Keeping It Real with Rory Auskerry - December 2011

By the time this magazine hits your coffee table I’ll already be in Manchester, working in the BBC’s brand new building at Salford Quays. However, as I write this, I’m becoming acutely aware that my remaining days in London are numbered. In fact, I’ve got about a week left here, before I load the van I’ve hired to drive myself and my stuff to the North of England.

I’m very excited. I’ve been looking forward to making this move for almost two years, but now that it’s finally on the horizon, I’m starting to think of what I’ll miss about London. It’s been a steep learning curve living somewhere so big after growing up in Orkney. When I first arrived, I found it all quite overwhelming and there were days when I wasn’t sure if I’d manage to cope with it. It’s just so different from what I was used to back home, and even my city experience at University in Sunderland seemed insignificant in comparison to the vastness of London.

As I settled into the job and made friends, things got easier and I started to feel that I would manage ok. After a few months passed I began to understand the attitude of Londoners themselves. I became confident using the public transport system and I felt like I was really getting to know the areas in which I lived and worked.

I think it must take a while to get used to anywhere that is unfamiliar, but I still think London is in a league of its own, within the UK at least. I’m expecting to go through many of these ‘newbie’ emotions over the coming weeks as I get settled in Manchester, but I’m convinced it will be easier for two main reasons. For one thing I’m down sizing quite significantly – from being one of over 7 million in London to one of under half a million in Manchester. The second, and probably the most significant, is that I’m moving with a group of colleagues and friends who are in the same situation as me. It’s going to be new and exciting for all of us, and the fact that we’ll be getting to know the city together will inevitably make it easier and more enjoyable.

I’ve spent almost two years in London working in two buildings neither of which are likely to be occupied by the BBC for much longer. Next year, the various staff and departments that have not been relocated to Salford - including Radio 4 - will move out of Television Centre back to Broadcasting house in the heart of London. Their World Service colleagues from Bush House will also join them. It means that when I leave after my last shift, I’ll be leaving behind a piece of BBC history that will more than likely be just a memory when I next visit London.

Members of the public can apply to be taken on a free tour of Television Centre and I’d recommend that you go on one if you get the chance. It’s an iconic building full of memorabilia from all kinds of popular BBC programmes and shows. You’ll be shown the TV studios which over the years have been used to create shows and diverse as Strictly Come Dancing, Jools Holland, Room 101 and Not The Nine O’ Clock News - you even get the chance to try your hand at presenting a TV weather report!

Although many of the friends I’ve made in the capital are also making the move North, there are plenty who aren’t and I will miss them a lot. Now that I’ve lived in London I won’t be worried if for any reason I decide to move back for work in the future. It’ll be nice to live close to the countryside for a while though, and I’m already looking forward to my next trip to Orkney, which will be in early January.

I hope the festive period and the New Year brings excitement, prosperity and happiness to you all. I also hope it brings a few more Doonie wins in the Ba’. Happy Christmas!

Keeping It Real with Rory Auskerry - November 2011

Goodbyes and ‘the end’ of things are often sad and difficult events. The last day at school or university, leaving home or a job you enjoyed, the end of a holiday or the demise of a relationship can all be less than happy experiences. I have had to cope with some reasonably tough adjustments in my life over the last wee while. My girlfriend, fellow Orcadian Lizi Pendrey has moved out. I'm pleased to say this is not because of anything I've done, but because she has landed a new job as a Journalist. The only problem is that the job is based in Edinburgh, not in Manchester, which is where I will be relocating to in a couple of months time. This is largely great news as she has been looking for this kind of work for months in London without much luck. However, we've both got used to each others company and we were looking forward to finding a new flat together in Manchester when my job with Radio 5 Live moved North.

I must admit that I wasn't overly keen for her to accept the job to begin with, but after discussing it with Lizi as well as with family and friends, I came to the conclusion that it was probably a good move in the long term. I've been very fortunate that my career has started off pretty well, and I'm very lucky to already be working in the industry that I’d like to succeed in. Lizi has not been so lucky, in fact journalism jobs for university graduates appear to be about as rare as rocking horse manure.

We both think that aged 23, and without wedding rings, kids or a mortgage, now is the time to take some risks in order to try and get our careers onto a good trajectory for the future. It's far from ideal as you can imagine. The distance between Manchester and Edinburgh is over 200 miles, which will take more than 4 hours to drive. Add that to the fact that because of my shifts, we don't often have days off at the same time. Living apart when you've grown used to having someone there all the time is difficult, and it's giving me a greater empathy with folk who's work means they spend prolonged periods of time away from loved ones.

As you’d expect, I’ve have had a fair amount of time to contemplate since Lizi left. I’ve come to the conclusion that I will just have to keep myself busy, and with a bit of luck the next few months of being apart will pass by quite quickly. I’m very fortunate to have a fantastic group of friends around me, many of whom are also in long distance relationships. I also have various other projects outside of work that I’d like to spend more time on.

The main one of these ‘extra curricular’ activities I’m involved in is voiceover work. I’ve been interested in the industry for several years, and as I researched more about it, the more I came to realise that it might be something I could turn my hand to. It’s a notoriously difficult industry to break into because clients tend to find voiceover artists they like, then use them over and over again. It is also a job which has become cool and trendy, thanks to the prominence of voiceover artists like Pete Dickson who’s ‘massive’ voice can be heard introducing the performers on TV shows like the X-Factor and Britains Got Talent. Others include Dave Lamb, who's dry humour spices up the entertainment factor on Channel 4’s hit show ‘Come Dine With Me’, and Mark Halliley, the narrator of ‘The Apprentice’ on BBC One.

Having said this, I have been impersonating teachers, celebrities and politicians since my teens and I like to think I’ve a decent range of voices that I’m fairly good at. (People certainly used to laugh at me at school, but perhaps the less said about that the better.) Anyway, I’ve made a demo featuring many the voices I can do, signed up to several voiceover agency websites and the work has started to come in which is great. I don’t think I’ll be making millions anytime soon, but it’s good fun and if my client list continues to grow at the rate it has been I should make a few quid by Christmas.