Richard Oliff

For the past 20 years Richard Oliff has been a broadcaster and journalist with both with the BBC and commercial radio. His career began with KCBC in Kettering which later became Connect FM. In 2001 the BBC asked him to present a daily, speech only consumer and current affairs program, which ran continuously for exactly four years. He returned to Connect FM for two years, successfully 'rescuing' one of their flagging shows, but decided to move on again when the station was merged with Lite FM in Cambridgeshire. It was at this time, in 2007, that a call came from HFM in Market Harborough to join their new 'full-time' schedule as their Drive Time presenter. He can still be heard presenting his show every weekday on 102.3 HFM. In 2009 his show was voted 'the most listened-to drive show in Leicestershire'. During his broadcasting career he has been, in addition to his other duties, News Editor and Station Manager. He has also worked for the likes of Rutland Radio, Lite FM and BBC radio Leicester. Since childhood, Richard had always been drawn to the performing arts. It all began in the 60's, singing in both his church and school choirs. He had a natural aptitude for song writing and playing the drums, entering a recording studio for the first time in 1972 to put both his singing and drumming to good use. His love of acting grew too, and from that time to this Richard has performed music and plays on many stages. He appeared in the Miramax Hollywood movie adaptation of Jane Austin's Mansfield Park alongside Jonny Lee Miller of Trainspotting fame, Frances O'Connor, Embeth Davidtz who starred in Schindler's List (1993) and that brilliant playwright, actor, and Nobel Prize winner, the late Sir Harold Pinter. Prior to the turn of the millennium he released a charity CD in association with Connect FM and Golden Wonder on behalf of a charity called Kids 2000. Apart from producing and compiling the album, Richard himself contributed three tracks, (on which he sang and played the drums) raising money for local children. It featured artists who all gave their time and talent for free. The only pre-requisite for appearing on the album was they must first have been featured in Richard's Saturday show, then on commercial radio. One of these tracks has since been used by the BBC to raise even more money for their chosen charity. Richards TV appearances have included Blue Peter (for which he won a silver badge for singing one of his own compositions), Songs of Praise, Top of the Pops, Noel Edmunds House Party, working as a presenter for NTV, and more recently a brief appearance on ITV's News at Ten. He got through to the second round of the X-Factor at the NEC in 2010! His first book, 'Fastest to Canada', was published worldwide in 2004 and his poetry has been published in several global compendiums. He has written concert reviews for the BBC online for such artists as Paul McCartney, The Pretenders, Midge Ure and Talon, and has even written the sleeve note to an album by 60's pop legend John Leyton at the request of the artist. He continues to write a weekly column (every Friday) for the Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph under the heading 'Oliff's Life'. Richard is one of only 100 in the UK in the Independent on Sunday's 'Happy List' for 2010-2011, alongside Colin Firth, Paul Merton, Barry Cryer, Ian Hislop, Jools Holland, Eddie Izzard, Peter Kay Victoria Wood and the Archbishop of York. Throughout his career Richard has met and worked with some of the leading lights in the music, entertainment and political arenas, citing his meeting with Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr a particular high point. Richard was widowed in 1994, and remarried in New York to his wife Liz in 2008. In 2009 the couple were invited to Buckingham palace by Her Majesty the Queen during the opening of the Lambeth Conference. He continues to raise money for his favorite charitable cause, the Lakelands Day Care Hospice in Corby.