Fred alert!

HE says his fan club following is made up of kids and those of "pensionable age" but, if he's being honest, there is a much wider Fred Dinenage appreciation society than he gives credit to.

The bespectacled newsman, who started his media days as a tea boy at the Birmingham Mail, is respected throughout the region and, as far as grand openings, school fetes and after dinner invitations go, he's an A-list celebrity in these parts.

But what's this cool, calm and perfectly-collected Portsmouth fan like when the cameras have stopped and the gaze of the South is no longer upon him An impossible question to answer - he is always in the public eye. There isn't a street in Southampton he can walk down or a shop he can browse through without a huddle of, usually, middle-aged women whispering: "It's him. It is. It's him, it's that Fred off the telly!'' But you'd be wrong in thinking this would drive him to distraction, because Fred Dinenage loves the spotlight. He has worked his way up from the depths of a dingy newsroom, through cult '60s children's television show How!, to be a respected and dedicated news anchor and he adores the fact he's seen as everyone's pal. From students in shopping centres raising their hands in Apache style as they chant "How!" (before collapsing in giggles believing they are the first to have thought of such a witty greeting), to the old ladies who stop him in the street to ask his advice on domestic troubles, he welcomes them all with open arms. Although, as convincing as he is when telling me this, I can't help but think there have to be times when he says the statutory greeting through gritted teeth.

Fred is a very clever man. He works people with effortless ease, charm and sophistication, making it almost impossible to decipher the man behind the media mask. He oozes a suave confidence that shrouds him like a veil. Getting to know the real Fred was going to be a tough task.

Approaching Fred for an interview, I knew that unless I talked to him out of his usual media environment, getting to know the man and not the celebrity was going to be well-nigh impossible.

I was right in thinking Mr Dinenage, 57, would welcome the interview. He is a very affable character, one who doesn't shy away from the glare of publicity judging by his recent exploits with Britain's wrestling fraternity in Southampton. He jumped at the chance to be interviewed, cooing about how wonderful regional papers were and how he totally respected local journalists.

"Come in any time you want and we can grab a coffee in the canteen,'' he said.

"Can I take you away from all this for a spot of lunch maybe'' I ask.

"Well, I haven't really got the time. What's wrong with our canteen''

After a few minutes to-ing and fro-ing, he reluctantly agreed to a morning interview out of the sanctity of Meridian at a little pub he knew that served "great breakfasts".

It was here, away from the receptionists who coo at him, the cleaners who adore him, and the newsmen (and women) who work with him, that Fred came into his own. But that's not before this grandfather of news (no disrespect meant, but he has been in the business for more than 30 years) has turned the tables on me and settles into the character he is most comfortable with - the interviewer.

Before I had a chance to order a coffee, Fred was quizzing me about my job, life and ambition. He'd also done his background research by quizzing a former colleague of mine, now at Meridian, about my ability as a journalist and my physical appearance. I had to take my hat off to him on that score - he wasn't going into the lion's den without suitable armoury.

The conversation covered football, living in Southampton, and how he was asked by Reggie and Ronnie Kray to ghost-write their autobiography, before a courteous chef in a wild pony-skin hat served up Fred's smoked haddock and poached egg. As the smell of the food hit his nostrils, he seemed to relax. The interview then took the form of a chat and he leant back in his chair, head resting on his hand and talked like we'd known each other for years.

"This job's brilliant but I've got 16 months left on my Meridian contract and then I'm seriously thinking about calling it a day and retiring to my apartment in Spain.

"I mean, 16 months is a long time and you never know what's going to happen. But the kids are grown now - in fact, my twins, Caroline and Chris, are celebrating their 18th birthdays this week and they've organised a huge party for all their friends. I think I'll stay out of it - the less I know the better, I reckon! I have this flat between Marbella and Gibraltar and I just want to spend more time there. I'm not getting any younger and I'd really love to have some time in the sun with my wife, relaxing and getting away from it all.

"I couldn't retire around here. I'm known everywhere and, as much as I love it now, to have kids coming up to me in Sainsbury's doing the How! sign and giggling like they are the first joker to ever have done it when I'm 90 will begin to, shall we say, aggravate.

"Today, I love it when I'm approached in the street - all right, maybe not all the time - but these are the people who keep Meridian's viewing figures up and I'm only where I am because they stick by me. So it's the least I can do to be polite, friendly and civil. But give it a few years after finishing and I'm sure the novelty of celebrity will wear off pretty quickly, which is why I'll be safer in Spain - I'm a nobody over there, not a How! joke in sight.

"That's not to say I won't miss this job. I love it, truly love it. The relationship I have with the girls who work with me is great and even when they leave they keep in touch with me and ask my advice on things.''

The celebrity Fred returns for just a moment as he crows about how Natasha Kaplinsky, now an anchor woman for a London news station, phoned the other day to ask his advice.

"She's seen a lovely little mews house in London but she can't afford it. She phoned because she said whatever I advised she'd do. So I told her to go for it. She'll make money on it - especially in London. I just love the fact she feels she can do that, call me up whenever.

"It's been the same with them all; the rapport has always been good because we've been friends. It will be the people I miss more than anything when I eventually go.''

But Fred is more than just a news anchor in this region. He has his fingers in many pies and has a past interviewee list that reads like a Who's Who of history. His one huge claim to fame, if his current status isn't enough, was when he interviewed the Rolling Stones on one of his first TV shows and was asked for an autograph by Ringo Star.

"They were buggers, really rebellious and possibly the most difficult group of people I have ever had to interview - and that was before the fame and drugs took hold.

"I suppose, when you think about it, I have been really lucky - but then getting into this business is about ten per cent talent and 90 per cent luck.

"My break came when I was working with Annie Nightingale, now a radio presenter, on the Brighton Argus. I was doing summer relief while waiting to take up a job at the London Evening Standard when she told me a producer was looking for someone to present a new kids' show. It's a long story, but when I failed to turn up for the interview the producer came looking for me, we got on well, I got the job - and that's where it all began. And I suppose I haven't looked back, really.

"A new series of the kids' science show How! is airing now and I've other things in the pipeline but, ultimately, what I really want to do now is rest a little, write some fiction, and take life a little easier.

"I'll miss presenting the news. It's been part of my life for so long, but there comes a time when everything has to change and I feel my time is coming. I'm not getting any younger and there are so many other things I'd love to do, so I think it won't be long before they'll be looking for another male anchor on Meridian. But, hey, who knows what could happen in 16 months This conversation could be incidental if an offer I can't refuse comes up.''

Somehow, I can't picture Fred ever leaving the South and shipping out to relative anonymity. He seems to love being famous - and he suits it.

I wasn't expecting to like Fred Dinenage. I had psyched myself up to deal with the inflated ego of a smarmy celebrity but, once all the formalities were out of the way, the schoolboy humour and wicked laugh had a charm all of their own. Fred is a warm, witty and amiable guy - and an insatiable flirt. Devoted to his football team (although he wrestles with that devotion), his job and his dream of retiring in the sun, he's a well-liked man because of his ability to adapt to circumstance and mould to the environment he's in.

Underneath the well-groomed, suave exterior there's a naughty little schoolboy dying to break out and it's this, more than his celebrity status, that makes him interesting.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.