Interview with Radio Clyde's Suzie McGuire

Her distinctive voice is heard every weekday by millions around the world. She's interviewed the likes of Justin Timberlake and Westlife. She's even snogged Robbie Williams. She is the legendary Clyde 1 host Suzie McGuire. "Five times!", she explains, referring to her little one-on-one with Mr Williams. "The News of the World actually did a big two page spread on it a few years ago. That's my claim to fame!"

Her road to landing Clyde 1's lunch time slot was a long one which began when she was just 15 - making tea and coffee at her local station West Sound. "I've only ever worked in radio to be honest although I was always determined to get into when I was at school. I was studying for my exams and phoned up the local radio station West Sound which is down in Ayrshire and basically pestered them. I made the tea, made the coffee, took requests - everything really." And it didn't take long for Suzie to start working her way up the career ladder - although working for radio was never glamorous in the early days. "I soon got a job in production which involved writing loads of ads and really dodgy scripts. But then I got a job doing the travel news and then the farming news of all things, which is a really sexy, rock and roll job of course!"

Radio Clyde's top man Paul Cooney came to West Sound looking for presenters for Ayrshire's other radio station West FM and Suzie's rather sexy voice was chosen to co-host the show for a short while before it became her own. Two years of breakfast hosting was all Paul needed to see that Suzie was perfect for the prestigious lunch time show on Glasgow's biggest radio station and he offered her the job in 2000.

Her show has always made the listeners smile and have a giggle although life at Clyde hasn't always been so rosy. One of the bosses at Clyde 1 once took her out of the studio for saying rude words and Suzie feared she was never going to get back on the air. "I was hauled out of the studio for saying a naughty word or two and Siobhan, my producer, had to a few links and apologise on my behalf while I was getting into trouble," she recalls. "I was quite scared for my job actually. The show can be a wee bit cheeky in a way but we never mean to offend.

"I just love to have a laugh on the show. Some of my previous bosses have said to me that people just want to hear the music but it's good to have the daft things on the air. No one would say �Oh I remember when you went to the news with KT Tunstall perfectly' but they will remember the silly things that happen when they've had a laugh.

"There's the odd time on a Friday afternoon when I want to play cheesy tunes like �Build Me Up Buttercup' or �Dancing Queen' - all that stuff. Sometimes you just want to hear something that lifts you, something you relate to going out and I try to get that sort of fun atmosphere on the show."

One such laugh Suzie's had on her show was the result of her love for McDonald's Cream Egg McFlurrys. And when the listeners heard Suzie wanted them to deliver some to her at the studio, the response was incredible. "I think we had about 28 McFlurrys in the studio at one point. They were all melting!"

The ever busy McGuire makes the most of her spare time and enjoys gigging and going to the movies. "I love going to gigs and hearing live music. But going to the pictures is great too - popcorn, hotdogs, nachos - going to the flicks is my ideal night out.

"There's a real variety involved in what I do though. One day you're with Westlife, then the Lord Provost of Glasgow and then doing work with children. Every day is different and that's what I love about this job. I never get bored!"

So how does someone become the next Suzie McGuire, hosting their own show on the country's top radio station? "There are many different ways to get in. You can DJ at the clubs like the breakfast show host George Bowie, or, like me, get yourself a wee job at a radio station doing anything you can, being everyone's friend and you will eventually find a vacancy. There's hospital radio too where you can get familiar with the desk and make a demo to send to stations. There are plenty of ways. I think you just need to show the right attitude and enthusiasm along the way and you'll get there."

She's only been doing the lunch show on Clyde 1 for five years but her working past has always involved radio to some extent. But even Suzie's not sure if she's going to remain within the radio scene in the future. "I can see myself DJ-ing for a while yet but to be honest, I don't know if I'll always do it. They will probably send me over to Clyde 2 soon!"

Whether it's Clyde 1, Clyde 2 or otherwise though, she'll always keep the listeners entertained with her fun and naughty sense of humour which makes her show so special.