Radio Greats
Radio Greats
Susie Mathis
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Having begun her career with The Paper Dolls, Susie Mathis fell into the world of radio by pure accident. Having started off as one of Phil Wood's Angels. She went onto achieve a career on Piccadilly Radio, becoming one of the first females to host a Daily programme on Independent radio and also one of the first females to be in recipient of a Sony Radio Award.
In this weeks edition, Susie sits down with Luke to share her radio memories, how she fell into the industry and how she took to it like a pro. How she always stood up for Manchester and got heavily involved in charity activities. How she moved over to BBC Radio Manchester, and presented shows on Radio 2 and had a stint on Top of the Pops. Presenting shows on Lite AM and returning to radio to host a Saturday Breakfast Show on Boom Radio.
You can find out more about Susie by visiting her website
Also you can listen to Susie every Saturday morning on Boom Radio
Also listen to Susie present her Boom Radio show on Aircheck Downloads
And follow Susie on Instagram
After 10 seasons and over 100 episodes, it's time to bring Radio Greats to a close. But there are just a few more names in the business I've wanted to talk to about their radio journey, how they got into it, the high points, and how they connected with that listener. And my Radio Great today began her career in the music business with the group The Paper Doll before she fell into the radio world by pure accident. She became a household name in Manchester, hosting a successful mid-morning show on Piccadilly Radio, becoming the first female to host a show on an ILR station, and even being a recipient of a Sony Radio Award. Since then, she's gone on to a career with BBC GMR, BBC Radio 2, Light AM, and currently you can catch her presenting Saturday breakfast on Boom Radio. But who is today's radio great? Let's find out. Remembering the great DJs of radio. It's Radio Great with the live Luke. Susie Mathis, how do I find you today?
SPEAKER_01:Well, you find me well and happy, thank you, Luke.
SPEAKER_04:Uh well that is great to hear. And Susie, I I mentioned there in the introduction that um before the world of radio you had a music career, but I wanted to talk before we embark on uh your time at Paper Dolls, I kind of wanted to ask, how did you get the radio bug? Was it from listening to the radio or was it from music?
SPEAKER_01:Well, to be honest with you, I'd never ever thought about radio as a career ever. I did listen to the radio. My excitement used to build, obviously, in the early days at Luxembourg. You know, it kept tuning in and out. It was really difficult to get hold of a really good sound. Um, yeah, I always loved listening to the radio, but I never thought about a career in it at all. I mean, the excitement when you hear your own record on the radio is just beyond compare. It's just the most wonderful feeling in the world. Um, yeah, I can recall exactly the excitement when Tony Blackburn played something here in my heart for the first time. Very exciting.
SPEAKER_04:Wow, and and actually, talking off that, um, paper dolls, I mean, what was that life like?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, well, it was fantastic because it I went to a stage school. I was very lucky to go to a school where somebody else paid the bills. Um, and the lady that brought me up owned the school, her name was Betty Pitraffin. So I I was a very lucky girl to be taught to sing and dance and have elocution lessons and do all the things that lots of kids really dream of doing. I was without sort of a mum and dad at the time, and so for me it was just a wonderful experience. Um, we always sang, we learned to dance, every type of dancing there was ballet tap, national character, Greek, everything. And the paper dolls really was formed after we'd individually gone our own separate ways after school. It was Betty Pitt Draffen that actually got us together as a group. Um we we did our time, you know, we did the working men's clubs and these awful places and some lovely places around the Northwest. And really, radio only played a part as in such that we listened to it whenever we could, and certainly always in the car.
SPEAKER_04:Also, not forgetting that television as well with Top of the Pops.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, Top of the Pops. Well, of course, when you've got a record out, all you want is Top of the Pops. You guaranteed a certain amount of sales with that. And of course, the the radio play became more and more because you've done Top of the Pops. And we did we did Top of the Pops many times, and I've presented it twice as well. Once with uh Gary Davis and the second time with Bruno Brooks.
SPEAKER_04:And ironically, with Gary Davis, you would uh you you would eventually be working with him in radio, which actually I did which I did want to talk about now because for for the best for the first decade or so your life is in the music business, and you mentioned in when I put the first question, you never would have thought about having a career in radio.
SPEAKER_01:Oh no, never.
SPEAKER_04:But then in 1979 that all changed. So I mean, when did when was it um you were asked to come and join Piccadilly Radio?
SPEAKER_01:Well, I wasn't asked. Uh what happened was I was uh the paper dolls has sort of found its ending, and I was working uh playing Pretty Polly Perkins in pantomime at the Stavenport Theatre in Stockport, which is no longer there. And the Grumblewees were on the bill, and it was their manager that actually said to me, What are you gonna do next, Suzy? I said, Well, I I don't really like this um actually entertaining on my own. It's great when you're with, you know, in a pantomime or a summer season, but on your own, I didn't think it was very exciting at all. So he said, Well, why don't you go into radio? I think you'd be perfect on Piccadilly. I said, Oh, never thought about it. And he contacted Piccadilly Radio and said, uh, I think you should meet Susie. And that's how it all came about. Colin Walters, he who must be obeyed at Piccadilly Radio, was the man I went to meet. Uh, he was about eight foot tall, and I'm four foot eleven, so that was a funny meeting. But yeah, that's how that's how it happened. I went along, he said, Do you want to do uh read the news or would you like to do? I said, I've no idea. I don't think I want to read the news. I'd have trouble pronouncing all the names, and that would worry me dreadfully. So within well so quick, I mean so, so quickly, I was there as one of I think it was Phil Wood's Angels, the very first thing I did. And I did TV reviews with Phil Sayer and and gradually sort of realize that uh yeah, I like this microphone, it's really lovely.
SPEAKER_04:Well, can you still see in your mind visions of Piccadilly Plaza?
SPEAKER_01:Oh gosh, yeah, because you could never park.
unknown:It was a nightmare.
SPEAKER_01:It was a nightmare. And you you had to make friends with the guys that worked at the hotel because please could have a parking space. Oh, it was absolutely terrible trying to park there. It was a nightmare. And obviously, it was one of those multi-storeys, and you'd have the nerves going up there. Will there be anywhere today? Yeah, of course I remember. Then you go down the escalator and go into Piccadilly, and there's lovely Pat on reception. I can recall every single feeling I ever had. I loved that place.
SPEAKER_04:Oh, and it it always seemed like a fun place to be. So you mentioned you were one of the angels initially, and then Yes, Phil Wood's Angels, and he's a very good friend of mine now. Oh, amazing. And then what what was the feeling like after doing that when you were given your own show?
SPEAKER_01:Well, it was I mean, I I just never imagined it ever happening, but and of course it was no money. There was no money in it at all. I think I got£12 a week for doing the reviews. Cost me more in petrol. Yeah, the first show was six 60 magic minutes, and so it just had a one-hour show on a Sunday, and uh that was great because uh it was just learning really what radio meant because I couldn't really understand what it'd be like. Obviously, I'd sung into a mic, I knew how important microphones were, but actually to be on your own talking into microphone in into a studio atmosphere was this is weird, felt very strange. Um, but the day that you actually feel something special about it's the intimacy. Um there's nothing like it. Nothing like it. TV's not like it, it radio is just spectacular. It's a wonderful feeling when you have a connection with an audience.
SPEAKER_04:Oh, absolutely. And and I mean you made history in radio because you were real you were the first female uh presenter on daytime radio.
SPEAKER_01:I mean Yeah, it was I know. I was very I I found it so so amazing, really, because I I I never took it for granted. Um, because I thought this is a career I never thought I'd have, and I got such pleasure from it. And to me, it was communication, and well, I was so lucky to be there at the beginning, you know. I mean, only a few years in Piccadilly, and then suddenly you're there. And everybody in Manchester just absolutely adored having their own radio station. I mean, everything was always done in London, and I'm I'm a Londoner, but I absolutely adopted Manchester and I adored living there, and I adored being part of that great team of guys at the uh Piccadilly Radio. I can see the pictures out when my picture went up outside. Oh, the excitement. It was just beyond belief. It was it was a beautiful feeling, and my own show was great to have. I didn't think it was going to go anywhere much. I just thought, oh, that's a nice way of spending a Sunday morning, really. But of course, it went a lot further than that. And you know, it was great. I love the people, the communication, the camaraderie, and it being, as it was then, very much, radio for your community.
SPEAKER_00:Hello. Hello. Hello, Hilda. Hello, Susan. Welcome to our jolly band. Thank you very much. Um, it's the first time I've done this, so be gentle with me. Well, I promise I will. I'll help you as much as I can, Hilda. Thank you. You can rest assured of that. Thank you. Are you ready for the rules?
SPEAKER_02:Yes.
SPEAKER_00:In the next 25 seconds, Hilda, I'll give you definitions of words that begin with P for Preston, L for long sight, and A for Ancoats. PLA. Right. Very good. You doing okay, sopa?
SPEAKER_04:Piccadilly itself always sounded like it was a great place to be, and I think people who've worked there have often said they didn't need to go down to Capitol in London. I mean, the the the names I can pick out from from that lineup. I mean, people like Mike Schaff, Steve Penck, um Mike Riddick, and then a lot of younger people who were coming through, like um Gary Davis, who uh you of course would go on to present Top of the Pops with. I think Mark Radcliffe as well was uh another young b blood there. And wasn't a very young Chris Evans there when you were there?
SPEAKER_01:Well, he was just about starting, um, really, as I was going off to Radio Manchester. Oh yeah, but he was definitely around, and uh him and Mike Gates used to answer my phone for a time. Yeah, he was he was floating around in between. In between at the time, they had a bit of a detective agency called Gamblin and Defrates. They did actually.
SPEAKER_04:I like that. I like that. And I mean, falling into radio, I think it would be said from what you've what what you've told me throughout this by um be safe, fair to say you you fell into radio presenting by pure accident.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, I did.
SPEAKER_04:Um what was it like then for you to receive the prestigious Sony Radio Award?
SPEAKER_01:Well, I remember one Sunday morning I had I obviously I had a daytime show and then I had a a Sunday morning three hours as well. And it was on one of the Sunday morning shows, there was this light that only went off when He Who Must Be Obeyed was contacting you. And you knew when that light went off it was going to be either a trouble or something nice. And it was Colin Walters, and he said, Do you realize you've got so many hundreds of thousands of people listening to you? And and it it it never really sort of it wasn't something I could actually contemplate. I thought it was just fantastic, and I I wasn't aware of just how big the show was becoming, except that obviously from my mail and um loving helping, I loved getting involved and helping the people that contacted me as well, and that's how I got involved to charity at the time. Um, so when I got nominated for the first one, the first Sony Award, that I mean it was just brilliant. I mean, it was wonderful. I was very, very excited because of course the Sony was our Oscars. You know, it was very at the time it was extremely exciting for me. I loved it.
SPEAKER_04:Ah, well that's that's great to hear. And um, you were you were with Piccadilly for seven years. If I could ask you what your highlight being there was, what what would you say your highlight was?
SPEAKER_01:I think my highlights were all to do with um situations that arose through the program. Because, for instance, you go in in the morning and you you had a producer. These were in those days, you had a producer, you have people coming in trying to get their records played, you you know, the pluggers. It was a very exciting time. But I'd open my post, and the thing, the wonderful thing about radio is it's so instant. So you get a letter, and the letter says, My grandson is dying, and I want him to go to Disney World. And will you help me? We're living in the damp. We don't have anything. It's I mean, it was and you can go. I went to the producer and said, Never mind, da-da-da-da-da. Why don't we do this today? And you know, and by the end of that three hours, we had the flights, you know, to Disney. We had people wanting to close, want people wanting to get rid of the damp. We had people wanting to drive to the is to the I mean, the whole thing in three hours. Where else could you do that? I mean, it was just wonderful. And it was things like that that are the highlights for me.
SPEAKER_04:Very, very special times. Absolutely. Powerful moments in radio.
SPEAKER_01:And also interviewing phenomenal people. You know, anybody that was anybody that was in the Manchester area was my guest, you know, from Jack Lemon to Jane Fonda, you know, Rackle Welsh, I mean, every single famous person, you know, Jackie Collins, Joan Collins, Michael Crawford, everybody that was in any show or passing by or doing a TV, they were my guests. And you I had three guests a day. One was a usually a very famous person, one was maybe someone that had done something extremely lovely for their community, and then a natural sort of listener that got involved in a competition, and it was very, very exciting times.
SPEAKER_04:When you said to me about in in the introduction where you you were from London originally, and I mean Manchester is almost like a mini London in a way, isn't it?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, but it it is now. I mean, goodness me, the the the whole feeling about Manchester has totally changed. I think since the Commonwealth Games, really, to be uh to be exact. I mean, in my day, I was standing up for Manchester, like there was no tomorrow. You know, I was like, hey, Manchester, we've got this, we've got Coronation Street, we've got great music, we've got Simply Red, we've got this, we've got that. I remember arguing with Jonathan Ross about that on the radio. He was like, Who'd want to go to Manchester? I said, for many, many reasons, millions of people would. Yeah, it made the papers, that one, that little argument. I stood up for Manchester, I'm very loyal, and I I absolutely love that I love Manchester.
SPEAKER_04:Oh, and and and you know, I I love going to Manchester, and it it's just a powerhouse uh up there. Um it is so there were seven great years at Piccadilly, and then of course, all all good Finns have to come to an end at some stage, but they do continue, but the radio bug in you still carries on because you move out of Piccadilly Plaza and head down to Oxford Street to new broadcasting house, and you um you join BBC Radio Manchester.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I mean that wasn't arranged, was it? I mean, that was really because Piccadilly wanted me to sign a contract. My manager said I don't think you should sign the contract just yet, and while they were waiting for me, they decided to to actually give a dreadful lie to the papers um about me being jealous about another presenter uh being delivering things on Valentine's Day, which was a complete and utter total lie because they were frightened that I might leave and people might follow me. So they didn't want that to happen, so they wanted to degrade me and uh cause me, and they caused me a lot of harm. But fortunately, um people at at BBC Manchester could see that it might be a good idea to take me on, and uh that's why I went there. And of course, years and cyclical things happened, and at Piccadilly, I was invited back by Mark's story. So, you know, some things when you go around they turn around.
SPEAKER_04:Absolutely. But but you know, it's it's interesting because Radio Manchester, from from what I remember, I mean, all BBC local stations at this stage, well, the majority of them, usually centred more around speech and a few music programs. But Radio Manchester was very different because it was more music with maybe a few speech programs in between.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that's correct. And I think when I was joining um BBC, for me it was, I mean, it was I know it sounds terrible to say this, but it's just like local radio. It didn't feel the same as Piccadilly at all. But I was told that I would have a great show, they would work on getting good guests, and they would look after me. Um, Tony Inchley was the gentleman, a lovely, lovely man who persuaded me to go there. Um, and and and it and it did ring true. They were lovely. I don't think I was ever a really BBC person though, to be really honest.
SPEAKER_04:That's fair enough, but you did um you did whilst you were there at uh New Broadcasting House get the offer to go down and do a couple of shows for Radio 2, didn't you?
SPEAKER_01:Yes, I did. Um, and I love doing that, yeah. I I would have loved to have had uh much more success on Radio 2. It's a very tough thing to to work out where you go when you've done local radio and done very well, um, because there weren't that many opportunities in those days. You know, talk radio, five live, all those things, three that would have been the perfect thing for me to go on to, really. But uh of course, I I chose other things to do. I got involved far too much involved in charity work, um, which took over my life, really, for several several years. But I went back to Piccadilly, I got another Sony Award, of course, with the BBC. Um that was absolutely fantastic. I couldn't believe that one, that was brilliant. Um, and then I went back to Piccadilly for another six or seven years. But it was never the same for me. Life wasn't the same then. It was, I don't know. I think I don't know, it just didn't work for me again, really. I think I got far too involved in trying to help people rather than just enjoy the radio. And that's not a lie, it's just a bit silly. It was like, you know, people cross the road, oh, she's obviously raising money for something else, or you know.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, no, I I get that. But when you say you went back to Piccadilly, have they split by this stage and you had to be? Yes.
SPEAKER_01:And also, we must mention that actually when I went to the BBC, they did change their name to GMR. They did because they were trying to get a lot more trendy. Do you know what I mean? Let's get away from another BBC Manchester, BBC Lancaster, BBC Sheffield, BBC This. Let's try and have our own sort of unique name. And I think that was a very good idea.
SPEAKER_04:Same like BBC London going for GLR.
SPEAKER_01:Exactly. So exactly. Um, but that's changed back now, of course. But I mean, that was GMR, and so that was quite exciting as well. The thought that that you know we'd be doing different things and having different jingles and trying to bring it a bit more up to date, basically. Um, yeah, but then I went back to Piccadilly in 19, I think that was um when was that? I think it was 1990. Mark's story asked me to go back to Piccadilly, came round to my house actually, and sold me it. Um that was quite something to go back there because I really didn't feel very happy about. But all the people that were behind my leaving Piccadilly, well, like the people like the wonderful Simon Cole have apologised profusely since all that. So life changes, Luke, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_04:It does, and I think Piccadilly Piccadilly Mark II. I mean, Mark Story came in and him and Keith Pringle, I think, just that's right. That's right. They changed that well, the two stations overnight. Um P103 and oh and the the funny thing is I remember having I remember doing an interview with Gary Kinn a couple of years ago, and he was saying how um the Piccadilly Gold lot um they that was me. Yeah, but the the Piccadilly Gold lot, they were they were all the XFM lot who had been shunt who had been sort of shunted over to the AN surface.
SPEAKER_01:Exactly, exactly. Do you know in a way, Luke, I'm ever so pleased that my my ending with Piccadilly was at Piccadilly Plaza. I'm so glad that I didn't make that move. But because it just didn't feel right.
SPEAKER_04:But I actually wanted to say about, and that's that's a good way to sort of to end the the Piccadilly saga, but I think one thing I did want to mention whilst talking about Piccadilly Gold, didn't they also get when you when you came back, Noddy Holder was doing um a show.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, that's right.
SPEAKER_04:And what's Noddy like?
SPEAKER_01:Oh well, he's a great guy, he's an absolutely terrific guy. Um, yeah, he he's he's everything you think he's gonna be. He's really lovely. He's a warm, great, generous, lovely man.
SPEAKER_04:Ah, terrific.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, he is, and you know, we do we talked about Gary Davis, but uh Gary Davis in my day wasn't one of the top presenters at all. He was really he he had a great career uh out in the clubs. He was a really very on Piccadilly. He was overnights, he was placemate, he was you know, he was a real go-getter. Um, but he wasn't really on the mainstay for me. My days was Phil Wood, Phil Sayer, people like that, you know, and uh Baker, Pete Baker, Breakfast. Oh yeah, lovely memories. Yeah, they are great memories, you know. And I made a record, Pete Pete and I made a record called The Marathon. We're gonna run, run, run, run the marathon. Because those were wonderful things that Piccadilly did, the first Piccadilly Marathon, these fabulous events we were involved in. It was just fantastic.
SPEAKER_04:Oh, definitely. And I mean, Manchester by this stage, the 90s, I mean, the rate the radio scene in Manchester kind of is exploding because you've got you've got Sunset Radio down the corner, but let but we know that station sort of ended up collapsing. And then also by this by 1990, as we were talking that the FM and AM split, I think uh GMR, they don't know what to do with their AM, so they don't they give it to a station called Fortune and Yeah, that's right.
SPEAKER_01:And they didn't make a fortune.
SPEAKER_04:They didn't make a fortune, but didn't they have to be rebranded to light? And that's when you that's right, yeah. Join them.
SPEAKER_01:I went there as well. Is there anywhere I haven't been?
SPEAKER_04:Maybe Capital.
SPEAKER_01:Oh god, those were the days, honestly, you reminded me of my my previous life. It's incredible. Oh gosh, it's yeah, all that changing from AM and all that, that's that's really when everything really changed so drastically for radio. Um, you know, and also the accountants got involved, and you know, they want more advertising, they want more this, more that, less speech. You know, that drove that was one of the reasons it drove me out, to be honest with you. I thought, well, if I can't really interview the people that have found the time to come in to meet me, it's a bit ridiculous if I can only have a couple of minutes and not even find out what they're trying to promote. It was mad days, you know. Um, I mean, we did, I think when Mark, when I was with Mark, we did a live show from um from America for the 25th anniversary of the di of Disney World. I mean, how exciting was that? I did the very first prior to that, I did the very first uh trip with Qantas Airlines to Australia and did programmes from there. I mean, I I was I went to several places around the world. I went to Champagna and did live shows from there from Wet and Shandon. I mean how lucky was I. I think I was in Rage at the perfect time.
SPEAKER_04:You were you were, and you and you still are because you mean you're doing Saturday mornings now on Boom Radio and boom well boom it it it says what it what what it does on the tin. It's a load of old friends with a dream. I mean, when did you get when when w because you you weren't at Boom for the launch, but you you came No, I wasn't, and it's celebrating five years next next March.
SPEAKER_01:It is. Uh no, I mean I always uh regretted that I hadn't stayed in radio in some way or another. And I my whole life took a such a turn um when I started the Kirsty Appeal, which was raising many, many millions of pounds. One of the most worthwhile things I've ever done, but not really the best thing for Susie Mathis, to be honest with you. Um and so coming out of radio and then coming out of that, I moved back to London for several years. Then I came back from London to Manchester because I missed the people. Because you've got to realize in life that it's the people that matter, not the bricks and mortar of where you're you're staying. And so from when I got back, I thought I couldn't catch a cold, I couldn't get a job anywhere. And I did try several places, including Five Live. Uh, couldn't even get an interview, couldn't get anything. And then eventually I started contacting Boom and um and just always got nice sort of responses, but didn't know whether it would ever happen. And then one day, of course, David uh contacted me and said, Would you know, would you like to have a programme? Well, first of all, would you like to do a show for us at one of their anniversaries? And then I did that. And I it was weird getting back because obviously it's it we're doing radio in a very different situation with with Boom because we're actually radioing from our house. We're broadcasting from our homes. But um I I absolutely love Boom. I think Boom's a fabulous station. Uh I enjoy it immensely. Immensely. I just need another programme as well. I need two shows, Luke. Two shows. I just need two.
SPEAKER_04:Two shows, but it it it's and you're right, five years five years it'll be uh in the in in February. And uh it's you know it and what a great five years it's been because the people who were involved in Boom, you know, Graham Dean, David Lloyd, David Hamilton.
SPEAKER_01:That's fantastic, Simon, you know. Simon Bates, Roger Today, Roger, who I think was from Piccadilly.
SPEAKER_04:Yep, and Steve England's now doing stuff again. Piccadilly. It's amazing. Yeah, and and Long May Boom continue.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, well, I hope so because and people do love it, you know. The the people that listen to Boom really care about their about their radio station. And it's taken a it's a long time since I got that great feeling about how much people love Boom radio. So I'm so thrilled to be part of it, to be honest with you, Luke. It's uh it's a little bonus for me going into the final stages of whatever my life will give me. A Paul and Mary. I dig. It's funny using that word these days, isn't it? I'd like to say hello to Ian Gold in Inkbury. Very nice to have your company. Also to Johnny Wheeler in High Wickham and Paul Garner in lovely Chesterfield. Gosh, the the centre of the country, isn't it? It's just Chesterfield. Hi to Bernie Biffer as well. Uh, it's lovely to have you listening to me, and I'm going to play this one from Ring of Star for you.
SPEAKER_04:Well, here's here's a question for you, Susie. Um I mean you've done I mean you've done c uh local radio, you've done national radio, um and you know you you've been an award-winning radio presenter. What do you think from your from your point of view, what what do you think it is that um that makes you as a radio presenter connect with a listener that makes them continue wanting to listen to radio?
SPEAKER_01:Well, it's it's it's tough one to say at this point in my life, because in Boom Radio, of course, I'm not speaking to my listener, uh, which I would love to do. I would love to have a programme on Boom where I could communicate one-to-one with people, you know, because I think for me that is I think I was best at that side of things. Um I'm not talking about famous people, I'm just talking about people because I I I think having that person that listens to you that cares about what you say, I like to think that just being a person that cares, I think is the most important thing. And I I I genuinely do care about people, and I care about trying to um not sort of go, well, good morning, then I'm gonna play this record, and that was that record, and and what we're gonna do with that, you know. I'm not that sort of person, I never have been a DJ, so to speak. Um, so um I I just think hopefully it's about caring and and communicating with uh a human being that is listening to the radio for whatever reason they choose. Because we all get something from listening to the radio, don't we? And if somebody is speaking to me on the radio, I know that I listen to radio a lot and I swap stations a lot, but uh a lot of my listening will be with boom because I care about the people that care about radio.
SPEAKER_04:And I mean that's a well that's a that's a I I think that's a brilliant answer. And um I think the last question I have to ask you, Susie, is who was your radio great?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, oh dear, that's a really difficult one.
SPEAKER_04:You can have as many as you like.
SPEAKER_01:My radio great Phil Wood was a wonderful, wonderful radio presenter. He worked so hard to deliver what his audience wanted from Phil Wood's Wood on the Wireless. And that is that's somebody that really cared about his listener because he could never let them down by just turning up and not having a show. He'd have to absolutely work his backside off to deliver it. Uh so he would definitely be one. I mean, uh obviously Tony Blackburn, you know, the longevity of of Tony, fabulous, but I think I think probably for me it would be Terry Wogan.
SPEAKER_04:Great choice.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, and much missed as well.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah, Terry Wogan. Um, very, very special. I mean, I can recall laughing so much at the toggs, you know, of his duvets and you know, things like that that you still remember all the years later. And in fact, that just made me get a bit of a lump in my throat then, remembering that. Um, you know, because if you if you can laugh uh with the person that's on the radio, I mean it's just a wonderful feeling. It's a wonderful feeling. And I do, I do actually have some. Sometimes I'll listen to uh Vernon Kay, I'll have, and he will make me laugh. Um, but I I am a person that tunes in to lots of radio stations to hear people, and I get a buzz out of somebody that makes me connect.
SPEAKER_04:Well, those those are some great memories, and Susie Maffis, thank you ever so much for joining me on this edition of Radio Greats Today.
SPEAKER_01:Can I say one more thing?
SPEAKER_04:Of course you can.
SPEAKER_01:And this is to say a really how moved I get by the people that remember me on Piccadilly. I can't honestly, it amazes me that there are so many people that you know the oh, hello, this is Susie Math. Oh, I used to listen to you on the radio, and I think, well, darling, that was like 30 years ago or whatever, however many years. And they still remember things. As I'm remembering about Terry Wogan, it makes my heart sing that people do have some memories about me, and the shows like um Champagne and Roses that I did with Eamon on BBC Manchester, or uh, you know, wonderful little connections, uh, hands across the sea on Piccadilly, tuning in with people across in Australia or New Zealand, um, people's memories about their they heard their mum or their grandma, and I I'm so grateful for the people that have that remember me really.
SPEAKER_04:Ah, well, that's very sweet. And uh Susie Mapis, thank you for taking part in this edition of Radio Greats Today.
SPEAKER_01:You're very, very welcome, Lou. Take good care.
SPEAKER_04:My thanks to today's guest, Susie Mathis, for sharing her radio memories, and a big, massive thank you to Archive Plus, the team at AirCheck Downloads, and Martin Emery for supplying content for this episode. Radio Grapes has been written and produced by myself, Luke Davis. And if you fancy listening to more episodes, we are available from wherever you get your podcast. Just search Radio Grapes to begin your next adventure.