Mark Stephen is one of Scotland’s most prolific and popular broadcasters. He is that rare thing, a presenter that actually listens to the people he’s talking to. He brings his natural curiosity, warmth and humour to a wide range of programmes, from adventure activities to natural history, Scottish culture, history, the environment, science and world religion.
He has worked the length and breadth of the UK and Continental Europe, North Africa, Malawi, Ethiopia, Namibia, China, Japan, India, Canada and throughout America.
Here is a selection from some of the over 1500 programmes he has written and presented for the BBC.
Out of Doors – Scotland’s most popular outdoor magazine programme, with Mark flying in a vintage Tiger Moth Biplane, hyper-ventilating in an old copper-helmeted dive suit and diving in Lake Malawi. (Listen here)
Fresh Air – a Triple Echo production. Highly regarded by politicians and environmentalists alike, an investigative programme which ran for 9 series and which had Mark rummaging about in German rubbish bins, standing on top of a nuclear reactor and pedalling along Scotland’s shortest and most pointless cycle lane - all 6 metres of it.
Past Lives – Radio Scotland’s listener-led popular history series. Everything from Neolithic shell-middens on Orkney, sailing “doon the watter” on the last sea-going paddle steamer in the world, to tracking down alumni of the Bombay Scottish School in Mumbai.
Turning Point – a one to one conversation series with people whose lives have changed after a particular event. Memorable stories include the Glasgow A&E nurse who found herself stranded in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, the paraplegic ex-climber who found a new lease of life as a diving instructor and the terminally ill cancer patient who decided to throw a wake for himself before he died.
Other career high points include the science series Behind the Superficial and The Fall and Rise of the Bicycle, both recorded for BBC Radio 4. (Listen here)
And Journeys of Faith, the ultimate in one-man programme making, recorded in Ethiopia, India and Japan for BBC Radio Scotland. These programmes were brilliantly researched by the late and much missed Liz McKenzie. Everything else, the production, logistics, recording, assembly editing etc. was done by Mark. It was extremely cost-effective and they were an excellent listen. (Listen here)
Mark has also written and presented series and programmes on William Wallace, Thomas Telford, Deadly snails (Listen here), The RNLI, Life after Death, the possible re-introduction of wolves to Scotland, basking sharks, the 60th anniversay of the Dambusters raid, the decline of the Scottish Fishing Industry and the raising of the Russian nuclear submarine the Kursk. (Listen here)
www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/radioscotland
