Interview: Phil Lavelle

This January it’s Careers month at So So Gay and all month we’re talking to people across many industries to help you find the right career for you, today we speak to broadcast journalist Phil Lavelle… 

So So Gay: When did you first get interested in journalism?

Phil Lavelle: I started when I was 14 growing up in Liverpool.  I blagged some work experience at Granada TV which had a big presence there with This Morning and Granada’s news so it was a great place to be.  I only did a week, then I went back and did another week a few months later – and from that, somehow I managed to bag myself a kind of job there.  It was unpaid but I really enjoyed it.  I thought it was quite glamorous although it was only regional TV – but at the time when you’re 14 you think wow this is telly.

So where did you go from there?

Well I was told I had to get a degree so went off and started one but hated every second of it.  I got 2 years in and somehow wangled myself an ITV traineeship at Tyne Tees up in Newcastle so I put my degree on hold and well it’s still on hold – I never went back.  Since then I’ve worked as a producer, presenter and reporter for Channel Five, ITN, SKY and for a year before the launch of Al Jazeera and a year and a half after it launched I was there.  Then I moved to BBC London as a freelancer.  I’ve moved about quite a bit within these broadcasters and finally I got a job at BBC Breakfast where I worked for about a year and a half.  Then in March I went freelance again which means now I still do breakfast stuff, but I also work for other departments in TV and radio like Radio Four and 5 Live.

You mentioned there you didn’t do a degree – how important do you think it is to get a degree to get into broadcasting?

I still freelance at Al Jazeera and there’s loads of people who come in on internships who are on post graduate courses,  and I always think it’s the safe, obvious way to get into it – and good luck to them.  I don’t think that will set you apart from another post graduate student, but I think to have experience – that’s always got to be the best way to set yourself apart from the rest.  And I know it’s a cliché but just be keen – not annoying.  You don’t have to go and make tea either – get into a station and start helping.

So many people now-a-days want to be famous or be a TV presenter.  What’s the difference between that and being a serious journalist?

There’s a massive massive difference!  TV presenting and being a journalist who presents is completely different.  You have to know your stuff and look comfortable, able to read autocue without it looking like you’re reading and know when to smile etc.  But, when things go wrong and they will that’s when you have to know your stuff.  And if you’re just some-one who wants to be on telly or be famous then you would not be able to cope in that situation and you would be screwed.  In this business if you don’t know what you’re talking about you gotta look as if you do and stay calm.  And on top of that everything you say has to be 100% factually correct, because if you’re not it’ll come back to bite you on the arse!

Well you’re certainly known for being a “proper” journalist – what would you say are the good parts of the job?

You never ever know what you’re going to be doing.  It’s just so varied.  I was thinking earlier about what stories I’ve covered, and I’ve covered everything from the cost of Jennifer Aniston’s hair (£45,000 just in-case you were wondering) to the London riots.  I was actually based in Tottenham on the really bad day of rioting during the summer for the BBC.  And then other times I’ve been in the gallery producing when really big stories have broken at Al Jazeera and I’ve had to make really big decisions about the output – it’s just so varied.

BBC TV Centre, Credit: Phil Parker, Flickr

So varied, but have you got a highlight that you’ve either enjoyed or loved doing above all other jobs?

Well when I was at BBC London I presented the regional part of Children in Need back in 2008 with Pudsey and Konnie Huq – that’s been my favourite thing to date.  It was a massive outside broadcast with Cliff Richards, a lookalike too and we all had lots of fun.  I’ve even got a screen grab of it framed in my toilet (laughing)

With Pudsey or Cliff Richard?

Both actually with Konnie Huq – it’s very funny.

But there must be bad aspects of the job too.

Yeah – not being able to say what you think sometimes can be hard.  I got into trouble last year over something I said on twitter, you may remember.

How did that whole sage make you feel?

It was naïve of me, but I was very frustrated because what I said was said in a particular context and a few people responded to what I said and I replied explaining why I said it.  But then what happen was some little upstart forwarded it to Plaid Cymru and the nationalists have issues with the BBC about whether or not they’re adequately represented and so it was perfect ammunition for them to push their cause.  Who I was and what I said was got completely lost in it all.  Things got twisted in that incident.

Do you think it has harmed your career in any way?

I don’t feel it’s harmed my career but I was potentially in line for something which then disappeared – it was just never mentioned again.  It’s worrying there are people out there who are so venomous – I got two death threats, the vilest messages sent to my home email, work email, twitter account of which were completely dis-proportionate.

With all the cuts at the BBC and other broadcasters at the minute, do you think journalism is a good career to go into now-a-days?

There’s always going to be places for journalist, because we’ve got this fantastic free press in this country.  Compared to others we have once of the best media set-ups in the world, but there’s no money in it.  Don’t go into journalist if you want to make loads of money.  My mates keep talking about bonuses, but I’ve never had one in my life.  That’s not the business we’re in.  There doesn’t seem to be any perks like extra holiday, you salary is constantly under scrutiny – especially if you work for the BBC, so you do it because you enjoy the job.  But on the flip side it’s exciting and off course it does have its benefits. I think it’s going to get harder and harder as time goes on because I’ve even noticed that recently and a lot of it rests on politics and how much you cost.  I’d say go get a degree but not in media studies or journalism – go get yourself one in something like law or politics or French and make yourself a specialist in something that you can adapt into journalism.

So finally is there some-one you look up to in the profession and what’s your dream job?

Oh let’s see – I love the American anchors!  Not sure if there’s anyone in particular but maybe the likes of Anderson Cooper, but I love American news and those guys do a fantastic job there I think.  In terms of my dream job I’d never want to be a presenter.  But I love breakfast TV and the fact that you can do anything and I mean in terms of doing hard news to the most ridiculous stories and yet it all gels in together is great.  But my ideal job in all the world would to be a Los Angeles Correspondent for a major network, and probably an American network rather than a British one.  So let’s dream big – if I could have any job in the world I’d love to present Good Day LA and that way I’d be doing journalism, living in California and working for a big American network.

To find out more about Phil you can follow him on Twitter or visit his website.