Christopher Price (broadcaster)
| Christopher Price | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 September 1967 |
| Died | 22 April 2002 (aged 34) Wells Street, off Oxford Street, Central London, England |
| Resting place | Mortlake cemetery |
| Alma mater | University of Reading |
| Television | Liquid News |
Christopher Nicholas Price (21 September 1967 – 22 April 2002[1]) was the original host of British celebrity news show Liquid News.
Contents |
[edit] Early life and career
Price was adopted shortly after his birth by a couple in Norfolk. In his early days, he attended Worth School, a Roman Catholic boarding school in Sussex. After school, he studied Italian at the University of Reading.[2] However, he left university with the desire to become a journalist — he enrolled into the BBC reporter training scheme in 1991. Once completed, he pursued his desire and in 1993, he became a reporter on Radio Berkshire — soon to move to Radio Solent. In March 1994, he joined BBC Radio 5 Live to eventually become a Senior Broadcast Journalist. He sometimes stood in for Sybil Ruscoe, and occasionally presented Up All Night. He joined BBC News 24 when it was launched in November 1997 and presented a mixture of news, fashion, and entertainment in a 10:30pm slot. However, after nine months, he was called to the office of a senior colleague and told that he was too camp to read the news.[3] He and the producer Chris Wilson put together a nightly entertainment news discussion programme called Zero 30. After Stuart Murphy said that he enjoyed the programme he was persuaded to take it to digital television channel BBC Choice where it became Liquid News on 30 May 2000. In early 2001, he hit the headlines when he signed a £280,000 two-year contract for presenting Liquid News.[2][4] At the time, Christopher himself was quoted as jokingly saying that he didn't understand why people would want to watch a programme presented by a "fat, balding, homosexual". In 2002, he co-hosted BBC One's A Song for Europe competition to choose the UK entry into the Eurovision Song Contest. He had previously hosted BBC Choice shows relating to the contest, including the preview programmes. He had been scheduled to host BBC Choice's alternative coverage of the 2002 contest before his death.
[edit] Death
Towards the end of April 2002, he was off work for a week with an acute ear infection. On 22 April 2002, he failed to turn up for work and his close friends Robert Nisbet and Stephanie West went to his flat in Wells Street, off Oxford Street, in central London and found Price dead. Forensic pathologist Dr. Nicholas Hunt told the coroner's court on 19 June 2002 that Price had died of heart failure caused by meningoencephalitis - an 'extremely rare' condition that had probably spread from his ear infection. Police found a small quantity of cocaine and prescription weight-loss drugs in Price's flat but they were not connected to his death.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Deaths England and Wales 1984-2006
- ^ a b "Christopher Price: Face of showbiz". BBC News. 22 April 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1944748.stm. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
- ^ Giltz, Michael (5 February 2002). "Beyond QAF: From news to sitcoms, out gays & lesbians are making their mark all over British TV" (– Scholar search). The Advocate. Archived from the original on 7 April 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080407060237/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2002_Feb_5/ai_82322830. Retrieved 12 September 2008.
- ^ Bushby, Helen (3 January 2001). "The Price is right". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1097910.stm. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
- ^ "Presenter killed by rare infection". BBC News. 19 June 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/2053119.stm. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
