On Monday some research was announced linking Anger to Heart Attacks.  Given I wrote about a similar topic not so long ago (Anger Management), it was interesting to see some real research supporting my ramblings.

The story became a bit of a regular feature on BBC Radio throughout the day.  I wasn’t following closely, but suspect it was a bit of light relief from ongoing developments in Ukraine and the Pistorius trial.

Out of the blue, I was contacted by a lady called Liz, a Researcher from the PM Programme on BBC Radio 4: “Would I be interested in being interviewed as a case study?”.

After I’d convinced myself (1) it wasn’t a complete wind-up and (2) I wouldn’t have to provide any Bank Account Details, I responded… Yes, I was interested in participating but unfortunately I was travelling, so finding a convenient time to talk might be difficult.

To be honest, I was also slightly concerned about a live interview.  The last thing I wanted to do was feature as a case study on a “People who have Heart Attacks live on the Radio” feature in months to come!

So, I found myself talking to Eddie Mair about my Heart Attack and my feelings of Anger that preceded the event.  About an hour later I appeared on BBC Radio 4’s PM programme.  All quite surreal!

You can hear the interview here:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03wpjg6
(I’m on at approx. 41 minutes into the programme)

Prepared as ever, I had notified close family members that I might be on Radio 4 at 6 pm.  Unfortunately I was travelling at the time and got my time zones confused.  Amusingly this resulted in Daughter #2 listening to Radio 4 News for 30 rather tedious minutes.  She had a bit of a sense of humour failure at my mistake but, learning from her father, she took a deep breath and didn’t let it get her angry.  She is however much better informed on current affairs than ever before!

A brief mention of the Blog following the interview resulted in unprecedented “hits” for the following few hours.  It also resulted in many more Comments and Contacts than I’ve ever experienced before.  It was all very exciting!

Incidentally, a big thanks to everyone that has taken the time to get in touch!

It was a real, practical demonstration of the power of the media for me.  The exposure resulted in a daily traffic level over 5 times higher than I’ve had before.  It’s a level which is going to be tough to get close to again.  Tough, but I’ve got a few ideas up my sleeve!