As one of Scotland’s top sports broadcasters, Alison Walker has interviewed thousands of athletes, often in immediate reaction to winning gold or setting a world record.
Yet in her new podcast, Miked Up With Alison Walker, she seeks to slow things down; switching from breathless and euphoric post-win reactions to a detailed and more nuanced reflection on her interviewee’s careers and personal lives.
“I didn’t want it to be an interview but rather a relaxed conversation done face-to-face over a coffee or glass of wine,” Walker told PS. “I’ve asked questions I think normal people would want to know the answers to rather than a reporter looking for a dramatic news line.”
In the first series of Miked Up, Walker speaks to six well-known Scottish women.
So far, that includes European, World and Olympic curling champion, Eve Muirhead, and politician Ruth Davidson, who spoke to Walker not only about her political career but her journey to have a baby through IVF and her experiences of motherhood.
Muirhead reflects on retiring from curling after 15 years.
“I’ve followed Eve’s journey from 19, right up until her Olympic gold medal,” said Walker.
“She said she’d had the glory but never had a life, as she went straight to being a professional athlete. She has no idea what she’s going to do but is excited at the prospect of just being a normal person.
“In a post-match interview, Eve would often be very guarded and talk in cliches but, chatting over a coffee, she was as relaxed as she’s ever been in an interview. That’s what I wanted.”
On future series, Walker added: “There’s plenty of people out there not in the spotlight but who have good stories to tell, so I’m after them next.”
Spotify, Google, Prime Music
Dive & Dig
The sea holds many secrets. Some, find historian, Professor Bettany Hughes, and maritime archaeologist, Dr Lucy Blue, can tell us much about human history.
In Dive & Dig, they take us on a literal deep dive into important underwater sites, from submerged prehistoric settlements to ancient shipwrecks, to uncover the stories of how people interacted with the sea, and unveil our ancient past.
Forbidden History
This fascinating new podcast sets out to discover the truth behind history’s most controversial stories.
It begins with Hitler’s Niece: Suicide Or Murder?, which explores the life and death of Geli Raubal, and looks at the arguments for and against a cover-up within the Nazi party, while Finding Mary Magdalene follows intrepid history enthusiasts as they aim to solve one of history’s greatest mysteries.
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