Robert Michael Dickin (28 September 1943 – 18 December 2006), was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

radio presenter best known as the late-night host on the

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

station

talkSPORT Talksport (styled as talkSPORT) is a sports radio station in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, owned by News Broadcasting. Its content includes live coverage of sporting events, interviews with the leading names in sport and entertai ...

Early life

Dickin was born in 1943 in

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

Career

Dickin started out as a musician in the 1960s: he was a bass player and singer who found he preferred playing records to making them when he joined the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

in 1970 as the first presenter on air at Radio Oxford. Dickin liked motor racing. He was a stunt driver in the 1969 film ''

The Italian Job ''The Italian Job'' is a 1969 British comedy Caper story, caper film written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley, directed by Peter Collinson (film director), Peter Collinson, and starring Michael Caine. The film's plot centres ...

''. In 1977, he competed in the

London–Sydney Marathon The London–Sydney Marathon was a car rally from the United Kingdom to Australia. It was first run in 1968, a second event by the same organizers was run in 1977 and a third in 1993 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original. Three fur ...

in a Mini 1275GT, co-driven by musician

Simon Park The Simon Park Orchestra is a group best remembered for performing "Eye Level", the theme tune for the television series '' Van der Valk'' composed by Jan Stoeckart, which spent four weeks at the number one position in the UK Singles Chart in Sep ...

. The same year, Dickin moved to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

where he worked for

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

's biggest radio station,

2UE 2UE is an all-music radio station in Sydney owned by Nine Entertainment and run under a lease agreement by Ace Radio. It currently broadcasts from its studios in Pyrmont, New South Wales. History 1920s 2EU Electrical Utilities applied to the P ...

. Upon returning to Britain in the late 1970s, he spent 17 years working for

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

LBC LBC (originally the London Broadcasting Company) is a British phone-in and talk radio station owned and operated by Global and based in its headquarters in London. It was the UK's first licensed commercial radio station, and began to broadc ...

, and

Capital Radio Capital London is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Global Media & Entertainment as part of its national Capital (radio network), Capital Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Bri ...

. He started at Talksport (then Talk Radio UK) in 1995, taking over from Nick Miller. Dickin used to present the 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. slot at weekends on

Talk Radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, Interview (jo ...

from 1995 to 2001. He returned, filling in for

James Whale James Whale (22 July 1889 – 29 May 1957) was an English film director, theatre director and actor, who spent the greater part of his career in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood. He is best remembered for several horror films: ''Fra ...

during Whale's battle with

kidney cancer Kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, is a group of cancers that starts in the kidney. Symptoms may include blood in the urine, a lump in the abdomen, or back pain. Fever, weight loss, and tiredness may also occur. Complications can include ...

. He was given the morning show slot soon afterwards, and then moved to the 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. show on weekends before his death. Dickin was on air in the UK overnight when news was broken of the car crash that subsequently killed

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

, and he was still on air to make the announcement of her death as a newsflash. He won a Golden Rose award for his coverage of the

Lockerbie disaster Pan Am Flight 103 (PA103/PAA103) was a regularly scheduled Pan Am transatlantic flight from Frankfurt to Detroit via a stopover in London and another in New York City. Shortly after 19:00 on 21 December 1988, the Boeing 747 "Clipper Maid of th ...

in 1988. Although he had a reputation as an argumentative controversialist, his put-downs were withering and waspish enough without needing to raise his voice. During a phone-in on religion in late 2005, a caller mentioned

Scientology Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by the American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It is variously defined as a scam, a Scientology as a business, business, a cult, or a religion. Hubbard initially develo ...

, to which Dickin replied sardonically: "Ah, yes.

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

and

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. List of awards and nominations received by John Travolta, His accolades include a Primetime Em ...

– two of the great theologians of our age." Dickin was famous for his strongly-held views. His passion led to him being labelled "Britain's angriest man" by talkSPORT listeners. Typical discussions on his show included crime, cars, trains, taxis, the problems of young people, the downfall of Britain, the incompetence of people in the service industry, speed cameras, parking tickets, and call centres. He was also known for his catchphrases, such as, "My health is not in question", when asked how he was. Other catchphrases include: "If you were constipated, you'd be speechless", "I've had a gutful...", "You don't have two brain cells to rub together". Some of his shows were broadcast from a studio in Bodmin, Cornwall, a few miles from his home. A staunch atheist, Dickin's last show was all about the

afterlife The afterlife or life after death is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's Stream of consciousness (psychology), stream of consciousness or Personal identity, identity continues to exist after the death of their ...

and the existence of God; famous atheist and author of ''

The God Delusion ''The God Delusion'' is a 2006 book by British evolutionary biologist and ethologist Richard Dawkins. In ''The God Delusion'', Dawkins contends that a supernatural creator, God, almost certainly does not exist, and that belief in a personal ...

'',

Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biology, evolutionary biologist, zoologist, science communicator and author. He is an Oxford fellow, emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, and was Simonyi Professor for the Publ ...

, was Dickin's guest on his last show. Mike Dickin was killed in a car crash while driving on the A30 near his home in

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, on 18 December 2006, at the age of 63. James Whale presented his tribute show. Dickin left a wife (second marriage) and 5 children, including two from his first marriage.

External links

TalkSport presenter Mike Dickin has died
Press Gazette coverage of death
Radio host Dickin dies in crash
BBC News article about his death
Audio of Mike Dickin's newsflash on death of Diana, Princess of Wales
extracted from the MHP Media Service, a
www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickin, Mike 1943 births 2006 deaths English atheists English radio personalities Road incident deaths in England Mass media people from Reading, Berkshire BBC radio presenters British critics of religions British atheism activists British free speech activists 20th-century atheists 21st-century atheists