Jonathan Witchell Memorial Prize

A brief appreciation of Jonathan’s life, by Tom, Chloe and Giles Witchell.

Jonathan was born and educated in Sevenoaks. His first interviews, aged five were in a friend’s house where he was introduced to the tape recorder. His radio skills were further inspired by Julie First of BBC Radio Kent. Julie corresponded with him, encouraging him to broadcast his first James Bond tape from his ‘E5B’ studio at home in the roof. From then on he was determined to make radio his career and worked hard to achieve this, gaining a First in Radio and Television (the only course then running) at Salford University, followed by a Masters in Media Management at Stirling, home of his maternal grandfather Robert Mailer, whose mother was a McGregor.

Jonathan’s first BBC contracts were at Radio Devon and Radio Lincolnshire before getting his ‘big break’ at BBC Radio Kent. He was so thrilled. Very quickly he became a firm favourite, gaining great affection from both listeners and colleagues. He was already into documentaries and James Bond in Kent won him the accolade Kent Broadcast Journalist of the Year in 2004. Later he spent time in Sri Lanka training journalists and producing reports for the BBC World Service. Paul Leaper, then managing editor BBC Radio Kent said: ‘Jonathan will be remembered as someone who loved Kent and loved radio. He had creative flair and scrupulous attention to detail. He was simply one of the station’s best all-rounders.’

Jonathan had many interests. He loved travelling, planning his holidays with great flair, fitting in visits to friends in Barbados, Cuba, India, the Far East, Vietnam and Australia where he travelled across the Nullarbor Plain by train and the Interior by bus.

Latterly he began to extend his skills beyond local radio taking on work at Radio 5 Live and Radio Four. What he most wanted to develop was writing documentaries. When struck down with (undiagnosed} leiomyosarcoma – a very rare form of cancer – he had so many plans for the future. None of us, his family, nor he himself, had any notion of the tragic nature of his condition.

We know how happy he would have been for the Jonathan Witchell Prize to be created in his memory at The University of Stirling.

 

 

Background to the Jonathan Witchell Memorial Prize, by Suzy Angus

The prize has been awarded since 2009, and is donated by the family of former student Jonathan Witchell who died in 2007 aged 33. It rewards outstanding student work in the field of radio feature production, as well as providing inspiration for students wishing to pursue a career in broadcasting.

Jonathan was a Media Management Masters student 1996-1997, and after graduating from Stirling he began working in radio from where he started his BBC career at Radio Devon, before moving on to Radio Lincolnshire. He then joined BBC Radio Kent in 1997 where he worked for nearly a decade as a broadcast journalist, producing features and documentaries. He was twice named as Shepherd NeameKent Journalist of the Year in 2004 and 2006. Although he was a busy broadcast journalist he also kept regular contact with the Film & Media Department (now the Division of Communications, Media & Culture) at Stirling, and I recall chatting to him on the phone discussing the ways he could offer advice or help to the students taking the undergraduate modules in radio production. He had such a passion for the medium and it was clear he just wanted to pass that on.

Each year in May, Jonathan’s family, friends and radio colleagues listen to the 6 minute pieces produced by our 3^rd year undergraduate students on the Radio Feature Production module, and decide which one will be awarded the prize. I’m always impressed by how much feedback everyone gives, and it’s evident there is always a lot of discussion! The prize giving is a special event in our calendar, with staff and students gathering together to celebrate the occasion, and I know the winning team is always very excited to receive their certificates and awards – and of course get their photo taken.

Many thanks to Tom, Chloe and Giles for their continued support of our students and the radio work they produce. It means a lot to all of us here at CMC.