Award-winning voice in Northampton radio Stuart Linnell announces his last show

A much-loved voice in Northampton radio has announced this Friday will be his last show after 10 years on the town's airwaves.
BBC Radio Northampton's Stuart Linnell will host his last show this Friday.BBC Radio Northampton's Stuart Linnell will host his last show this Friday.
BBC Radio Northampton's Stuart Linnell will host his last show this Friday.

BBC Radio Northampton's Stuart Linnell announced on his afternoon show yesterday (March 25) he would be leaving the station by the end of the week.

Stuart's well-known voice has been a key name in Northampton radio for the past 10 years, including seven years hosting the breakfast show.

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But at the start of yesterday's show, he mentioned almost in passing that it would be his last week hosting a regular show before retiring.

He told the Chronicle and Echo: "I will miss it. I love being in the studio. Sometimes I talk nonsense but I really do love it all.

"But I will keep in touch. Hopefully I will be back from time to time if they ask me.

"Northampton has come to mean an awful lot to me."

His last show on Friday will mark the end of a 50-year career in broadcasting that has seen him present in Birmingham, Northern Ireland and Coventry, including national work for 5Live and Sky Sports.

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He said: "I've been doing this for 50 years and at the end of the day it's time to take a break.

"Once a broadcaster could wander in and play whatever they wanted and talk about whatever they wanted. The producer has much more control over the show but probably quite rightly.

"A good team around you is important and Northampton without a doubt has a great team."

Over his career, some of Stuart's guests have included legendary cricketers Dickie Bird and Freddie Truman, national treasure Michael Parkinson and even Elton John.

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The award-winning broadcaster, who was recognised with an MBE in 1995, also launched in the past year the 'Love Northampton' debates to highlights issues in the town and discuss new ways to regenerate the high street.

He said: "When I arrived to work in Northampton 10 years ago it was certainly a healthy county town. Now it's had to face the problems of other county towns.

"But I've detected a different attitude in Northampton in recent months, to move it forward and find a new era of regeneration.

Change can't be led just by politicians. It's got to come from a lot of people working together really, really positively."

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Stuart is retiring to Coventry where he will take on the volunteer role of Chair of Healthwatch Coventry,a dn hopes to outline some new writing projects as well as return to the studio form time to time.