Background
Hawkins was born in Essex and brought up there and in Warwickshire, England.
Hawkins was born in Essex and brought up there and in Warwickshire, England.
Personal life
He now lives in Shropshire. Hawkins" broadcasting career began on a student radio station at Warwick University. He worked for independent local radio station Mercia Sound from 1981 to 1983.
He joined British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 4 in 1984, writing and presenting the News Stand programme.
Hawkins has worked for several commercial and British Broadcasting Corporation local radio stations across the United Kingdom in various roles on both sides of the microphone, including spells as a producer and manager. Hawkins has also worked for a disability-rights group and as a newspaper journalist, hotel restaurant pianist, and stagehand.
At one point he ran the coconut shy on Brighton Pier. During his career he has interviewed notable figures including Gordon Brown, Gene Simmons and Steve Cropper.
Hawkins hosts a programme every weekday from 9 am to 12 noon on British Broadcasting Corporation Radio Shropshire called "Jim Hawkins in the Morning".
Hawkins uses Twitter to interact with listeners during the show, having been persuaded to try Twitter after finding his Facebook experience disappointing. Hawkins also hosts a Saturday night programme entitled "Saturday Night with Jim Hawkins" broadcast by British Broadcasting Corporation Shropshire, British Broadcasting Corporation Hereford & Worcester, and British Broadcasting Corporation Radio Stoke. Since the December 2011 issue, on whose front cover he was pictured, he has written a monthly column for Shropshire Life magazine.