
I assume you mean Tommy and not Mark Green? It wasn't a problem as poor old Mark had taken about as much abuse as any human could. That said, we're only really talking about 20 people who think that continually bombarding a switchboard will help a presenters cause. In fact it only hinders. If only they knew that. There's absolutely nothing the on air presenter can do to address these concerns on air. It's also hugely irrelevant to most people listening at the time to the show.

Did you want to re-create the Creature of the Night format on the Unbranded show that worked so well before-hand or did you want to take the show in a different direction?
No, the Unbranded show was always meant to be different than the Creatures of the Night.

Piers Hearnu was brought in alongside you, how long have you know Piers and how important is he to the success of the Unbranded show?
Piers is a man with a whole bunch of life experience which is crucial to a talk format. He's a great writer and a good wit; he always has a good turn of phrase at the ready which is probably why just about every other station is trying to poach him.

Are there any favourite interviews you have conducted over the past 9 years that stand out as being the best, whether it was a famous person or not?
The interview with Robin Williams was pretty mad and the recent Iranian Embassy special was also good.

You have been on the air for a lot of major news events such as the 1997 General Election and the Dunblane Tragedy, which event stands out the greatest?
They all have different significance but I think the one1997 when the British People decided that Tony Blair and Gordon Brown could fix the UK was one of the ones that sticks out the most.

You seem to be one of the most versatile presenters on talkSPORT. You can do serious, light-hearted and more and seem to be the first port of call for the management when one of the other presenters is absent. Do you actually prefer a particular style of show?
It's quite hard to say. I enjoy both but I also know that most people only really remember the funny stuff.

Sometimes listeners and callers claim that you are a puppet for Kelvin MacKenzie's views. Does this make you angry that people think you haven't got a mind of your own?
That's not actually something I've heard said to me very often. The thing is, I had those views before he was my boss. Oh, and I support the TV licence!

Mike Dickin and James Whale are true veterans of the broadcasting industry and when they finally hang up their headphones, do you envisage taking over either of their slots?
I do about five weeks of cover each year for both Mike and James. They'd be two hard acts to follow; Dickin with his lively wit and Whale with his sharp intellect. I'm not sure I could follow that.

Having released I Bet You Won't Read This (Confessions of a Night-Time Radio Host) in 2000, what was the response to the book and have you any plans to write further books?
Watch this space (As I believe one is supposed to say).

Are there any other books that would like to recommend?
James Whale wrote a book called Bald on Top. It sounds like a corker.

With talkSPORT being the only national commercial speech station the UK, do you believe that more talk stations, like LBC in London, should be available on a national level? Do you think there is a demand for more national talk stations?
There should be 178 national talk stations

Do you believe that jukebox radio stations that can be heard almost anywhere in the UK is a good thing for radio, or do you believe that a DJ should be allowed to be creative rather than follow a station's playlist and format despite getting respectable listening figures?
I suppose they must work but I just wish more programmers would allow presenters to do their own thing (if they can). How any DJ loses his gig through poor figures these days I've no idea - he doesn't do anything.

Are you happy with Chelsea's season of 2nd in the Premiership and the semi-final of the Champions League or did you expect more when you saw the amount of money that was being spent at the beginning of the season?
Second in the Premiership ain't enough when you've spent the National Debt of Uganda on just your bench.

Do you want Claudio Ranieri to be manager of the club next season or would you like to see another man in charge?
He'll be gone by the time you read this. Dale Winton could have made some better decisions after the Champions League semi-final debacle with Monaco.

What was the last match you attended at Stamford Bridge?
It was years ago when we played Sheffield Wednesday. I hate going to football matches as I believe it is best watched down the pub with your mates.

Having heard of the groups and bands you have seen on the show, who has been your favourite live performer and where did you see them?
Going to gigs is a discomfort for me. The last band I saw were The Libertines and they were superb, but where were the sofas to sit on? Not even an arm chair. Bloody Astoria.

What was the last CD you bought?
The Libertines and Franz Ferdinand - bought on the same day at HMV in Charlton.

You have appeared in a number of TV shows including Doctor Who and The Bill, what other shows can you be spotted on and was acting always another option if radio didn't work out?
As I kid I wanted to act. I've popped up in the important role as extra in things but that was all a while ago.

Do you have a favourite TV show?
I watched Six Feet Under when it was on and it was stunning.

It's 1:00am on a Friday night, you have just completed the show and you're feeling a bit peckish. Where do you go to alleviate the hunger?
There's a Chicken Parlour on Creek Road, Greenwich which serves the purpose.

Thanks to Ian Collins for taking some time to answer the questions posed. You can hear Ian Collins: Unbranded every Friday night between 10:00pm-1:00pm and Saturday and Sunday nights between 8:00pm-1:00am on talkSPORT.

The Ian Collins Q&A Interview
Ian Collins: Unbranded
May 2004