Interview: veteran broadcasters Phil Jay and Pam Worth

Emily Horton meets a brace of broadcasters bringing a taste of Britain to Arabia

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Emily Horton

From an unassuming semi in Cippenham – an equally unpretentious suburb of Slough – a jolly duo is hard at work, broadcasting a slice of British life to listeners on the Arabian Peninsula.

At the helm is 78-year-old Phil Jay, one of the pioneers of early radio, who has been producing weekly shows for QBS – Qatar Broadcasting Services – since the 70s. A veteran of LBC and the BBC, he has been joined in latter years by his loyal partner in entertainment, Pam Worth.

Each day, Pam drives down from her home in Burnham and the two of them fall to scouting out stories from across the South-East, before regaling their distant audience from the studio in Phil’s spare bedroom.

Phil has that lovely, easy-going voice that one expects of a veteran broadcaster. On air he exudes modesty and reserve, and in person he is exactly the same.

“It’s tiny!” I exclaim of his studio, scrambling to photograph the two broadcasters, who are ‘heads’ (earphones) on and ready for action. 

“Yes it is, but it works!” laughs Phil. 

Hounslow born and bred, Phil found his way into broadcasting by accident while serving with the RAF in Cyprus, contributing first to the British Forces Broadcasting Service and then to Cyprus TV. Back home, a spell as an assistant to impresario Larry Parnes also helped. Marty Wilde (father of 80s singer Kim), Tommy Steele, Joe Brown and the Bruvvers, Dickie Pride, Duffy Power, Vince Eager, Billy Fury: all were stabled in Larry’s musical yard. And Parnes also spotted the potential within Phil. 

“Billy Fury was a lovely young singer. While doing a summer season in Great Yarmouth during the early days of his career, he was having trouble turning up to his gigs on time. I think he used to disappear down the pub with his road manager,” explains Phil.

“So I was called in to ensure that he got to his shows. On arrival in Norfolk, I turned up at the venue to be greeted by the producer, who briskly informed me as to the times of my spots. ‘What do you mean?’ I asked, somewhat baffled. ‘I’m supposed to be minding Billy!’” 

Which was all good and well, explained the producer, but Phil was also down as one of the acts. So he went along with it and gamely gave performing a go.

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Phil Jay

Bruce called me a green leprechaun live on air!

“On the first night, I was terrified. I ended up just reading the programme to the audience – which was huge, of course, as it was the holiday season. After that, I learnt very quickly how to tell jokes. That was the start of my compering work, and by the end of the season I was getting the best reviews.” 

In April 1965 Phil joined pirate station Radio City, which broadcast from an old fort in the Thames Estuary.

“I never went out there, as everything was done at home – though not digitally, like they do it today,” he recalls. “The programmes were recorded on enormous reels of tape. I used to get a dent on my shoulder from carrying them to the post office for sending to HQ. Editing consisted of cutting the tape and then sticking it all together with sticky tape! Unbelievably, that was how it was done in those days – even at the BBC!” 

When commercial radio began, Phil’s experience put him in demand. In 1973, Capital Radio and LBC (then the London Broadcasting Company) were launched within a week of each other, and it was LBC that won the race to become the UK’s first licensed commercial station, commencing broadcasts on October 8th. It was also first to bid for Phil’s services. 

“I had applied to both stations. Capital wanted me, but LBC asked whether I could start immediately. So I did.

“The station focused on chat shows, so it attracted the big names of the time. It also enabled me to host the first British commercial radio phone-in. I started during the day, then moved onto the night show and had listeners phoning in with all sorts of strange requests. 

“‘Can you help me? My budgie has fallen off its perch and I’m not sure what to do,’” chuckles Phil. “The heady heights of the night shift!” 

By then, Phil’s credits also included work on BBC World Service, as well as Radio 1 and 2, offspring of the old Light Programme, launched together in 1967.

“Tony Blackburn was the first voice on Radio 1. I like to think that it could have been me, but sadly, I was in hospital recovering from a debilitating virus. When well enough to work again, a few days after the launch, I started doing the weekend afternoon shows – a mix of interviews and pop.” 

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Phil Jay & Pam Worth

At the BBC he crossed paths with some promising presenters.

“I used to alternate slots on a World Service programme called Listener’s Choice with a man named Terry Wogan,” he smiles. “I also worked on Radio 2 live shows as the audience interviewer, supporting Bruce Forsyth up on stage. I used to wear a green velvet suit and, on one occasion, Bruce took great delight in calling me a green leprechaun live on air!”

Eventually, however, the lure of heavier interviews drew Phil into the arms of Radio 4’s Today. His job was to work through the night, driving across the country to do interviews and then assemble them in time for the show.

  It was several years later though that his long Arabian gig began. He’d been producing a programme on QBS for the now-defunct Central Office of Information (COI), when a round of governmental belt-tightening spelt the end for COI’s broadcasting arm. Undaunted, Phil asked QBS for permission to continue as a freelance. Four decades later and he has made over 5,000 programmes, joined in recent years by Pam, whom he met at Burnham Parish Church.

“We now produce nine hours for three shows,” he explains. “There’s London Line, which is me doing my thing; In All Directions, which Pam and I do together; and then a third show called Nick’s New Tunes with another presenter. I still enjoy it as much as ever.” 

When not in the studio, Phil and Pam like to stretch their vocal chords with Windsor choir The Royal Free Singers. 

“We’ve been singing together for some 20 years,” says Phil. “In fact, we started a touring old-time music hall act and have only just hung up our hats.”

Anything to spread a bit of British cheer.