DJs

Andy Marriott

I think I qualify as a veteran broadcaster, having been on the radio and TV since the age of 20 in 1981.

My career began as a dog’s body at BBC Radio Lincolnshire, joining Radio Trent and Leicester Sound in 1984, moving to the oldies station GEM AM.

I also had a parallel career in TV as one of the main announcers on Central TV in the Midlands on weekdays and for London Weekend Television.

I retired from TV in 2002 and popped up at Saga Radio. Once again corporate nonsense got in the way of great radio and I left. Quality radio with mature professional presenters and the greatest music ever recorded was a thing of the past, until now!

Andy is on air every Saturday evening from 6pm with an hour of nostalgic TV tunes and The Andy Marriott Television Show.

Andy Siddell

Andy’s love of radio started back in the summer of 1975 when commercial radio first launched in his home town of Nottingham, England. He soon made friends with announcers that worked at the radio station and his heart was set on becoming a radio announcer. With only a small number of radio stations around at that time Andy found it almost impossible to break into this line of work

So for the next decade he worked in a few different fields. From the textile industry to management, moving around the UK and ending up in London in the mid-eighties.
He never gave up his ambition of working in radio and totally by accident he one day met a man who would help him realize his dream.

Chris Carey owned an electronics company and he was also a huge fan of radio…so much so that Chris set up his own radio station, Radio Nova. But this was no ordinary radio station, Radio Nova broadcast via satellite to radio stations all over Europe providing overnight programming to stations that would normally close down from midnight to 6am. Chris took a chance and allowed Andy to work the weekend overnight shifts in the summer of 1988.

In 1990 Radio Aire split their AM & FM frequencies and Magic 828 was born on July 17th. Andy worked for Magic 828 as a presenter and head of music until 2006 when he was moved to Newcastle upon Tyne and the Metro Radio building, the home of the Magic Network, where Andy presented the networked afternoon show and 80’s Magic at the weekend. Andy was also head of music for the network and was responsible for many aspects of the station including the websites. After working for the same radio group for 21 years Andy decided to hang up his headphones and move to Canada in 2009.

As well as radio Andy also worked for one of the TV networks in the UK doing voice-overs between programmes. The radio and TV stations were next door to one another and one day whilst he was talking to one of the announcers he said “I’d love to introduce Coronation Street on the TV”
After a couple of phone calls to the controller of the TV station Andy was invited in for a chat which led to him working as a TV announcer for almost 7 years. The TV Company was Granada TV; the one that produces Coronation Street, which meant that Andy not only got to introduce his favourite TV show he also got to visit the actual street and film set and met a number of the characters.

By 2009, when Andy decided to emigrate to Canada, his afternoon radio programme was being broadcast by no less than eight radio stations covering the north of England from Sheffield in South Yorkshire to Leeds in West Yorkshire, Hull, Manchester, Liverpool, Preston, Stockton-on-Tees and Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
After arriving in Canada he decided to take a year out but his love for being on the radio didn’t fade and after exploring the various radio stations in the area he joined 95.5 Hits FM in Belleville, Ontario.

Because there aren’t any good oldies stations in the area where he lives, he jumped at the chance of being part of Solid Gold Gem AM when it first launched. He’s been with the station since the start and these days Andy is now the radio station manager who takes care of the day to day running, presenting his own shows and of course trying to keep all of the other DJs in line.

Barry Jay

Hi Everyone it’s Barry Jay here.

Just thought I’d tell you a little bit about myself.

I was Born in East London and I’m a true Cockney Lad, hence you may hear it creeping through in my voice now and again lol.
As a Child, I started to get interested in Radio during the Pirate day’s of the 60’s, and thought one day I’d just love to have a go, unfortunately I was far too young, and it was completely out of the question.

At 18 I started doing disco’s in pubs and clubs around London, and really enjoyed those day’s. I also worked with my father in Carnaby Street during the 60’s and completely fell in love with the music of the time.

These day’s you can find me weekday’s 12am and 12pm doing what I love best, presenting the 1960’s Café on Solid Gold Gem, a Station that I’m very Passionate about, and very proud of, hope you can Join me for those wonderful Oldies.

Clive Payne

Clive has been an inherent show-off all of his life, taking part in every school music and theatre production going.

Although heralding from Shirley in Solihull, Clive made his television debut at the tender age of 14 at Yorkshire Television on a youth programme called Ad-Lib.

This cemented his television presenting bug but the radio calling came seven years later when he started with BHBN Hospital Radio in Birmingham. A year later, he joined BBC Radio WM at Pebble Mill and spent nearly two decades there presenting. He also presented at BBC Hereford and Worcester and Radio Shropshire. He was even let loose on BBC Midlands Today but only the late night opt-outs so he wouldn’t alienate their audience too much. In more recent years, he has broadcast the BBC Local Radio’s travel news across the Midlands and the East of England, until recent changes in the BBC meant a different way for them to do it.

Clive is a supporting artiste, another string to his bow, which he has done for 28 years and has been in all sorts of things on television but these days he can be found in Letherbridge in BBC Birmingham’s continuing lunchtime drama ‘Doctors’.

His radio work continues and as well as being part of Solid Gold Gem, he can be heard regularly on Black Country Radio. He won the silver award in the Speech and Journalism category at last year’s Community Radio Awards for his speech based output.

An accomplished live public event presenter and host, Clive can be found popping up all over the place, when it is least expected.

Join Clive every Sunday morning for Early Breakfast from 6-8am

Dave Nightingale

He may be the baby faced one, but it’s always a shock when Dave tells you he’s been in radio almost 30 years.

Let him take up the story…

“Well…what a journey I’ve had so far! My radio career kicked off working for the BBC in my hometown of Sheffield aged 17, then after going off to study, I joined a very successful Media Training Organisation in 1993 that undertook short term radio RSL’s (Restricted Service Licences) in my home city under the name of Forge FM and Festival FM. Overall I ended working on 6 such licence applications, and the project won a national award for its involvement with the community.

Then things went left field when I became a member of the entertainment team at a themed 50’s diner in the Meadowhall Centre in 1996, which had at its heart, a DJ booth which doubled up as the diner’s “Radio Station”. A non-stop diet of playing 50’s and 60’s music gave me a real knowledge of the hits of that era, which over 25 years later, has proved invaluable when on air at Solid Gold GEM.

After taking time out to start a career as a HR advisor in 1999 (yep, I have a full time “proper” job as well as being on the wireless!), the radio bug bit again in 2001, when I joined the radio station at the Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Chrystal Radio – it was one of the most rewarding gigs I’ve had working along some very talented young presenters who’ve gone on to work for some major networks. After 10 years, I was then poached to join Chorley FM (yes, it was a real station – not just a figment of Peter Kay’s imagination) in 2011, plus also working for another station at the other end of the motorway – in Hull! There or thereabouts I’d do around 1200 miles a month for my shows, and then if that wasn’t enough, I also spent time working for Real Radio in Leeds! I practically lived on the M62!

However, in 2015, I took the opportunity to help launch a brand new community station in Hull called Hull Kingston Radio, to which I’m still involved with today. After being the first voice on air, it’s allowed me to work on 3 major Rugby League finals, and achieve a personal ambition of broadcasting live from Wembley Stadium on a momentous day for the village football team of North Ferriby, when against all odds, they beat the giants of Wrexham in the FA Trophy.

And then of course…there’s Solid Gold GEM. Who wouldn’t want to work for a Station like Solid Gold GEM?

I absolutely adore being able to present at a great time of the day, being able to pick some of my favourite music of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s plus the best of “New Gold”, and involve you as part of the fun.

What’s more, the presenters I work alongside on GEM, are in my opinion, the very best of the bunch. They have a massive wealth of experience, they have amazing musical knowledge, they connect with their audience in such a fantastic way, and what’s more – it comes across on air and our listeners love them for doing so. I remain justly proud to be part of the GEM story and I can’t wait for where our next chapter will take us…”

Geoff Dorsett

Geoff is a music jock and 8 times award-winning DJ. He started his music career aged 13 with some local discos and by 18 was working with Mecca Ballrooms opening venues around the UK.

In 1974 he was on air at the opening of commercial radio station Radio Hallam in Sheffield, followed by presenting shifts on other local radio stations in the 80s as well as pirate radio.

Geoff currently syndicates 3 shows: ‘Solid Gold 60s’, ‘Supersonic 70s’ and ‘A Kick up the 80s’ to 105 stations in 25 countries. You can enjoy these shows on Solid Gold Gem 1-4am & 1-4pm every Saturday.

For the last 15 years, Geoff, along with his producer Adrian Collis, has presented the cult radio programme ‘The Soft Rock Show’ which is now syndicated across 26 stations internationally.
It is a 4 times award-winning show which has sessions, breaks new artists, and covers every genre. It also features interviews from artists from every decade.

Altogether, Geoff has interviewed close to 3000 musicians including Sir Cliff Richard, members of The Rolling Stones, Genesis, The Eagles, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Chicago, Toto, Level 42, and from every decade: Freddy Cannon, Tommy Roe, Marty Wilde, The Searchers, The Hollies, Sweet, Slade, Suzy Quatro, Deep Purple, Yes, The Stranglers, plus many more.

In addition, Geoff has also interviewed many songwriters, authors, venue owners and PR companies.

Geoff presents all his shows from his home studio near Salisbury and can be contacted by email:

E-mail chunkygeoff@gmail.com

Graham Collins

Since I was 12, I have never been very far from a microphone, either pointing it at people and things or talking into it. My interest in pressing buttons and listening to music eventually got the better of me and I was persuaded to have a go at radio – and I have been getting away with it, on occasion, ever since.

My broadcasting heroes are Roger Scott & John Dunn, both sadly missed and responsible for getting me hooked on the magic of good radio.

They both made me feel as if I was their only listener and proved that you didn’t need to shout or be ‘Showbiz’ when the microphone was opened.

I really do listen to anything and everything and can see merit in all performance. I think because I am not ‘musical’ I am always impressed with the people who are. If pushed I will say that my favourite band is Steely Dan, so forgive me a little indulgence now and then.

Join Graham in The Goldmine, weekdays at 3 and Saturday afternoons at 4pm for Album Gold.

Jenni Costello

Radio has always been a big part of my life and from the age of 13 I knew that being a radio presenter was the only career I ever wanted.

So I’ve been very fortunate to have had so many radio dreams come true. The first was when I worked at BBC Radio 1 in the early 1990s presenting the weekend early show, working with my radio DJ heroes of the old school Radio 1. This also gave me the chance to meet many of my pop music heroes too!

After this I had the pleasure of working at one of the best and largest local radio stations, Trent FM in Nottingham, plus the original GEM-AM. I have so many happy memories of presenting various shows including co-presenting the Breakfast show.

My radio career then brought me back to London and the South-East and amongst other radio stations I’ve been back to the BBC to present some shows for BBC World Service. I’ve also presented shows on Smooth FM, 2-Ten FM, Thames Radio and Radio Jackie.

My other joys in life are walking the hills near where we live, always listening to music, going out with the girls and being on stage in Amateur Dramatics, when I can.

Join me every Sunday from 6-8pm for ‘Yacht Rock’.

John Hellings

John always had an interest in radio even in school days with a make-shift cable system wired into a few mate’s houses via bell wire installed along the garden wall.

An interest in tape recording came next and later a home studio with a home built mixer took him to hospital radio with a move a few years later into commercial radio in the new Radio Wyvern in Worcester. First job there was reading the racing results on the sports show which was questionable because he had not a clue about racing!

Still with Wyvern John progressed to specialist music programmes together with filling in for others while carrying on with the day job outside radio.

Then came a move to the new station BBC Hereford & Worcester where he presented some weekend programmes until the chance came to get into radio full time.

The day job was shelved and John was offered a job at the new AM split station of Severn Sound/Three Counties Radio in Gloucester which became SuperGold and later a GWR Classic Gold station.

He left after nine years, invited by BBC Hereford & Worcester to present a big band show. After that it was the world of freelance with work at BBC stations in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Stoke plus some voice-over work and writing for magazines. Mainstay of all this was a big band show that ran for ten years and then a jazz show which has run for eleven years, both for BBC Local Radio.

Now the realisation has come that John has been earning his living from radio for around thirty years. Where has that time gone?

John Palin

My life-long interest in radio started with the offshore pirate stations in the 1960s when I was in my early teens.

I was fascinated by their innovative station formats not heard in the UK before and the sung jingles that went with them. I soon began my own amateur station, unofficial of course!

In the 1970s I recorded shows and made jingles for other radio enthusiasts and some of my shows and jingles were broadcast on a couple of land-based pirate stations. For a while I also presented shows on a local hospital radio station.

Ever since then I have been an avid radio listener and have continued, as a hobby, to maintain an interest in radio production – and jingles, of course! So for me it’s a privilege to be invited to be a part of the team at Solid Gold GEM AM!

Much of the music I play reminds me of the hey-day of UK radio – beginning with the offshore pirate stations, followed by some of the great heritage stations that today are sadly no longer with us. That is why I’m delighted that this station majors on music from the 60s, 70s and 80s. That’s also why you will hear quite a few classic radio jingles sprinkled liberally through my shows!

Join John, The Golden One, weekdays from 1-3.

Mark Phillips

I have loved radio and music all my life. I set up one of the first school radio stations in Beckenham, Kent, and helped set up Bromley Hospital radio.

As a reporter for Invicta Radio in Kent, Essex Radio, Mercury, Fox and GWR I covered news and events all around the south and south east. I’ve presented the Breakfast Show on BFBS in Belize and have broadcast from inside the Arctic circle.

During my time as a reporter and producer at LBC I specialised in the unusual including eating fire, flying on the trapeze, wresting in jelly and broadcasting from a sewer flowing under Fleet Street. I’ve interviewed everyone from Morecambe and Wise and Cliff Richard to Margaret Thatcher.

A keen gadget fiend, I co-presented BFBS Multimedia – a show about computers and technology for 10 years on the Forces Radio network.

I’ve been collecting vinyl since age 13 and I have a massive music library with around 10,000 titles encompassing everything from Sinatra to the Sex Pistols.

My radio heroes include the genius Kenny Everett, the late Roger Scott and the sensational Tony Blackburn.

Join me, and Peppa the dog, Monday to Friday from 10am – Noon  for the Get Together.

Mike Temple

My radio career started way back in the mid sixties when I used to play about with a record player and reel to reel tape recorder. Of course I was listening to the pirate ships that were multiplying around the South East coast.

Around 1965 I started attended by drama school in London where, believe it or not, part of the training was presenting skills. My future route was panning out, or so I thought.

In October 1967 I won a competition to pay a visit to the brand new Radio 1 and met Keith Skues & Emperor Rosko, in Broadcasting House on Saturday Club. I even managed to introduce a brand new record live on-air, Everlasting Love by The Love Affair. Whatever happened to that song 🤔.

I was bitten with radio. I then joined Woolwich Hospitals Radio in London and learned the craft of broadcasting. I moved around the country and the world with work and managed to present programmes on KSEA San Diego, KLIV Santa Clara Valley in California, as well as Radio 6GE in Geraldton Australia, BFBS Malta & Gibraltar. When I settled back in the UK I joined Plymouth Sound Radio and Premier Radio in London.

I have gone back to my acting roots now and had roles in many TV programmes such as Doc Martin, Broadchurch and the new Beyond Paradise, to name a few, as well as feature films and theatre work.

It is really great to be part of Solid Gold Gem and presenting on radio as it used to be. I hope you can join me on Saturday mornings for the Get Together from 10 – Midday.

Mike Wyer

Mike was inspired in 1964 by listening to pirate Radio Caroline on his Grandad’s old valve radio in the landlocked Midlands.

This was quite an achievement but his grandparents did live on a hill! Not long after he was making his own programmes on his big brother’s ‘reel to reel’ tape recorder from his bedroom and “transmitting”them by wires to a speaker. He played songs for his Mum and Dad, his audience in the kitchen below!

These days Mike is at home hosting Solid Gold Sunday Afternoon from 3-5pm and also being one of THE biggest Beatles fans ever, you can hear him every weekday at 6 hosting The Beatles Cafe.

Simon Shaw

Simon first woke up to the thought that adult life didn’t have to be boring shortly after having a bucket of cold water thrown over him at the age of 15.

He was one of the first to get a dunking live on TV when he joined the audience for TisWas, that legendary Saturday morning kids show from the early 70’s.

As Chris Tarrant poured the freezing bucket on the hapless victims in “The Cage”, the penny finally dropped. Simon realised some people actually got paid for having fun. It was at that moment he had his epiphany, turning his back on the idea of leaving school to work as a bank clerk, setting his heart on a career in radio and TV instead.

Fast forward 45 years and, having worked in network radio and TV producing a host of some of the most popular shows on British TV and radio, he’s now getting round to achieving his other ambition of hosting his own radio show, playing many of the favourite songs and bands he’s avidly collected since those teenage years. “I love a pretty eclectic mix of music, but if I had to pick I guess soul and r&b would be my sweet spot.” Simon looks forward to his regular shows but hopes he won’t face an initiation similar to that cold shower he first faced all those years ago.

Stephen Wells

Inoculated by a nurse with a gramophone needle when I was six months old back in the fifty’s and so it was then that my decision to play records on the wireless began.

In 1965 getting my first transistor radio and listening to Radio Caroline (The home of the good guys) and to Manx Radio and noticing how much fun they were having I was hooked and decided that I must somehow have a go. The start of Independent Local Radio in the 1970’s and it was a done deal.

Piccadilly Radio, Radio Hallam, Radio City and Radio Tees were all in range of my transistor and all broadcast on VHF all of them got sent a C60 with a demo from my bedroom.

Managed to do some helping out at Marcher Sound but that was never regular work, so had to get a job that paid the mortgage. So for a few years gave up this radio lark, for what my mother called a proper job.

I love music radio, and so now have the chance to play songs from artists from the 50’s 60’ and the 70’s I am delighted to be part of a team of broadcasters at Solid Gold Gem the way radio used to be.

Join Stephen weekdays from 7-9 for his Seven to Nine Thing.

Tim Morsley

I’m what you might call a ‘pop radio obsessive’. My earliest memories was listening to Tony Blackburn presenting the Top 40 on Radio 1 back in 1979 at the age of 7 and being absolutely fascinated, and thinking ‘that’s what I want to do’… I set about setting up my own bedroom radio station complete with microphone (made from a loo roll holder and a empty bottle of linco beer) and quickly adapted to the technology of the day – a tape recorder and small record player!
In my teenage years during the 80s, I followed the pop scene religiously and spent every bit of spare money I had on records. When I reached 16, I joined my local hospital radio station in Halifax – Radio Calderdale, and have been presenting shows there ever since. My main passion has always been for the UK charts from the late 50s right through to today, and I’ve attempted to collect pretty much every song that has made the Top 30. My collection of old vinyls and CDS still fills a couple of rooms at home!

In 1996, together with some other fellow radio enthusiasts, I set up Spark FM in Halifax, one of the handful of ‘community stations’ that was emerging at the time. I went on to spend nearly a decade as Programme Controller organising playlists, arranging schedules and of course, presenting my own shows which gave me such joy to be presenting on FM. These were the days before computer playout systems too, so many a long hour spent inside a studio with piles of carts and CDs.
In 2009, I joined Pennine FM to present The Saturday Dance party and the Retro Chart show, and got to work alongside some great radio talent like Danny Mylo and Richie Pearson.

During the recent lockdown, I had the privilege of presenting the ‘Dance Anthems’ show on West Yorkshire Radio on a Saturday night, and recreating those magic clubbing moments from the 80s & 90s for people to enjoy whilst stuck at home with a glass of wine.

Since I was 18, I have also worked every week as a live DJ, and have worked in many bars, clubs and venues across the North of England as well as a good few weddings etc. Watching hundreds of people go crazy to a song you are playing never fails to thrill and was much missed during lockdown.

Radio is my ultimate passion though, and delighted to be joining Solid Gold Gem to share some wonderful hit memories with you on the Time Tunnel.

Join Tim Saturday from 7-10pm for The 80s Zone and every Sunday afternoon from 1-3pm with The Time Tunnel.

Tony Lloyd

I have had a passionate interest in broadcast radio since I was a young teenager.

A successful club and event DJ, I trained at industrial radio station UBN and entered broadcast radio in the late 70’s as a radio presenter for several radio stations including Ward Radio in London where I was appointed Chairman in 1979. I was responsible managerially and editorially for all on-air programming together with overseeing sound engineering, fundraising & training. I proudly remain an Honorary Chairman today.

I then went on to become a presenter at Chiltern Radio, serving Herts, Beds, Bucks, Northants and others with my ‘Tony Lloyd Late Show’, featuring the popular ‘Midnight Magic’ romantic half hour.

I was promoted to Drive Show presenter in 1990, at the same time presenting the ‘Top 20 Countdown’, and going on to work at the station for ten years. In addition I also broadcast on Invicta SuperGold & Severn Sound & launched SuperGold, Horizon Radio in Milton Keynes and The Hot FM.

I currently present several shows on different stations including Love From Tony, right here on Solid Gold Gem 10pm – Midnight every Saturday.

Krissi Carpenter

I have been in Radio for over 30 years (crikey, is it REALLY)?? Started on short wave around the world (broadcasting from my garage with egg boxes on the walls to dull the sound). From there I was so happy to be able to join the team at WABC broadcasting from Co Donegal in Ireland.

Returning to England I found GEM AM on my radio dial. I listened to the Station every single day with my two favourite Presenters, Andy Marriott and the late Brian Tansley. I made my demo tape for GEM from the same garage and sent it to the Programme Controller, Len Groat, who liked what he heard and he started my true radio career.

From GEM AM I moved to Signal Radio in Stoke on Trent and from there to BBC Radio Shropshire where I presented the weekday lunchtime Programme. I was at the BEEB for 13 years.

I now live in Northern Ireland and we run a Luxury Bed and Breakfast. Check us out of Facebook and we’d love you to come and stay. https://www.facebook.com/hillsideluxurybandb

I am also now on Instagram, I know unbelievable! I hope you’ll follow me. https://www.instagram.com/krissi_carpenter/   @krissi_carp

I love what I do. Music is in my blood and always has been since Radio Caroline and of course Radio Luxembourg and now I am back where it all started at GEM and I’m LOVING IT!

My Programme (Late Night Love) is Monday-Thursday from 10pm and features great Motown Tracks, my ‘Connections’ competition (just for fun) plus Lovers At Eleven, Well Wadda Ya Know and of course, lots of great love songs too. Friday night I have a real treat for you, and me, as I play you some of my favourite soul songs from the likes of Luther Vandross, Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight etc. You get the picture.

On Friday, from 10pm to Midnight, join me for two hours of disco and soul. The first hour is uptempo disco classics and the second hour is soul love songs, a great way to get you into your weekend.