Alison Keenan
My background is book publishing where I worked for prominent publisher Michael Joseph in their publicity department. My two years there culminated in a promotion to Assistant Publicity Manager of their then sister publishing house, Pelham Books. From there, a move out of London and into advertising where I worked as an account executive for the agency’s regional clients, overseeing above and below the line campaigns.
Following the birth of my first child I worked as a professional voice-over artist before getting the chance to work in local radio. I began as a travel announcer but within two weeks was co-hosting the mid-morning show for Beacon Radio in the Midlands.
Within a year I shifted county and became researcher/producer/presenter of my own radio show with BBC Radio Shropshire, a job I loved and had great success with for three years. It gave me sufficient confidence to audition for my first TV job that led me to present ITV’s flagship daytime show ‘This Morning’ whenever the regular hosts Richard and Judy were absent. I hosted a total of 101 shows over four years followed by further work for Granada TV working for their independent channels. I presented six of my own shows some in studio, others on location for subjects as diverse as Stately Homes, fashion, cooking and health. This experience led me to report and present for many other shows including the BBC’s Watchdog Value for Money series and their highly successful Holiday Show.
I continued to work within the broadcasting industry writing for and contributing to existing shows such as Channel 4’s Dispatches. I also became involved in formulating programme ideas for TV and have written storylines and scripted for BBC 1’s TV series Doctors. This led to me creating and formulating a TV drama that was optioned by Sally Head Productions. Since then I’ve written a two hour TV drama and completed writing a six episode returnable TV drama series which I’m currently working on with a scriptwriter.
I self-published my biography A New Kind of Normal in October 2018 which went in at No 5 on Amazon, sandwiched between Michelle Obama and Michael Caine – an interesting combination! It’s had 323 mainly 5 star reviews which I find enormously humbling, and last year I wrote a 45 minute stage/radio play for two people which was considered by the Women’s Prize for Playwriting.
Regular work for me over the last 23 years has been with QVC the nation’s number one Shopping Channel where I have thoroughly enjoyed presenting thousands of hours of live TV and selling a myriad of marvellous things. I was lucky enough to present live hours in Italy and the USA too and thanks to my regular blog and social media I have massively widened my circle of friends! I retired from QVC on the 31st May this year so I hope to have more opportunity to write, travel, cook and read and of course spend more time with my ever expanding family! I’m married, have three grown up children of my own and five step children who between them have given us four beautiful grandchildren.
I feel blessed to live in Berkshire, surrounded by beautiful countryside and fabulous walks, but close enough to London to regularly visit the theatres and restaurants there. My husband Colin has been working on a major refurbishment of our home and has promised that once it’s finished he will build me a writing room in the garden! I feel another novel coming on…!
