Richard Oliff was born in Kettering, raised in Corby, and has lived in the village of Gretton in England since 1978. Given this 'localness' it seemed logical that Richard should be employed by radio station's that cover the whole of his home region:
KCBC 1530, 1584 & 107.4FM, Connect FM, BBC Radio Northampton, BBC Radio Leicester, Rutland Radio, HFM,
and Lite/Connect FM in Cambridgeshire. He is regarded as one of the regions most successful and popular live broadcasters.
Richard has been 'on-air' continuously for seventeen years (and I mean continuously) and has had experience on every daytime and weekend shift. The love of his life remains the weekday drive show on HFM. During his broadcasting career he has been, in addition to his other duties, News Editor and Station Manager.
His listening figures always reflect his popularity, gaining more and more listeners every week. His show regularly beats off all the popular nationals as well as the other local commercial and independent radio stations in the region. In 2009 one poll voted his show the most popular in Leiceter and Leistershire - again beating off all the nationals and locals - including the BBC!
Richard puts his success down to one element: being himself. Although it has to be said, when Richard is in full flow it's difficult to know which one you are actually listening to. He bombards the airwaves with a mixture of accents, anecdotes, natural humour and an endearing and refreshing attitude to topical and local issues.
Over the years he has worked with and interviewed the likes of Mick Taylor (The Rolling Stones), Nick Simper (Deep Purple), Kid Creole, Billy Ocean, Lorna Luft (daughter of Judy Garland), Girls Aloud, Gino Washington, Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople), Richard Hudson (Hudson Ford), Janice Long, Rolf Harris, Chris Jagger (Mick's brother), Uri Geller, Sally Gunnell, Eden Kane, Edwina Currie, Jake Burns (Stiff Little Fingers), Elkie Brooks, Roy Wood (The Move, ELO, Wizzard), the Electric Light Orchestra, Jimmy Cricket, Mike D'abo, Chris Farlowe, Gerry Rafferty, Liz Kershaw, Bruce Jones, Dr. David Starkey, Ian Parkin (Four Poofs & A Pianno), Judie Carne (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In), Sue Pollard, Jimmy Osmond, Barbara Dickson, Graham Gouldman (10cc), The Bachelors, Steve Gibbons, Beatle Pete Best, Jools Holland, Ruby Turner, Carl Pemberton (Journey South), Rosemary Conley, Emma Barton (Honey in Eastenders), Gary Wilmot, Rageh Omar, Sir Jackie Stewart, Chas Hodges (Heads, Hands and Feet & Chas & Dave), John Conteh, Esther Rantzen, Gordon Astley, Max Clifford, Dave Bartrum (Showaddywaddy), Kevin Cronin (REO Speedwagon), John Leyton, Bobbie Elliot (The Hollies), Frank Allen (The Searchers), Alice Beer, 4 Poofs and A Piano, Liza Goddard, Peter Egan (Ever Decreasing Circles), Quentin Wilson, Paul Layton (the New Seekers), Sophie Lawrence, Adam Ant, Pete Hillier ('Boogie Pete' on BBC's CBeebies), John Culshaw, Joe Brown, Coronation Street's 'Shelley' (Sally Lindsay), Lesley Joseph, Ken Dodd, Linda Lusardi, Sam Kane, Fearne Cotton, Sam and Mark........and the list could go on and on. He's even interviewed politicians such as Michael Hestletine, Charles Kennedy, Michael Howard, Oliver Letwin and John Prescott. He has broadcast live from the Chelsea Flower Show, working with Alan Titchmarsh and Charlie Dimmock. (this was a 3 hour all speech broadcast in front of a live audience on the banks of the river Thames) and his radio show has been put forward by the BBC to the Sony Radio Acadany.
Television appearances include the British national Noel Edmunds House Party programme for the BBC, an appearance on Top Of The Pops with Fearne Cotton and Girls Aloud (BBC1) and presentation work for the British television cable network NTV.
His first book, Fastest To Canada, was published worldwide in 2004 and his poetry has been published in several global compendiums. He has written reviews for the BBC on such artists as Paul McCartney, The Pretenders, Midge Ure and Talon, and has even written the sleeve note to an album by 60's pop legend John Leyton at the request of the artist. He currently writes a weekly column for the Evening Telegraph and has just completed another book.
He remains a weekly columnist for the Evening Telegraph.
Another major highlight was his invitation in 2008 from Her Majesty the Queen to attend Buckingham Palace.
His voice has been in demand for commercial production
and DVD voice-over's as he is able to mimic many accents
He appeared in the Miramax Hollywood movie adaptation of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park alongside Jonny Lee Miller of Trainspotting fame, Frances O'Connor, Embeth Davidtz who starred in Schindlers List and that brilliant playwrite, actor, and Nobel Prize winner, the late Sir Harold Pinter.
Prior to the turn of the millennium he released a charity CD in association with Connect FM and Golden Wonder on behalf of a charity called Kids 2000. Apart from producing and compiling the album, Richard himself contributed three tracks , (on which he sang and played the drums) which raised money for local children. It featured artists who all gave their time and talent for free. The only pre-requisite for appearing on the album was they must first have been featured in Richard's Saturday show, then on commercial radio. One of these tracks has since been used by the BBC to raise even more money for their chosen charity. Richard is no stranger to the recording studio, having made dozens of recordings in various bands since 1972.
He has his hero's, as do most of us, his being John Lennon, The Beatles, Roxy Music, Led Zeppelin, Yes, The Police, Gerry Rafferty, Crowded House, ELO, oodles of clasical music and the genius that was Kenny Everett.
Whatever your broadcasting needs, talk to Richard first.
You may be pleasantly surprised!
