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Not sure if we've discussed this chap before, I couldn't find anything on a search. I'm sure this is a good question for Craig in particular but does anyone remember Chris Ashley that did a regular show for Radio Trent back in the day? As I recall his catchphrase was 'On yer bike' or something similar. Seem to remember his shows were heavily sports and particularly football oriented.

I recall his show being quite controversial but at the same time very entertaining. Would it be fair to have called him a 'shockjock' of his day?

I believe he got a decent amount of listeners in his day but seemed to disappear almost overnight and without much explanation - a bit of a mystery.

Any recollections on Chrish 'The Mouth' Ashley?

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Chris is alive and kicking and working for a radio station in Spain (Phoenix FM) at least he was last time I was in communication with him!!!

I had a link for him but it's not working !!

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He worked in New Zealand too. (Including an appearance in a telly series called "Barrie" , although this may have been in Aus) He came back to Nott'm, working for Gem Am living in digs in Basford when he went in to Catchems for a drink one evening , meeting Margaret , the landlady.

They married in about 90/91 and moved to "The Bull" at Diseworth , (Chris working for Radio WM by now) after then I lost touch with him when I went out to Ibiza, finally getting back in touch in September last year.

He has been the perenial journey man , you name the station and he's probably worked there !!

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Hi guys, most of the stuff mentioned is accurate, but I honestly dont recall him being on Gem. *Update* just got a text back from Paul Robey, who was one time PC at Gem, and he confirms my thoughts that Chris never worked on Gem.

Back in 1980, him and Graham Knight persuaded me to do a charity walk, from Langley Mill, to The Old Market Square in Nottingham, except Chris worked out that the pubs would be closed by the time we got there, and decided to run it instead, around a half marathon with no training! Needless to say I was unable to walk for 3 days afterwards!

In early 99 we met up again when I did a roadshow for Century, as a freelance, and he was on it too, I then went on to work for the station, and at the time he did a phone in, with a guy called Alex Belfield answering his calls, Alex went on to bigger things, and at one time was on Capital Gold.

During his time here in the UK, he was on Talk, Beacon, Trent, and BBC Southern Counties.

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  • 8 years later...

Just tripped over this.  Graham Knight was best man at my (previous!) wedding in 1978;  so sad when he passed away not too long ago.

 

I left Nottingham for NZ, January 1983.  Imagine my surprise when I switched the radio on, the day I started work in NZ, to hear a familiar voice. However, 'Chris Ashley' wasn't the name he used in NZ.  If I remember correctly, he was known as 'Barnsy' and shared a programme with 'Loosehead Len', who is still around in NZ as a sports journalist and under his real name of Phil Gifford.  I'm not sure how long he stayed, but I'm sure I may have met him once.

 

Back with Radio Trent, I remember Chris Ashley being very disparaging about motorsport not being a sport at all, with guys just sitting down and pressing a pedal or two, twiddling a gear stick and occasionally steering (he was an avid Brighton soccer supporter as I recall). 

 

As any real enthusiast will know, the level of fitness demanded of a top racing driver is often way above that of most other sports, so a local driver (it might have been the late Mick Hill?),  took him for a few hot laps at Donington - and scared him witless!  He had a lot more respect for racing drivers after that - which is a typical of sports commentators who have had a similar experience. 

 

Small world, as Alex Belfield is one of my son's buddies.

 

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  • 5 years later...

Chris Ashley knew how to wind us Forest fans up, but it was a laugh (especially when we were winning)

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