Behind the success of the Prison Radio Association is our dedicated, hardworking staff team who make the world of prison radio in England and Wales tick. Here, we get to know them and spotlight their experience of working for the Prison Radio Association.
Ali is our morning breakfast show Producer and Presenter, he is the voice that up to 80,000 people in prison across England and Wales wake up to every morning. He was once inside HMP Brixton and now, he’s an award-winning producer and presenter who delivers bags of positivity, motivation and laughter every day of the week to those who need it the most. Here is what he has to say about life at the Prison Radio Association:
How long have you been working at the Prison Radio Association? What were you doing before?
I started working for the Prison Radio Association in 2021, 4 years ago this January!
I used to work in retail and warehouses. In 2018-2019 I didn’t have much work experience on my CV so I used to fill up my CV by doing warehouse jobs and temporary jobs. At one point I was picking and packing online orders for Sainsbury’s…a bit different to my job now!
What does a typical day at work look like for you?
As a morning breakfast show host I have to wake up very early and get myself energised. I have to eat right, go to the gym and arrive in the office in the morning ready, focused and with a clear head. I make an episode of the Porridge show every day and each episode has special features; I research games, motivational quotes, and I collect up all the songs that our audience members request through the phone line or by writing in. I then schedule my finished show and it is broadcast out into the prison cells of up to 80,000 people across England and Wales, via National Prison Radio.
It’s so nice as time goes very fast. To me it doesn’t feel like work, it’s actually fun.
What is the best thing about working at the Prison Radio Association?
I’ve never felt like I’ve been in a family before because I’m an only child, but working in the Prison Radio Association feels like I’m in a family. Ever since I became an ex-prisoner my biggest concern was people will not trust me in any organisation I work for because ‘ex-offender’ will be written on me. But since I’ve been working at the Prison Radio Association, they treat me like a normal human being. They don’t automatically hold their fingers crossed and wait until I make a mistake to fire me. They actually sit me down and speak to me like a normal human being and treat me like everyone else, and that’s what I love about working at the Prison Radio Association.
What is something you wish everybody understood about the realities of working in prison?
It does sound scary when you hear ‘working in prison’, but really and truly, it’s something that you can be very proud of because you’re helping people, you’re helping people change their lives. Whether it’s a little bit, whether it’s a lot, it’s still helping people and that’s why I love working in prisons, because I want to show hope. People always show terrible stuff inside prisons and whatnot, but I want to show the hopefulness of how people are changing inside prison so that when they come out, you can see the full transformation.
What is your favourite podcast or radio show currently?
On National Prison Radio, my favourite podcasts are Outside In and the Life After Prison podcast. I really love the Life After Prison podcast because it shows there is life after prison, and people that have been in prison are proving that.
Outside In has great advice and information for people coming out of prison and people that still have a little bit of time left going to go inside prison. It’s also produced and presented by people who have previously worked at National Prison Radio whilst serving prison sentences.
And my favorite radio show on National Prison Radio has to be Free Flow. I love it, man. It’s the show that plays the instrumental twice and you write your bars down. And it’s hosted by the amazing Lady Unchained!
What is the song that you would use to sum up your time working at the Prison Radio Association?
The track that sums up my time working at the Prison Radio Association has to be the number one track that I like: Gunna – Him All Along. The reason why I picked this track is because it’s promotes the message that even if you doubt yourself as a person, don’t doubt yourself, you are him all along, you are that person all along. Just keep grinding, forget about what other people are thinking about you and just do you.
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National Prison Radio is the world’s first national radio station for people in prison. It’s available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on in-cell TV. The Porridge Show broadcasts weekday mornings at 7am.
National Prison Radio was founded by the Prison Radio Association – a registered charity. Our shows help people to cope with life inside prison and
