The radio presenter passed away following a very long - and public - fight with cancer. He battled hard and didn't let it completely stop him from doing his job. It was only the other day when he hosted his final podcast where he said goodbye to his fans for good.
I first came across Whale when I was a child. He'd show up on TV every now and again but I remember his Whale On programme.
Back in 1995, Talk Radio UK began airing officially from Valentine's Day. I more or less started listening to it from the off. My favourite presenter, at the time, was Caesar the Geezer who would host the 10PM to 1AM slot each weeknight.
I called into Caesar's show a couple of times that year. On one of those occasions, he played the 'Caution Listeners - Dickhead Alert' jingle at me when I called in to ask if he was following the OJ Simpson Trial. That wasn't the reason for the jingle, though. I closed my call by stating I had drawn a picture of him and it was in the post!
Oh, to be young again.
Anyway, to get back on topic - Caesar was eventually fired from the station a few months into its birth. Replacing Caesar was James Whale. If I recall correctly, his first shows on Talk Radio UK aired around this time of the year in 1995. If I had to bet, I'd say they would have been last week if we were back in 1995.
I say that because I remember tuning in while in west Wales, realising Caesar had been replaced and I switched off.
Don't worry - this isn't a James Whale hit piece.
I eventually found my way to enjoying James' shows. I'd go so far as to say, due to his tenure in the radio industry, I've listened to James Whale on the radio more than any other presenter with Ian Collins likely coming close behind in second place.
It was inspirational to see how he fought on in those final years of his life.
Upon hearing the news of James' passing, I took out a copy of his autobiography I own. It's a special version because it's signed.
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