‘The bright lights had no allure for me as Somerset is home – where I am happy’

Clinton Rogers was one of the most recognisable faces of the West Country over the past few decades as he anchored BBC news in Somerset and beyond.

As with all good things though, it had to come to an end eventually and after 40 years at ‘Auntie Beeb’, Clinton hung up his microphone in 2020 and embarked on a new life away from the camera.

As with many people who take ‘retirement’, Clinton is now finding that he is busier than ever and he has told Somerset’s Alive! about the path his life has taken since leaving the BBC.

So, what does Clinton love about living in Somerset? The answer is simple: “Everything, basically. I can’t claim to be born and bred in the county. I was actually born in Birmingham, but my parents moved to Somerset when I was a baby.

“They ran a pub in Wellington called the Cottage Inn…fantastic place to grow up – kiddies parties in the skittle alley were the envy of my friends!”

Clinton continued: “And as the years went by I fell in love with the town. And I still love it. Fantastically friendly place. You can’t walk down the High Street without people stopping to talk. It’s irreplaceable.”

With his BBC career on the rise, Clinton surprised many with his choices but he explains that being lured away from Somerset was not something he wanted to do.

He said: “I had opportunities to move away. When I worked for the BBC I was offered a job with national TV, working from London.

“My colleagues in regional television couldn’t understand why I turned it down. Simple… it was a lifestyle choice. The ‘bright lights’ held no allure for me. This is home. This is where I grew up. These are my roots. Why would I leave?”

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It is a decision that he has replayed on a few occasions but he still fills he made the right choice.

Clinton added: “Over the years I have wondered often whether I made the right choice. If I’d stuck with national news, might I be the Washington Correspondent by now? Who knows.

“What I do know is that I am happy. I have ’emigrated” now to the village of Bradford on Tone (four miles from Wellington) and that’s as far as I’m going.”

Since retiring from the BBC, life has not been one where he could put his feet up and there are still elements of the job that he misses but Clinton is happy with forging ahead with a new career path and a business of his own.

He told Somerset’s Alive!: “I do miss television and radio. It would be wrong to deny that. There is a ‘buzz’ about working in the media and I enjoyed that buzz for more than 40 years. It’s addictive. And I miss the people I worked with – wonderfully creative people.

“But I knew I had lost my appetite for news when I no longer got excited by a phone call at 2am! A few years ago that would fill me with excitement.”

Clinton continued: “In my latter years with the BBC I just wanted to go back to bed! And of course people in the ‘limelight’ enjoy being recognised in the street (anyone who says otherwise is probably lying).

“But life outside the BBC has been great fun too. I now run my own company, offering public relations services, copy writing and corporate films.

“And I have been very busy, which is great.”

The former BBC news presenter said that he can use all the experience he has gained over the past four decades to bring a well-informed service to those who require it.

He said: “I think people realise that if you have had 40 years on the ‘other side of the fence’ you know how to offer best advice on how to handle the media.

” Big companies, local authorities and other public organisations are so far lining up for that advice and long may that continue.

“And the films I am making for a variety of clients are being well received.”

Clinton explained what keeps him busy nowadays and it seems that his creative side is being harnessed once again.

He said: “So Clinton Rogers Associates is so far proving to be a great replacement for life in the BBC. I am probably busier now than I was when I was working for ‘Auntie’. And there is something rather nice about being your own boss.

“My first films were for Public Health in Somerset – during the COVID crisis – and they were incredibly well received.

“Other clients saw them and wanted me to make ‘news style’ films for them. It’s been a privilege recently to make a series of films for national Refugee Week.”

Clinton continued: “So life outside of the Corporation has certainly been busy. Retirement for now is something I don’t want to consider.

“I still believe I have a lot to offer and I have no intention of slowing down! If anyone is interested in knowing what I can offer, please visit my website: www.clintonrogers.co.uk.”

The freedom he now enjoys both creatively and away from work has meant that Clinton is having the time of his life.

Speaking about his personal life and family, Clinton said: “But for me, perhaps the biggest advantage of leaving the BBC is that I can now choose when to work and who to work for.

“I am loving spending more quality time with my family – four children, six grandchildren and a new dog – long walks, the odd holiday, which can be taken outside of school holiday times now my wife has retired from working in a school.

“It’s about having choice. Some people often say to me they wish they could be 30 again. Really? I’m enjoying being in my sixties. Life has never been better!”