A local radio presenter may be featuring in an upcoming episode of Escape to the Country, filmed for BBC One.

Led by local celeb, Rob Persani, Rutland and Stamford Sound is an independent rural radio station covering events in England's smallest county and Lincolnshire's Georgian market town of Stamford.

The radio station was set up in march 2021, and has been providing local content for the rural Rutland and Stamford communities since.

Now, Rob has popped out from behind the radio desk and in front of a camera, even just for a couple of hours, while filming for BBC One's Escape to the Country in Uppingham.

Although as yet unsure if he will feature on the programme, Rob said: "It was lovely to be involved and helping to fly the flag for the county.

"There are two versions of the show - a 45 and 60 minute episode, so I'm not sure which (if any) I'll feature on. However, I hope the couple found a house here, as they were certainly taken with the beautiful county and all it has to offer."

On top of this foray into the world of TV, the team are also working to obtain an FM licence to allow them to broadcast to a wider audience with more reliability and consistency.

Unfortunately, OFCOM are no longer issuing FM licences and so Rutland and Stamford Sound are unable to use an FM frequency.

The team said: "The future of Radio is increasingly digital and our aim is to offer you a varied choice of digital platforms, starting with online streaming, Smart Speakers and Smart TV access, with Smartphone Apps coming very soon.

"OFCOM have, however, begun licensing a number of small scale Digital Audio Broadcast (ssDAB) transmitters and when this becomes available locally we hope to be able to also provide a broadcast service from DAB+ equipped radio.

"If you are planning on buying a new radio look out for the Digital Radio Tick Mark as this means the radio is DAB+ enabled and will receive all available DAB, DAB+ and FM radio stations."

You can listen to Rutland and Stamford Sound via a range of online mediums. Image credit: Rutland and Stamford Sound.

Alicia Kearns, Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton has been supporting this campaign. She said: "I am determined to do everything I can to get Rutland and Stamford Sound a FM licence, and my meeting with the Media Minister was a really positive step towards this.

"Rutland and Stamford Sound are a much-loved voice for our rural communities. The Station played an invaluable role during the pandemic, spreading important information on vaccination services, culminating in their invaluable contribution to Rutland's impressive vaccination rate and speed.

"No community should be excluded from using this vital local resource, and I will continue to work with the Media Minister to ensure this. We are not there yet, but our plan is now starting to come together."

Read more about this campaign to get Rutland and Stamford Sound a licence, or watch BBC's Escape to the Country on Monday 18 September to see if you can spot any familiar faces - or voices!