Blogpost #1 BBC’s Jamie Stangroom

This blog not only contains my random ramblings about a wide range of topics, but also interviews with people who are either interesting for various reasons or simply downright awesome. This week’s guest is BBC Radio 5 presenter, creator of the Rock Games and all around legend Jamie Stangroom.

Despite being only 27 years old, Jamie has already managed to cause the BBC to implement a subtle change to their studios. Namely the blurry glass visible just behind the readers of BBC World News. “A couple of years ago a few of my guests wanted to see the studio after their interview”, Jamie begins his explanation. “I told them to quietly and quickly walk along the corridor behind the newsreader, so they could phone their mums and inform them that they were on television in front of a 200 million people audience. But instead of walking, they were dancing and singing.”
Television producers and BBC Management are generally not amused with immature, but hilarious antics like these. However, Jamie luckily wasn’t sacked and is able to continue to entertain us with his work.

Rock Games
The Rock Games, for example. Each episode two artists compete with each other for something much better than any prestigious music award: the honor of winning the Rock Games! “I came up with that idea, because I couldn’t get tickets for the Olympic Games”, Jamie says. Author’s Note: who cares about the Olympics, when you get to work with people like Alice Cooper, Sir Christopher Lee and Jessie J.?! Anyway…

Jamie is strict, but fair. He had to disqualify singer Alexandra Burke for cheating at one of the games! You cannot make everyone happy. Famous wrestler Hulk Hogan tried to beg and threaten his way into the show, but eventually had to throw the towel into the ring, because wrestlers aren’t rock stars and rules are rules.

Little Buzz
Even though Jamie has plenty of experience when it comes to interviewing famous musicians, he still gets a little nervous sometimes. “It’s more like a little buzz in the stomach”, he admits. “But that’s a good thing. I notice interviews tend to go better when you’re a bit on edge. You kind of need that nervous energy to get the best interview possible.”

Many people with regular jobs might be jealous of Jamie’s work, but making radio and television programs is not all fun and games! Like in any other job, some aspects are great, while others are a royal pain in the butt. “I quite dislike the build-up. The stuff I have to do leading up to the interview itself”, the presenter informs me. “I really like the pay-off though. When the interview has gone well and both the guest and I are happy with it.”

Football
The things that make Jamie happy in his spare time also make the football players of the national team and Liverpool FC smile, all the way to the bank. He basically pays their wages. “I love going to football games. My friends and I often combine our holidays with a good match. That’s for example why we’ve been to Kiev in the Ukraine last year. The holiday itself is great, as you get to discover new cities and different cultures and the football match in the evening feels like a bonus.”

Of course a couple of beers and a few shots of Jägermeister increase the joy of watching England beat (preferably) Argentina or France. Cheers! If you want to see Jamie in action look for the Rock Games on YouTube!