Grant Stott is an award-winning Edinburgh broadcaster, best known as for his work as a radio DJ on Forth One and as a television personality on BBC and STV. Grant’s distinguished career in the media began in 1990, after spending his early years as a police officer with Lothian and Borders Police. A mainstay on Forth One for the last twenty years, Grant has also worked extensively on television, presenting popular children’s shows Wemyss Bay 902101 on STV and Fully Booked on BBC, as well anchoring Scotsport and hosting the 2007 live coverage of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations for STV.
Grant is also known for his regular appearances as a pantomime villain, his charity work and his love of Hibernian Football Club; he pens a weekly column for the Edinburgh Evening News charting the agony and ecstasy of following his team. He has been quick to adopt new technology to allow him to interact with his audience; he is active on Facebook and Twitter and enjoys teasing listeners who forget to remove the “Sent from my iPhone” signature from their emails.
We spoke to Grant about his career so far, his taste in music, his charity work and his experiences interviewing celebrities.
Can you tell us a bit about your career path – how did you end up getting into radio?
All the way through school, my plan was to go to Drama College. One thing I didn’t anticipate was the actual prospect of getting knocked back. By them all. Which I did. So I suddenly found myself looking at the option of getting a real job, which in my case turned out to be in the Police. I spent 4 years with Lothian and Borders before taking the plunge and opting for radio which I did in 1990. TV followed as did Panto and I’ve never looked back.
Can you give us an idea of your average day?
I’m not great in the mornings and leave getting up until the last minute. Quick shower and then straight to Radio Forth studios. Locked in my studio in the basement between 10 and 2 and then get on with the rest of the day. That could involve a couple of meetings, admin at home or prepping a script for an upcoming event. Evenings are either at home or out working at a function.
What’s the best part of your job?
The variety. In the 20 years I’ve been doing this no two years have ever been exactly the same. One day I can be completely on my own in the studio, the next I am on stage hosting Ladies Day at Musselburgh Races or setting thousands of brassiere clad women on their way round Edinburgh at midnight for The Moonwalk. And then there’s Christmas time when I get to dress up twice a day as a big scary bad man and frighten the bejesus out of the little uns..
How much does the music that you play on your show reflect your own personal taste?
Very little actually. Radio has changed an awful lot over the last few years and the music that is played is researched and tested and is all chosen before I get into work. I have no say in the music that is played but still have great enthusiasm for music. I couldn’t do it otherwise.
What are some of your favourite tunes?
I have a HUGE and varied taste in music; very difficult to narrow down to just a few. But I am big on all things from the 80s, The Beatles, Elvis and Dean Martin.
You support a number of charities – can you tell us a bit about that?
I think everyone does something for charity in their own way and in a way that works for them. I do it by helping them raise money by hosting functions for them. It’s a night out of my diary for me, but for the people who put them together dedicate months putting them together. Over the years I have become associated with a number of charities I help out regularly; SiMBA, The Sick Kids, It’s Good to Give, The Moonwalk, Prostate Scotland and various others. Everyone is very special in it’s own way and I’m happy to help out by doing what I do which is essentially showing off on the night with a microphone.
You write a sports column for the Edinburgh Evening News – how challenging is that?
I started writing for the News nearly 10 years ago now. To start with I wrote columns in the main body of the paper giving my own slant on anything that caught my attention that week. Then 2 years ago I moved to the Sports pull-out to write about my football team Hibs. It’s easier now because during the season I will always have something to write about every week.
We see that you’ve recently joined Twitter! How are you finding it? Is it a useful tool for connecting with listeners?
To be honest I find Facebook easier to use. I’m a bit bamboozled by Twitter and am not very au fais with exactly how it works. These can dominate your life but essentially I use them as a tool to connect with my listeners on the radio.
Where’s your favourite place for a beer in Edinburgh?
To be honest, getting out for a beer can be something of a rarity for me, but Edinburgh has so many fab places…in the summer I love sitting on the roof at Oloroso, or a beer in Leslie’s in Newington which is my local is always great. I’m a social member at Craigmillar Park Golf Club which is all too convenient for my house, so I’ll often meet a couple of pals in there for a couple of jars.
Who’s the nicest celeb you’ve met? What were they like? …and the worst?!
Most celebs are nice when you meet them because they’re needing you to promote their single or TV show or whatever. Lorraine Kelly is just as sweet as she is on the telly. Cheryl Cole/Tweedy was the one member of Girls Aloud who was, shall we say, “too busy” to say hello when they appeared at the Radio Forth Awards. Spandau Ballet also appeared at our awards and were a great bunch of guys and I would have loved to have gone for a beer with them. I was most nervous about interviewing Liam Gallagher who actually turned out to be a really good laugh. I think Sir Sean Connery was unimpressed with my chat when we met at a film premiere, only replying “yeeeshhh”. But I wouldn’t say I’ve ever had a bad experience with any celebrity…
Grant Stott hosts his own radio show on Forth One from 10am to 2pm Monday to Friday.
Interview: Rebecca Jamieson
Pre-amble: Jodi Mullen
