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The Correspondents
There were many letter writers and phone callers that delighted and bored the
listening public. How many of these do you remember? If you can add anything to
those listed or add new long-forgotten correspondent details, including the
Hallam FM era, please post a memory on the Message
Board.
ERIC XX G-MEX Little is known of this character... his
letters graced the Key 103 era of the Nocturnal Emissions, and was was generally
liked and appreciated by the listeners.
MARTIN A. SMITH (aka The
Ban Frank Sidebotton Society) Martin was a regular contributor and was a
resident at the time of Bolton... On reaching student status in October 1990, he
departed the town promptly. He was best known in the 1988/89 Key 103 era with
letters, and years later followed this up with contributions to the all-new
Nocturnal Emissions on Hallam FM in Sheffield starting in
1994.
THE MINISTER FOR CHEADLE HULME (aka The Fall and The
Sugarcubes Appreciation Society) This character is called Lucie and
really was from Cheadle Hulme. A sixth former in the Emissions' Key 103 era, she
engaged in regular banter with other correspondents... most notably Simon
Sandiford-Mitchell and Martin A. Smith. She was a massive Sugarcubes fanatic and
regularly showered the station with requests to play "Birthday" by the
Sugarcubes amongst others. She later appeared several times on James Stannage's
"Silly Hour" phone-in on Piccadilly 1152 in 1990. Lucie was obsessed by James, and created the James H Reeve Adoration Society in order to keep James Stannage's listeners updated with her latest thoughts. Her last known activity was in the early 1990s reading the weather on KFM in Stockport.
SIMON
SANDIFORD-MITCHELL Yes this was his real name. Based in Blackley, and one
of the younger contributors, he sent more letters than everyone else put
together. Usually written on the bus home from William Hulme Grammar School,
James inexplicably used to read just about all of them out and so annoying
almost all of his listeners. Simon also contributed under various pseudonyms
such as the Lime Opal Fruit Appreciation Society (which was actually stolen from someone else as the first LOFAS letter was written in by another correspondent) and the Ban The Ban Frank
Sidebottom Society Society. His first appearance on the Nocturnal Emissions was
back in May 1986 and was ever present right through to its original conclusion
in late 1989. Simon then migrated to appear on James Stannage's 1990 "Silly Hour"
phone-in on Piccadilly 1152, also appearing live in the
studio once a week. A lull in the mid-1990s saw him make his
broadcasting breakthrough on 107.2 WIRE FM as Runcorn FC football reporter in late 1999. Since then has been Manchester Storm ice hockey reporter on BBC GMR, spent over 10 years being the Radio Lancashire non-league football reporter and most recently a character on BBC London's Non League Show before its move to 5 Live.
SAMUEL PEARCE Most favourably described as an
opinionated elderly gentleman who was forever writing to the Manchester Evening
News as well as James. He delighted some and bored to death others with his
regular appearances. He was one of the original bunch of callers in the early
days of the Piccadilly show, and later migrated to letter-writing in order to
fit in with the Key 103 era. He was from the Royton area of Oldham. James
mentioned in passing on his programme in October 2005 that Sam was "no
longer with us".
IRATE ALBERT Albert was another elderly
caller who was not quite as political as Sam Pierce, but a regular contributer
in the early phone-in era of the programme. James named him Irate Albert and
this stuck months and years later, as he was still remembered by letter writers
towards the end of the Key 103 run of programmes.
JIMMY
WHITE Another regular in the early days that was fondly remembered by
later contributers. He was famous mostly for living in Crumpsall and seemed to
have something of a camp voice and liked to suck up to James, who of course
would lightly put him down. It gave the impression that maybe Mr White was
really a real life friend of James, can anyone confirm?
MIKE DEAN Another regular in the early days - he was
famous enough to be always quoted in the same breath as the correspondents
above, but I don't really remember him actually on air at all. If anyone
does, then please let me know the info and I will include it here.
ROY ACORN Again, he was a regular in the early
phone-in days and was often used as an example of the type of caller that James
dreaded. My memory though is hazy about his actual contributions, so if
anyone can provide any info I will include it here.
Please let me know of any other of the regular correspondents who you believe are worthy of a spot on this page!
Last Updated: Tue 26 November 2013
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