Stuart Hall is  — quite rightly — a true icon of the media industry.

Stuart…he of  ‘It’s a Knockout’ and ‘Jeux sans Frontiers’ fame; of Radio FiveLive where he conjures up some of the most amazing words and phrases ever used in the reporting of football games; and presenter of countless programmes for both BBC North West and Granada TV in the North-West region.

But I’ve also seen Stuart recently described as a legend.

Most emphatically  not. Because, strictly speaking, you can only become a legend after your death. Stuart, thankfully, is breezing into his NINTH decade on this planet with as much energy and enthusiasm as a man half his age. His diary is till packed with engagements and work commitments. Retire? “Never”, says Stuart.

Which doesn’t surprise me. We worked together on BBC’s ‘North West Tonight’ — he as the presenter, me as the producer. The impish smile, the ability to charm birds of trees, the facility with words…producing quotes from Shakespeare or even classical Greek at the drop of a hat…was always there. Stuart was — and is — a larger than life character who will never age.

I met up with him again last week, aptly — for someone who has always enjoyed the good things of life — at an Oyster Festival at Guy’s Hamlet in Bilsborrow in Lancashire.  Absolutely tremendous. After the bear hug, I inspected him closely to check any real signs of age. The hair is elegantly silver now — but, unlike me, at least he still has it. That apart, he really does belie his years. At the age of eighty he looks about fifty. So what’s his secret…”A bottle of decent claret every night” was the response. I told you he enjoys the good things in life!

We met to discuss a possible work collaboration. That discussion is being re-scheduled because we had so much to catch up on — memories of people, of places, of playing football together, of TV and radio programmes we experienced together…especially his football reporting for ‘Sports Report’.

I also reported on football for ‘Sports Report’ but never matched his colourful prose. Who else but Stuart could describe the late, great Emlyn Hughes as “a runaway wardrobe” when in full flight; or more recently volunteering for a minor cup game in which Tooting & Mitcham were playing just so that he could say “Toot – ing” on air, pronouncing it as they did in the ‘Carry On’ films.

I really hope Stuart and do I work together again soon.

Stuart is a truly great broadcaster but not yet a legend. He is alive and kicking, and still chortling. Long may that continue. I, for one, don’t want Mr Hall to become a legend for many, many years to come.

Steve Ireland