Learn how UCFB Wembley student Ben’s university coursework has also ended up being listened to by millions of people all over the world. Ben Blake, BA (Hons) Sports Business and Sports Broadcasting student, tells us how he ended up being featured on the BBC:
Having learnt all about ‘Audio Storytelling’ in my second year at UCFB during Guy McCrea’s UN5000 module and also having had the chance to liaise with his elite broadcast industry connections including Joel Hammer (Programme Editor at the BBC World Service) as part of it, I was keen to make as good a radio feature as possible for my main module assessment. So, I thought, what better way to achieve that than combining my two favourite things: riding my bike and watching cycling?!
I had already signed up to ride Paris-Roubaix myself in April. The race is known as ‘The Hell of the North’ – the hardest road bike race in the world, and this event also fell right into the schedule ahead of my coursework submission. So, I decided to take my microphone and Go Pro out there to capture all I could for my feature!
Fortunately, I was also able to connect with one of the professional competitors and race favourites Fred Wright, so I anchored my feature piece around this interview. Alongside this, I was able to record vox pops and all the atmosphere with other fans around the cobbled streets of Northern France, as well as linking up with a race veteran to produce an interview. He also guided me through my ride!
It was an immense challenge in itself, having come back from a fractured spine which kept me out of action between 2020-22, but the opportunity to also raise money for my friend Dylan’s legacy fundadded even further motivation.
Having completed Paris-Roubaix, I was aware of how special an event it is and was keen to share this through my radio feature piece, which motivated me to gather as much content as possible. I lied down next to the cobbles as the riders came past, with a mic in each hand to capture different sounds – it was just epic!
It was definitely the most engaged that I’ve been in a piece of university study. So, when Guy suggested that my piece was good enough to pitch to the BBC, it was obviously an even bigger bonus! It certainly didn’t feel like ‘work’, it was just a brilliant experience.
You can listen to Ben’s BBC World Service radio feature here.
If you’re interested in applying for an undergraduate course at UCFB, like Ben, call UCFB's Clearing hotline on 0204 581 7193, apply directly through our simple form online, or reach out to us via email at Clearing@ucfb.com.
