A NEWTON-LE-WILLOWS teacher has launched a podcast in Turkey.

Jorma Kirkko was a former French and German teacher at Newton-le-Willows Community High School between 1999-2001, before moving abroad.

He also worked for his dad at AKM in Earlestown, however, Jorma began his own venture of pursuing a career as an author and journalist. 

Jorma now lives in Istanbul where he splits his time between part-time teaching, working on a podcast, and voice acting in English and German.

St Helens Star: Jorma now lives in Turkey with his wife and their four cats Jorma now lives in Turkey with his wife and their four cats (Image: Jorma Kirkka)

The 48-year-old recently set up a podcast, dubbed the Pubcast due to it being produced in a pub, with his podcast partners Ray Mac, who he met in a comedic circumstance in Istanbul, and Ray’s cousin Eamon McAndrew.

Jorma told the Star: "I had always been interested in radio and started on hospital radio before doing news in Germany and Scotland.

"During lockdown, I got bored of watching Netflix and started to listen to a lot of podcasts. My friend Ray and his cousin, Eamon, have a comedy Facebook site called Blackmilkshake, a euphemism for Guinness, and they style themselves as an online local pub.

"Ray has a naturally sunnier disposition than me but combining that with my radio and comedy writing experience and I thought we were on to a winner.

"In fact, we record in the same pub where we met when Ray stole my wife's seat five years ago."

St Helens Star: Jorma and Ray have been pals since they met five years ago Jorma and Ray have been pals since they met five years ago (Image: Jorma Kirkko)

The trio release a 30-40-minute podcast once a month, with their first four episodes attracting listeners from 33 different countries since it debuted at the start of summer.

The Pubcast hosts comedic discussions with British and Irish humour, and offers a light-hearted podcast full of "interviews, banter, and a bit of chat about Turkey."

The lads shared a love of radio which led them to launch their very own podcast that has already been well received in its first few months.

Jorma added: "We combine the craic of Saturday lunchtime radio with comedy characters, interviews, banter and a bit of chat about Turkey; no politics, no sport, no religion.

"The Pubcast is a home for people who think the modern world takes itself just a tad too seriously."

The podcast is available at  https://shows.acast.com/blackmilkshake/ and https://podcasts.apple.com/.../blackmilkshake/id1645409630