About Ian Waugh

"Ian Waugh (53) is the third generation in his family connected to broadcasting. He started his wide-ranging career in the early 1970's with Independent Television (ITV) in the UK as a voiceover with Westward Television, Southern Television and HTV. Later he worked for London Weekend Television, TVS, Television South West and the fledgling Sky Channel.

Ian joined UK commercial radio with the start of DevonAir Radio. He later moved into broadcast management as the station's Head of Presentation and then as a successful international broadcast management consultant.

Prior to current Zimbabwean political crisis Ian worked with the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation as an adviser and turned a flagging national radio service (Radio 3) into a profitable and popular station. Ian Waugh was a production and presentation adviser to Malta's national broadcaster, Xandir Malta (now PBS) and was later involved in several projects concerning deregulated broadcasting. He assisted the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation and helped to establish the country's first all black presentation television news and current affairs programme as well as assisting and developing several major national radio projects.

Ian has been involved in several broadcast ventures and remains a positive force in broadcasting. He is the founder of Prime Digital Broadcasting which is planning and developing digital radio content supply across Europe.

Ian Waugh is a keen follower of disability issues after the onslaught of his own mobility and disability matters more than a decade ago. He has travelled extensively and continues to enjoy an active and busy life.

Apart from broadcasting, Ian Waugh is a renowned historic researcher, historian and published author. His extensive research into the life of Victorian murderer and celebrity John Lee resulted in the publication of The Man They Could Not Hang which has been well received and reviewed worldwide.

These days Ian lives in the English South East although he still keeps his strong ties with the Westcountry".

Even more ...

I was born and brought up in the rural English South West. My earliest recollections were the tough years we spent living at Princetown on Dartmoor in the late 50's - early 60's. I lived just a stone's throw from the most notorious prison in Britain and the vicious unrelenting moorland winters (left: Haytor, Dartmoor).

Decades on and now in my 50's my world has multi-changed so many times from one extreme to another. The innocence has given way to brutal physical reality and the stark realisation that we are all here today and gone tomorrow.

These days I live in the English South East. I write endlessly, sit at my desk pushing buttons, gazing at my screen and thrill to fact that you can, wherever you are in this shrivelled world we now share, read these few words at your leisure.

As far as I am concerned, there are not enough hours in the day or months in the years that pass so quickly. Despite my reliance on walking sticks, wheelchairs and the occasional ramp, I have an enormous energy for life. I have this perpetual vigour to get things done and to constantly move in a positive and forward direction. I am a slave to perfection and my own ideals although I'm resigned to the fact I shall never reach the light at the end of my personal tunnel, but I'll give it a bloody good try!

My broadcasting livelihood evolved from my family connections with the BBC although they were engineers I took the presentation and production route mainly through radio until my poor health forced me to pause my career. Even as young boy I was always fascinated with the media and I used to love visiting studios and transmitters with my father. So you could say that broadcasting is part of my blood.
[right: A seriously scary picture taken in the DevonAir presenters office in about 1982 when I was an enthusiastic 28. I later became Head of Presentation and stayed with the station until 1987  - image: © John Pierce]

I am a passionate historian and I am incredibly attracted to historic crime. I thrill to the race to find the accurate solution to the unanswered. Historic research gives me an adrenalin rush like no other sometimes - to be the originator of a truth that has been buried by time is quite thrilling.

I've been involved in several fascinating projects, most famously my extensive and in-depth investigation into the world famous story of The Man They Could Not Hang (details here). My work was published by Sutton in hardback in 2005 after co-authoring a major work on the life of John Lee. I'm currently writing a screenplay which I hope will eventually transfer into development and maybe beyond (left: John 'Babbacombe' Lee, 'The Man They Couldn't Hang').

Apart from my love of history I take an interest in emerging technologies, news and current affairs and UK politics.

Several of today's issues worry me - the fast moving and catastrophic consequences of global warming and the human cost of extremism in society and the daily now, perpetual threat of global and localised terrorism. On our very doorstep the overall image of our country I feel is being dented by the growing level of what is now grouped into a single category as anti-social behaviour. Social values in British society have taken a serious detrimental shift and whilst some in the Westminster village are defensive of this slide there are many, myself included, who feel we are entering a black hole from which we may never return.

I am a dedicated supporter and follower of human rights, social equality, freedom of speech and personal privacy. I passionately defend the vision of a united Europe and I am fascinated by cultures in society. I also embrace the Plain English Campaign and detest gobbledygook, Americanised English and senseless red tape.

My regular source for news is Today, PM and From Our Own Correspondent; Radio Four, Channel Four News; Channel Four, News 24; BBC News and The Guardian.

My normal listening and viewing includes The Message, Front Row, Loose Ends; Radio Four and a range of well made, well produced programmes available on UK television.

I do not smoke, never taken a non-prescribed drug and for the past decade rarely consume alcohol. I hardly take regular exercise due to serious arthritic restrictions on my legs. I am immobile through arthritis and stroke although I continue to enjoy a highly active and vivacious life! I appreciate and enjoy a wide and adventurous range of food, preferably fresh and organic - my favourite being the Dim Sum range and fresh seafood. I am not a vegetarian although I only eat meat at the weekends.

My middle-age music tastes vary from The Style Council, John Lennon, The Stranglers, Lounge, The Divine Comedy, Chill Out Jazz, The Rolling Stones, Classical and Swing Out Sister.

I enjoy well made escapist movies and love a good, outrageous well written comedy. I have always supported British film whilst getting pleasure from viewing European and Chinese productions.

I have travelled extensively throughout Europe and Africa. I visited and worked in Southern Africa and fell in love with Zimbabwe - current events and the political situation there have broken my heart in so many ways and I look forward to the day when happiness and a genuine smile can return to the ordinary folk in that battered country. I was a broadcast adviser to the national broadcasting service in Zimbabwe (ZBC) and, with the help and devotion of the employees, we managed to turn Radio Three into a popular and commercial success. Today all the work and dreams we created have evaporated. If you are reading this in Zimbabwe - I want you to know that, despite the years that have passed and all the dreadful things that are going on, I still remember and think of you every day.

18 May 2007 marked the second anniversary of Operation Murambatsvina. Murambatsvina' translates to 'Drive Out Trash' - where 'trash' refers to the approximately 700,000 innocent Zimbabweans who had their homes and livelihoods destroyed by the Zanu PF government. Two years on, the victims of Mugabe's vicious policy are still waiting for justice and recourse.

I have never been to or aspire to visit the USA. Health permitting, I am planning to tour parts of Asia to include Vietnam, Korea, China, Singapore and Hong Kong.

I adore Europe and thrill to the cultural diversity. I enjoy being European. Rome is my favourite continental city and Taormina on Sicily has a beauty and fascination guaranteed to melt your heart.

Despite my apparent staid approach to life I am in possession of an extremely devilish sense of humour although I am particularly unwilling to suffer fools gladly. I am an extremely patient person. My tolerance evaporates with bad timekeeping - I cannot stand feeble punctuality especially from people who have little understanding of the old adage "Punctuality is the courtesy of Kings!".

My direct, uncompromising methodology has become a personal hallmark. My prized possession is my personal privacy which I defend and treasure above all else. I am a perfectionist. I try to create a good impression in most aspects of my life. Thanks to life's experiences I am proud to say, "what you see is what you get" which is the basis of the few scribblings on this web site.