Ian Peacock
Ian Peacock | |
|---|---|
 Ian Peacock in 2000 | |
| Born | Ian Geoffrey Peacock 14 December 1962 Newcastle upon Tyne,England |
| Occupation(s) | Radio presenter, writer |
Ian Peacock(born 14 December 1962) is a radio presenter and writer. He has appeared regularly onBBC Radio 4since the late 1980s. Described as "a natural broadcaster" byThe Observer,he has a Gold Sony Award for feature-making (Radio Academy Awards). He was named byThe Independentas a 'Media Star 2006' – one of the media people who would "have the most impact" over the year.
Early life
[edit]Ian Peacock was born inWesterhope,a village inNorthumberlandto the west ofNewcastle upon Tyne.
His radio career began unexpectedly in 1976 when he was aged 14. During work experience atBBC Newcastle,presenterFrank Wappatlost his voice and asked him to present part of his afternoon show.
He graduated in 1984 with a first class degree in English Literature, followed by a PGCE. While atCambridge University,he presented a student programme and outside broadcasts forBBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
After graduating, he lived inValaisin Switzerland andInnsbruckin Austria, working as a tourist rep. He also spent a term atSalzburgUniversity studying literary German.
Broadcasting Career
[edit]At BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Peacock produced and presented a weekly arts programme and made features for news programmes.
While at BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, he producedJohn Peel.He also reported forBBC Radio 4programmes such asPM,Kaleidoscope (UK radio series),You and YoursandToday (BBC Radio 4).His first Today Programme feature was about the rise of theSloane Ranger.He then became a reporter onThe AM Alternativepresented byJohnnie WalkeronBBC Radio 5.
In the early 1990s, he produced documentaries forBBC Radio 1,such asPinkpop,which was the BBC's first ever programme about gay pop music, presented by Laurie Pike. While making programmes for Radio 1, he interviewedTake That,Mark WahlbergandEast 17.
Peacock went on to report on Radio 4 programmes such asThe Afternoon ShiftwithLaurie Taylor,Front Row,Word of Mouth,Home Truths,All in the MindandLoose Ends.
Ian Peacock has presented numerous documentaries and series for BBC Radio 4, such asRevenge,Memories Are Made of This,Every Breath You Take,Think About It,Tales of Cats and Comets,Tripping The Light Fantastic,The Art of Indecision,The Secret Life of Phone Numbers,Lady Curzon and a Pineapple,From Arial To Wide Latin,Creative Genius,It Was A Dark And Stormy Night,Remembrance of Smells Past,Tempus Fugit,Cache in Pocket,We Were Here – How To Make Your Own Time Capsule,In Search of Originalityand the first ever radio feature about Nothing.
He has interviewed many prominent personalities such asTony Blair,Barbara Cartland,Stephen Hawking,Bob Hope,Spike Milligan,Oliver Reed,Seamus Heaney,JK GalbraithandRobbie Williams,and has reported from Paris,Athens,Kathmandu,Luxor,New York City and Los Angeles.
Peacock has also reported forBBC Television,recorded adverts forSaatchi and Saatchiand presented voiceovers for the BBC and corporate clients.
From 1998 to 2014, Peacock taught at theBBC Academy.He was lead trainer on courses such asWriting for Radio,Managing your PresenterandAdvanced Features.He also carried out voice training for presenters.
As a media trainer, his clients have includedChatham House,Jordans (company),theHome Office,Bournemouth Universityand the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He has taught at theUniversity of Cambridge,theUniversity of Westminsterand theUniversity of Brightonwhere he was a Visiting Lecturer in Broadcast Media. He has also chaired events at theBBC,Design Museumand the Onassis Cultural Center in Athens.
He has written for various national publications, ranging fromMen's HealthtoThe Times.
Personal life
[edit]Ian Peacock lives inManchesterwith his dog Eddie.
Critics
[edit]- 'A natural broadcaster.' — Sue Arnold, The Observer
- 'Foot-in-the-door reporting all the way. The radio equivalent of Clive James, except that Peacock isn't snide: he’s genuinely fascinated.' — The Observer
- 'Peacock can rustle up a clever reportage-essay on any subject.' — Valerie Grove, The Oldie
External links
[edit]- Listen to Ian Peacock's Creative Genius series on BBC Radio 4
- Read Neon Schmeon - Ian Peacock on the culture of Neon, for the BBC website