Station To Station

Offerton-based radio presenter chelsea norris was axed from key 103 after 11 years but now she’s back. Janet reeder hears why her new job at the bbc has come at the best time.

- Janet Reeder

THE timing couldn’t be better for Chelsea Norris to take over the mid-afternoon slot on BBC Radio Manchester.

Not only does it mean she can ditch the 4am starts required for her previous early morning show, but the Offerton-based presenter has come on board just as BBC Radio Manchester has recorded its highest audience figures in over a decade.

The station can even boast Jesus as a listener... Manchester City’s Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus to be precise, who recently revealed he listens to BBC Radio Manchester to help him learn English.

‘It’s a great time to join,’ agrees Chelsea, as she relaxes in the stylish home she shares with her husband Ben Postma-Tonge, one year-old daughter Minnie, and their cockapoo, Teddy.

‘But because I’ve always worked with someone else in the past, it’s a bit like being in a band and then going solo. I love to talk, so there’s going to be a few more guests than in the past and we’re going to have a lot more interactivity.’

It’s a happy turn of events for Chelsea who was unceremoniously axed by Key 103 after 11 years of sharing presenting duties with Mike Toolan on the breakfast show. The internet makes it possible to listen to the moment she made the announcement she was leaving the station and you can hear the heartbreak in her voice.

‘They just felt that the show wasn’t working and that it was time for the change,’ she explains.

‘But I do wear my heart on my sleeve and after it happened I had people coming up to me in the street saying they’d never listen to the show again.’