Iconic BBC Radio 2 presenter Brian Hayes has died at the age of 87, after an illustrious career spanning over five decades – as tributes swiftly poured in.
Hayes, who was the son of a miner, from Perth, Western Australia, was the man behind some of the most influential radio of his time – and he once famously said that he looked at callers ‘as real people with something to say’.
The broadcaster made the move to Britain from Down Under in the early 70s, and continued his radio career in the UK, joining Capital radio as a producer when the station launched in 1973.
He then moved into a presenting role. But he made his name when he began presenting the morning interview and phone-in show on LBC radio.
The broadcaster had a controversial reputation for his gruff style with callers, making it clear he did not suffer fools gladly – and though this ruffled some up the wrong way, he was well respected at the station. It led to satirical publication Private Eye once dubbing him ‘Brian Bastard’.
From 1990 on, the presenter could be heard on various stations, including a presenting spot on appeared on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show throughout 1992, but left the show at the year’s end due apparently to unpopularity – being replaced by late Irish broadcasting legend Terry Wogan in January 1993.
He hosted weekly phone-in show Hayes over Britain on BBC Radio 2 throughout the 90s, for which he wo a Gold Sony Radio Award for ‘Best Phone-In’, and during his tenure also sat in for Jimmy Young and his successor Jeremy Vine until 2006.
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BBC)
He worked on BBC Radio 5 Live until 2006, and BBC Radio 4, on programmes such as Not Today, Thank You. During the mid-2000s, he presented Friday nights on BBC Radio 5 Live and on Sunday nights returned to his legendary role at LBC.
Speaking about LBC and his time there to the Guardian back in 2003, he revealed that his first ever caller was a rather significant one.
“My on-off relationship with LBC started on January 6 1976. The guest on my first phone-in for the station was the then newly elected leader of the opposition, Margaret Thatcher.
It was also her first phone-in and she seemed most worried about whether the clumpy headphones she had to wear would mess up her carefully constructed hairdo. She was also very nervous. But then so was I.”
He also recalled, “In my years at the station I interviewed many heroes and villains, including political, trade union and business movers and shakers, the greatest writers, musicians, performers and, of course, the informed, loveable and infuriating Londoners who flooded the phone lines ready to tell the rest of us how the world should be organised.”
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