From Presenting to Panto!

The brilliant Catherine Whale found herself starring with ‘soap’ celebs in panto in Peterborough this Christmas. Already a well-known local personality because of her Morning Show on Lite FM, she morphed seamlessly from radio dj to Princess Sweetpea in Jack in the Beanstalk. And, she’s says, she’s never had so much fun – behind the mic and on the boards. Catherine trained to be a radio dj at the National Broadcasting School which is a radio shcool.

When I sent off my application for the Presentation and Production Course at the National Broadcasting School, I never would have imagined that it would lead to a night out with David Beckham, a face-to-face encounter with Tory leader, David Cameron, and a lead role in a pantomime alongside well-known TV personalities.

How wrong was I! Since graduating from NBS, I have worked for a number of stations up and down the country as a presenter and broadcast journalist. I’ve reported from courtrooms, gone undercover to investigate stories a la Donal McIntyre, spoken to listeners from all walks of life and interviewed celebrities whose posters I used to have on my wall as a teenager.

Glamorous? Showbiz? To a certain extent it is, but I’d be lying if I said that it’s all been plain sailing.

Long hours, missing out on social events with friends and family, covering shifts at late notice, staying in B&B’s which could easily be mistaken for Bates’ motel in Psycho, waking up at the ‘hour ridiculous’ to work on a breakfast show…it might not sound like everyone’s cup of tea but when a ‘job’ doesn’t actually feel like ‘work’, when you get up in the morning looking forward to the day ahead, it’s no wonder that the industry is so competitive.

I’ve lost track of the number of times that I’ve sat in the studio, pinching myself, to think, I get paid to chat and play music for a living. At school that sort of behaviour would end up in detention!

Salary wise, I can’t afford a Porsche yet… but, I can honestly say, there’s nothing else in the world I would rather be doing.