A DERBY County fan who has spent lockdown producing podcasts in his bedroom has blagged himself some of the hottest names in showbiz – and a new job working with a well-known television presenter.
Blake Fallows, whose own podcast ‘Talk Derby To Me’ has occupied a top five position alongside efforts from ex-Manchester United captain Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher, been appointed producer on Tim Lovejoy’s football podcast, the ‘A-Zidane of Football’.
Tim presented cult football TV show Soccer AM with Helen Chamberlain for more than a decade before joining Channel 4 show Sunday Brunch and Blake, who once appeared on Soccer Am with a group of fellow Derby County fans, says he has already learned a lot from his boss.
Sunday Brunch and former Soccer AM TV presenter Tim Lovejoy, who has appointed Blake Fallows as his podcast producer.
“Tim has lots of experience and has been producing podcasts, which have won awards, for a few years now,” said Blake.
“He’s well respected in really knows his stuff, so I’ve already learned a lot from him.”
It was the success of Blake’s ‘Talk Derby To Me’ podcast which got him noticed by Tim Lovejoy; guests have included Sheffield United captain Ben Osborn, Derby Telegraph’s chief football writer Steve Nicholson and ex-Derby County midfielder Will Hughes.
Blake has been producing podcasts from his bedroom for the last 18 months and, during lockdown, he has spoken to former Derby County goalkeeper Lee Camp, ex-Rams boss Phil Brown and midfielder George Thorne, who spoke of contractual disputes with Mel Morris and Frank Lampard, losing the Championship play-off final at Wembley in 2014, his mental health problems and suffering several career-threatening injuries.
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“It has been a whirlwind 12 months and I’ve been fortunate to have some great guests on Talk Derby To Me,” said 26-year-old Blake, who is also producing a documentary for Smack Duck productions with This is England actor, Michael Socha.
“The George Thorne interview, though, is my proudest achievement to date,” said Blake, who has been a Derby County season ticket holder since the age of 10.
“It wasn’t just because, as a fan, I loved watching George play for the Rams; he was very honest and told his story – which no-one had heard before – in a very articulate and enthralling way.
Blake’s talents haven’t gone unnoticed; he has been snapped up by TV presenter and former Soccer AM host Tim Lovejoy to work on a podcast called ‘Disillusioned with Football’ and Blake is currently producing a documentary for Smack Duck productions with This is England actor, Michael Socha.
“I’ve been quite humbled by the success of the podcast,” said Blake.
“The last few months have been incredible and I’m so proud of how the podcast has grown. The idea of doing a podcast, showcasing all that is good about Derby, came to me whilst sipping a pint at the Seven Stars pub, in Kedleston Road.
“The very first podcast – snippets of chats from people in the pub – was made using my phone and some cheap equipment I’d purchased off Amazon. It wasn’t great, but it was a start. We’ve moved on since then.”
And moved on the podcast certainly has.
‘Talk Derby To Me’ has been downloaded 210 thousand times since the very first session, in September 2019, and there is now a waiting list of guests wanting to appear on the show.
Other sessions which have stood out for Blake include a Hollywood actor who classes George Clooney as a friend and the guitarist of band The Struts, who have toured with the Foo Fighters and played in front of 80,000 as the warm-up band for the Rolling Stones.
“We have been very fortunate to have some great, Derby-born talent on the podcast and some really big names in the world of football,” added Blake.
“We’ve spoken to James Burrows, the actor most recently seen on our television screens playing Dr Ali in Coronation Street, Great Britain boxer and Olympic hopeful Sandy Ryan, singer Jyoti Mishra – better known as Whitetown – who talked about his number one hit record that was recorded in Derby.
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“We also persuaded Shaun Ryder – of the Happy Mondays fame – to spend a couple of hours in the Seven Stars with us talking about his life and music career. I’ve been a fan of the Happy Mondays and the whole Brit Pop era for many years and to have Shaun, who is an incredibly talented and nice guy, chatting to us in my local pub was very surreal.
“My friend, another Derby-boy-done-good, actor Jack O’Connell, was the one who helped to set this up. He plays Shaun in the upcoming biopic, Twisting My Melon, and so that helped massively.
“The minor success which we’ve had has been brilliant. But that’s not why we do it.
“Derby, as a city, has a big heart, great community feel and is home to so much incredible talent. I want to help showcase this and, hopefully, Talk Derby To Me is doing that.
“I was given a great piece of advice by YouTube presenter Robbie Knox which I swear by. He said: ‘don’t worry about how many people are listening, just make sure that it’s good’ – and I’ve lived by that ever since.”
