Broadcaster Ian Cottier has presented more than 2,000 editions of his Time for Brass programme on the radio and has ’enjoyed every minute of it’.

A landmark achievement was reached this week when the 40th anniversary edition of the show went out on Manx Radio.

’I’m the luckiest person on the planet’ said Mr Cottier who has kept all the playlists of his shows dating back four decades to the very first one in September 1980.

He has kept up with changing technology and his specialist Monday night programme can now be enjoyed across the world - with brass band enthusiast listeners regularly emailing him their requests.

His daughter Fenella Green says he is the ’longest running brass band radio presenter in the world and I am sure that is worthy of an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records’.

In the early days Mr Cottier, 84, who also has two sons, Juan and Finlo, and eight grandchildren, presented the show live.

It was later extended to an hour and in recent years he has recorded the show. Speaking from his home in his beloved Port St Mary he has no plans to ’retire’ from the programme as he prepared to compile his playlist for next Monday night’s show.

The Manxman was headmaster at St Ninian’s in Douglas between 1976 and 1994 and to this day he often bumps into people he taught English to.

His busy life includes being a voluntary steward at the Gaiety Theatre and he has often been on stage comparing shows by visiting brass bands.

For the last 13 years he has served on the government’s planning committee and he also plays a part in reading the news for the Manx Blind Welfare Society.