Paul Ross

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Paul Ross (born April, 1956, Leytonstone, London) is an English television and radio presenter, journalist, and media personality. He is the son of Martha Ross and the elder brother of Jonathan Ross.

Contents 1 Career 2 Personal life 3 Humorous reference and Internet meme 4 References

[edit] Career

Ross was educated, along with his brother, at Norlington School for Boys and the University of Kent. Realising he would not be able to follow the academic career he favoured, "an English lecturer at a polytechnic",^[1] he trained as a journalist at Exeter University and started his career with the Western Times in Exeter in 1982.^[2]

He moved into television as a researcher at London Weekend Television before becoming an editor for The Six O'Clock Show and The London Programme. By the late 1980s Ross had worked as a presenter for GLR, Virgin Radio and, later, Talk Radio. He worked as an editor and producer on Channel Four's The Word and would become a familiar face on television having presented on The Big Breakfast and numerous game shows such as No Win No Fee, and UK versions of Jeopardy! and Endurance.

During an interview on the BBC's Jonathan Ross Show, Paul Ross was accused by the anarchist Ian Bone of grassing on the Poll Tax Rioters^[3] on London Weekend Television's Crime Monthly TV programme which he hosted.^[4]

By 1997 he had his own late night The Paul Ross Show for ITV which finished in 1998. He appeared in the film Bridget Jones's Diary as "Mr Sit-up Britain"^[5] and is a regular show business reporter for This Morning. Ross was the first contestant to be eliminated on 2003's Comic Relief does Fame Academy after his singing failed to impress voters.^[6]

By the mid 2000's he had columns in the tabloid papers News of the World and the Daily Star Sunday and was presenting radio shows for LBC. In November 2006, he caused controversy by announcing an upcoming EastEnders Christmas storyline on his LBC show, causing his mother, who told him the storyline, to be fired from her job as an extra on EastEnders.^[7]

Ross left LBC in early 2008, to present the Breakfast show BBC London 94.9.^[8], initially with JoAnne Good, then with Gaby Roslin. He also presents a show on Saturday mornings on BBC Sussex and BBC Surrey (formerly BBC Southern Counties Radio).^[9]

Ross appeared on a celebrity edition of Mastermind where his specialist subject was "The Life and Works of Ezra Pound" reflecting his passion for modern poetry.^[2]

He continues to work as a TV presenter often on shows such as Most Haunted Live! and on shopping channels.^[10] Although his TV work is mainly at the popular end of the cultural spectrum, Ross is dismissive, citing Sturgeon's Law, of the bulk of such output.^[11]

[edit] Personal life

Ross has been married twice and has five children. He lives near Marlow, Buckinghamshire in a listed 14th century house.^[2]

[edit] Humorous reference and Internet meme

In 2006 Sacha Baron Cohen, in character as Borat Sagdiyev, 'revealed' in an interview on the Jonathan Ross TV show that "Paul Ross is a big star in Kazakhstan. We have a statue of Paul Ross - 18 January is Paul Ross Day!"^[12]

At the end of 2008 Ross was the subject of an Internet meme. Online retailer Amazon were selling a canvas portrait of the presenter^[13] which was picked up and passed around the Internet with many humorous comments being added to Amazon's page.

The British satirical rock band Half Man Half Biscuit included a verse about the 'D-List Paul Ross' in the song "Tyrolean Knockabout" on their album Cammell Laird Social Club.

[edit] References