Richard Madeley
| Richard Madeley | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 May 1956 Romford, Essex, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Broadcaster, columnist |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Television | This Morning |
| Spouse | Judy Finnigan (m. 1986) |
| Children | Chloe and Jack Madeley (with Finnigan) |
| Website | |
| www.officialrichardandjudy.com | |
Richard Madeley (born 13 May 1956) is a British television presenter and columnist. With his wife Judy Finnigan, Madeley has presented This Morning and later the weekday chat show Richard & Judy. Solo projects of Madeley's include the ITV show Fortune - Million Pound Giveaway and standing in on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2.
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[edit] Life and career
Madeley was born in Romford, Essex on 13 May 1956. His mother is Canadian. His sister, Liz Lawrence, is a teacher at The Anglo European School. He attended the Coopers' Company School in Bow, London, now relocated to Upminster, Essex.
Madeley began his media career in local newspapers, before moving to BBC Radio Carlisle at the age of 19 as a news producer and presenter. He soon moved to nearby Border Television as a reporter on the Lookaround local news slot, before fronting its equivalent Calendar with Richard Whiteley on bigger Yorkshire TV, and then on to Granada Reports in the early 1980s. Here he met Judy Finnigan who was assigned to assist him on his first day.
[edit] This Morning
Richard Madeley and his wife Judy Finnigan presented This Morning from its inception in October 1988 until 2001. The series, a mix of celebrity interviews, household tips, cookery and phone-ins, lasted approximately two hours each weekday morning on ITV, broadcast from the Albert Dock in Liverpool. Production moved to London in 1996. The couple were so closely associated with the show, that many people referred to the programme as Richard and Judy, rather than This Morning. Since leaving the show, Madeley has been featured as a guest, publicising his autobiography. The couple joined the show's subsequent presenters, Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, in October 2009, to celebrate its twenty first birthday.
[edit] Richard & Judy
They couple quit This Morning in 2001, having been approached by Channel 4 to host a similar show, called Richard & Judy, shown for an hour in the early evenings. The show was produced by Cactus TV, run by Jonathan Ross's brother Simon and his wife Amanda.
In February 2007, the Madeley and Finnigan apologised live on air due to the discovery of a TV quiz phone scam regarding the daily phone in You Say We Pay. Madeley and Finnigan took the decision to suspend the daily quiz until further notice. Later that week, the news media confirmed that police investigations would be pursued, meaning the couple could be subject to a police interview. Channel 4 have admitted the scam may have been in force for two series of the show. Whilst Madeley and Finnigan urged callers to continue entering, it was confirmed that winners were picked in the first ten minutes of the show. The couple both deny being involved in the scam.[1] This scam was revealed by the Mail on Sunday newspaper after it was sold the story through media publicist Jonathan Hartley.
The TV show also launched two successful "clubs", the Richard & Judy Book Club and the Richard & Judy Wine Club, both of which are similar in style to those used by Oprah Winfrey. The book club featured literature by new and unknown writers. One book was reviewed each week and the winner, named "Read of the Year," was announced at an awards ceremony. After seven years in production, the show ended in August 2008
[edit] Move to Watch
The couple transferred to new primetime show on UKTV's new channel, Watch. Their new show still contained popular features such as the "Book Club" and "Summer Read". From 7 October 2008, "Richard and Judy’s New Position" showed weeknights from 8pm. The show attracted very low viewing figures, with only 200,000 people for the first episode, and 53,000 for the second. Viewing figures since had consistently fallen, reaching new lows of just 11,000 viewers; their Channel 4 programme would see figures as high as 2.5 million.[2] Consequentially, on 8 May 2009 it was announced that the show would end in July, the presenters claiming in a statement that viewers "simply couldn't find us".[3]
[edit] Other work
Whilst working on their daytime show, the pair have had time for other projects. Madeley presented several series of a TV version of the classic board game Cluedo, game show Connections, the daytime quiz Runway as well as a series on the world's wildest weather, Eye of the Storm. He hosted the ITV1 show Fortune - Million Pound Giveaway, and was presenter for the unaired pilot of the home video show You've Been Framed.
Madeley hosted the popular news quiz Have I Got News For You on 14 December 2007. He sat in for Richard Bacon on BBC Radio 5 Live. Madeley also covered for Dawn Patrol presenter Sarah Kennedy during the week of 27–30 April 2009, for Zoë Ball for two months until 27 February, and for Chris Evans' Breakfast Show, 26-30 September 2011, all on BBC Radio 2. He appeared on Piers Morgan's Life Stories in April 2009 and was a guest on BBC Question Time in January 2010.
In 2002, the couple co-wrote their autobiography, Richard and Judy: The Autobiography, published by Hodder & Stoughton. In 2008, Madeley wrote the book Fathers and Sons, which charts his family history; it was published by Simon and Schuster.
[edit] Personal life
Madeley's first marriage, at aged 21, lasted five years before the couple divorced. Madeley has stated that he believes the marriage was a mistake, and he had ten affairs. Ten days after Madeley's marriage began, his father died aged 49.[4]
Madeley met Judy Finnigan in 1982 when they worked on separate programmes for Granada TV. At the time each was in their first marriage. The pair married in 1986 in Manchester. They have two children together, both born in Manchester: Jack Christopher (born 1986) and Chloe Susannah (born 1987).[5]
In 1994 Madeley was arrested for failing to pay for items, including champagne, on two separate occasions at a Tesco supermarket in Manchester. He was later acquitted of all shoplifting charges after citing lapses of memory.[6]
In an interview, Madeley named Cuban leader Fidel Castro as the person he most despises.[7]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Terri Judd (19 February 2007). "Revealed: Richard and Judy quiz scam". London: The Independent. http://news.independent.co.uk/media/article2283955.ece. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
- ^ "Turning off Richard and Judy". London: The Independent. 30 November 2008. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/turning-off-richard--judy-1041653.html.
- ^ "Early exit for Richard and Judy". BBC News. 8 May 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8040368.stm.
- ^ "Richard Madeley". Presenter: Piers Morgan. Piers Morgan's Life Stories. ITV. ITV1. 5 April 2009.
- ^ Marriages and Births England and Wales 1984-2006
- ^ Osley, Richard (22 June 2008). "Sex, lies... and the curse of 'This Morning' presenters". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/sex-lies-and-the-curse-of-this-morning-presenters-851913.html.
- ^ Rosanna Greenstreet (16 December 2006). "Q&A - Richard Madeley & Judy Finnigan". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,1971856,00.html. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
[edit] References
- Richard Madeley & Judy Finnigan Biographical notes, The Biography Channel, Retrieved 27 August 2007
- One of Us, Guardian Unlimited, Claire Phipps, 12 October 2000, Retrieved 27 August 2007
