Stephen Rhodes is a former weekday daytime presenter on BBC Three Counties Radio and BBC Radio Northampton. He originally hosted the Consumer Programme from 10am until 1.30pm, but moved to the breakfast show from 6 to 9am. However, after his breakfast show on Tuesday 16 March 2010, he handed his resignation in to the radio station and has left with immediate effect, as he prepared to stand as an independent candidate at the 2010 general election. 　　Rhodes originates from Dublin, Ireland and is now a resident of the United Kingdom. 　　Rhodes started his broadcasting career at Dublin pirate radio station "ARD Radio" at the end of the '70s, moving over to the UK and Birmingham radio station BRMB in 1980, before moving to Beacon Radio in Wolverhampton and then WABC (now called Classic Gold WABC) in the early 1990s. 　　Rhodes then joined BBC Radio Shropshire as Breakfast Show host where he won the first of many Sony Radio Academy Awards. In early 1994, Rhodes took over the weekday mid-morning show on the station. He remained on the slot until mid 1995, when Rhodes turned up at BBC Three Counties Radio, presenting a consumer programme 5 days a week. In the course of his time on the consumer programme he became well known for his undercover work which won him a number of National Radio Academy Awards.[citation needed] 　　Rhodes' television credits include presenting Central Weekend live on a number of occasions as well as presenting This Morning for Granada Television as relief presenter for Richard Madeley from 1994 to 1997. He was also the presenter of the Politics Programme for the Eastern Region, BBC for four years. He has also presented occasional documentaries/reports for both BBC East and BBC London Television. 　　He was the voice of Family Fortunes from 1987 until 1999.[citation needed] He has also been the voice-over for many radio and television commercials prior to him joining the BBC. 　　Stephen Rhodes was also a newspaper columnist and regular contributor to a number of newspapers in the Midlands prior to him joining the BBC. He has written for local newspapers in Luton, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard and Hemel Hempstead. 　　Stephen Rhodes announced to the press on the afternoon of Tuesday 16 March 2010 that he had quit his radio presenter job to become an independent candidate for the Luton South parliamentary constituency in the general election, following the expenses controversies of the constituency's former MP Margaret Moran. As the BBC is a neutral broadcaster, they cannot allow any of their presenters to have any political interests that may influence listeners.[citation needed] He received 463 votes, 1.1% of those cast.