meet the presenters
Ben Shahrabi
You may know Ben as the local reporter for Essex Echo, where he particularly enjoys writing, filmmaking, and meeting new people. He has an eclectic taste in music, dating from the 1960s to the 2020s - from The Beatles and Stevie Wonder to Lewis Capaldi and Harry Styles.
Ellie Boyce
Ellie has been going out to Ross Revenge regularly for the past 8 years - and was even known to make skits with the DJs creating Radio Ellie. She has been on stage since the age of 4, performing in a variety of amateur dramatic shows and dancing with a local dance school.
Lucas Hazelton-Bone
14-year-old Lucas started DJing at the age of 10 but has always wanted to be on the airwaves, sharing his love of music with others. You can catch him every Saturday at 2pm. When he isn't playing his favourite records, he likes to fly his drone around Maldon for great scenic shots!
Lisa Roger
Lisa is originally from Camden Town and has had a passion for music for as long as she can remember - from dancing to the TV, to tuning in to pirate radio stations as a teenager. Lisa is a disco-dancing new romantic and if you don’t hear her on the radio, you’ll catch her on the dance floor!
Josh Holmes-Bright
2023's 'Young Person of the Year' in radio has been involved in the industry since he was 13, working for local stations, as well as BBC Essex and Radio Caroline. Unlike most his age, Josh has a love for music from the 60's, 70's and 80's and enjoys celebrating that music on the air.
Johnny Lewis
Johnny Lewis started his radio career on Radio Caroline in the 70's. He later worked for The Voice of Peace off the coast of Israel and was aboard Laser 558 before returning to Caroline, where he remains a stalwart member of the crew and continues to enjoy presenting and entertaining!
Mike Stevens
Mike hails from Romford, and has always been a music lover - starting working life in the Downtown Record store. As well as listening to all sorts of music, Mike’s hobbies include photography, flying on his PC, and model making. He also likes traveling to see new places (new pubs really!).
Charlie Gilbert
Charlie’s music influences range from Madness and Chas & Dave, to Whitney Houston and Adele, with plenty of new music sprinkled in. In his spare time, Charlie likes to play Rugby for Burnham-on-Crouch, also keeping active with Karate, trips to the gym, and going for walks down the river.
Laura Pursey
Laura started working in radio at 15, getting involved with community radio and hospital radio, and has worked for the likes of Kiss and Magic. She shows off her experience from 10pm-Midnight every Friday with 'Friday Night Funk' - a show full of the best feel-good funk and soul music.
Dave Gowland
Dave is a familiar voice on the airwaves across Essex, having been a presenter on a number of commercial, community and digital stations across Essex and the UK in the last 20 years. When he's not on the radio, Dave is out and about DJing at weddings, birthdays and other events!
George Scullion
George has lived locally for nearly 40 years, and as a result, Radio Caroline's music format has had a strong influence on his music taste, so becoming a member of the Ross Revenge restoration crew was a dream come true! He also managed local youth football teams for about 10 years.
Robert Dean
Robert is a mod with a passion for films, vinyl and music.
Ever since he was a child, Robert has had a a deep-rooted love for style, radio, great stories and above all else… music! Every Tuesday from 6-8pm, he will be sharing that love with you here on Caroline Coastal FM!
Rich Lyman
While Rich enjoys spending time with his family and looking at ways to relax, he also has a real passion for fitness, especially running. Rich is on Caroline Coastal FM every Saturday from 6-8pm talking all things wellness and fitness, while still playing those great tunes!
Geoff Vote
Geoff moved from Portsmouth to London when he was 19 years old and later, as a result of work at the time, moved to Tollesbury. Geoff enjoys singing and playing guitar in his local Acoustic Club, and first had the opportunity to get into broadcasting 6 years ago.
Cheshyr 'The Cat' Strange
Writer, producer and multi-media artist Cheshyr ‘The Cat’ Strange is a lover of all types of music and enjoys sharing his eclectic musical taste and strange news, facts and local events with listeners. When he isn't down the rabbit hole, he's shining a spotlight on the local music scene.
Ian Crisp
Ian was born and raised in Maldon, moving to Burnham in the early 60s and has been deeply committed to local radio for a number of years. He has also had a lifelong association with amateur dramatics, and was also a Special Constable for several years!
Michael A
Michael loves his music and can often be heard around the Maldon District 'spinning the discs' with The Atlantic 259 Roadshow. Taking the step up to radio is something he dreamed of for many years - and he enjoys it so much here that he has been with us since we first started!
James Watts
James developed his love of music from a very early age, listening to his brother and sister’s vinyl. At secondary school he got into rock music, and his enthusiasm for it remains undiminished to this day. When he’s not on the air, he loves playing golf and the guitar (not at the same time!)
Reg Smith
Reg was brought up in North London and moved to Burnham in 1983, so he now considers himself a local. Reg has been with us since the start, and loves sharing some of his favourite music - which includes Billy Fury and The Beatles and stories with you on the 60's Jukebox.
Howard Jardine
Howard was a breakfast show presenter for 11 years at Leisure FM before coming to us, where he now hosts several great shows. He is a sports therapist by profession, and also fits in the time to organise around 20 trail running races a year with Essex Trail Events.
Tim Davis
Essex has been Tim's home for many years and he has a great attachment to Maldon especially - he is often out in his boat up and down the East Coast! Tim has loved radio for years, so there’s going to be plenty of nostalgia on a Thursday evening from 6-8pm.
Tim Aves
Musician, journalist, and British Blues Awards-nominated broadcaster Tim Aves has lived in Burnham for more than 40 years and is a well-known figure on the local music scene and in the wider British blues world. He hosts his Blues+ show with us from 10pm-Midnight every Monday.
Gary Davidson
Gary hosts Off the Record, one of our specialist shows, where he plays a total mixture of artists, genres and decades. His experience spinning records started back to the 80's when he run a mobile disco, and he has plenty of experience in community radio too.
Lee Marman
Lee hosts a show on Saturday afternoon featuring songs that were not as big of a hit as you think they were! In recent years, Lee has had regular shows with Leisure and Saint FM. In his spare time, he enjoys golf and tennis, loves soul music and is a huge Everton fan.