Mark Batchelor / Radio Presenter / Audio Advert Creator

Mark Batchelor aka Mark B is a true veteran of the station. His first show went out on the second day SHCR went live and is effectively the stations unofficial historian. His love of sport and music is clearly reflected in in his two shows – Surrey Hills Sport and Soul Shack. To hear Mark presenting his three hour sports/music show you would not think that he had no radio experience prior to SHCR apart from running the occasional mobile disco at social events.

Mark’s love of radio as a means of communication is legendary and that is patently obvious when he is heard presenting both this show and his music show “The Soul Shack.” It certainly requires a cool head to be able to adlib through a three hour sports show where information which is consistently changing has to be communicated  immediately it comes into the studio. But what makes Mark’s sports show unique is that he is also able marry up his love of sport with his love of soul music so not only is the listener getting the most up to date sports news but it is interspersed with the best in soul music.

Mark grew up listening to glam rock, prog rock, punk new wave etc but discovered his natural home was the soul and dance music of the eighties and he fed his obsession listening to London pirate stations like JFM, Horizon, LWR and Solar. So it is no surprise that his concerts include Luther Vandross, George Benson, Prince and Kool And The Gang and from his younger days XTC and The Stranglers but his guilty secret is that he is a massive fan of the folk singer Al Stewart having seen him at least twenty times. His one regret so far is that he has not seen Earth Wind And Fire.

So where did Mark develop his presenting skills. Unlike many of the stations presenters who gained their experience and their presenting styles from hospital radio stations or local radio stations, Mark developed his style the old fashioned way by simply sitting in front of a radio with an old  fashioned tape recorder and simply trying to emulate the style of the BBC presenters of the day. Now whether that be the likes of Kenny Everett; John Peel or Terry Wogan or a distillation of them all is for you to decide.

Marks other obsession is sport. In his younger days it was cricket and golf. But then he went hardcore transforming himself into a lean mean running machine doing triathlons, distance running including three marathons and two ultra-marathons. And if he has any energy left, he can either be found swimming or riding his bike. So when asked what would be his favourite holiday destination  it would be to follow England to New Zealand or The West Indies to watch some test cricket.