Bill and Ted’s excellent adventure in broadcasting

Bill Prentice and Ted Comerford first became hosts on Midlothian community radio station, Black Diamond, five years ago.

The dynamic duo, among the oldest broadcasters in Britain, present an hour-long show every Sunday aimed at their fellow pensioners.

Bill, 89, and Ted, 87, broadcast from studios in Newtongrange, with listeners tuning in from across the Lothians and beyond.

The pair have full control of their show, devising the script and preparing the playlist, which includes music from the 20s through to the 60s, although rock is banned – except for the occasional Elvis Presley track.

While their music harks back to their younger days, Bill and Ted are right up to date when it comes to technology, storing their material on a laptop.

But that hasn’t come without difficulties.

Bill said: “The old one was full, so I bought a new one for £500 from a High Street chain and it is the worst thing I’ve ever had to deal with. It didn’t come with a manual and everything else I’ve bought – microwave, cooker, washing machine – has.”

Originally from Haddington, East Lothian, Bill was a printer and book binder who worked on the Encyclopaedia Britannica, while Ted, who hails from Bathgate, West Lothian, was a tax man.

They first met at a tea dance organised by a daily shopping-bus service and soon became firm friends. Both now live near each other in Bonnyrigg.

As well as co-presenting on Black Diamond, the pair have been heavily involved with their local seniors’ forum in Bonnyrigg for the past 14 years.

Bill said they were always prepared for every eventuality while recording their show, which is broadcast from 5- 6pm.

He said: “I do the script on the laptop and we work it in with the music. We do themes. We’ve done dance, dancers, colours, names, countries and the rest.

“It gets harder all the time, but we have a fair amount of music to pick from over 40 years.

“We always have a back-up show, but are we famous like Bruce Forsyth? Nothing like it.

“We do get some interaction, but as we’re not live we have to wait until the next programme.”

Their boss at Black Diamond, John Ritchie, said Bill and Ted had proved themselves to be stars.

He said: “They are amazing and they never let me down.

“I always listen in, and I enjoy the show. Their brief is simple – entertain. And they are entertaining.

“Most of their material is positive despite the state of the economy, and Bill and Ted also do other community work.”