Broadcaster Ed James chats to the Express & Star about his new BBC WM show during his visit to Wolverhampton.
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00:00Well, we're here in a not-sunny-so-sunny Wolverhampton city centre.
00:04Not so, it's freezing!
00:05It is freezing, hence we've come into a cafe to do this chat with Ed James.
00:12Hello.
00:12About to start a brand new show broadcasting, not only to this city, the whole region on Radio WM.
00:20Now, we've been talking off camera, you've done 25 years in the West Midlands radio.
00:25And I'm still 30.
00:26That's when you're supposed to go, yeah, you look about 30.
00:31Well, I was going to say, older listeners will remember when you broadcast from Techno Road on the iconic Beacon Radio.
00:38And I know you've got good memories of that.
00:41Just talk a little bit about that.
00:43Yeah, so that was early on in my career, really.
00:46So I did the breakfast show with a lady called Helen on Beacon in Wolverhampton.
00:51And I think that's where my love affair with the West Midlands started.
00:56Because Wolverhampton is a great place.
00:58And I always talk about the people.
01:00Because when you do a radio show, the audience is the most important thing.
01:05Because I think the reason I've been able to stay on the radio so long is because it's not about me.
01:11I mean, my stories are all boring.
01:13And everyone's heard them a hundred times.
01:14But what makes a radio show great is the audience.
01:18And when the audience texts in and calls up, and I think round here and Wolves especially, people just want to chat.
01:26People want to get involved and tell stories.
01:29Have some fun.
01:30Take the mick out of themselves.
01:32Take the mick out of other people.
01:33Have a bit of banter.
01:34And that's what a radio show is all about.
01:37And that's when I fell in love with this area, I think.
01:40Because I'm not originally from here.
01:41I'm originally from Wales.
01:44But I feel like the West Midlands is absolutely home.
01:46And Wolves has got a massive part to play in that.
01:49So I'm just delighted to still be on the radio in what I genuinely think is the best region in the world.
01:56And that's because of the people.
01:57The people make a place.
01:59And the people here are brilliant.
02:01Well, you've been meeting some of your older listeners, if you like.
02:04Yes.
02:04I've been with you over that 20-year period on this tour.
02:08And they've come into the studio as well.
02:09I love that you're calling it a tour.
02:11Like I'm Ed Sheeran.
02:13Yeah.
02:14Yeah.
02:15But then after Beacon, you did over 20 years on Heart.
02:2123 years on Heart, yeah.
02:23Breakfast.
02:24Yeah, the breakfast show.
02:24Then on to Drive.
02:26Yeah.
02:26You must have some good memories of those days as well.
02:29Yeah.
02:30Just, yeah.
02:31It was a, just, I just feel really fortunate to still be doing what I think is the best job in the world.
02:39Heart was great.
02:39Really, really enjoyed it.
02:40Again, the stories I remember are the ones where people phone up and they get involved and they tell you stories.
02:47So that, that, that was amazing.
02:48But we were fortunate enough to do some really incredible things.
02:50And, and what I think I'm excited to do on the new show is make a difference.
02:55So the things I remember on Heart where, where just, they strike a chord with the, the moments that literally change people's lives.
03:03So we gave a house away on Heart.
03:06I remember that being a brilliant thing to do.
03:08But I think my favorite memory of all the Heart shows was when we took kids, that was a glass that's just been smashed downstairs.
03:17We took kids to meet Father Christmas in Lapland.
03:20And it was kids who had a rough year for whatever reason.
03:22And they lost a bit of their childhood.
03:25And every year, for about five years, we took them from the airport in Brum.
03:30We flew them over to Lapland.
03:32And you saw them be children again and get the chance to, to feel what it's like to be a kid again.
03:38And they saw snow.
03:39We went on a husky ride.
03:40We met Father Christmas.
03:42And the chance to do that, that you'll remember forever and they'll remember forever.
03:47That's when it's special.
03:48So that's, that's what I remember about Heart.
03:50And that's what I want to do more of on the new show as well.
03:53Yeah.
03:53I mean, you mentioned Helen at Beacon.
03:55Yeah.
03:55And you've had radio partners for quite a long.
03:58How very dare you.
04:00Yeah, they have.
04:01Are you going to be fairly going solo on the new show?
04:04Yeah.
04:05Which is, again, it's, it's an exciting opportunity because I've not done that.
04:09I've worked with some amazing people from Gemma to Sarah Jane to Rachel to Helen.
04:15So I've had some great people and I'm still friends with every single one of them.
04:19But the new show is a little different in that it's, it's, it's me, but it's not me.
04:24So I'm kind of the ringleader, if you like.
04:29But it's, it genuinely is not my show.
04:31It's, it's, it's our show.
04:33And it's the audience.
04:35The audience's job is to play a part.
04:38So I want lots of callers on.
04:40I want lots of stories on.
04:41I want, I want interaction.
04:43There'll be a lot of guests on as well.
04:44So it won't just be me speaking for four hours.
04:48It'll be me having a chat to people from the well-known faces in the region, from the celebrities
04:55that come to the region, to the people that are making a difference and doing amazing things
04:59to anyone who's got a story.
05:02So, so it'll be me, but me having a chat to people.
05:05That's what the new show will be.
05:07And that's, that's what I've wanted to do for a long time.
05:09I'm really excited to get cracking.
05:10Yeah.
05:11And I guess you're going to bring a lot of the old listeners with you.
05:14I hope so.
05:15And obviously get some new, new ones as well.
05:19Yeah.
05:19And are you going to get out and about?
05:21Yes.
05:22Get reporters out and about as well?
05:23That's the thing.
05:24I mean, so Radio WM is, is pretty much the only place.
05:30It's your only voice now in terms of what's happening in the region and what's happening
05:34where we live.
05:35And I think community is so important and where we live is so important, who we live
05:40near, who we live with, who we, who we meet out and about is so important.
05:44I think we all learned that in the lockdowns.
05:47I think, I think that was a defining moment, really.
05:49I think that's when we realized, yeah, okay, the celebrity stuff is important, but actually
05:55probably what's more important is what's happening where you live, what's happening in
05:59your area.
06:00And, you know, that kind of bound us together, I think, that time where we were outside and
06:05we clapped for, for the carers we cared about who lived next door.
06:09A lot of people pre-lockdown didn't know who lived next door.
06:14That was a bit of a change we went through.
06:16And I think we're still there in terms, and it's a great thing that we're still there.
06:20It's about community.
06:21It's about friendships.
06:22It's about people.
06:23And actually, that's what we've got a chance to celebrate here.
06:27And finally, all your experience on radio, TV, everywhere else in the West Midlands, will
06:32there be any nerves next Tuesday when you start?
06:35Absolutely.
06:35Absolutely.
06:36That's a good thing, right?
06:37I think so.
06:38I've always, I've always believed that nerves and excitement are the same thing because,
06:42because the feeling when you're nervous is the same feeling when you're excited.
06:47And I think if there's some nerves, which there absolutely is, it means you care about it.
06:51I think if there weren't any nerves, it would kind of mean that you were just really chilled
06:56out and relaxed and it wasn't important.
06:59This is important.
07:00And I want to do a really good job.
07:03So there is some nerves.
07:05There's more excitement.
07:06There's more, I just can't wait to get going now in terms of, I've been at the BBC for four
07:11weeks.
07:11We've done planning.
07:12We've done meetings.
07:13We've done, you know, little bits of pre-records, which we can drop in for the first few weeks.
07:20I just want to get going now.
07:22So you're not going to just throw it all together then, just like that?
07:25I think I will in a few weeks, but we've planned the first few weeks quite well.
07:31Yeah, well, we certainly wish you all the best.
07:33And if the weather holds, or well, it doesn't hold, gets better, you're going to go out and
07:36meet the Wolverhampton public.
07:38That's the plan today.
07:39That's the plan today.
07:40Let's have our coffees first.
07:40Let's do that.
07:41Cheers.
07:42Cheers, Ed.
07:42Thanks very much.
07:42Cheers.
07:43Cheers with the coffees and teas.
07:44Cheers.
07:44Cheers.
07:45Cheers.
07:45Cheers.
07:46Cheers.
07:47Cheers.
07:48Cheers.