Question Time: Ian Camfield, radio presenter
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Your support makes all the difference.Work: Presents 'The No Nonsense Breakfast Show With Ian Camfield' on Xfm London 104.9 FM, weekdays from 7am-11am
Life: Aged 31, he lives in Belsize Park, north London
Balance: Going to gigs (Spinal Tap, Steely Dan and Blur in the past week). I’m trying to develop a “gym hobby”
Are the early mornings on the Xfm Breakfast Show getting any easier?
I don’t get up till 6.50am and I have mates who get up earlier than that to do real jobs in the City. And they can’t be in the pub by midday.
What inspired you to work in broadcasting?
I met Tommy Vance when I was eight after he invited my dad and me to watch him host The Friday Rock Show. He was paid to play heavy metal on the radio, got to hang out with rock stars and had an amplifier for his headphones. It seemed like a good career.
What was your first break?
Virgin Megastores Radio. I was starting there during that long holiday you get between finishing GCSEs and beginning A-levels and sent in a demo of my hospital radio show. It saved me from getting a proper summer job.
Any jobs, in or out of the media, you would rather forget about?
I’d rather no one heard any recordings of me aged 16, playing Dolly Parton on Country 1035.
Who has been your favourite interviewee?
Morrissey, because he’s such a challenge. I was a massive fan and was aware that if I didn’t make a good first impression he would never appear on my show again. As it turned out, that first meeting became my favourite ever interview and we’ve met quite a few times since, although I wouldn’t go as far to suggest I’m one of his eight friends.
Whom in the industry would you most like to work with?
Richard Park. I’m delighted he returned to the world of Xfm at the same time I did. I like his foresight and conviction. People with the right attitude who get the job done can be hard to find in media.
What are your desert-island media?
I’d take The Times, Metal Hammer, listen to Planet Rock and watch The A-Team.
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