About

Peacock examines the obvious to find a multitude of fascinations
Mail on Sunday

One of the best programme makers in the (documentary) form at the moment
Parkinson Show Radio 2

Ian Peacock
Described as a 'natural broadcaster' by The Observer, Ian Peacock has a Gold Sony Award for his radio features. He has appeared on Radios 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, the World Service, ILR and BBC Television. The Independent described him as a 'Media Star of 2006'. Ian's writing credits include The Guardian, The Times, BBC Online, and Mens Health. He also has a literary agent and is writing a book.

Brought up in Northumberland, Ian lived in Durham, Cambridge, Oxford, Austria and London before moving to the country town of Hertford, just north of the capital. He has travelled widely, presenting programmes from Nepal, Egypt, Thailand, Athens, LA and New York.

Grand Tour

After receiving a First in English Literature, Ian embarked on a Grand Tour of Europe, worked as a holiday rep in the Alps and trained as a drama teacher, but saw sense and  became a presenter at BBC Radio Cambridgeshire instead. He has worked in the media now for 20 years and interviewed many famous people such as Bob Hope, Spike Milligan, Robbie Williams, Tony Blair, Oliver Reed, Richard E Grant, PD James, Ken Livingstone, Barbara Windsor, Richard Dawkins and John Humphrys.

Ian's professional experiences have included: taking afternoon tea at Dame Barbara Cartland's house, trying nude modelling in Selfridges, being chased by a two ton rhinoceros, watching paint dry, travelling in the popemobile, experiencing paralysis during rebirthing therapy, meeting a talking starling, deliberately telling terrible jokes on stage at The Comedy Store, trying to find his guardian angel through an angel therapist, successfully selling a fictitious currency, having his studio seemingly haunted by a poltergeist, and wandering round London performing 'acts of random kindness and senseless beauty' on unsuspecting members of the public.

Trombones and Olives

His interests are ridiculously diverse. Over the years, he's tried club DJ-ing, bell-ringing, water divination, water polo, riding, mountain-biking, animation, trombone-playing and keeping Persian cats. Until recently, he had pet rabbits and he's a big guinea pig fan too. Ian likes to be at the cutting edge in his artistic tastes and loves music, from opera to hardcore dance. His current hobbies include spending quality time with his eccentric cat Bolly, growing olives, developing a herb garden, and overdoing it in the weights room at the gym.