"Tales from a very minor celebrity‪"‬ Simon Baldock

On the 23rd February, 2023 is was announced the football commentating legend John “Motty” Motson had died at the age of 77.He started working on Match Of The Day in 1971, and covered 10 World Cups, 10 European Championships and 29 FA Cup finals for BBC Sport before retiring from the organisation in 2018. I had the great pleasure of interviewing him in 2005 when he was promoting his latest book, Motsons FA Cup Odyssey which gave me a chance to sample first his incredible footballing knowl...

I’m a bit short of time this week so I’m just going to okay you the interview without all the preamble that usually comes with my weekly podcast.As you’re well aware I’m sure the World Cup has started and this week you can hear an interview I did with Uri Geller, the spoon bending physic who back in 2002 asked the whole nation to collectively try and heal David Beckham’s famous metatarsal injury which threatened his participation in that year’s World Cup competition.England captain Davi...

Hi everyone, and welcome to episode 7 of this new season of Tales From a very minor celebrity, a delve into my celebrity archive a look back at some of my very favourite interviews from my career in radio and TV….This week you’ll hear an interview I did with a woman who has a handbag named after her and recorded one of the most iconic love songs of all time, Je t’aime…she is Jane Birkin.Born in London Birkin began her career as an actress, appearing in minor roles until she met Serge Ga...

Hi everyone….we’re up to episode 6 of season 2 of tales from a very minor celebrity, a look back at some of my favourite interviews during my 35 year plus media career.Now Jade Goody was born 5 June 1981 and died 22 March 2009. She came to public prominence in 2002 when she appeared on the third series of the Channel 4 reality show Big Brother. She went on to star in her own television programmes after her eviction from the show, which in turn led to her launching a variety of prod...

Hi everyone, and welcome to episode 5 of this new season of Tales From a very minor celebrity, a delve into my celebrity archive a look back at some of my very favourite interviews from my career in radio and TV…. Michael Ciaran Parker better known by his stage name Michael Barrymore was born in 1952. During the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. he hosted shows such as Strike It Luck, My Kind Of People, My Kind Of Music, Kids Say The Funniest Things, and his own variety show, Barrymore. In 1993, h...

Hi everyone, and welcome to episode 4 of this new season of Tales From A Very Minor Celebrity, a delve into my celebrity archive and a look back at some of my very favourite interviews from my career in radio and TV…. and as I always say I hope you will like listening to them as much as I did recording them.Now this week my guest is not so much flesh and blood, but rather metal and oil…whilst working at a radio station in Essex I had the pleasure of being invited to do some very nice th...