I’ve been a regular on BBC Radio Scotland for three decades now: I first went on Good Morning Scotland in 2001, and by the time I moved to the suburbs in 2005 I was a weekly guest on MacAulay & Co; I think I started regularly appearing there in 2003. To give you an idea how long ago that was, some of the exciting new things I introduced listeners to included YouTube, Facebook, the iPhone and 3G.
I made some good friends at the BBC, including one of my very best friends, and had a lot of big laughs. I also came out to the wider world there.
I wrote about my feelings about my BBC experiences in my book:
I regret not going to university, but being a regular on BBC Radio Scotland feels very much like the next best thing: I’ve met so many extraordinary nice and funny runners, researchers, producers, presenters and guests. I’ve always loved radio and for many years was incredibly envious of the people who do it. To be invited to take part, even after nearly two decades of being a fairly regular contributor, feels like an enormous privilege to me.
But all good things come to an end, and the beginning of a new, exciting project I can’t quite tell you about just yet means I can’t be around every Monday any more. Thanks to everyone who listened.