Across the West

I’m really proud to be bringing BBC Upload across the entire West Country!

BBC Upload has been a real passion of mine since we launched in back in October 2018. Five years later and Upload is sitting prominantly across all 40 Local BBC Radio Stations across England and the Channel Islands, with 10 regional shows dedicated to championing creatives. Including my brand new show across BBC Radio Bristol, BBC Radio Somerset, BBC Radio Gloucestershire and BBC Radio Wiltshire.

The whole point of Upload is to provide a space for anyone who is making anything to get featured on the BBC. A bit like an open mic night on the radio. Poets, comedians, writers, podcasters, film-makers, animators… You share it, we’ll air it!

On my first regional show tonight we’ve got a HUGE guest! Comedy legend Jack Whitehall is on the show sharing his tips, tricks and advice for emerging comedians, as well as talking about his early days performing in comedy clubs. What better way to kick start the show!

Listen on BBC Sounds.

Opening up

I’m really not the sort of person who opens up easily about myself. Some people might find that weird given that I’m on the radio every evening talking to thousands of people, but I rarely talk about myself and my life on air. After all, my show is about other people and their talents, not about me.

But recently I was asked by the insanely talented Jack Louis Cooper to appear on a digital series he was putting together talking to men who work in the creative industry about their career and mental health. Having had a rocky start to 2021 and needing some space away from my job to deal with that, Jack asked if I’d be open to talking about it with him on a recorded Zoom call that he could publish on Instagram, YouTube and Twitter… I was apprehensive, like MASSIVELY apprehensive but I’m glad I agreed to it.

It’s always a weird experience being ‘the other side’ of an interview. I’m so used to being the one asking the questions of guests on my radio show (of which Jack was a guest talking about his amazing music - check it out here). So when I was on the receiving end of some of the questions Jack had for me I had to really think about the answers I was giving, especially as they were about mental health and wellbeing.

Jack put me at ease so wonderfully though. Take time to give the interview a watch in the player above and drop a comment on the video too, let Jack and I know what you thought of it. I’ve already had a few texts and messages from a few people about it since it was published. Some from people I hadn’t heard from in ages and one from a mate of mine who told me exactly what I needed to hear. So your comments really do mean the world.

…And breathe

I’ve been on annual leave for the last two weeks… I know, it feels weird being on leave without being able to go anywhere or do anything… But after a few weeks off work, I can’t wait to get back on the radio and showcase some incredible BBC Upload content.

I’m so glad I’ve had two weeks off work - it’s something I was long overdue. I’d noticed myself slipping into a bad mindset and felt like I was struggling to enjoy anything. You may have seen from my previous blog posts that I wasn’t feeling the best. Lockdown and other stuff has really been wearing me down. But taking some time off meant I managed to go back to Birmingham and see my parents (who I’m bubbled with) and it really helped me to get a sense of normality for a few days.

It’s the silly stuff like sitting with someone to watch the telly, having someone else to make a cuppa for when you get up to make yourself one… I’ve really missed social company. I’m such a sociable person and it’s hit me hard not having people around me as much. I’m also really tactile too, so I can’t wait to have a hug and high-five people again!!

Taking time to reset and recharge is important, but with the pandemic and lockdown I thought “what’s the point in taking time off, I can’t go anywhere or do anything” but I needed to step away from being on the work hamster wheel for a bit. Just to not think about work for a while.

With my mind rested I feel loads more focused and know I’ll be able to give it my all again. Thanks to anyone who has reached out, checked in, text, called, facetimed - It means the world to me. You are all heroes ❤️

I’m not ok.

I’m not ok. And that’s ok. That’s the conclusion I’ve come to in the last few weeks. Lockdown 3.0 has hit me hard, as it has a lot of people.

I’ve not posted on here in so long. It’s been a tough few months ey? Time to fess up. On air I try and stay upbeat and positive, but the last 10 months have been a struggle for me.

I live on my own, I worked right the way through the pandemic and I’ve struggled with being away from my friends and family. I know I’m lucky to still be working and in a job. But I also know that there are countless things to be grateful for and believe me I’m incredibly grateful for the things I had managed to achieve in 2020. I’ve got my own flat sorted, presented four national shows across the local BBC Radio network (3x Upload Festival shows, 1x Best of Upload show), I’ve hit the milestone of presenting my own radio show for two whole years and played hundreds and hundreds of incredibly talented people on air who have submitted their unbelievable creativity via BBC Upload. I’m chuffed to bits that I’ve done all of those things and that most of you who follow me on my social media channels or on my blog here have helped and supported me in one way or another to achieve all of that. Thanks for being awesome.

Here’s to 2021 being better. Yeah, I know... It hasn’t started the best. We’ve been thrown into Lockdown 3.0 and for many of us the vaccine seems AGES away because of how far down the list we are, but let’s keep as upbeat as possible.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Adam Crowther (@adam_crowther)

When I posted this photo on Instagram, it was my first post in months. I wrestled with whether to post it or not. But I did. I try and keep so upbeat and positive when I’m presenting on air, but I worried that cracks were starting to show. I was blown away by the incredible comments that came in on the post. Lots of support from friends, strangers, people I’ve played on the radio. One person was moved to write a poem based on the post, praising my honesty and vulnerability that I’d shown in posting it. The conversations I’ve had with people since posting it have helped me so much. Thanks if you’ve reached out. Love you all. x

I'm really missing live music

Bristol based punk band Droogs performing live on BBC Upload (credit: Sam Gould Photography)

If there’s one thing I bloody love, it’s a good gig. I love live music, in a small venue, a line-up packed with emerging artists, sticky floors, that weird guy in the corner (you know the sort, there’s always one at every gig), the smudged handstamp you get given after paying your entry fee, the half-chilled beer… You get the picture.

But of course what I really miss is those amazingly intimate live sessions that used to happen each week on my radio show Upload. Each Monday evening I’d welcome a new ‘House Band of the Week’ into the BBC Radio Bristol studios on Whiteladies Road in Bristol as they’d lug their gear into our teeny tiny performance studio which we call ‘The White Room Studio’. Each week, the house band would be asked to perform a stripped back session live on the radio. We’d also record a heap of their tracks to play out through the rest of the week. It’s such a joy to watch the artists thrive as they play live and their music beams out of our transmitters across the West Country and out to the world through the internet and the BBC Sounds app.

Bath born musician Isobel Holly performing live on BBC Upload (credit: Sam Gould Photography)

We’ve had folk singers, indie bands, musical theatre casts, global blues stars, a 30+ strong choir and even Grammy nominees perform live since we launched Upload in October 2018. Every week I would be blown away by the incredible talent performing on the show. All that stopped rather abruptly in the middle of March 2020 as COVID-19 took hold and the world ground to a halt. Across the world governments, including here in the UK, implemented ‘lockdown’ restrictions on their citizens. The BBC carried on broadcasting through the pandemic, we’re Britain’s public service broadcaster - of course we carried on! But with the restrictions and the outbreak of coronavirus we could no longer continue to have guests coming in and out of the BBC studios in Bristol.

DJ and producer Andy Jarvis has remixed artists like Ed Sheeran. He was our first live DJ set on Upload (credit: Sam Gould Photography)

Monday 16th March was the last time a musician played live on BBC Upload on BBC Radio Bristol. Damn. That feels so long ago. I really miss those live performances. But, luckily, we’ve got some incredible videos of many of the previous sessions that have happened in the White Room Studio - some filmed by our incredible social media team at BBC Radio Bristol and by the stupendously talented Sam Gould who takes some of the beautiful photos you can see in this blog post (check out his website and drop him a line if you need photos taking - he’s ace to work with).

I thought I’d take the opportunity to look back at some of my favourite live session performances from the last two years and collate them on this twitter thread. But also list a couple of them right here in this blog too.

Luke Marshall Black - ‘Losing Sleep’

Luke Marshall Black is a talented chap. The Glaswegian now lives in Bristol and has a voice that harks back to his homeland with subtle Scottish lilts that remind you of modern Scottish powerhouses like Lewis Capaldi and Paolo Nutini while being very much original. Luke’s voice has one of those great qualities that isn’t easy to master as well as he does - he comforts you with his delicate and warm tones, but soars with big notes too when he needs to. But it’s the effortlessness that he exuberates that draws me to him. Talking to him about his talent, he gets coyly embarrassed that you’re complimenting him - he’s a truly modest man. When Luke Marshall Black uploaded his debut track ‘Losing Sleep’ to BBC Upload, I remember listening to it on the uploader and being so blown away by it that I listened to it again right away. Then I played it to my colleagues who were sat either side of me. I loved it so much I made it track of the week and knew I had to get him in to perform live in session. I had to wait a while for him to come in, he wanted to make sure the moment was right and that he did something special. The wait was worth it. Watch the video above to see why!

Find out more about Luke Marshall Black on his facebook page and stream his music right now on his Spotify.

Make Friends - ‘Ellie’

Oh boy. Make Friends - what a band. Firstly, they’re another prime example of a hardworking group of mates who truly get the value in the detail. Bringing together their passion for music, obsessing over the elements that define their sound and genre and making sure that they write tracks that are consistent with their style. If you were to ask me which of the bands I’ve had perform live in session were most likely to make it big time, then I’d almost certainly say these guys. Tom, Connor, David and Max already have a batch of bangers that you should already have added to your playlists and have on repeat, and repeat, and repeat… add to that a strong base of dedicated fans who go to see them perform live. Last October the band played a sold out gig at the legendary Bristol venue-on-a-boat Thekla supporting Macclesfield trio Cassia. At around the same time Make Friends followed in the footsteps of every major name in pop music since the 50’s by performing at the BBC’s iconic Maida Vale studios for BBC Introducing in the West.

Check out the Maida Vale session tracks on their Spotify and find out more about the band via their website here.

Jamie Cruickshank - ‘I Can See Totterdown’

If someone was to ask me to tell them the most bizarre thing I’d ever convinced a musician to do was, I’d say this was it. Let me set the scene… It was August 2019 when I called up Bristol based singer-songwriter Jamie Cruickshank. When he picked up the phone I bet he didn’t expect me to ask him if he was going to be free at 4:30am one summer’s morning to perform his track ‘I Can See Totterdown’ while floating serenely in a hot air balloon basket several hundred feet above his hometown for the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. But I did. He half snapped my hand off at the opportunity, while the other half hesitantly pondered the thought of the heights. It was his first hot air balloon flight and it’s always a weird thing to get your head around at the best of times, let alone when you need to bring your acoustic along with you too. But there was a reason I picked Jamie for this opportunity and it was all about this one song. His folky singer-songwriter simplicity reminiscent of Damien Rice shines beautifully with this track for which is somewhat his flagship track. The song nods to hopeful futures for his family while namechecking iconic suburbs of Bristol such as Totterdown and Windmill Hill. The magical moment of glimpsing the rows of colourful houses across the steep hills of Totterdown in the distance across Bristol as Jamie sang the lyrics “I can see Totterdown” is a moment both he and I will never forget. Neither will the balloon pilot or my BBC colleague Phoebe who were crammed into the balloon basket with us!

Hear the original version of ‘I Can See Totterdown’ on Jamie Cruickshank’s Spotify.

---

Of course, one day I hope we can get back to hearing live session performances back on Upload. I can’t wait for the buzz that we all feel as the artists get ready to strum that first note or sing that first lyric that will beam across the airwaves as they sing it. The nervous energy that fills the studios just before the red light flickers on and I introduce the first track of their session. I can’t wait for that moment.

Watch more live session videos on the BBC Upload YouTube channel and submit your content for airplay on BBC Upload via the website bbc.co.uk/upload at any time.

UPLOAD FESTIVAL 2020

Wow. Where do I begin?

Me on the Upload Festival set in Bristol.

We took an idea. Made it work. It’s as simple as that.

Except it’s not as simple as that because we had zero budget and just a few weeks to make an incredible moment happen where we brought together all of the BBC’s 39 local radio stations for an hour each night across a whole weekend and showcased talent from every corner of England… On the radio, and live streamed it on social media, on the BBC website and on the iPlayer! No pressure!

Oh, yeah. One other thing. We had to build an entire studio that was suitable for radio and video somewhere on a BBC site and make it work - including making all the clever tech work. Plus it was all built from scratch ‘cus no one else had ever done this kinda thing before. Not forgetting that all this had to happen in a socially distant way because we’re in the middle of a global pandemic.

That’s where this talented lot (and me) came in.

Left to right: Jess Rudkin (editor), Dean Poolman (senior producer and director), Lillie-Mae Stubbs (social media and vision mixing), Alex Howick (social media and content management), Chris Lane (broadcast engineer for vision and systems), Ian Hodson (broadcast engineer - radio) and Adam Crowther (presenter).

As you know, Upload started as an idea at BBC Radio Bristol and it quickly gained traction and has been rolled out across England. During lockdown we’ve run schemes on air to help bring creatives together. Anyone who is making, creating and doing stuff can get their stuff on air. People have been making stuff that’s been reflective of life in lockdown, the coronavirus, black lives matter, mental health, the list goes on. We knew that people wanted a way of coming together in a moment. Upload Festival was a way of us doing that, but we had to make it virtual. We couldn’t bring people together physically. No way. Not with everything going on.

So we embarked on a mission to build a virtual festival for people to be a part of. We opened the uploaders across the country for creatives to send their stuff into their local BBC radio station for the chance to get their work showcased on a national platform. We were blown away. Genuinely blown away.

Jess Rudkin (the big boss and creator of Upload) started forming an A-Team and coordinating a plan. Firstly, Dean Poolman was roped in ‘cus if you need something planning then Dean is 1 million percent the guy you need. His attention to detail and ability to bring everything together is astounding. Then Chris Lane was on the hit-list. Getting things live streamed onto various platforms on a shoe-string budget but to look amazing is a challenge and Chris was the man to make it happen and he worked quickly to build a broadcast/livestream system from scratch right away. Lillie-Mae Stubbs and Alex Howick are BBC Radio Bristol’s social whizz-kids and created animated graphics and video content to bring everything together during the broadcast. Ian Hodson is BBC Radio Bristol’s broadcast engineer and what he doesn’t know about sound, isn’t worth knowing. But that wasn’t all… we had Upload presenters and BBC producers at 39 radio stations across England listening to hundreds and thousands of uploads sent in via bbc.co.uk/upload and whittling down the best of the best and the most creative creations from keen poets, comedians, stand ups, writers, bloggers and vloggers to help bring the festival together.

Shortlisting the content was tough. We had three hours of the festival to fill, but way more than that uploaded. The teams across England did amazingly well to shortlist the uploads and it’s worth noting that hundreds of those who just missed out will still be used on Upload shows on their local stations.

During the weekend festival we knew we wanted to have a line up of incredible workshops that people could connect with and learn and take something away from. Writing for comedy, sketch-writing and an incredible Q&A with a panel of comedians including Rosie Jones and Mark Olver were the workshops from our comedy tent. We also had creative writing sessions too!

I’m proud to be part of Upload. I’m proud that people can send their stuff in to the BBC and we can play it out on the radio. On the BBC. I can’t stress enough that if you’re creating stuff (poetry, podcasts, fiction, comedy, blogs or vlogs) we’d love to hear your stuff on the BBC! Head to the website bbc.co.uk/upload to find out all you need to know, including some top tips for recording using your smartphone, what file types you can submit and see examples of some of the other things we’ve featured.

Upload across the country

Adam Crowther and Jess Rudkin in BBC Radio Bristol’s studios.

When we started Upload back on 29th October 2018, we had a week to launch the show from me starting work back at BBC Radio Bristol. Five days to launch a brand new show. We didn’t know how successful it would be when we launched it. We were asking members of the public to send us what they were making to get it featured on the BBC - poetry, fiction, blogs, vlogs, comedy, music… You name it! But we genuinely had no idea who was going to upload, how many people were going to upload or indeed how good that stuff was going to be! But wow! We were blown away. In the first 15 months we’ve had 2,200 uploads just to the Bristol uploader. We’ve had people get professional commissions from the BBC, we’ve had posh people at BBC Radio Four come to make mini-documentaries about our uploaders, we’ve had a writer get heard on Upload by a professional book publishing house who then offered him an audiobook deal.

---

“Upload is already live and producing great results in Bristol and will be rolled out across England from January. Let’s do more to showcase the best artists, poets, writers right across this country.”

— Tony Hall at the Royal Television Society

---

We are over the moon at how successful Upload has been. The director general of the BBC, Lord Tony Hall, has backed the idea of Upload since he first heard about it. He said right away “This should happen everywhere. Let’s make that happen” to which my boss Jess Rudkin has worked to make happen over the last 12 months.

We went back to chat to Tony Hall just before we launched Upload across the rest of the BBC’s 40 local radio stations about what the show meant to him, but also why he thought it was important for the BBC to do something like this.

---

“Upload is brilliant because it says to anybody, whoever you are, whatever you do, don’t be afraid, don’t be shy. Get out there. Do what you dream about, give it a go. And that’s a terrific service isn’t it?”

— Tony Hall on Upload

---

It’s our mission to be the front door to the BBC, be super easy to upload and to showcase a wide variety of stuff that we haven’t done as the BBC before. The great thing now is, no matter if you live in Cornwall or Cumbria, Shropshire or Suffolk, you can get your voice on the BBC - how amazing is that. There are 39 other Upload shows happening across the country showcasing the incredible local talent in their area which is amazing

So if you’re making, creating and doing stuff - get yourself on the BBC in your area. Go to bbc.co.uk/upload and upload your audio, video, images or text documents right now!

Getting out with Upload

My radio show is amazing. I love it. I love what it stands for. It’s properly public service BBC. Getting those people who would otherwise not appear on the BBC to walk in through the door of BBC Bristol, sit in front of a microphone and tell everyone about what they do. ANYONE can upload ANYTHING.

We’ve had a few opportunities offered to us recently to get our uploaders showcased at events. The first was Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. BBC Radio Bristol hosted a marquee at the fiesta site at Ashton Court and we had the BBC Upload stage as part of the marquee. We scheduled four days of musicians to perform in front of visitors at the Balloon Fiesta.

We had all these incredible talented musicians scheduled to perform. Click on their names to find out more about them!

• The Lipinski Brothers

• IdleGod

• Sweet Lime

• Zoe Newton

• Charlie + Jake

• The Love Handles

• Chrissie Huntley

• We Are Parkas

• Hush Mozey

• Promises Promises

• Amber Lights

• Temple Keys

• Good Hustles

• Saint Loe

• The Big Massive Orchestra

• Jamie Cruickshank

• Horning Glory

• Ben Hutcheson

So… Hands up. Not all of the artists got to perform. Because the weather was so terrible on the Saturday, the organisers of the Fiesta took the decision to shut the festival site down. But, check out their music anyway! They’re all awesome and all of them uploaded their tracks to us via bbc.co.uk/upload and have been featured as House Band of the Week artists on my show.

One of the other cool things we got to do was take a musician up in a hot air balloon to play a live session in the skies above Bristol. We think this is the first time EVER that a live radio session has been recorded in a hot air balloon. Check out Jamie Cruickshank’s track ‘I Can See Totterdown’ recorded as we floated over Bristol and could actually see the landmarks he was singing about.

Talking about me

It’s weird being a radio presenter. People think that because of what you do, that you love talking about yourself. Not true for me.

I absolutely LOVE talking to other people. Talking to musicians and guests on my show is what really makes interesting radio. The audience don’t really want to hear me wanging on about myself for three hours a day. But it turns out that some people kinda do want to find out about me. Well, sort of…

Alex Wilson from the podcast Who’s Flying The Plane asked to interview me for an episode to find out about me, how I got into radio, what BBC Upload is about and why I love my job. This is what happened.

Future generations

When I was at school, I loved the idea of becoming a presenter. I used to host the school concerts with my mate Lauren. We’d link in between acts on the stage from choirs, bands, drama productions… You name it, we linked between it. We LOVED it.

Our teachers were incredibly supportive back then and as I moved on and carried on presenting I got so much help and guidance from people working in the media and music industry that I’ll forever be grateful for.

That advice stood me in incredible stead for paving out a career working in radio. As a travel reporter, producer, social media journalist and even now as a presenter I’ve had so many people take me under their metaphorical wing to teach me all sorts of skills and a whole bunch of life lessons. Sometimes it’s proper coaching, sometimes it’s just a helpful word of the wise, but all of it has helped shape me in someway.

So, in turn, I think it’s important that I help others who ask me for help. I still find it bizarre (and incredibly humbling) that people ask me for advice. After training most of the BBC local radio social media producers a couple of years ago I was sent this from one of those I’d trained showing me the addition they’d made to their social media desk...

“What would Bristol do?” 

We were leading the way and people wanted to be like us. THAT IS COOL! 

I was asked earlier this month to talk to eager media and music students from Telford College about how I “got in” at the BBC and how I worked to get into radio presenting.

Talking to students at Telford College

I was asked to speak about all the different jobs I’d done, the various roles there are available at the BBC and the ins and outs of how to get radio play on the BBC.

Passing on my experience and knowledge of my career so far is the least I can do. I can’t count the number of people who have helped me progress in my career. Something I’ve always appreciated. The least I can do is help others in return.

Do me a favour. Help someone this week. Give someone the time to grab a coffee with you. Take the time to allow them to pick your brains. You might not feel like you’re the best placed to offer that person the advice you need, but the chances are you’ll give them that little confidence boost they need to feel like they can take the next step. Trust me.

Passion

I love my show BBC Upload. It’s a place for anyone who is making, creating and doing stuff to get what they’re making on the BBC. From bloggers and bloggers to musicians and writers or poets. We invited poet Beth Calverley - ‘The Poetry Machine’ in to the studio to tell us about her poetry project.

Beth pops up at festivals, events and in public places as well as hospital wards writing poetry for people on a lovely vintage typewriter. We asked if she’d come in and write us a poem live on air for BBC Upload. She didn’t disappoint. After a quick chat about the show, she got to work, tapping away on the chunky keys of her typewriter.

Beth wrote the poem in about 10 minutes flat. Pretty impressive if you ask me.

The poem sums up BBC Upload, our aims and what it means to the talented people who can showcase their work on the BBC.

If you’re making stuff and want to get featured on the show - upload it now! Go to bbc.co.uk/upload and send in your work!

Why we do Upload

What’s great about my programme on BBC Radio Bristol is that we get to support all different types of talent. Writers, bloggers, comedians, musicians. This week we’ve featured Brook Tate and his musical ‘Mr. Maglump’ as my House Band of the Week. The musical is a family friendly look at inclusion, community and togetherness.

The cast of the musical, from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, came in and performed the track live in session on my radio show. The shows writer, Brook Tate, tweeted out this.

Left to right: Shane David-Joseph, me, Tom Briggs and Brook Tate.

That’s exactly why I do BBC Upload. A platform to feature people and things on the radio that might otherwise not get the opportunity! I love it.

Upload is about supporting local talent. Being a front door to the BBC. Anyone can upload anything. That’s what’s great about it.

Hear tracks from Mr. Maglump on Brook’s Soundcloud below.

A little break away

Since launching the show back in October, I’ve not really had a lot of time off to myself. But this week I went away with some friends to the beautiful Peak District in Derbyshire. 

My oldest and closest mates

We hired a lovely countryside cottage in the village of Parwich, which is an idyllic limestone village full of pretty cottages, gardens and has a lovely village pub - more on the pub later. The cottage we stayed at was called Orchard View and can be found here.

It was really nice for me to get some time away in a place like this with some great mates. We all live in different parts of the UK, so we don’t all get together as much as we’d like to. With us coming from Bristol, Wrexham, Oxfordshire and Yorkshire, the Peak District was a nice middle ground to meet up which was nice. Getting away gave me chance to recharge, relax and also to reflect too!

The village pub is called The Sycamore Inn and welcomes walkers and dogs. The landlady was lovely and welcoming and we had a cosy few drinks in front of the roaring fireplace with a nice selection of beers and ales (and loads of gins too!) and the food coming from the kitchen to the tables around us looked great. Worth a visit if you’re in the area.

My friends have dogs (Marley, Murphy and Beasley) - so we spent a fair amount of time out walking with the pooches which was lovely in the warm weather. I think we clocked up 16ºc one afternoon, which is madness for February.

One walk up and over Dovedale was a toughie, but the views from the top were incredible. One of the most stunning views I’ve seen in a while. I felt on top of the world being up there! At 942ft and a fairly steep climb, my legs were a little tired at the top. But it was worth it at the top.

The view from the top of Thorpe Cloud at Dovedale.

Then for the second half of the break, I took a wee trip to Bonnie Scotland!

I’ve only been to Edinburgh once before, but was really keen to visit again.

I took a wonder around Edinburgh Castle with a guided tour and then hired an audio tour headset. I’d highly recommend anyone getting the headsets if you’re in to your history. As a radio nerd I was very impressed with the level of production that was one the headset audio. The soundtrack and sound effects were incredible, shame that the audio guide wasn’t Scottish though… It’s the little things. Also, book your ticket in advance via the website - it’s cheaper and you’ll avoid the huge queues in the morning.

I loved having a sit down in St Margaret’s Chapel which sits on the upper part of the castle. The chapel was built around 1130 by David I and he dedicated it to his mother Queen Margaret.

St Margaret was a member of the English royal family who fled the Norman invasion and married Malcolm III. You can still get married in the chapel today! Who knew!?!

I also visited the room that Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI in in 1566. It’s the tiniest room in a large Royal Palace… I mean, it’s not even really big enough for a single bed and a wardrobe by today’s standards!! I was particularly struck by the Scottish Crown Jewels which were on display (but not photography allowed of them… dammit)!

Anyway, I loved having some me time. Some friends time. Some fresh air in the countryside.

How can you send stuff to BBC Upload?

The whole point of BBC Upload is that absolutely anyone who is making content can get it featured on the BBC.

Uploading to the programme is really easy.

1. Record yourself - You can do this in a studio or record yourself using the voice notes app on your smartphone or tablet

2. Go to bbc.co.uk/upload and click on the big blue microphone

3. Upload your file and fill out the two boxes of info

4. Click submit

5. Get played on the BBC!

It’s as simple as that. So if you’re a poet, blogger, musician, comedian, sketch writer or perhaps you just like being creative in your spare time… Send in whatever you’re making and get featured on the show.

Getting nerdy about jingles

BBC Upload - Station imaging

Listen... I can't help it. I’m a radio nerd. I know that. But indulge me a little by listening to me and BBC Radio Bristol's station sound producer Tom Ryan talk all things jingles, imaging, voice overs and generally getting excited about nerdy radio stuff!

When we launched the programme in October 2018, we wanted a fresh sound with bold imaging and a voice over to match. Well, listen to the package and let us know what you think!

We talk about the concept stage, how we wanted it to sound, what we wanted to get across with the imaging as well as the style and feel of the programme. From picking a composer, a voice over artist and the elements we needed included to match the personality of the show and the station, while still sounding new a vibrant for younger audience.

Find out more about our jingle composer Dave Connolly here:
molecularsound.com

Find out more about our voice over artist Natalie Cooper here:
nataliecooper.co.uk

Listen to BBC Upload here:
bbc.co.uk/upload or via BBC Sounds app

I'm in the Radio blinkin' Times!

No biggy guys. Just little old me, in the Radio Times…

Radio Times - Face behind the voice

When I got into radio in 2010, I had no idea that I’d end up presenting my own show and featuring as the Radio Times ‘face behind the voice’. But here we are! Love it.

Adam starts new show on BBC Radio Bristol

I’ve been busy busy busy over the last few months launching a brand new show on BBC Radio Bristol. The evening show airs weekdays between 7-10pm and it’s called BBC Upload with Adam Crowther.

BBC Upload has a strong and vibrant personality - the visual identity was created by graphic designer James Mobbs.

The show champions new talent in the BBC Radio Bristol area - from writers, poets, musicians, bloggers, vloggers, podcasters and comedians. Anyone can upload their audio to be played on the show via the website bbc.co.uk/upload and they could get their creations featured on the radio.

Targeting a young audience with a modern playlist, vibrant station sound/jingles, voiceover that reflects the youthful energy of the programme as well as pacy and fun presentation, I hope that audiences of BBC Radio Bristol love the new format.

Listen to the show weekdays:

🕖 7pm
📻 94.9, 104.6, 103.6fm/DAB
💻 bbc.co.uk/radiobristol
📲 Download the BBC Sounds app from your app store