BBC Radio tribute to super-centenarian Bob

Bob Weighton and Debbie Thrower in 2010 when he was 102

I was invited to pay tribute on BBC Radio to Bob Weighton who, until last week, was 'the oldest man in the world'. The resident of Alton, Hampshire, was no stranger to publicity as with every passing year media interest in him grew and grew.

A few years later he was photographed for a book about super-centenarians

In the five-minute interview on the Rick Edwards Show on Sunday evening (31 May 2020) I was able to chat about what it was like to spend time in Bob's company, what he had made of spending his 112th birthday in lockdown and what his plans had been for his own funeral.

Once, when I interviewed Bob for a DVD about Anna Chaplaincy, he told me that he'd lived so long, surviving all six of his siblings, that he had a feeling, 'when I get to heaven all my brothers and sisters will be there, waiting for me and saying, "You've been a long time coming!"'

You may listen again to the interview for a few weeks on BBC Sounds by scrolling to 1 hour 36 minutes and 50 seconds through the programme, which went out from 7.00 to 9.00pm.

Rick Edwards - BBC Radio Five Live

I discovered that presenter Rick Edwards used to belong to Alton swimming club by the way. Small world!

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