Richard Whiteley

John Richard Whiteley, OBE , DL (28 December 1943 – 26 June 2005) was a British television presenter and journalist. He was most famous for his 23-year stint as presenter of Countdown, a letters and numbers arrangement game show broadcast daily on Channel 4. An edition of Countdown was the launch programme for Channel 4 at 4:45pm on 2 November 1982, and Whiteley was the first person to be seen on the channel. His trademarks were his jolly, avuncular manner; his gift for bad puns; and bold wardrobe (particularly jackets and ties).

Countdown

In 1982, Yorkshire Television started making Calendar Countdown, copying a popular French quiz show format, Des Chiffres et des Lettres. Whiteley was chosen as host, and continued with the show when Sir Jeremy Isaacs brought it to Channel 4 as the first programme broadcast by the new station. After a successful first broadcast, with an audience of over 3.5 million viewers, the programme lost 3 million viewers for its second show. However, it gradually rebuilt its audience over the following weeks, and it was as the host of Countdown that Whiteley became known to a wider audience in the United Kingdom outside Yorkshire. He was nicknamed "Twice Nightly Whiteley", in reference to the time when he would present the Calendar news programme and Countdown in the same evening, from 1982 to 1995. In a self-deprecating joke, he often altered this to "Once Yearly, Nearly".

Related Topics:
1982 - French - Des Chiffres et des Lettres - Jeremy Isaacs - Channel 4 - Nickname - 1995

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As the presenter of Countdown, Whiteley developed a reputation for wearing garish suits and ties, and it was common for his co-presenter, Carol Vorderman, to comment on this. Whiteley also told many anecdotes and puns, which were often met by groans from other presenters and members of the audience. He was granted the honorary title of "Mayor of Wetwang" in 1998, and was known for his amusement at the village's name.

Related Topics:
Carol Vorderman - Mayor - Wetwang

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Countdown was not intended to be a long-lasting format, but it quickly became a flagship programme for Channel 4. At the time of Whiteley's death, it still regularly attracted up to four million viewers. The Queen and The Queen Mother are both said to have been fans. He had a cameo role as himself, presenting Countdown, in the film About a Boy.

Related Topics:
The Queen - The Queen Mother - Cameo - About a Boy

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Whiteley made more than 10,000 television appearances over the course of his career, presenting more programmes than anyone else in history. He became deputy lieutenant of West Yorkshire in 2003, and was awarded an OBE in the June 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to broadcasting.

Related Topics:
Deputy lieutenant - West Yorkshire - OBE - June 2004 - Broadcasting

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~