Brian Hayes: My tribute to an unforgettable companion
LBC legend was terrifying, but we came to form a strong working relationship, writes Chris Lowrie after death of broadcaster aged 87.
Brian Hayes terrified me. I wasn’t alone in that — even Prime Ministers were said to quake in their boots when Brian settled in behind a microphone.
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I joined his programme team on LBC in 1988, at the very zenith of his talk-radio career. Brian did not suffer fools gladly; you were expected to give 100 per cent or face the consequences.
The previous holder of my job had taken one sick day too many and, as Brian put it, had failed his “fool test.” I was determined not to follow them out of the door.
As a call screener, it was my job to find the sharpest, boldest voices to populate his show. Brian’s voice defined what we think of today as talk radio. He was forceful but fair, bracingly direct yet never gratuitously cruel. Before Brian, phone-ins were polite, sedate, and frankly dull. He changed the medium forever. His readiness to challenge, interrogate, and genuinely engage — always treating callers as people with something to say — earned him industry-wide respect and a fiercely loyal audience.
Born in Perth, Australia in 1937, Brian began in newspapers and local radio before moving to the UK in the early 1970s. He joined Capital Radio at its launch in 1973 and moved to LBC in 1976, where his morning phone-in became essential listening. Over the next decade and beyond, his uncompromising style shaped what radio phone-ins could be, inspiring generations of broadcasters who followed.
At first, Brian was gruff with me, as he was with most newcomers. Earning his trust took time. I had to prove myself, day after day, but eventually he found my abilities — as he put it — “satisfactory,” and later came to rely on my judgement. He was never shy about telling callers precisely what he thought of their argument. Many a furious listener would ring me back demanding a second chance after being eviscerated on air. It was never going to happen.
Brian Hayes died on 30 November 2025, aged 87. My thoughts are with his family, my former colleagues, and the vast community of listeners for whom his voice was a constant, challenging, and unforgettable companion
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Chris Lowrie is a former LBC producer and colleague of Brian Hayes
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