Each month, we introduce listeners to different members of the Bedford Radio team. This month we meet Lisa Arlott, presenter of The Bedford Rewind.
Are you from Bedford?
I’m originally from Norfolk, but I’ve worked in Bedford on and off for 20-odd years. I lived here for about 8 years, then I did a bit of globe-trotting and moved to the Middle East teaching and then Spain, so I’d been gone from Bedford for 10 years. I came back last year and I’ve really thrown myself into getting back into the Bedford community.
I do all sorts of things. I’ve joined community groups, social groups, been to see live bands and now Bedford Radio. So, it's been nice to come back.
How long have you been a Bedford Radio presenter?
Not very long – since February, so only a few months.
What radio experience did you have before Bedford Radio?
I’d never done radio before, so it was a new challenge, a bit of a bucket list. I saw it advertised and thought, why not, I’ll have a go at that.
Did you have a programme in mind when you started?
I did have something in mind and it was nothing like what I ended up doing. I love sport, so my first trial programme was a sports programme, but I realised it was going to be difficult to keep up to date with local sport. Maybe in the future, that’s something I’ll lean into.
But I’ve always liked history and there’s plenty of history in Bedford. I’m a teacher by trade, so I thought, why not teach people about history and link the two - a bit of music, a bit of history.
How would you describe your show?
I play No.1 hits from this week through the decades. I normally start off with the 60s and, although I wasn’t around in the 60s, the start of my show is my favourite bit.
I then go into the 70s, then the 80s etc through to the present day with a sprinkling of Bedford history in between. I try to link up the times of the No.1 hits with what was going on in history that week, though that’s not always possible. Sometimes I look back at some really old history; one week I went back to 1678.
How do you decide which period to cover?
It depends what comes up when I do the research. Some weeks it's really easy. So much goes on in the summer, so it’s much easier to pick stuff.
I have a history log, then I delve a bit deeper. And there is the Bedford Archives, so I go into that as well.
What’s next for the show?
Possibly extending the show to two hours. I did a Bedford Fringe Special which was two hours, so that was interesting and gave me a bit more leeway to spend more time on the history.
I would also eventually like to do a show on sport in Bedford.
What do you enjoy most about Bedford Radio?
It’s great fun. I enjoyed doing the River Festival and the Fringe Festival. It was a great experience. I also enjoy the social side as much as anything else. I’ve met great people and I’ve learnt so much. I knew nothing about radio before and its been a real eye-opener. I think we should all carry on learning forever.
Catch up on past episodes
You can catch up with previous episodes of The Bedford Rewind via the link below.
