Who's who on the Politics Show

The Politics Show South West is a small and friendly team

The team at the Politics Show in the South West is a small one, but we cover a large and beautiful area.

We report from Penzance to Dorchester and from Salcombe to Lynton.

And, between us, we have lived and worked all over our beautiful region.

Martyn Oates was born and grew up in West Cornwall, before reading history at St John's College, Oxford.

After postgraduate research in medieval French history, he returned to the West Country as a cub reporter on the Western Morning News.

Martyn Oates is the musical director of Resonet

He spent two very happy years learning the black arts of journalism as a district reporter in North Devon.

Promoted to Business Editor, Martyn moved to the WMN's head office in Plymouth, before joining the BBC as a political reporter for the Politics Show's predecessor Spotlight on Westminster in 2001.

Professional life at the BBC began with a bang: Martyn's first day coincided with the confirmation of the first case of foot and mouth in Devon.

Since then he has done pretty much every job on the South West's regional political programme. After working as reporter and assistant producer on Spotlight on Westminster, he produced the programme's last run before launching the Politics Show in the South West in 2003.

He was appointed as BBC South West's political editor in 2008, and clocked up his first election and prime ministerial interview in the first fortnight.

As well presenting the Politics Show, Martyn provides political coverage for BBC Spotlight, Radio Cornwall and Radio Devon. He also fronts up the BBC's election coverage in the South West.

Martyn lives on the Cornish side of the beautiful Tamar Valley. His enthusiasms, in no particular order, include cooking, gardening, walking, singing, dancing, fishing, ecclesiastical history and oysters.

Music plays a very important part in Martyn's life. He is the musical director of the BBC South West Chamber Choir, Resonet.

Chris Lyddon produced the region's television news programme Spotlight for many years before joining the Politics Show.

Chris Lyddon and his family live in Devon

Born in Bristol, Chris began his career on the Bideford Gazette and went on to work for local newspapers across the South West. He started with the BBC in 1989 as a producer with Radio Devon.

He went on to become News Editor at BBC Radio Cornwall and has also worked as a BBC health researcher and as a producer with BBC Children In Need. He also helped set up the BBC Devon Online site. When the Politics Show is off air he produces films for BBC South West's current affairs series, Inside Out.

Chris lives in Devon and has a teenage son and two grown-up daughters.

Ben worked as a district reporter for BBC Radio Devon before joining the Politics team in 2006.

Ben Woolvin was awarded the Jill Dando bursary in 2003

He has also worked as a reporter for BBC Spotlight and researched films for Inside Out.

Ben's interest in broadcasting began when, at the age of 11, he presented the weather on Regatta Radio in Dartmouth.

A couple of years later Ben got his first taste of politics when the BBC Newsround Mock Elections were held at his school. They obviously made an impression.

Ben went to university in Exeter. As a student journalist he interviewed Tony Benn and Ken Livingstone. He chaired a weekly debating programme on the campus radio station Xpression FM.

In 2003 Ben was awarded the Jill Dando Bursary which led to his first job at the BBC.

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