Standing on the Shoulders: Incredible Heroes and How They Inspire Us

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As one of the UK's leading journalists, Dan has made it his life work to focus on people who often act as the catalysts for change: the unheralded champions who frequently go without getting the recognition they deserve. WHILE being so public about faith is far from the norm in the media, Mr Walker maintains that any attempts to pigeonhole him because of his beliefs have come to nothing. “It’s a high-profile job, and I suppose they expect me to act in a certain way, or to be a certain person, or have a certain size of ego. I like it that they can’t work out why I am the way I am. Faith does determine a lot of the things I do, and the way I choose to do things. And, maybe, that’s a little bit in contrast to a lot of people who work in industry.” My mum and dad were very good at taking an interest in what I was up to and we’d always sit down for tea together. We often had lots of people in the house, crammed around the dinner table, but our parents were keen for the kids to be part of the conversation, too. We’d chat about serious stuff, but most of the time we’d be joking. I can only remember my dad losing his temper once. We were all arguing and throwing stuff, and he went, “Oh, would you lot stop it!” and banged a glass bottle of ketchup on the table, the contents of which went up in the air and landed on his head.

Because of my faith, I don’t work Sundays. It’s not something that anyone else has to adhere to – my sister is a nurse and works on Sundays all the time – but I’ve often worked hard the other six days of the week, and I want our family to be together on that day no matter what. Also, if I didn’t do that I’d be completely consumed by my job and probably wouldn’t have been married for 21 years. There are jobs I haven’t got because of that choice, but for every door that’s closed in my face, another has opened. From 1st July 2021, VAT will be applicable to those EU countries where VAT is applied to books - this additional charge will be collected by Fed Ex (or the Royal Mail) at the time of delivery. Shipments to the USA & Canada: The new book from the author of the bestselling Remarkable People contains a totally fresh batch of humble heroes whose actions, bravery and determination have helped shape their communities. Sometimes portrayed as unapologetically out of step with secular society — he danced on Strictly Come Dancing as a six-foot lobster, as his family do not celebrate Hallowe’en, and he would have felt disingenuous in a spooky costume — are there faith issues where Mr Walker’s views have changed? AS WE are in the neighbourhood of scrutiny and criticism, would he be willing to dispel the confusion around his take on Genesis, and the Creationist label that some columnists have tried to attach? “No, is the answer to that question.”

History can be cruel and forgetful to those who don’t shout about their own success or good deeds, but Standing on the Shoulders is a beautifully-written and illuminating celebration of ordinary people and the extraordinary things they do. It is also a timely reminder of the goodness and positivity that drives us forward during challenging times. Never feeling drawn to a position in ministry, Mr Walker wanted a career in teaching or sports broadcasting, and famously wrote to the Match of the Day presenter Des Lynam for advice on getting into television. Mr Lynam suggested a degree in history or English, and Mr Walker later read history at Sheffield University. Work in commercial local radio led to Granada’s regional news programmes, followed by sports presenting on the BBC, then BBC Breakfast presenting, and now Channel 5. Broadcasters know that Sunday working is off limits for Mr Walker.

It is a stark reminder of the very basic haircutting technique my mum employed for many years – a method that involved making a hole in the middle of a tablecloth and using that as the guide to trim our hair. In this case it was at a jaunty angle. Everyone in the family underwent the same tablecloth-on-your-head process. When you’re that age you’re oblivious, but for my dad, not so much.

The most important thing for me in terms of my faith – my Christianity – is that it gives me a sense of perspective. When it comes to the job, I love it, but I am not defined by my career. My value doesn’t come from what anyone else thinks of me and whether I can make a good show. I’ve met people in the industry who are so consumed by what others are saying about them or how their programmes are going down that they find it hard to function. Instead, I am led by what I call the “Fs”: the important Fs to me are family, friends and faith, and the things that don’t matter are fame, fortune and the froth that sometimes comes with the industry. I’ve never once discussed money while talking about a job. It’s always about the quality of the work and the people. Taylor said: “History can be cruel and forgetful to those who do not shout about their own success or good deeds, but Dan’s new book is a beautifully written and illuminating celebration of ordinary people and the extraordinary things they do, and a timely reminder of the goodness and positivity that drives us forward during challenging times.” Some (not all) of the stories are tragic and just so saddening but overall these are stories of optimism and hope and are uplifting and inspiring and show amazing strength of character. The subject of forgiveness in the face of such awful atrocity has its own chapter with Dan talking to people about their religious beliefs and why they have chosen to forgive rather than live a life of bitterness and hate. Suicide and its reverberations is a topic in Standing on the Shoulders, and is also close to his heart, after the loss of his friend Gary Speed, who took his own life in 2011. After completing the “3 Dads” chapter in the book, about three fathers bereaved by the suicides of their daughters, and who walked across England to raise awareness of suicide prevention, Mr Walker took a six-week break from writing. The new audiobook from the author of the bestselling Remarkable People contains a totally fresh batch of humble heroes whose actions, bravery and determination have helped shape their communities.

I know that I’m valued; so I don’t take my value from what people say, write, or print about me; so I don’t get carried away by the praise, or dragged too low by the criticism.” I think, like any relationship, it develops over time, because now I understand more now about the complexities of things you go through. There are phases in your life where you’re sort of more entrenched in certain opinions or ways of looking at things. As you mature, you develop your way of thinking and your way of looking at not only yourself, but the outside world as well. And I think that is the route that anybody who’s a Christian would take, and I’ve always felt I’m very tolerant and understanding of other points of view and differences of opinion. You’ll find quite a joyful bunch of people who have a real sense of perspective. Above everything, my faith enables me to have a real sense of perspective in an industry where you’re constantly under scrutiny, and constantly criticised for what you say, what you do, what you wear, how you are, how you talk, what questions you ask, all these sorts of things. The new audiobook from the author of the best-selling Remarkable People contains a totally fresh batch of humble heroes whose actions, bravery and determination have helped shape their communities. This is an early school photo of a happy, well-fed child. I was eating a lot of sweets at the time, and ignorant of the fact that I had one of the worst haircuts known to man.As one of the UK’s leading journalists, Dan has made it his life work to focus on people who often act as the catalysts for change: the unheralded champions who frequently go without getting the recognition they deserve.