Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
A long-distance runner who broke world records, won European and Commonwealth titles, and turned Gateshead into an international athletics hub.
On the island
Eight records
Simon and Garfunkel playing home and bound'cause it reminds me of my days at university and and uh back home.
The Beatles I suppose are contemporaries of mine and, you know, it was great to see these lads from Liverpool who were totally unconventional in everything they did and eventually made it.
The first time I really thought it became appropriate was in nineteen seventy six. I was sharing a room with Steve Ovette in the Montreal Games, and Steve had been the British favourite for the eight hundred metres and ended up finishing fifth and was very, very disappointed.
I spend a couple of periods in Africa and uh my kid brother's out there teaching right now and Africa has a strange attraction... I think the musical Ibbi Tombi is a lot about Africa and it brings out a feeling of Africa.
The Theme from The London Marathon
The London Marathon to me would be memories of a movement which I was involved with and saw a change over time.
When, you know, Police, the rock band, became really famous, the local newspaper started writing about Sting, the lead singer, who was from Newcastle... Sting singing Every Breath You Take is a is a marvellous song.
Never Give Up on a Dream is something that, you know, when I look back on my short career in teaching, I used to teach the kids about chemistry... But I never taught them some of the things that I had to offer, which were things like Never Give Up on a Dream.
Going Home (Theme from Local Hero)Favourite
When he put the music to the film of Local Hero and then when I saw him at the City Hall in Newcastle... he was a l a local lad from the North East, but a marvellous musician
In conversation
Presenter asks
1:03What is the attraction [of the North East]?
That's a very hard question... First of all, it's England. I mean,'cause being in the States for a year, the thing that m really amazed me that I'm I missed England so badly... and to be perfectly honest with you, my wife and I were just talking about the other night and Sue says, you know, the thing I missed most about not being in England was radio four.
Presenter asks
6:15Why didn't you go into the shipyards?
I was born in a house right down by the banks of the Tyne and every morning you'd hear the buzzer going... And if I'd been ten years younger, I would have been working in the shipyard. But I went to school and got O levels and A levels and and then went on to university. And it was literally the time when kids of my background had opportunities and, you know, you s you seize those opportunities
Presenter asks
7:10Did you want to be famous?
Wanted to play a centre vote for Newcastle.
Presenter asks
The keepsakes
What's your attitude toward the present situation [of drugs in sport]?
It's simple, it's cheating... when I was if I'd cheated ten years ago, or fifteen years ago, when I was running, then I'd know I'd cheated and I'd know I'd only cheated myself... if you've cheated yourself, then you can't get any lower than that.
Presenter asks
15:50What was the proudest moment [of your career]?
Athletically the best moment was when I won the European Championships in nineteen seventy four in the five thousand meters. But sort of, um emotionally, the best moment was when we opened the Gateshead Stadium in nineteen seventy four... and I broke the world record for three thousand meters
Presenter asks
23:53Do you think, generally speaking, that we do enough in this country [for sport] compared to other countries?
We are still backward. We're we're backward in the provision of facilities. We're very, very forward in the organization of events... I think we get more pleasure out of our sport, and I think we've got a wider uh variety of sports available. And sport is a is a great thing. Without sport I think the the life of the British nation would be a lot a lot poorer.
“I would never ever have wanted to have to run for money. I mean, you know, it was all right getting paid for running, but actually to to have to run to pay your mortgage and be you know, if you finish first then you can live for the next year and if you don't then I don't know.”
“I'm much more interested in talking about a guy who lives in Inverness or Glasgow or Newcastle or Birmingham or Manchester, looking at that thing on television, getting him off his backside and saying, I'm going to be in that and going in it l yeah later. That to me is a much better story than you know who's the biggest guy who can throw the shot furthest and who took the most drugs, you know.”
“I might be sitting here, I might be the best table tennis player the world's ever seen, but I don't know because I never tried, I never bothered, nobody ever in you know, got me interested in it.”
“I never taught them some of the things that I had to offer, which were things like Never Give Up on a Dream. And if you have a dream, then go for it. And there's nothing wrong in that. And sometimes people and kids and generations should be reminded it's good to dream and it's good to try and fulfil a dream.”