Colin Lamont | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lamont as Scottie McClue in 2021 | |
| Born | (1956-06-20)20 June 1956 (age 68)[1] Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland[1] |
| Alma mater | Royal Conservatoire of Scotland |
| Occupation(s) | Radio presenter and executive |
Colin Lamont (born 20 June 1956),[1] better known by hisshock jock on-air radiopersona ofScottie McClue, is a broadcaster and former newscaster.
Lamont was educated atGreenock Academy, theUniversity of Glasgow, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now theRoyal Conservatoire of Scotland) andJordanhill College of Education, where he trained as a secondary school teacher.
He started his career working as a trainee manager for theClydesdale Bank before joiningScottish Opera in 1980. His roles including Touring Manager, Marketing Officer and Director of Education Programmes, working alongside directorsJohn Cox andGraham Vick.[1] In 1981 he became Assistant General Manager atPitlochry Festival Theatre.[1]
In 1984 he became acontinuity announcer and newscaster forGrampian Television inAberdeen,[2] before moving toScottish Television inGlasgow (1985–88)andBorder Television inCarlisle (1985–89)[3]
In September 1989 Lamont set up the radio station CentreSound 96.7 inStirling - nowCentral 103.1 FM - as its founding managing director.[4] In 1992 he moved toRed Rose Gold inPreston to become a senior producer and presenter for the station, creating the on-air personaScottie McClue. McClue became a controversial but highly popular figure, attracting substantial listening audiences and subsequently presenting on a variety of UK stations across Scotland (includingScot FM andQ96), the North East of England, the North West of England, Yorkshire and the Midlands, including national stationTalk Radio UK inLondon and in syndication throughout the UK over the next twenty-five years.
In August 2008, he became a shareholder of the Scottish independent local radio stationL107 saving it from imminent closure as the former owner, Mark Page, was on the brink of returning the licence toOfcom.[5] Businessman Alan Shields acquired the station from Page, hiring Lamont as a presenter under his Scottie McClue persona.[6] Lamont invested more than £62,000 of his own money into the business.[7] Lamont left the station accusing Shields of failing to contribute his share of funding.[8]
Lamont has hosted talk radio shows in the persona of Scottie McClue since the 1990s.[9]
When Lancashire independent radio stationRed Rose Radio was split into two frequencies, Programme DirectorJohn Myers wanted distinctive programming for the medium wave service,Red Rose Gold.[10] Myers encouraged Colin Lamont to present the station's late-night phone-in. They believed, however, that the name 'Colin' did not connote showbusiness. Inspired by Scottie Buccleugh, the host of a weekly children's film club inCarlisle known as 'Uncle Scottie', Myers suggested that Lamont's on-air identity should be 'something mad like this' that would be memorable. The pair eventually came up with Scottie McClue.[11]
In 1994 McClue moved toScot FM inEdinburgh, to present a new late night phone in. He was fined by theRadio Authority on three occasions for breaching the1990 Broadcasting Act on taste and decency, in comments made about single mothers and gay people.[12][13] In January 1997 McClue left the station after talks about a new contract broke down[14] and moved toHallam FM in Sheffield and by April 1998, his show was syndicated across TFM in Middlesbrough and allMagic stations then owned byEMAP inLiverpool,Yorkshire andNorth East England.[15]
McClue also presented onBorder Television-owned stations including100-102 Century FM in Newcastle becoming the late night phone-in presenter on itsSalford Quays-based sister regional station105.4 Century FM, when it launched in September 1998,[16] with his show being networked to cover The Midlands onCentury 106 in Nottingham in 1999.
In 2001 McClue returned to Scotland onQ96 with his shows being simulcast and networked across the UK.[citation needed] He then returned to EMAP's Magic stations in Sheffield, Liverpool, Leeds and Hull also broadcasting for SRH on Clyde 2 Glasgow on Saturday evenings and Forth 2 Edinburgh on Sunday mornings and also a stint co-hosting withLesley Riddoch sitting in forFred MacAulay on BBC Radio Scotland.
McClue had, as analystMary Talbot observes, achieved "a degree of infamy as a highly confrontational talk radio host".[17] Scottie joined Q96 in 2006,[18][19] before moving to its 24-hourtalk radio sister station ofTalk 107, later that year.[17] He remained as a presenter[20][21] until March 2008 where Talk 107 replaced him with a simulcast ofThe James Whale Show from London on sister stationTalk Sport.[22][23]
In July 2008 McClue participated in a special edition of BBC Radio'sFighting Talk at the Radio Academy's Radio Festival in Glasgow.[24]
McClue also presented on many mainstream Scottish radio stations includingRadio Forth &Radio Clyde.[25] From 2008, he worked onL107 where he also served in a shareholder and management role at the station.[26] The station lasted just over a year until reported company debts caused an ownership dispute which led to the breakdown of the partnership, and McClue's withdrawal from the station's output.[27][28]
A live video, "An Audience With Scottie McClue" was released in 1996.[1][29] While working with Century 105 in Salford in 1999, he also released a CD calledThe Best of Scottie McClue.[30]
In September 2018, McClue joinedNation Radio Scotland to present a late night phone-in show which aired three nights a week.[31][32]Since his absence from the radio, McClue has been live streaming daily onTikTok. He started throughout theCOVID-19 outbreak.[33]
Page had already returned his broadcasting licence for Lanarkshire to regulator Ofcom before Shields came in with an offer for the station. However, CMG managed to get the operation back on air in a week.
L107 was started by former Radio 1 DJ, Mark Page, following the demise of a previous, local station, 107 The Edge. Now, Alan Shields is the new owner.
Mr Fulston invested £52,500 in L107 and Scottie McClue, whose real name is Colin Lamont, left the station two months ago. He had sunk £62,000 into the company and guaranteed overdrafts.
In a letter last month to Companies House, urging an investigation into Mr Shields' business dealings, Mr Lamont accuses his former partner of failing to honour financial commitments.
McClue - real name Colin Lamont - left on Wednesday after bosses refused to let him have a late-night slot.
Scotties here for the 'Mega-Phone-In'. Get your opinions into the wee-big man of radio...
Scottie McClue is back on east coast radio, only on talk107. The nations biggest talk radio show can be heard Sunday to Thursday between 10.00pm and 1.00am with his unique mix of discussion and banter in the nations liveliest and funniest late night phone-in.
His 10pm slot will now be filled by a simulcast of James Whale's show from Talk 107's UTV stablemate, the national station TalkSport.
Fighting Talk. Hosted by Colin Murray. with John Myers, Phil Riley, Scottie McClue.
Since Red Rose, he has hosted phone-ins at a number of stations including Scot FM, Hallam FM, Magic, the Century Radio network, Signal2, Forth2, Clyde 2 and BBC Radio Scotland.
Another undeniable truth about Scottie is that he's back and this time he owns the station (well, co-owns it actually).