Former Birmingham Mail editor Steve Dyson is to try his hand at radio presenting after being given the chance to stand-in for a local radio show host.

Veteran BBC Radio WM presenter Ed Doolan is due to go into hospital at the end of this month for a cataract operation.

Now HoldtheFrontPage blogger Steve has been given the job of presenting Ed’s 12-2 show while he is out of action.

It marks a second foray into broadcasting for Steve. While doing some freelance work for the BBC last month he brought in the scoop that creative industries minister Sion Simon was quitting as a local MP.

Said Steve: “I’ve worked with Ed Doolan on and off in the last 20 years, and remember doing a profile interview on him as a consumers’ champion when I was a green-behind-the-ears trainee.

“So to have the opportunity of standing in for him during his op is a great privilege, and I’m really pleased to get the chance to see if I can do a half decent job on air.”

News of Steve’s latest role surfaced on the blog of one of his former Trinity Mirror colleagues in Birmingham, John Duckers.

John left his job as business editor of the Birmingham Post in May 2008 and now runs a local gossip blog called Duckers and Diving.

Referring to Steve as ‘Two Dinners Dyson,’ John warned listeners to keep their ears open for “secret munching” during the show.

“I can’t see how he can possibly get through two hours without a snack or two – a plate of hamburgers or maybe a spit-roasted chicken,” he said.