Former Fleet Street sports editor Bill Bradshaw takes a drive down memory lane with his son, Kit Bradshaw, in the passenger seat.

Dripping with nostalgia, this is the podcast for anyone interested in motoring, music, fashion, politics, sport and popular culture in Britain from the 1960s to present day.

Each episode chronicles one – or more – of the 40 classic cars Bill has owned over the past 50 years, with a heavy concentration of Jaguars gathering dust in the time capsule garage.

From growing up in the North East, to Manchester, Surrey, Kent, the Isle of Wight and beyond. It'll be one hell of a ride through the 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s!

Get in touch with the podcast by emailing driveofmylifepodcast@gmail.com

A Bradshaw & Son Production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We pull on the driving gloves and fire up the engine of the first car in our time-capsule garage: a 1972 Ford Escort Mk1 1300 XL.

The bronze four-door family car was the first Bill ever drove and belonged to his trusty driving instructor, Bob. Emblazoned with L plates, it would have been a familiar sight pootling gingerly around the residential backstreets and trading estates of Gateshead in 1973 and 1974.

But what would Bill have been listening to on the car radio – if that had been allowed during a driving lesson? And what are his defining memories of that period, personally and professionally?

Join us as we begin our trip down memory lane. Each episode will chronicle one – or more – of the 40 classic cars former Fleet Street sports editor, Bill, has owned over the past 50 years. TV political journalist, Kit, will be doing his best to make sure we don’t get too lost along the way. New episodes every month.

Thanks to online auctioneer TradeClassics.com for the genuine sound recording of a Ford Escort AVO Mexico used in this episode.

The Drive of My Life Podcast: Episode 1. Copyright 2026. All rights reserved.

Get in touch with the podcast by emailing driveofmylifepodcast@gmail.com

A Bradshaw & Son Production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A gleaming chrome grille, a sea of wood across the dash and the slight smell of damp coming from the footwell. Jump into Bill’s first car: a 1962 Riley Elf Mark I.

Our second episode journeying down memory lane takes us from Gateshead to Halifax. 19-year-old Bill spends £50 on a motor to get him to his first job as a trainee reporter on the Halifax Evening Courier. He’s converted by the local delicacy of pork pie with mushy peas smothered in mint sauce.

From oddly named landladies hiding coffee jars from pesky lodgers to pop royalty giving up time to speak to a budding young journalist in the dressing room of the Sunderland Empire – this is a nostalgia-packed edition reliving 1975 and 1976.

The car – a badge-engineered Mini – doesn’t last very long, with every wet Yorkshire day resulting in soggy carpets. But enterprising Bill spots an opportunity to make his money back thanks to an eye-catching number plate.

Thanks to Linda McCague for the genuine sound of a 1966 Riley Elf used in this episode.

Opening music: Merseyside by Kensington Studios, used under licence from Premium Beat.

Code: LQECK4G4WVQEX2KM

Riley Elf library photo: Shutterstock. Facilities: Brown Bear Studios, Brighton. Series cover artwork: RJW Creative Design.

The Drive of My Life Podcast: Episode 2

A Bradshaw & Son Production. Copyright 2026. All rights reserved.

Get in touch with the podcast by emailing driveofmylifepodcast@gmail.com

A Bradshaw & Son Production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.