Jobs Outdoors: Chris Sleight, Radio Producer and Podcast Host

© Dan Bailey

Chris Sleight is a journalist and radio producer with a particular interest in the outdoors. Until recently he worked on BBC Radio Scotland's popular programme Out of Doors. Now turned freelance, he is hosting a new podcast of his own, Mountain. So what sort of cool places does his job take him to, and what are the challenges and rewards of recording radio up mountains? We tuned in to find out.

Chris Sleight at work recording in Glen Coe  © Dan Bailey
Chris Sleight at work recording in Glen Coe
© Dan Bailey

"If I'm out in a full-on winter storm on the Cairngorm plateau the listener doesn't expect it to sound like I'm in a studio. A bit of wind or handling noise on the mic is fine. In fact, if the sound is too good people won't believe you're there"

UKH: Why are you primarily interested in radio rather than TV work?

Chris: You can get involved in every step of the creative process. You can arrange outlandish trips at the last minute. It's low budget, you can travel light and the egos are smaller. And for me, the best radio I've heard has been more vivid, more moving and richer than anything I've ever seen on TV.

If there is such a thing, can you describe a typical day?

There really isn't one. There are lots of days you need to spend in the office and studios as well. But a typical recording day usually involves a very early start, hours of driving, worrying about whether I've remembered all the gear/asked all the right questions/recorded all the sounds I need. And scones. That's a piece of advice I was given early on. You can't make radio on an empty stomach and everyone likes scones.

What proportion of the working week is actually spent outdoors?

It was a couple of days a week for me at Out of Doors, sometimes more if we were recording a special programme which involved walking/cycling/kayaking long distances. In my current job I'm outside much less, but I'm hoping my new Mountain podcast will take me outdoors more.

Career-wise, can you describe your route to where you are now?

I tend to describe my career as "crab-like" rather than any sort of logical progression. I've spent most of it at the BBC, but worked in many different departments and offices. I started out as a researcher based at the Bush House in London - the old HQ of the World Service. I was a feature writer at a then fledgling BBC News website in the early 2000s (back when online was considered a fad that would be passing soon). I've been a reporter at BBC Wales and BBC Scotland and have worked on stories from day-to-day council and court stuff, to reporting from Afghanistan. I've spent time in online, radio and television and been a journalism trainer. I haven't really been set on a definite path - more followed my nose and interests.

Recording a feature on avalanches in the Cairngorms  © Mark Diggins SAIS
Recording a feature on avalanches in the Cairngorms
© Mark Diggins SAIS

"Your chief enemies are moisture and wind"

Which came first for you, broadcasting or a love of the great outdoors?

The love of the outdoors came first, sparked mainly by a trip to the fantastic Scout Station at Lochearnhead in the late 1980s. I'd done some hillwalking and camping before that, but that was my introduction to the mountains of Scotland and I was hooked right away. I still climb with many of the friends I met in those early days at the Station. I owe that place a lot and still return every year to instruct there.

What was it like working on Out of Doors?

In a word, brilliant. It was a programme I'd wanted to work on for some time. Soon after I moved to Scotland, I was driving to Glen Coe early one Saturday morning to go winter climbing. I was listening to BBC Radio Scotland and when Out of Doors came on I remember (a) being utterly transported by the programme and (b) thinking: "I have to get a job there." It took a while for me to get enough experience in radio, but when the producer job was up for grabs a few years later I applied and got it. The job took me all over Scotland - out to St Kilda, kayaking around Canna and Skye, climbing a new winter route near Ben Cruachan, mountain biking in the Trossachs, skiing in the Cairngorms, hillwalking everywhere… Along the way, I met so many fascinating people that live, work and play in the Scottish countryside. It's a highly regarded and much-loved programme in the BBC Radio Scotland schedule with two brilliant presenters and I loved every minute of it.

Recording kit for a day outdoors  © Chris Sleight
Recording kit for a day outdoors
© Chris Sleight

Interviewing, presenting, recording it all yourself and splicing it all together into a package at home – is that a fair summary of the varied elements of your job?

One of the joys of radio is you get involved in every part of the creative process - right from the research stage through to interviewing, recording, voicing and mixing the final product, so yes that is a fair summary. It's a mixture of location, home and office work. I'm not too keen on offices and try to keep that bit to a minimum.

Which bit is your favourite?

Meeting new folk and getting to know them - being a journalist gives you an excuse to ask all sorts of questions. Working in features, rather than hard news, is fun because you get to spend much more time with people. A colleague once told me that not many people really enjoy the process of being interviewed, but that it's your job as a radio producer to bring out the best in them. I think that's an excellent insight into the job and it's something I love doing.

Coming a close second is the final part of the edit stage - especially on a half hour or hour-long programme. It's when most of the hard work is done and you're just tweaking the mix of speech, effects and music to make it sound beautiful. A small cut here, a fade there… I've spent many happy hours in studios doing this - it's when you really learn your craft.

Sea kayaking with Gordon Brown off the coast of Skye, May 2015  © Kevin Williams
Sea kayaking with Gordon Brown off the coast of Skye, May 2015
© Kevin Williams

What sort of technical skills are required, and how did you go about learning them?

The technical skills are working the recording equipment and using the audio edit software. Neither takes too long to pick up after some introductory training. More important are the core skills of any journalist - an insatiable curiosity about the world and the ability to recognise and tell a story.

For radio I would add a sensitive pair of ears and a strong interest in how sound can be used to tell and punctuate a story. Having fun while you're making features is also under-rated. No-one likes po-faced radio.

As for learning those skills - I've been formally trained in most of them at some time or another, but you can't beat being a practitioner. Grafting day in and day out, researching, writing, editing and broadcasting.

But I've also been coached and mentored by colleagues who are real masters of their craft and generous enough to share their knowledge and time with me. Can I name-check them? Huw Williams, Mark Stephen, Euan McIlwraith, Helen Needham, Doug Maskew, Ron McCaskill - thank you all. Finally, I never lose sight of the fact that it's always possible to learn and improve.

What kit do you typically have to lug around?

You don't need a huge amount of kit for radio - an audio recorder, which is about the size of a paperback, a microphone and a pair of headphones are the basics. I always carry plenty of spare batteries and a spare mic cable as well. However, for most recording trips that require more than rocking up in the car and doing a five-minute interview by the road, I pack some extras. That usually means a spare audio recorder, microphone and cables, duct tape (of course), some extra wind protection for the mic and a water resistant case for the recorder. I've broken recorders, cables and microphones while on recording trips before, so spares are essential. I once had to resort to making a radio package with nothing but an iPhone. It works and it's better than nothing, but I'd rather pack extra gear.

Getting in position to record the action on the crux of Hidden Chimney  © Heather Morning, MCofS
Getting in position to record the action on the crux of Hidden Chimney
© Heather Morning, MCofS

How much of a challenge can it be recording quality material in outdoor environments?

On the worst of days, it's a nightmare. Your chief enemies are moisture and wind. It's difficult to keep a microphone dry so if it's going to be wet I choose a robust mic that's not as sensitive to getting soaked. The recorder is very hard to waterproof because of the cabling and commercial solutions are difficult to find, so I have various cobbled together setups I use. When I went kayaking with Gordon Brown of Skyak Adventure earlier this year we devised a system using two Ortleib mapcases, lots of duct tape and a spare paddle shaft (used as a microphone boom pole). That worked pretty well and kept the gear dry over two days of paddling.

Wind can ruin any recording but it's a problem easily solved by (a) taking the right microphone - a dynamic, omnidirectional mic can cope much better with wind than a shotgun mic for instance, and (b) spending lots of money on a good windshield. A full on Rycote basket/fluffy combo can set you back almost the same price as the microphone and it's bulky, fragile and inconvenient to pack. But it's worth all of that.

Another good way to deal with the challenge is by not stressing too much about it. If I'm out in a full-on winter storm on the Cairngorm plateau, or paddling in a big swell off the west coast, the listener doesn't expect it to sound like I'm in a studio. A bit of wind or handling noise on the mic is fine. In fact, a radio producer friend always warns against perfection on location - if the sound is too good people won't believe you're there.

Of all the outdoor activities, people and locations you've covered, can you tell us about some of the stand-outs?

Kayaking around Canna a couple of weeks after I joined the Out of Doors team will always be remembered with great fondness. Snatching a first ascent of a winter route on an unclimbed cliff with Simon Richardson was amazing - just to watch the new route master at work. A day trip to St Kilda was long, tiring but completely magical. Recording the sound of waders on the South Uist machair on a May evening is something I'll never forget. There was also a trip to the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan a few years ago with an experienced BBC colleague and two climbers from Scotland who would all go on to become very good friends.

Of all the people I've met, interviewing Tom Weir's 94-year-old widow Rhona was an education and a privilege.

For sheer excitement, I spent a day with the Sea King crew at HMS Gannet earlier this year. We went out on a short training flight but ending up being diverted to the Rest and be Thankful coach crash. The crew had to deal with heavy showers and gale force winds while trying to land at the crash site. It was bloody terrifying, but a good reminder that what is a story to us journalists is real life for others.

What's the idea behind the new Mountain podcast? What do you hope to achieve with it?

Mountain is a podcast about adventure - a collection of stories set in wild places. The first episode goes deep inside the mind of elite mountain runner Joe Symonds as he takes on the recent Glen Coe Skyline race. Future episodes will be a mixture of personal stories, long-form interviews and crafted features. I've also got some collaborations planned with authors and composers - but there'll always be a mountain in there somewhere.

What I hope to achieve is simple: I'd love to build an audience of folk who enjoy my stories and look forward to the next one. But I'm also really excited about podcasts and the freedom they offer over traditional media. No more cutting programmes to fit an exact time slot, for example. There are no audience expectations when it comes to format either. That's huge. It means you can really experiment and if something doesn't work, it's no big deal. Having said that, I want Mountain to sound as good as anything I'd broadcast on BBC radio.

You can hear the first episode of the Mountain podcast here:

You can subscribe to the Mountain podcast here



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