Alan Ashton

Alan Ashton, Bostonian and BBC editor, has died, aged 89.

He was born in Boston; dad Charles was a market-trader, and with his wife Grace he "stood the markets" in Boston, Fakenham, King's Lynn, Lincoln, Sleaford and, less regularly, St Neots, Spalding and Spilsby for nearly fifty years, selling linoleum, carpets and sweets. During World War Two, when these items were in short supply, they sold kitchenware as well. In later years they dealt exclusively in carpets. 

In widowhood in the 70s, Grace supplied etymologists with a glossary of market-traders' argot, such as 'blink-fencers' for sellers of spectacles, 'dorricker' for fortune-teller, and 'essence' for excessive profit. Down Alan's father's line there were tinkers and hawkers; he got teased about all of it at the BBC, but generally took it in good spirit. 

Alan grew up playing cricket in the Park, went swimming at Hob Hole Bank, went to Boston Grammar School, enjoyed table tennis and was a lifelong supporter of Boston United FC.  He had holiday jobs in a marshmallow factory, and brought misshapes back to his gang, washed down with Bulmer's Cider - a combination he later couldn't recommend. 

At 19, he attended what many regard as Boston United FC's greatest triumph, a 6-1 away win over Derby County in the second round of the FA Cup: "At the match I stood next to an "old" Derby fan. There was no segregation of supporters in those days. As Boston took complete control in the second half, this fan pointed at Reg Harrison (who was inspired that day and probably had his best ever game for United) and said: "I remember him just after the war - it took three players to mark him then - it still takes three b*****s now!". 

He studied politics and economics at Nottingham University, then did his deferred National Service. He met his wife Janet, from Pinchbeck, at a dance in the Boston Assembly Rooms.  He joined the Sheffield Telegraph as a junior reporter, then rose to sub-editor, before heading to the BBC Radio Newsroom in Broadcasting House, London, as a sub. 

It was a time when Peter Woon, in charge of Radio News, was recruiting subs and reporters from established regional papers, in a Fleet Street model. The newspaper men found his hierarchy familiar and climbable, and the work not too taxing; there was nowhere near as much writing to do as in newspapers, and plenty of people to re-read it, check it, re-read and check it again. And sometimes long gaps between output. 

In weekend gaps, groups of subs would look for different venues for a relaxed Sunday lunch between the 1pm and 6pm news bulletins. Alan joined a group travelling to the Bush House canteen, with a much more cosmopolitan menu than Broadcasting House

The legend lacks clarity and detail, but it is believed that Alan favoured cheese over dessert, and was taken with a type his luncheon colleagues said smelled like 'badgers'; thus the nickname Badger arrived, and stuck forever. 

The evening 'gaps' started with beer after the 6pm bulletin, and, if scouring the corridors and offices of BH produced red wine, mischief would often follow. Alan was certainly around when, in the "Reporters' Room", a small fire was started in the locker of a new arrival who Alan had been heard to describe as 'a bit of a pwat'. Unfortunately, the fire got bigger, and drew the attention of the uniformed House Foreman - never a good outcome. 

As a news trainee, I was seconded to be generally helpful in the run-up to the 1974 General Election. "Campaign" coverage finished at midnight before polling started, and this was a sign for some generally convivial relaxing in the main Today programme office. Alan and a number of newsroom colleagues popped along, but a playground argument later ensued with the rather aggressive News Organiser, former Mirror man, Barrington 'Barry' Stanley along the lines of "You're not a proper journalist", "No, you're not" and so on. They began to square up; at a mere 22, I was, dear reader, one of those who separated the pair, alongside Night News Organiser Barry Rocard.  

Alan was to return to the Today programme as Deputy Editor in 1977, placed there by Peter Woon to back Editor Ken Goudie, also from the newsroom, sent to rebuild the show after the disastrous Up To The Hour shambles. It was Alan who insisted racing tips were added to the sports bulletins. Alan brought his subs' approach to the output, often standing in the corridor outside the studio scratching out lines from the scripts of astonished Thought For The Day contributors as they tried to enter, and re-writing lines in the paper reviews.  Ken "Two Dinners" Goudie and Alan were known as the Glitter Twins, probably for their closeness rather than any resemblance to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. 

Status mattered to Alan - he would contribute odd lines to the Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian which would always carry his current title. He was delighted when he was given custody of Newsbeat on Radio 1.  The pencil was still at work, with last-minute script alterations, but often he had to write 'stet'; reporters explained their words weren't slang, and Alan had to explain stet.  I was duty editing one edition in 1983 when he dashed in with news of the death of Winifred Atwell, saying the records were on their way up at speed; he was miffed when we said it wasn't our sort of breaking news. 

Alan also liked 'trips'; again in 1983, he took a producer's role for the programme at the Tory Party conference, but couldn't be contacted on the Friday morning, when the Cecil Parkinson 'scandal' broke; Alan blithely got on his booked train back from Blackpool. 

Late add: In 1985, NUJ members at the BBC went on a one-day strike over the Governors caving in to Government pressure to halt the broadcast of Real Lives. "Editors" were sort of allowed to work, and Alan leapt at the opportunity.  He had no doubt about his qualities as a broadcaster; after all, he contributed sports reports to Radio Lincolnshire, and was a personal friend of another Boston FC fan, John Motson. So on strike day, Alan wrote and read one minute summaries on Radio 1, while we listened aghast on transistor radios in The Stag's Head and other nearby hostelries. Alan harvested some absolutely excruciating 'funnies' to end each mini-bulletin, and was clearly as pleased as punch with them. 

But there were good moments as well, and many reporters and producers have Alan to thank for 'setting them on'. However unlikely it may have been, Newsbeat had an active social cricket team, and Janet provided more than one generous tea. 

After Newsbeat, Alan had an attachment to Radio and Television News Hong Kong; he returned with a primitive and emerging form of hair transplant. Alan then moved to the management corridor, enjoying  dealing with 'bogs and boilers' and keeping up to date with horse-racing form. In retirement he carried out a number of consultancy roles for public bodies looking to communicate in 'plain English'.  For 19 years he edited the newsletter of the Middlesex CC's supporters club, called Seaxe - and eventually became its President. 

There were regular Test match reunions with former BBC colleagues. He mastered email lists, and became social glue for many retirees sharing details of deaths and funerals, which always started "Sad news....". He never really mastered Facebook.  He played tennis to an unfeasible age, went racing, and wrote regularly to the Times and Telegraph, complaining about Today 'guest editors'.  "Many of us would love to be a guest-Speaker of the House of Commons, guest-Chancellor of the Exchequer or even guest-manager of Arsenal or Manchester United. However, these posts are fortunately left to the professionals. Why can't the BBC be the same?"

Alan, left, in 1995, at a conference in Belgrade
 "Danube - River of Cooperation". 

Alan, as President of Seaxe, handing
over a cheque for cricket bursaries