John Holmes (radio presenter)

Not to be confused with Jon Holmes.

John Holmes
MBE
Holmes at BBC Radio Nottingham (2006)
BornEssex
SpouseKathleen (Kate) née Melbourne
Children3
AwardsMBE
Career
ShowThe Afternoon Show
StationBBC Radio Nottingham

John Holmes MBE is a British radio presenter, closely associated with BBC Radio Nottingham and BBC Radio 4.

At Broadcasting House, Bristol, Holmes worked on the series Down Your Way, Any Questions? and Any Answers?.[1] At Pebble Mill studios, Holmes was a presenter of the BBC Television programmes Look! Hear!, Sparetime and Together.[2]

Holmes moved to Nottingham in October 1965 to study Mining Engineering at the University of Nottingham, graduating in 1968.[3] At university, Holmes met his future wife Kathleen (Kate) Melbourne.[3] Holmes had partially chosen Nottingham to study because Judi Dench and John Neville were based at Nottingham Playhouse.[3] Holmes' wife Kate worked as a nurse at Mapperley Hospital, before taking a break to have the couples' three children.[4]

In July 1977 Holmes presented the BBC Radio Nottingham coverage of Queen Elizabeth II visiting Nottinghamshire.[5]

In 2017, Holmes received an MBE from Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace for services to charity.[1]

As of 2017 Holmes had been patron of charities Family Care and Malt Cross, vice-president of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and chair of skin cancer charity Karen Clifford Skin Cancer Charity (Skcin)[1]—known for the Skcin computer tan hoax.

In 2023, after six years working on BBC Radio Derby, Holmes started presenting the afternoon slot on BBC Radio Nottingham, after a 15-year gap from the Nottingham station.[6]

In 2023 Holmes retired from BBC Radio Nottingham after working for the BBC for over 50 years.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c Lewis, Jeremy (21 November 2017). "MBE for Nottingham's charity champion John Holmes". News. Nottingham Evening Post. Broadcaster receives insignia from Prince William … BBC career began at Broadcasting House in London. He also worked in Bristol, where he produced Down Your Way and Any Questions?. Working with Jonathan Dimbleby, he launched the phone-in Any Answers?
  2. ^ Jackson, Vanessa, ed. (24 August 2021). "John Holmes's memories of working at Pebble Mill". Pebble Mill History. producer Roger Casstles … first to ask me to join the Look! Hear! team as a presenter alongside Chris Phipps and Michael Woods. … John Clarke, … asked me to present a new hobbies based series called Sparetime … opening credits that Anne Jenkins had created … Together followed this.
  3. ^ a b c "Memory Lane: The Holmes Life". Alumni. University of Nottingham. 9 March 2023. John Holmes MBE (Mining Engineering, 1968) … arrived at the university on a National Coal Board Scholarship … turned up to read Mining Engineering in October 1965 … Kate Melbourne … student nurses in real life. Kate married me and we have just celebrated our 53rd wedding anniversary. … opted for Nottingham because of the nationally famous reparatory company at the Playhouse, which included Judi Dench and John Neville.
  4. ^ Smart, Andy (23 May 2018). "The day a Nottingham student nurse unveiled a controversial new uniform". Nottingham Evening Post. Retrieved 5 August 2025. Kate Holmes – then Kathleen Melbourne … a new, controversial style of nurses' uniform was unveiled - modelled by Nottingham student nurse Kathleen Melbourne. Its first appearance in the city caused quite a stir when smiling Kate, based at Mapperley Hospital, posed for the photographer. … Kate, … married to BBC Radio Nottingham presenter John Holmes … following her three-year training, Kate continued to work at Mapperley Hospital, taking a break to have her three children.
  5. ^ McCarthy, Dennis; Marshall, Sandi; McDougall, Alastair; Jones, Valerie; Gaunt, Freddie; Lilley, John; Gall, Ian; Holmes, John (28 July 1977). The Royal Visit to Nottinghamshire (Vinyl record). Introduction by Ron Coles. BBC Radio Nottingham. Ref: NG-1. most successful outside broadcast … 10-hour marathon commentary
  6. ^ "John Holmes comes home to BBC Radio Nottingham" (Press release). BBC Radio Nottingham. 3 March 2023. John Holmes is set to re-join BBC Radio Nottingham … after a 15 year absence … weekday afternoon programme between 2.00 and 5.00pm. … spent the last six years at BBC Radio Derby, … lived in Nottingham for over 30 years, … born in Essex he has lived in Nottingham since … late 1960s.
  7. ^ Loffreda, Daniela (7 July 2023). "Nottingham journalist John Holmes retires after more than 50 years at the BBC". Nottingham Evening Post. Retrieved 4 August 2025.

Further reading

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