Richard Oliff
- Actor
For the past 20 years Richard Oliff
has been a broadcaster and journalist with both with the BBC and
commercial radio. His career began with KCBC in Kettering which later
became Connect FM. In 2001 the BBC asked him to present a daily, speech
only consumer and current affairs program, which ran continuously for
exactly four years. He returned to Connect FM for two years,
successfully 'rescuing' one of their flagging shows, but decided to
move on again when the station was merged with Lite FM in
Cambridgeshire. It was at this time, in 2007, that a call came from HFM
in Market Harborough to join their new 'full-time' schedule as their
Drive Time presenter. He can still be heard presenting his show every
weekday on 102.3 HFM. In 2009 his show was voted 'the most listened-to
drive show in Leicestershire'. During his broadcasting career he has
been, in addition to his other duties, News Editor and Station Manager.
He has also worked for the likes of Rutland Radio, Lite FM and BBC
radio Leicester. Since childhood, Richard had always been drawn to the
performing arts. It all began in the 60's, singing in both his church
and school choirs. He had a natural aptitude for song writing and
playing the drums, entering a recording studio for the first time in
1972 to put both his singing and drumming to good use. His love of
acting grew too, and from that time to this Richard has performed music
and plays on many stages. He appeared in the Miramax Hollywood movie
adaptation of Jane Austin's Mansfield Park alongside Jonny Lee Miller
of Trainspotting fame, Frances O'Connor, Embeth Davidtz who starred in
Schindler's List (1993) and that brilliant playwright, actor, and Nobel Prize
winner, the late Sir Harold Pinter. Prior to the turn of the millennium
he released a charity CD in association with Connect FM and Golden
Wonder on behalf of a charity called Kids 2000. Apart from producing
and compiling the album, Richard himself contributed three tracks, (on
which he sang and played the drums) raising money for local children.
It featured artists who all gave their time and talent for free. The
only pre-requisite for appearing on the album was they must first have
been featured in Richard's Saturday show, then on commercial radio. One
of these tracks has since been used by the BBC to raise even more money
for their chosen charity. Richards TV appearances have included Blue
Peter (for which he won a silver badge for singing one of his own
compositions), Songs of Praise, Top of the Pops, Noel Edmunds House
Party, working as a presenter for NTV, and more recently a brief
appearance on ITV's News at Ten. He got through to the second round of
the X-Factor at the NEC in 2010! His first book, 'Fastest to Canada',
was published worldwide in 2004 and his poetry has been published in
several global compendiums. He has written concert reviews for the BBC
online for such artists as Paul McCartney, The Pretenders, Midge Ure
and Talon, and has even written the sleeve note to an album by 60's pop
legend John Leyton at the request of the artist. He continues to write
a weekly column (every Friday) for the Northamptonshire Evening
Telegraph under the heading 'Oliff's Life'. Richard is one of only 100
in the UK in the Independent on Sunday's 'Happy List' for 2010-2011,
alongside Colin Firth, Paul Merton, Barry Cryer, Ian Hislop, Jools
Holland, Eddie Izzard, Peter Kay Victoria Wood and the Archbishop of
York. Throughout his career Richard has met and worked with some of the
leading lights in the music, entertainment and political arenas, citing
his meeting with Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr a particular high
point. Richard was widowed in 1994, and remarried in New York to his
wife Liz in 2008. In 2009 the couple were invited to Buckingham palace
by Her Majesty the Queen during the opening of the Lambeth Conference.
He continues to raise money for his favorite charitable cause, the
Lakelands Day Care Hospice in Corby.