Lionheart Radio on BBC's Eggheads!

A lively team of presenters from Alnwick’s own community radio station Lionheart Radio has just returned from London as the latest challengers to BBC Two quiz experts the Eggheads.  The quiz game show, presented by Dermot Murnaghan, and featuring the Alnwick contestants, was transmitted on BBC Two on Tuesday, April 22, at 6.00pm.

  “It was a fantastic experience which we all thoroughly enjoyed, but we’re not allowed to say how we fared,” said Simon Jobson, at 21 the youngest member and captain of the team, also consisting of presenters John McNally, George Millar, Richard Dale and Bill Grisedale.

  Gary Brown was on standby for the team that did battle with the Eggheads, who are among the greatest quiz players in Britain and Europe and include winners of Mastermind, Brain of Britain, and The Weakest Link.

  There are considerable sums of money to be won by any team beating the Eggheads and it was mainly the financial incentive that spurred on Simon and the others from Alnwick.  Lionheart Radio is run largely by unpaid volunteers and relies heavily on sponsorship from companies, public bodies and individuals in north Northumberland.

  Those taking part in the BBC Two challenge gave up two days’ work to travel to London where they stayed overnight at the Ramada Encore Hotel West near BBC Television Centre in White City where the programme is recorded. 

  The Lionheart team were in the BBC’s makeup department by 8.00 the following morning and half-an-hour later they were in front of the cameras.  Recording of the programme went on until 12.30pm and shortly afterwards the group left Television Centre to catch a train from King’s Cross back to the North East.  “It all happened so quickly we were still wearing our TV makeup when we caught the train home !” said Simon.

  John McNally, who also plays a key fund-raising role for Lionheart Radio, said: “ As a community broadcasting service manned almost entirely by unpaid volunteers we have to rely not only on advertising and sponsorship to keep the station going, but on any new and original means of acquiring funding.  We felt it was a great opportunity to put Alnwick on the map by challenging the BBC’s Eggheads and also the possibility of winning some money for Lionheart Radio. 

  “Whatever the outcome of the television programme we shall shortly be on the fund-raising trail again in north Northumberland and we hope local people will continue to support our efforts to run a lively and relevant community radio station which means a great deal to our growing audience of listeners in Alnwick and district.”