Hugo Duncan

Who is Hugo Duncan?

Hugo Duncan is a singer and BBC broadcaster born in Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland on 26 March 1950. His nickname is "The wee man from Strabane" or "Uncle Hugo".

In the early 70s, he was spotted on a TV talent show on RTÉ and signed by the then fledgling Release Records, which later spawned such stars as Philomena Begley, Ray Lynam, and Eurovision star Johnny Logan.

By the time he was twenty-one he had formed his own band, Hugo Duncan and the Tall Men, and had a number one hit in the Irish charts with “Dear God”

Hugo joined Radio Foyle during the 1980s doing holiday relief, after which he was offered a job presenting his own show on a weekly basis. He also presents a show on Radio Foyle, every Sunday from 14:00 to 16:00.

In October 1998, he was given the opportunity to present Hugo Duncan's Country Afternoon on Radio Ulster each weekday from 13:30 to 15:00, and The theme tune used on his BBC Radio Ulster show is "Rocky Top", while he closes each programme with "Yakety Sax", also known as the theme to The Benny Hill Show. This show attracts a large international listenership with people using BBC iPlayer to listen throughout the world, often sending messages to the show. Many of the international listeners in English speaking territories, such as North America and Australia, have not previously lived in Northern Ireland and listen to the show based on its quality.