Dean Martin started out playing hits from Bros and New Kids On The Block to a crowd of Tango-fuelled youngsters at his school disco. He was 11.

Three years later, and the youngsters had been replaced by dancing uncles and tipsy bridesmaids as the 14-year-old travelled from his Finchley home to perform at weddings across London.

Those expecting someone akin to his hard-drinking crooner namesake would doubtless have been surprised to have seen Dean's angelic face peering from behind the decks.

Then, aged 18, his poptastic ambitions began to reach fruition. He started broadcasting on Hospital Radio Barnet, the beginnings of a career that now sees him with his own show, six days a week, on Capital Gold.

He broadcasts not only to the UK, but worldwide via the internet, and has a growing fanbase in America.

Hospital Radio Barnet is now on the hunt for the next Dean Martin or Tony Blackburn. The station is offering the chance for one lucky reader to spend an hour presenting their own show at the studios in Wellhouse Lane.

To get you started, Dean offers his top five tips on how to break into the world of radio presenting:

1. Experience: "Barnet Hospital Radio was very good experience for me. The important thing to realise is that you are not going to be Tony Blackburn straight away. You are not going to have your own show just like that.

"I used to stand around watching others, seeing how it's done, learning about the desk and what sounded good and bad."

2. Personality: "If you are shy and quiet, you're not going to get on the radio. You need to be bubbly. If you wake up in a bad mood, you can't let that be known on air. You need to be high, smiley, happy and cheerful it doesn't matter if you got a parking ticket that morning."

3. Music Knowledge: "Putting it simply, if you want to work on a music station, you need knowledge of music."

4. A Good Demo Tape: "Have a good demo tape. Practise doing your own shows at home. Record it, and listen to it back. There will be times when you think 'why did I say that, that sounds stupid'. Edit it, until you have a master demo, then send it round the radio stations."

5. Be Patient: "This is a tough industry. One minute you are top of the Premiership, the next you are bottom of the non-league. Capital Radio is the biggest commercial station in Europe you can only imagine how many tapes they receive. But keep trying."

If you would like the chance to follow in Dean's footsteps, write the ten songs you would play if given an hour on air at Hospital Radio Barnet and send them to: Radio Presenter Competition, Head Of Training, Hospital Radio Barnet, Barnet Hospital, Wellhouse Lane, Barnet EN5 3DJ. Remember to include your name, address and phone number.