This week we have our own money man, the man with the HRC cash sitting in the hot chair for this weeks Q&A he is of course Mark Grantham.


MR HRC, Call him Granny, Bit of a Buster fan and a very interesting dinner night! Great Read
...plus he has own AGENT!!!


Nickname (past or present): At school I was called ‘Granny’, although there were plenty of references to my likeness of the Milk Cup.. The cup had big handles, and I have big ears…
What day and time do you present/volunteer on HRC? Wednesday lunchtime. Although I spend lots of other time during the week working on systems and website.
Do you present your own show? Yes
If yes, what is the name and content of your show? Marky’s Bit in the Middle, and the Weekend Earlybird on Saturday and Sunday.
When did you join Hospital Radio? Nov 1989, although I didn’t get to start programmes until Easter of 1990.
What made you choose to volunteer for HRC? It started off to be a school project, plus a fascination of radio and I thought something a bit different to hanging around the shops of an evening would be a good thing.
What do you enjoy most about HRC? I’ve been around for just shy of 25 years, I’ve seen so many things and been involved in lots of them too.
I have been lucky enough to interview some great people, Steve Davis, Rod Stewart, Johnny Herbert, Rod Harrington, and Eric Hall. I’ve taken my programmes beyond the limit of what hospital radio normally does… broadcasting live from Lords, Silverstone, Football club roofs and Wembley (old stadium)!
I’ve picked up skills and self-confidence, which has helped both personally and professionally.
I’ve met some really inspirational people, some have been patients, and others have been staff on the wards or around the hospital. Mostly though, these people have been hospital radio volunteers who have become my best friends and indeed in the case of one very special person, my wife.

It was the one thing I didn’t expect when joining, and I hadn’t bargained on hospital radio having such a profound effect on my life.
Favourite music genre?
 It’s easier to say what I don’t like. Opera, Thrash Metal, Gangster Rap and Mr Blobby! Apart from that, I’ll listen to most things…
First album ever bought (LP or CD)? The first think I bought was a double cassette… Now 9! I was always armed with a Sony Walkman, these 2 cassettes and a pencil (for the rewind to start the song at the beginning)… Only those old enough will appreciate the pencil trick!
Favourite artist/band/singer? Phil Collins / Genesis
What is your most influential music memory? I can’t say music has… guess I’m still looking for one.
Favourite single, 7”,12” or MP3 (for the younger generation)?
 My favourite album was Genesis’ Invisible Touch. Many fans claimed it was too commercial at the time (1986). But it’s got so many great songs on it, and you don’t have to sit and concentrate for 20 minutes on each song!

I also like Genesis’ Turn It On Again (DUKE album). We always used to end the Roadshow on this song.

In a complete polar opposite, I like Shania Twain too.
Biggest artist to inspire you musically and why?
I can’t say an artist has… guess I’m still looking for one.
Best live concert or performance you’ve seen? 
I’ve seen Take That and Robbie Williams a couple of times now. The one thing you can takeaway from these gigs is that they know how to put on a show. There’s certainly no standing behind a mic for an hour!
Away from music, what do you enjoy most? After work, wife and 3 kids, there is precious little time for anything else. In fact, time is so short, it has been known for my show to start before I’ve entered the studio. Oops!
What is your current occupation or study status? I’m a Customer Support manager for a global software company.
If you were hosting a dinner party, which 5 famous people would you invite (dead or alive)? Murray Walker (F1 Commentator), Jim Lovell (Apollo 13 Astronaut), Steve Jobs (Apple CEO), Phil Collins (Singer) and Marylynn Munroe (Actress / Singer). That’s a mix, isn’t it? But just think of the conversations… With the wide political, religious and social backgrounds they come from, it would either be sensational, or a disaster.
If you could go back in time, what era would you travel to and why? I’d like to go back to Florida between 1968-70. I think to be a fly on the wall around the Cape during the Apollo era would be fascinating.
What would be your ideal Holiday Destination? The destination is not so important, but 1 week without 3 kids would be ideal. All baby sitting offers accepted.
What would be your perfect Sunday? Similar to the above, just 1 Sunday with no kids. A good book, fully stocked fridge of drinks, the sun shining and lazing in the garden would be great. Even better if there was a F1 race on too!

Blimey, I’m making them out to be horrors! Thankfully they a great (most of the time!)