Broadcasting
Barkes has been in front of the microphone on and off since 1992. His radio experience includes national and regional commercial stations, plus BBC local radio.
Starting off 'playing the hits' across the South of England, he's worked for some of the UK's leading radio programmers. As radio became more music focused, Barkes gravitated towards talk and speech radio believing that in the age of the iPod music radio could face rocky times ahead. He also got fed up with the playing the same songs every time he was in a studio. His radio experience also includes programming and managing a number of award winning stations across the South of England and presenting the weekend breakfast show on Jazz FM under the 'nom de plume' of Tom Dudley.
Stints & shows at Spirit FM, BBC Southern Counties Radio, Radio City 96.7, City Talk 105.9 and talkSPORT enabled him to develop his love of talk radio.
Radio is not the only broadcasting platform he's appeared on. Sporadic bits of television include working with Fred Dinenage on ITV Meridian, appearing as a talking head on Sky News and featuring on BBC1's 'Real Rescues'. He also worked extensively with Sir Trevor McDonald on ITV when Sir Trevor chose Duncan's radio show in Liverpool for a programme regarding people's attitudes to immigration in 2009.
Writing
Thousands of words have poured from the Barkes keyboard. Syndicated newspaper columns, speeches, reviews, features, press releases and the odd hard news story are all stock in trade. One day Barkes hopes to start work on his travel book 'Around the UK in 101 Pubs', hopefully before they are all shut down.
Campaigning
When not presenting or producing radio shows, Barkes has a rich and varied media background as a media consultant. He has successfully managed press offices and agency PR departments.
He has a credible background in campaigning on a number of issues including social campaigns protecting local health services to national campaigns conceived to raise awareness of a number of issues. Barkes also acts as a media consultant and has worked with a number of organisations and individuals to raise their profile and get their message heard.
This included Ken Livingstone on his successful independent bid to become Mayor of London (where Barkes had the future Mayor pictured with Paddington Bear in a stunt that made all of the national newspapers!). He also worked with UKIP's Nigel Farage on the run-up to the 2010 General Election. Barkes was also responsible for the crisis management (and acted as a spokesperson) when Farage was involved in a near fatal plane crash on election day.
Other media work has included placing clients on a variety of current affairs programmes, including BBC1's Question Time, and ensuring they are fully briefed on the issues of the day.