The Singing Bus Driver

Life Changing

BBC

Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.6 • 735 Ratings

🗓️ 18 June 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Phillip Browne was born into a large and loving Windrush generation family in Birmingham. Church and singing were an important part of his upbringing, and when he struggled at school it was singing that gave him an escape and a status. But just as he was beginning to show signs of real potential, a devastating ear infection robbed him of his hearing completely in one ear - and Phillip was told by a doctor that a singing career was out of the question. Phillip's struggle in the aftermath of his illness and his need to find a job resulted in him becoming a London bus driver. He knew the security of employment was a relief to his father who had spent a lifetime working on the railways, but it seemed to be leading him further and further away from his dream. Until a chance meeting with an old college friend turned his life in an extraordinary new direction.

Phillip tells Dr Sian Williams about that Life Changing moment - and his incredible journey to the bright lights of the West End stage.

Producer: Tom Alban

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before this BBC podcast kicks off, I'd like to tell you about some others you might enjoy.
0:05.1	My name's Will Wilkin and I Commission Music Podcast for the BBC.
0:08.7	It's a really cool job, but every day we get to tell the incredible stories behind songs,
0:13.5	moments and movements, stories of struggle and success, rises and falls, the funny, the ridiculous.
0:19.1	And the BBC's position, at the heart of British music
0:21.7	means we can tell those stories like no one else.
0:24.5	We were, are and always will be right there at the centre of the narrative.
0:28.6	So whether you want an insightful take on music right now
0:31.3	or a nostalgic deep dive into some of the most famous and infamous moments in music,
0:36.1	check out the music podcasts on BBC Sounds.
0:40.0	BBC Sounds, music, radio podcasts.
0:43.9	You're about to listen to the latest series of Life-changing.
0:47.8	Episodes will be released weekly wherever you get your podcasts,
0:51.2	but if you're in the UK, you can listen to the latest episodes first on BBC Sounds.
0:58.3	Hello, I wonder, what would it take for you to finally realise a childhood dream
1:04.4	that you secretly hope one day you might make a living out of?
1:08.4	Is it self-belief, talent, support, a sprinkling of good fortune?
1:15.0	Perhaps it's all of the above.
1:16.6	And maybe you've already done it.
1:19.3	Our guest today certainly has.
1:21.7	Resigned to one life, a quirk of fate and a questioning friend
1:25.7	means he now lives a completely different one, one even he, never allowed himself to contemplate.
	...

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