No.1 for Interviews - Kaye Adams
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“I’m not going to get excited about meeting Katie Price”
No.1’s columnist tells us about her new radio show on BBC Radio Scotland, why she thought she would never have children and the celebrities she just doesn’t understand
Kaye Adams has been part of the No.1 team as a columnist since our very first issue but it’s not often that we get the chance to have a good old catch up – after all, Kaye is one busy lady. One of Britain’s best-loved broadcasters, Kaye has been a regular fixture on our TV screens for over 20 years working on programmes such as Scotland Today, ITV Weekend Live, This Morning and currently the BBC’s The One Show.
Having studied economics and politics at Edinburgh University before securing a graduate journalistic traineeship at Central Television, Kaye’s career started in hard news and current affairs. It wasn’t until a chance opportunity arose to host a discussion show for STV that Kaye’s skills as a talk show host were revealed and her career set off in a whole new direction. A six-year stint chairing Scottish Women led to the role as anchor on the supremely popular ITV morning show Loose Women, where she became known for her intelligent, well-thought out views and ever-present sense of humour.
Kaye left Loose Women in 2007 after giving birth to her second daughter, Bonnie (her eldest daughter, Charly, was born in 2002) and has presented, and appeared on, a number of different shows since.
Catching up with Kaye at the No.1 office, we were keen to hear all about her latest role – as presenter of BBC Radio Scotland’s new phone-in show, Call Kaye. Running weekday mornings from 8.45 to 10am, the show aims to bring a human touch to the stories making the headlines. Talking to her, it is clear that she is very excited to be returning to the “live environment” that she so thrived on in Loose Women. What she’s not so excited about, however, is the prospect of working with the technical sound desk and all the knobs and buttons it holds!
We wanted to know all about this new show, how she manages to juggle a busy career with two small children, whether or not she misses Loose Women and which celebrities she really doesn’t rate. Unlike other interviewees we have had over the years, Kaye answered all our questions and her honesty and humour had us gasping and laughing in equal measure – but then this is Kaye Adams and you just wouldn’t expect anything else!
You are starting a brand new show on BBC Radio Scotland called Call Kaye. Can you tell us a bit more about it?
It’s essentially a phone-in show and what we want to do is discuss topics that are relevant to people’s lives: the issues that really matter. We don’t want the agenda to be slavish to what’s in the news, but obviously if there is a big story that people want to discuss then we will.
So it will be a show where listeners will have the opportunity to speak about issues that maybe aren’t getting press coverage?
Definitely. It is going to be a topical show and we are there everyday and we’re live so we hope that we are going to be very up-to-the-minute. But sometimes, although people may think that it is very interesting, the major news story of the day may not have any relevance to their own lives and on those days we would feel quite comfortable ignoring the main news story and discussing a topic that really strikes a chord with listeners.
How do you see it working?
We’re trying to create a bit of a conversation with people and I’m hoping that when we hear other people’s stories and opinions, the show will become very thought provoking.
This is all a bit new for you isn’t it?
The radio aspect is new but talking to people about their experiences is fairly familiar territory for me. It is going to take a little while to get my head around being the only person in the studio because in the past I’ve been used to being one of many – four, in the case of Loose Women, who could all talk for Britain! I’m hoping that the callers are going to become my pals in that way.
How are you going to handle the technological side of things? All those knobs and buttons!
I won’t be touching any knobs I can assure you! I will have to learn the computer system though – I can’t run away from that! In fact I need to remember that I NEED to do that!
Does the prospect of the show excite you?
It does. I have a really nice team – a really good and experienced team – and I know I’m going to enjoy working with them. Obviously working freelance you
do a lot of different jobs and work with a lot of different people but I suppose in the last two or three years I’ve essentially dipped in and out of different organisations and haven’t really got involved with any of them. Because of that, I’m relishing the opportunity to work
in a team again. It’ll be nice to have those relationships that you do with work colleagues. I’m looking forward to getting to know one another and how they all work and whether there’s anyone that I can’t speak to before 10 o’clock in the morning or not. I’m really excited about that!
Throughout your career you have presented many current affairs related programmes – does this area of broadcasting hold the most interest for you?
The impact that it has on people very much interests me. More and more stories are reported in such a way that people can relate to them. Look at Michelle Mone: she’s regarded as a very successful businesswoman in Scotland but people are always fascinated about how she started and how she didn’t have any qualifications and how, along with her husband, they put their house on the line to start the business. It’s those elements of her story that make it real to people. You can talk in jargon until the cows come home but until you can present something to people that they recognise and that strikes a chord with them, that’s when it becomes real. Most stories, even the highly political stories, can be given that kind of twist. Look at all the furore over MPs’ expenses. It’s a hugely political story but it’s been told in a way that we can relate to as it’s our money as tax payers that they have been spending.
Are you pleased to see programmes such as Call Kaye being made for and produced in Scotland?
It’s so important that it’s done. Scotland is a devolved country within in the United Kingdom so we have very different issues. From a political and legislative point of view you absolutely have to make them here. How many times do you hear on the News At 10, “Blah blah education policy in England and Wales.” Or, “Health policy in England and Wales.” I have no problem with that but we absolutely need to be reporting on what is happening in Scotland. But beyond that, we Scots have our own sense of humour and sensibility and to hear other Scottish voices and recognise place names is lovely.
Did you always want to go into broadcasting?
It’s a really difficult business to have any sense of planning in. You move to the side, you shuffle forward, you move backwards, you shuffle forwards, you move to the other side! I suppose it was when I was at university that I developed an interest in journalism. I was involved with the student newspaper and that was probably the point when I saw it as a potential career choice. I have to say though, I was torn at university. I went for interviews with advertising companies, newspapers, radio and television – so I suppose I knew it was some kind of communication I was interested in. But to be honest, when I was at university those were the ‘trendy’ careers. I’m not brainy enough to be a doctor and I can’t count so I couldn’t be an accountant so I decided to go for something trendy!
So, how did you start out in your career?
I happened to get a traineeship with Central Television in Birmingham and fairly immediately loved it. That was how I ended up in television. It felt as if I had landed in the right place.
You have been appearing as a regular reporter on BBC One’s The One Show – will you still be doing that?
I hope so. It will really be down to logistics if I’m honest. I would certainly hope I would be able to continue but the only reason that I might not or might have to stand back for a little bit is purely logistics. I’m really keen that Call Kaye is a success so I don’t want to short change the show or the team who are working hard on it.
You anchored Loose Women for nearly seven years. Do you miss it?
If there’s something that you’ve really, really enjoyed and found rewarding you’re going to miss bits of it. I think it’s quite unnatural to walk away, slam the door and never think about it again. I have such happy memories of it and we had such good times that I think fondly of that. I think it was the right thing to leave and I think that I am moving forward in a way that’s better for me. I do miss the live broadcasting environment and being part of a team and coming in, in the morning and saying, “What are we going to do today? What are the topics that are interesting people?” I’m really keen to return to that, which I’m doing with Call Kaye. In terms of the people, the friends that I made on Loose Women, I’ve still got them. I made really good friendships with lots of people in the show and I maintain those friendships so I don’t miss them as they are still in my life.
You have two young children, how do you deal with being a working mum?
I don’t know! Somebody said today, “It’s one day at a time” and I think that sums it up! There is no master plan. The most decisive thing I do is open my eyes in the morning and then after that, it’s ‘make it up as you go along.’ Iain, my partner, is fairly flexible with his work, we have some part-time childcare, Charly’s in school, Bonnie has just started nursery; so we’ve got the main building blocks there!
You had your children later on in life; do you think that has made things easier or more difficult for you?
The thing is, you only know what you know, so it’s a really difficult question to answer. I didn’t really think about kids before my mid thirties. I didn’t think, ‘Oh I don’t want them’ and then changed my mind; I just didn’t think about it at all. I was just doing what I was doing and I was perfectly happy like that. Then all of a sudden I thought, ‘You know I really would like to have children.’ If I was going to have had them earlier it would have been one of those so-called ‘accidents’, in which case I’m sure it would have been fine too.
You have stayed in Scotland, rather than moving down south for your career – was it important to you to stay up here?
When I started to do more work down south, it coincided with the industry becoming really freelance. Up until that point I had one-year contracts, which were the norm but then more and more you would get a three-month contract or a 10-week contract – and that’s not enough to commit to moving for. Then I met Iain and he was based here in Scotland and as the jobs were relatively short contracts and we didn’t have kids at that point, I just lived away during the week. I’ve lived in Norwich, Manchester, London and spent time in Birmingham. The more I was doing that, the less of a decision it was. I think you need to pick the place to live where you feel comfortable and then work the rest around it. If I had chosen where I was going to live purely based on what was professionally advantageous, if it didn’t work out what would I have had? At least this way, if it doesn’t work out I’ve got my family and friends – the whole lot wouldn’t come crashing down.
What has been one of the most memorable experiences from your career?
We filmed Loose Women in the London studios where all the big entertainment shows like Parkinson and Graham Norton were made and I must say I really did get a kick out of – and this is very shallow and I appreciate that – walking along the corridor and say, “Hello” to Michael and “Hello” to Graham! That was pretty fun! A couple of times when I was walking back to my dressing room I would pass Rod Stewart, Bette Midler or Sharon Stone and that was amazing! With Sharon Stone I think two of us followed her around the building for half an hour trying to get a glimpse!
So even having met so many celebrities, you still get excited?
To be honest there’s a certain group of celebrity that I don’t get excited about. I don’t mean to be mean but I’m not going to get excited about meeting Katie Price, just because of the way that whole side of celebrity has developed. It feels a bit manipulative and wrong and you have to wonder what it really is that people are admiring. Bette Midler might be an awful person and Sharon Stone might be an awful person but they are huge stars because they have real talents and I get excited meeting people like that.
So you would struggle being purely a ‘celebrity’ interviewer then?!
When you meet somebody who nobody’s ever heard of who has had a terrible tragedy or has done some amazing charity work and isn’t looking for fame for themselves and is just a truly exceptional, strong, admirable person, that’s great because it brings you right down to size – and I love that. I would miss that.
CALL KAYE
Weekday mornings 08:45 – 10:00, BBC Radio Scotland
Don’t miss Kaye’s lively discussion show that will bring a human touch to the stories making the news. From current affairs, topical debate, family matters, working life, relationships and health to consumer stories, Call Kaye will deal with the issues that really matter to our lives.
www.bbc.co.uk/radioscotland
Tel: 0141 353 2222 Fax: 0141 332 3839 Email: sales@psp.uk.net Call may be monitored or recorded for training purposes
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