Aircheck Tracker
Left: Gordon (on a webcam?) at Century 106 Thanks go to Mark Terrill and Brian Shopland for their help in updating this profile during 2006.
Profile: Gordon Astley. Some people don't know it, but our Gordon has been entertaining us for over 30 years in one way, shape or form. Gordon comes from some heritage cultural and showbiz stock. Apart from playing a mean washboard, his family tree has roots in television, music hall, and the happenings of the big top. His grandfather worked with Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplain. He reads the fortunes in your palms and in tarot cards, he's also an experienced magician and member of the Magic Circle. Apparently, he is a direct descendant of the first Duke of Wellington and is married to a real Nigerian princess, which makes him a Prince Consort. His wife is none other than former Central Television presenter Femi Oke.
Back in the 1980s, when Warwickshire station Mercia Sound hit the air at 6:58am on Friday 23rd May 1980, Gordon was at the helm for his 'Good Morning Mercia' breakfast show which ran proper from 5:00am until 9:30am. The first record on-air was Dan Hartman's 'This Is It' played from their studios at Hertford Place in Coventry. Generally speaking, Gordon's show featured an interesting and often humorous look at the news with 'Merry' Mike Henfield, the car of the day feature, titled 'Mercia Magic Mobiles', and 'Thought For The Day' presented by Will Mills. Also during the same decade, and after a year or two with Mercia, Gordon spent some time with Beacon Radio 303 but then, when the future host of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire', Chris Tarrant left ATV/Central Saturday morning TV show TISWAS to make spin off late-night show 'OTT' - the bosses turned to Gordon to take over.
From 1994-1995, Gordon made his first appearance on BBC Southern Counties Radio presenting the station's morning show. Certainly a broadcasting stalwart, he sprung to more recent widespread fame on Century 106 (now Heart 106) across Notts, Derbys & Leics presenting the Breakfast Show from 6:00am weekdays in 1998 whom he joined from BBC Radio WM. Gordon was a presenter on breakfast for about as long as anyone has been on Century, but left long before Capital completed their purchase of the station. When BBC Northampton received a revamp and relaunch in 2002, Gordon Astley joined the weekend line up presenting 9:00am until 1:00pm on Saturday and Sunday.
However, just like a magician's act, Gordon disappeared across the Atlantic, taking up residence in Atlanta, Georgia, where he put his 'Mind Over Matter' show out for public consumption, in which he involved the audience in a variety of fascinating experiments, where many wondered whether he was reading the audience's mind, or the other way around. With his conjuring background, Gordon signed up to the Society of American Magicians and went around the circuit, presenting table magic, and Tarot reading even promoting himself as the slightly different stage name of 'Gordo Nastley'. His English tones made him a perfect MC, or Master of Ceremonies, and Toastmaster. He became well known for highly motivational after dinner speeches, and for his ability to analyse your handwriting and what it says about you using his skills as a graphologist. And during all of this, wife Femi was working at CNN in Atlanta.
Whereabouts: After spending a total of 8 years over in Atlanta, USA, he made a long-awaited return to the UK, and on 27th February 2006, the BBC announced Gordon's return to BBC Southern Counties Radio after a ten year absence. He took over weekday mid-mornings from Monday 3rd April, and this is where you can now hear him between 9:00am and 1:00pm everyday and from 10:00am on Sundays. Listen to BBC SCR here. Alternatively, if you live locally, tune in via 95.0FM, 95.3 and 104-104.8FM dependent on your location in Surrey or Sussex. Gordon's show offers the opportunity to deal with listener problems, chat over the talking points of the day and interview celebrities and star acts visiting the area. When he's not on the Beeb, he continues with his magic, tarot reading, handwriting reading, after dinner speeches and MC'ing.