Oli Bell: 'I had a screen test but couldn't go on camera as I looked about four'

What's your earliest racing memory?
When I was young, I went to Leicester to watch Home From The Hill win for my grandparents. It was a great experience and that's when I got the bug for racing. I then followed horses trained by my uncle Michael Bell and used to have an encyclopedic knowledge of horses. My mum would take me to the racing pubs and I would name all the runners in the photos behind the bar to try to win a free roast dinner.

Was your family racing connection a help or a hindrance?
When I started it used to bother me as people would say I only got the job because of my uncle or my dad Rupert, who also works as a presenter. The assumption was perhaps I got given a job because of my surname but hopefully over time I've shown I've warranted the opportunities. The truth is I started doing work experience for local papers when I was 15, away from the racing world. That said, I'm proud of what my family has been able to achieve within the sport.

How did you decide to become a presenter?
My brother and sister are quite creative, and my mum is a drama teacher. I did drama at school and didn't mind being the centre of attention. I always knew I wanted to be a sports presenter as I wasn't good enough to play sport professionally. From the age of 11, I set my sights on that and presented the breakfast show on our school radio. When everyone went to university, I didn't want to go and applied for loads of jobs. I had a screen test at Racing UK but looked about four when I started, so they couldn't put me anywhere near the camera. I spent two years working as an editorial assistant.