Des McAngus has just finished touring the highlands for his new series, "Des Takes A Stroll" to be shown on mainstream television next year. Amongst his guests will be Scottish legend Moira Anderson and Jock McTavis the famous kilt maker as Des takes us on his very own personal guide of Scotland's more famous hills.

As well as talking to interesting local people and their dying crafts, such as the 'Clat Bracker' in Lochailort, along the way Des will also be showing viewers the range of plants that can be eaten with only slight preparation and the minimum of discomfort.

"Aye, even the humble thistle can make a tasty treat using just a couple of ordinary stones and a wee campfire" says Des, currently taking a short break in Dundee Hospital before he returns to his home in the Outer Hebrides.

Des is a familiar figure with his wax jacket, ginger beard and wellingtons and has been to just about every inhospitable place in the world in his green landrover. Parachuting, sewers, bunjee-jumping are all in a days work for Des but says its been a pleasant change to tour the places he used to go as a small boy. Des has been heard on local radio and even alternative radio when he was once heard on Radio Overflow turning on the Christmas lights in the Outer Hebrides. A keen bird watcher, Des has a hand-reared Slovanian Grebe named McGruff and a small Scotty dog called Tammy.

Earlier this year, as part of Radio 4's 'A Date With Des' series, the roving Scottish reporter drove down in his Landrover to see Albert Watkins in Surbiton. Albert runs a small cottage industry making.....well, you'll just have to listen. Clip below.

PLAY CLIP - DES GOES TO SURBITON

Des McAngus is the creation of Isaac Ferneyhough and Ralph Morris. Des is a keen reporter who will literally go ANYWHERE for a story. Well loved not only by those who hear him, he also has a real place in the hearts of his creators too.

"He is bonkers basically - but you can't fault his dedication to his occupation" says Ralph. "Of all those we do, Des is the one that makes us smile the most - we know him so well I guess, and the lovely thing about Des is that he never complains no matter WHERE we send him. Think of the most awful place a reporter could go - Des is your man. For us, Des epitomises Alan Whicker's generation of reporters who for the most part, are no more, and maybe, just maybe theres a Fife Robinson in there somewhere, I couldn't possibly say"

"Des Goes To Surbiton" was surprisingly done in one take although (and they decided to leave them in) there are two instances where it became too funny and theres a definite hint of a giggle.

"Perhaps one of the funniest is when Des 'volunteered' to turn on the Christmas lights in the Outer Hebrides in a raging gale. We split the sketch into very short segments, spread over three hours. Each time we'd go 'back to Des' he'd encounter some other problem - bulb blown, dog had just puked or whatever, and listeners were DYING to know if he'd finally get the lights on or not. Damn it - they couldn't see them even if he had but Des is larger than life - wonderful character"

In fact, Isaac and Ralph do many different characters, all unscripted (as here) including Tom & George the two pensioners, Captain Weener and Lieutenant Shutlz (two american cops who spend most of their time eating doughnuts), Oliver Reed and Alec Guiness sharing a bedsitter - list is endless.

With a background in Radio, Ralph and Isaac met at Colchester Institute in 1995 and discovered that not only did they both have a flair for voices, they were also excellent sound editors. After a break of almost ten years, Ralph thinks its about time they did a fresh series of sketches and start working again - particularly with digital recording now being a standard. They welcome enquiries from anyone interested in their work.