Monday 9 January 2012

Victoria Derbyshire and Radio 5 Live's move up north

What is Victoria Derbyshire thinking of? After giving her boss a hard time on her BBC Radio 5 Live programme about not “properly moving” up north, it turns out that she has only broadcast 60 per cent of her shows from Salford since the station relocated there.

Most journalists would give their eye-teeth for a job like hers. Her two-hour show, a mix of news, comment and interviews, goes out every morning during the week and is every presenter’s dream.

And besides, the north west is one of the best places in the country to live and work. Not only is Manchester an exciting, vibrant city, but it’s got stunning countryside on the doorstep. If you want to live in the wilds you can drive an hour north, just beyond Clitheroe, and find the most beautiful, unspoilt landscape imaginable. If I could get a job in the north west I’d move there like a shot. Even the Queen is reputed to have said that if she could retire anywhere, it would be to the Trough of Bowland.

We lived there for three years when my son and daughter were little and it was blissful. I combined working as a freelance journalist with doing an MA in novel writing at Manchester University so I was back and forth down the M66 all the time. The schools were fantastic, we made loads of friends I’m still in touch with 15 years later (a big shout-out to Katie, Catherine and Jennie) and it was the best place to bring up children.

A year after moving there my husband got a job in France and commuted between Manchester and Paris for two years. Then, just as now, jobs were in short supply, so we just had to grit our teeth and get on with it. I reckon that’s what Victoria Derbyshire should do too…


Picture: Lancashire County Council

6 comments:

  1. Totally agree! Used to work at Manchester University and loved the city. But also loved ease of access to the amazing countryside. Victoria Derbyshire is missing a trick...

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  2. You're so right, Julia. The combination of a great job, brilliant city, stunning countryside - perfect!

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  3. I agree. Having spent 22 years living in Manchester I know its wonderful for theatre, music,schools,people and the great outdoors, the Peaks and Lake District are very close. I could have managed without the football but life's not perfect.
    I do consider Victoria to be a great broadcaster and gave up with Radio 5 when she moved to later in the day.

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  4. Thanks so much for commenting, Liz. I really appreciate it - and it's lovely to know that there are so many fans of Manchester (the place, not just the FC) around...

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  5. And of course I am a fan...I live there!

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  6. I presume you know the reason why she has only broadcast 60% of her shows in Salford? Or are you just jumping on the bandwagon? I think the BBC moving so many shows to Salford en masse was probably not a good idea and for personal reasons, it might be difficult for her to satisfy all of our demands for her to be there 5 days a week, but I'm sure even she knows the present situation is not sustainable in the long-term. At the end of the day though, she pays for her travel, not us and she still manages to present her show 5 days a week frome whereever. Surely that's what's more important.

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