Richard Whiteley
Born	December 28, 1943(1943-12-28) Baildon, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
Died	June 26, 2005 (aged 61) Leeds, West Yorkshire
Occupation	Television presenter/journalist
Children	James

John Richard Whiteley, OBE DL (28 December 1943 — 26 June 2005) was an English television presenter, and journalist. Image File history File links This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Baildon (Celtic sun God Baal and Dune hill) is a village in the county of West Yorkshire, England, north of Bradford, and in the metropolitan borough of Bradford. ... For other uses, see Bradford (disambiguation). ... Coat of Arms of South Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, that has a population of 2. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Leeds (disambiguation) and Leeds City (disambiguation). ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... The Deputy Lieutenant is the deputy to the Lord Lieutenant of a county. ... is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Journalist (disambiguation). ...

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 4:45 pm on 2 November 1982, and Whiteley was the first person to be seen on the channel, discounting a programme montage. Despite being a highly intelligent man, he enjoyed projecting an image of an absent-minded eccentric. His trademarks were his jolly, avuncular manner; his fondness for excruciatingly bad puns; and bold wardrobe, particularly jackets and ties. Countdown is a British game show presented by Des OConnor and Carol Vorderman. ... Quiz show redirects here. ... This article is about the British television station. ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Pun (disambiguation). ... A jacket is a lightweight, sleeved thigh- or waist-length coat that may be worn by anyone, as jackets are now made for children, adults, the elderly, and even infants. ... For the grappling position, see double collar tie. ...

He was born in Bradford and spent his childhood in Baildon. His family owned a long-established textile mill, Thomas Whiteley and Co of Eccleshill, which went out of business in the 1960s. At 13, he won a scholarship to Giggleswick School, a fee-paying establishment on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, where his English teacher was Russell Harty, the late chat-show host. He later became a governor of the school. Leaving school with seven O-levels and three A-levels, in 1962 he went to study English at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he gained a third class degree, coincidentally the same class of degree as his Countdown co-star Carol Vorderman attained at the same university. For other uses, see Bradford (disambiguation). ... Baildon (Celtic sun God Baal and Dune hill) is a village in the county of West Yorkshire, England, north of Bradford, and in the metropolitan borough of Bradford. ... Giggleswick School Giggleswick School is an independent co-educational boarding school in Giggleswick, near Settle, North Yorkshire, England. ... The Yorkshire Dales (also known as the Dales) is the name given to an upland area, in Northern England. ... Frederic Russell Harty (5 September 1934 – 8 June 1988) was an English television presenter with a distinctly camp turn of phrase; his name has been used as Cockney rhyming slang for party. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... College name Christ’s College Named after Jesus Christ Established 1505 Previously named God’s-house (1437-1505) Location St. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the most prestigious universities in the world. ... Carol Jean Vorderman MBE (born 24 December 1960, Bedford), is a UK television personality best known for being a long-standing co-presenter of Channel 4 game show Countdown. ...

Upon leaving Cambridge University in July 1965, Whiteley served three years as a trainee at ITN but left to join Yorkshire Television in July 1968. Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ...

Thanks to over twenty years worth of nightly instalments of Countdown as well as his work on the Yorkshire magazine programme Calendar and various other television projects, at the time of his death Whiteley was believed to have clocked-up more hours on British television screens - and more than 10,000 appearances - than anyone else alive, apart from Carole Hersee, the young girl who appeared on the BBC's iconic Test Card F.^[1] Calendar is the local news programme for Yorkshire Television. ... Test Card F was a test card, an image used to determine the quality of a broadcast television picture, and due to its use on BBC television for more than 30 years when broadcasting was off the air, it is probably the most commonly seen test card in the world. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Test Card F is a test card that was created by the BBC and used on television in the United Kingdom and elsewhere for more than three decades. ...

Whiteley was famously bitten by a ferret on an edition of Calendar in 1977. The animal remained clamped to his finger for half a minute before its indifferent owner finally prised it free. The clip is often repeated on programmes showing television out-takes. In an example of his famous self-deprecating humour, Whiteley once joked that when he died, the headlines would read, "Ferret man dies". He said, "It's made a lot of people laugh and it's been shown all over the world. It's 30-odd years since it happened and I think I've been a great PR man for the ferret industry. Ferrets have a lot to be grateful for, to me, you see they've become acceptable because one of them bit me." This article is about the mammal. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ...

Countdown

Main article: Countdown (game show)

Richard Whiteley with Countdown co-host Carol Vorderman

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. Countdown is a British game show presented by Des OConnor and Carol Vorderman. ... Image File history File links Richard_Whiteley and Countdown co-host Carol Vorderman. ... Image File history File links Richard_Whiteley and Countdown co-host Carol Vorderman. ... Countdown is a British game show presented by Des OConnor and Carol Vorderman. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Des Chiffres et Des Lettres (literally meaning Figures and letters) is a French television programme. ... Sir Jeremy Isaacs (b. ... This article is about the British television station. ...

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". EXAMPLE:Laughbox,Blondie,BamBam,Pinkie,etc. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

As the presenter of Countdown, Whiteley developed a reputation for wearing garish suits and ties, and it was common for 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. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... Map sources for Wetwang at grid reference SE932590 Wetwang is the name of a village in the Yorkshire Wolds in England. ...

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 appearance role as himself, presenting Countdown, in the film About a Boy. From series 54, broadcast in 2006, the series champion has received the "Richard Whiteley Memorial Trophy". This article is about the British television station. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, later Queen Elizabeth (Elizabeth Angela Marguerite; 4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002), was the Queen Consort of King George VI of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions from 1936 until his death in 1952. ... A cameo role or cameo appearance (often shortened to just cameo) is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television. ... About a boy is a 1998 novel by British writer Nick Hornby. ...

Whiteley also had his own chat show on ITV between 1995 and 1997.

Whiteley made more than 10,000 television appearances over the course of his career. He became a Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire in 2003, and was appointed OBE in the June 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to broadcasting. On 15th June 2003, Whiteley appeared on the BBC show, Top Gear. He set the slowest time in the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car segment. The Deputy Lieutenant is the deputy to the Lord Lieutenant of a county. ... Coat of Arms of South Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, that has a population of 2. ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December See also: June 2004 in sports Deaths in June • 28 Anthony Buckeridge • 26 Naomi Shemer • 26 Yash Johar • 22 Bob Bemer • 22 Thomas Gold • 22 Francisco Ortiz Franco • 16 Thanom Kittikachorn • 10 Ray Charles • 5 Ronald Reagan... Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. ... (Redirected from 15th June) June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Top Gear may refer to: Top Gear (current format), a BBC television series about cars and motorsport in its new format (2002–present). ... Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car is a recurring segment on the BBC Two motoring programme Top Gear. ...

Death

In May 2005, Whiteley was taken into hospital with septicaemia. He made a slow recovery from the illness, however doctors discovered problems with his heart and carried out an emergency operation for endocarditis, an infection of the heart valves on 24 June. This operation was not successful, and on 26 June 2005 Richard Whiteley died at Leeds General Infirmary. Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. ... is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

He had suffered with asthma since he was very young, and was diabetic. The edition of Countdown due to be broadcast on 27 June was postponed as a mark of respect. Carol Vorderman gave an emotional tribute to him on 28 June when Countdown returned the following day. Having recorded a number of shows in advance of going into hospital, his final show was broadcast on July 1, 2005 which was the grand final of the 53rd season. Two standalone episodes featuring former contestants, and recorded in 2003 to be broadcast whenever Channel 4's cricket coverage finishes early, also remain in the vaults to be screened at a later date. For the disease characterized by excretion of large amounts of very dilute urine, see diabetes insipidus. ... is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the sport. ...

Memorial

On 10 November 2005 (five months after his death), thousands of friends and admirers gathered at York Minster for a memorial service to celebrate Whiteley's life. Guests included Carol Vorderman who paid tribute to him, saying, "If he were here he would have welcomed you one-by-one, greeting every one of you by the hand and would have wanted a photograph taken." is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... York Minster is the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe and is situated in the city of York in Northern England. ... Underwater funeral in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea A funeral is a ceremony marking a persons death. ...

He was described by Countdown regular Gyles Brandreth as "...a love god ...but he was the most innocent love god you could imagine. He was like a ray of sunshine, and like sunshine we all warmed to him." Gyles Daubeney Brandreth (born March 8, 1948 in Germany) is a celebrity, author and politician in the United Kingdom. ...

In 2007 Channel 4 announced its creation of the Richard Whiteley Memorial Bursary, a nine-month work experience placement at Yorkshire Television, working with True North Productions.

Vision Aid Overseas

Three pairs of Richard's spectacles were donated by Kathryn Apanowicz, his long-term partner, to optical charity Vision Aid Overseas (VAO), who sent them with a team of optical professionals to Ethiopia. VAO is a charity dedicated to helping people in the developing world whose lives are blighted by poor eyesight, particularly where spectacles can help. After setting up an eyecare clinic, the VAO team found three Ethiopians whose eyes fitted Richard's prescription. The BBC followed this story on their Inside Out programme which was broadcast on 19 September 2007. Kathryn Apanowicz (born 1960) is a British actress best known for her 1980s television appearances in the BBC soap operas, Angels and EastEnders. ...

Notes

1. ^ According to his Obituary on the BBC website

Biography

• Himoff!: The Memoirs of a TV Matinee Idle by Richard Whiteley (London, Orion Books, 2001) ISBN 0-7528-4345-1.
• Richard by Kathryn by Kathryn Apanowicz (London, Virgin Books, 2006) ISBN 1-85227-375-5

References

• "Whiteley gets an OBE in honours". (BBC News, 12 June 2004).
• "Presenter Richard Whiteley dies". (BBC News, 26 June 2005).

Obituaries: This article refers to the news department of the British Broadcasting Corporation, for the BBC News Channel see BBC News (TV channel). ... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article refers to the news department of the British Broadcasting Corporation, for the BBC News Channel see BBC News (TV channel). ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• "Obituary: Richard Whiteley". (BBC News, 26 June 2005).
• "Richard Whiteley: I bet they'll report 'Ferret Man Dies'". (Yorkshire Post, 27 June 2005).
• "Richard Whiteley" (Daily Telegraph, 28 June 2005)
• "Richard Whiteley" (The Times, 28 June 2005)
• "Richard Whiteley" (The Independent, 28 June 2005)
• "Thousands say farewell to 'Our Richard'" (BBCi, 10 November 2005)

This article refers to the news department of the British Broadcasting Corporation, for the BBC News Channel see BBC News (TV channel). ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article deals with The Daily Telegraph in Britain, see The Daily Telegraph (Australia) for the Australian publication The Daily Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper founded in 1855. ... is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom (and the Kingdom of Great Britain before the United Kingdom existed) since 1788 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ... is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see The Independent (disambiguation). ... is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... BBCi is the brand name for the BBCs interactive television services. ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Richard Whiteley at the Internet Movie Database
• Vision Aid Overseas
• UKGameshows: Richard Whiteley
• "Farewell to a jolly good egg" (The Guardian, 28 June 2005)
• Richard Whiteley on CultIdols.com
• TV Cream's tribute to Richard Whiteley
• Northampton band The Retro Spankees pay tribute to Richard Whiteley
• Clip of the ferret biting Richard Whiteley on Youtube