Eamonn Andrews
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| Eamonn Andrews | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 December 1922 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 5 November 1987 (aged 64) London, England |
| Cause of death | Heart failure |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | Television and radio presenter |
| Spouse | Gráinne Bourke |
| Children | 3 adopted children |
Eamonn Andrews, CBE (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987), was an Irish television presenter based in the United Kingdom.
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[edit] Life and career
Andrews was born in Synge Street, Dublin, Ireland, the same street as playwright George Bernard Shaw. He was educated at the local school, Synge Street CBS. His first name could also be spelled as Éamonn, with a fada on the E (as in 'É'). He began his career as an amateur boxer and went on to be a sports commentator on Radio Éireann, Ireland's national broadcaster. In 1950, he began presenting programmes for the BBC, being particularly well-known for boxing commentaries, and soon became one of television's most popular presenters.
In 1955 Andrews made a brief appearance on celluloid, appearing on camera as the narrator who introduces the unrelated segments that comprise the 'portmanteau' film, Three Cases of Murder. Throughout the 1950s he commentated on the major British heavyweight fights on the BBC Light Programme with inter round summaries by J. Barrington Dalby.
In 1965, he left the BBC to join Associated British Corporation, where he pioneered the talk show format in the UK.
Series with which he was associated included:
- What's My Line? (1951–63 and 1984–87)
- This Is Your Life (1955–64 and 1969–87)
- World of Sport (1965–68)
- Crackerjack and Playbox (children's series)
- Whose Baby? (a panel game he created and owned)
- Top Of The World (TV series) (1982)
He chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ Authority) between 1960 and 1964, overseeing the introduction of State television to the Ireland and establishing the Irish State broadcaster as an independent semi-state body.
On 20 January 1956, he reached #18 in the UK Singles Chart with a "spoken narrative" recording named "The Shifting Whispering Sands (Parts 1 & 2)", which had musical backing by the Ron Goodwin Orchestra and Chorus.[1]
He was famous for coming up with off-the-cuff linkings which did not work – such as 'speaking of cheese sandwiches, have you come far?'. This was parodied by the character Seamus Android in the BBC radio programme Round the Horne in the 1960s, performed by Bill Pertwee. At the time Andrews hosted a chat show on ITV. He was also famous for sweating while on screen, as parodied by another BBC radio programme The Burkiss Way. Andrews' contribution to UK radio is commemorated in The Radio Academy's Hall of Fame.
In the late 1960s, at the height of the Cold War and Vietnam War, he showed his serious side when at his own expense he interviewed many notables to ask them their current opinions, and what they thought the world would be like twenty years into the future. He planned to invite them back, to screen what they had said, and to chat about how accurate they had been. He never lived to record the second part; the tapes exist in the family's archives, and have never been viewed.[citation needed]
He is perhaps best known as the presenter of the UK's version of This Is Your Life, between its inception in 1955 and his death in 1987, when he was succeeded by Michael Aspel (who had also succeeded Andrews as host of Crackerjack 22 years earlier). He also created a long-running panel game called Whose Baby?, which originally ran on the BBC and later on ITV. He was a regular presenter of the early Miss World pageants.
After months of illness, he died suddenly from heart failure in November 1987, aged 64, in the private Cromwell Hospital, London. His widow Gráinne Bourke, whom he married in 1951, died 18 months later. They had three adopted children.
[edit] In popular culture
'Eamonn Andrews' is also the name of a linking composition by the 1970s British avant-garde rock band Soft Machine. It was named after Andrews because it was an off-the-cuff link between unrelated pieces in their live sets. Over time, it came into its own as a major part of the live Soft Machine repertoire.[2]
The name of Luke Viberts project Amen Andrews is a word play on the name of the Amen break and Eamonn Andrews.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 24. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ wordiq.com/Eamonn Andrews
