Jeremy Beadle
Encyclopedia
Jeremy James Anthony Gibson-Beadle MBE
(12 April 1948 – 30 January 2008) was an English
television presenter, writer
and producer
. During the 1980s, he was a regular face on British television and in two years appeared 50 weeks of the year. His shows regularly topped the charts beating Coronation Street
and EastEnders
on one occasion. He was the first mainstream television presenter to have a physical disability. Behind the scenes, he worked as a script doctor on many television shows as well as presenting many corporate events.
, east London, on 12 April 1948. His father, a Fleet Street sports reporter, abandoned Jeremy's mother when he learned that she was pregnant. Before Jeremy reached the age of two, he was frequently hospitalised and had undergone surgery for Poland syndrome
, a rare genetic disorder which stunted growth in his right hand.
His mother worked as a secretary to help pay to raise him including a stint for the boxing promoter Jack Solomon. Beadle did not enjoy school and was frequently in trouble. He was eventually expelled from his secondary school, Orpington
County Secondary Boys' School. A teacher remarked, "Beadle, you waffle like a champion but know nothing."
After his expulsion, he travelled and worked in Europe. He had a number of jobs, at one point taking photographs of topless models, and worked as a skin diving instructor, lavatory attendant and tour guide. He often said that he gave the best London tour because he realised that what people wanted was stories of blood, sex and death.
Beadle was chosen in 1970 by Tony Elliott, the founder of Time Out, to set up a Manchester edition of the magazine, a venture which was short-lived, though he subsequently maintained a connection with the publication in London. In 1972, North West Arts Association asked him to organise the Bickershaw Festival
, and he worked on further musical events over the next couple of years. In 1973, as an early member of the Campaign for Real Ale
, he was elected to their National Executive and secured the campaign's first television or radio coverage in a one-hour programme on BBC Radio London
, which he hosted. It was during this period that his talent for practical jokes became evident, although occasionally this rebounded on him, such as when colleagues left him naked in front of 400 women arriving for their shift. He then started writing for radio and television, going on to provide material for stars such as Terry Wogan
, Michael Aspel
, Noel Edmonds
and Kenny Everett
.
, the host, without the answers and Monkhouse was so impressed he rang Jeremy to ask him to work on the show. His presenting style on the phone-in programme Nightline on LBC
in London, which he hosted between September 1979 and 22 June 1980 (when he was sacked), led to a cult following. He introduced himself as Jeremy James Anthony Gibson-Beadlebum: "Jeremy James Anthony Gibson-Beadle is my name and a bum is what I am," he explained. He teased his producer as 'Butch' Bavin Cook (b. 12 June).
On 31 May 1980, he began co-presenting the children's television show Fun Factory with his LBC co-star Therese Birch, Kevin Day and Billy Boyle
. On Capital Radio
Beadle presented Beadle's Odditarium, a music show concentrating on strange, bizarre and rare recordings all taken from the archives of producer Phil Swern
. From 5 October 1986, Beadle presented Beadle's Brainbusters on the independent local radio network, with questions written by Beadle and Paul Donnelley. He also became renowned for his off-air pranks and intellectually challenging quizzes. He wrote, devised and presented many television pilots for the highly successful game show company Action Time, then run by Jeremy Fox, son of Sir Paul Fox. Beadle wrote and presented The Deceivers, a BBC2
television series recounting the history of swindlers and hoaxers. The success of this led to using the same format for Eureka
, which told the background behind everyday inventions.
Beadle then went on to become nationally famous as one of the presenters of LWT's Game for a Laugh
(along with Matthew Kelly
, Henry Kelly
and Sarah Kennedy
), a pivotal show in the history of British television since it was the first time ITV
had beaten the BBC in the Saturday night ratings battle. This was followed by a hidden-camera style practical joke show, Beadle's About
(1986–1996) which became the world's longest continuously running hidden camera show.
From 1990, he presented You've Been Framed!, a family show featuring humorous clips from viewers' home video recordings. An off-shoot of this was Beadle's Hotshots featuring viewers' intentionally funny parodies and sketches (some of which were re-edited and even re-shot by a young Edgar Wright
in his first industry job, other sketches and scripts were produced by writer/director Chris Barfoot
). In total, Beadle hit the UK Number One ratings slot four times. In 1995, reflecting his days on LBC, he presented a relatively short-lived but hugely popular Sunday late-evening show on the newly launched Talk Radio UK
. As well as his considerable television output as writer, presenter and producer he appeared in numerous pantomimes and acted as ringmaster for many circuses notably for Gerry Cottle. He also worked as a consultant for many television companies, wrote books and presented quizzes both commercially and for charity. As a radio presenter, he was chairman of a brief revival of Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? on BBC Radio 4
.
, informing each morning's viewers of prominent events on this date in past years. The scripts were written by Beadle and Paul Donnelley.
For more than two years, he wrote a daily cartoon series of Today's the Day for the Daily Express
. He worked alongside Irving Wallace
and his son David Wallechinsky
and daughter Amy Wallace as the biggest contributor to the sex and death chapters of the sensationally successful The Book of Lists
and was the London editor of The People's Almanac 2. The Wallaces' book The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People (Dell (US) Hutchinson (UK), 1981) was researched in part in Beadle's library, which contained an extensive canon of erotic literature. In autumn 2007 three new Beadle titles were published: Firsts, Lasts & Onlys: Crime, Firsts, Lasts & Onlys: Military (both co-authored by the celebrated writer Ian Harrison) and Beadle's Miscellany, the first hundred quizzes from his weekly puzzlers in The Independent
. He guest edited the January 2008 edition of True Detective magazine which featured contributions from his friends who are crime experts including James Morton, Paul Donnelley, Andrew Rose and Matthew Spicer.
, Beadle was host of Win Beadle's Money (based on the US format Win Ben Stein's Money
). Beadle lost his money only eight times in 52 shows. He wrote and presented a notoriously difficult quiz at London
's The Atlantic Grill restaurant then owned by Oliver Peyton
, often attended by celebrities and members of the press. He also wrote a quiz
for The Independent
every Saturday. He occasionally appeared as a panellist on BBC Radio 4
's Quote... Unquote
and in dictionary corner for Channel 4
's Countdown
.
, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to charity. Beadle was a keen supporter of the charity Children With Leukaemia
, a disease he suffered from himself in 2005. He spent much time raising money for many different charities with Plastermind his 'outrageous quiz for those who don't like quizzes', as well as a school video venture called CamClass. Beadle was a patron of The Philip Green Memorial Trust
, and he annually hosted a quiz party to raise money for disadvantaged children. Beadle was also the patron of Reach, an organisation providing support and advice for children in the UK with hand or arm deficiencies, and their parents. He was a member of Westminster City Council freemason Lodge No. 2882. Although he did not join this organisation until after his television heyday was over, he quickly became involved with all aspects of English Freemasonry
, and particularly its charitable work, often using his celebrity status to assist in raising funds for masonic charities. Beadle also helped to raise money, around £35,000, for the Air Training Corps
in late 2007. It is estimated that his total charitable fund raising was of the order of £100million.
and was one of the first TV presenters with a visible disability which manifested itself as a disproportionately small right hand. In 2004, Beadle discovered he had developed cancer of the kidney
and underwent a successful operation to remove it. However, in April 2005, a blood test during a routine post-op medical check-up led to him being diagnosed with leukaemia. Beadle was successfully treated for this, though two serious illnesses in such a short space of time were detrimental to his general state of health.
. He died on 30 January 2008, aged 59. On 2 February 2008, ITV1
dedicated that day's episode of You've Been Framed to Beadle, and promoted their tribute webpage to him over the show's credits. ITV1's official tribute to Jeremy Beadle was broadcast on 4 February 2008 where various celebrity friends including Lord Sugar
paid tribute. He was cremated at Marylebone Crematorium on 14 February 2008 and interred in Highgate Cemetery
(his headstone bears the inscription "Writer, Presenter, Curator of Oddities"). A further tribute was aired on Friday 16 May, An Audience Without Jeremy Beadle
, hosted by Chris Tarrant
and with contributions from Alan Sugar
, Henry Kelly
, Ken Campbell, Anneka Rice and others.
His obituary in The Daily Telegraph
noted that he "was the most avidly watched presenter on television". On 15 August 2010, he was the subject of the ITV documentary The Unforgettable Jeremy Beadle.
Videos
Magazine
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(12 April 1948 – 30 January 2008) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
television presenter, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
. During the 1980s, he was a regular face on British television and in two years appeared 50 weeks of the year. His shows regularly topped the charts beating Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
and EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
on one occasion. He was the first mainstream television presenter to have a physical disability. Behind the scenes, he worked as a script doctor on many television shows as well as presenting many corporate events.
Early life
Beadle was born in HackneyLondon Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
, east London, on 12 April 1948. His father, a Fleet Street sports reporter, abandoned Jeremy's mother when he learned that she was pregnant. Before Jeremy reached the age of two, he was frequently hospitalised and had undergone surgery for Poland syndrome
Poland syndrome
Poland syndrome is a rare birth defect characterized by underdevelopment or absence of the chest muscle on one side of the body and webbing of the fingers of the hand on the same side mostly common on the right...
, a rare genetic disorder which stunted growth in his right hand.
His mother worked as a secretary to help pay to raise him including a stint for the boxing promoter Jack Solomon. Beadle did not enjoy school and was frequently in trouble. He was eventually expelled from his secondary school, Orpington
Orpington
Orpington is a suburban town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bromley. It forms the southeastern edge of London's urban sprawl and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
County Secondary Boys' School. A teacher remarked, "Beadle, you waffle like a champion but know nothing."
After his expulsion, he travelled and worked in Europe. He had a number of jobs, at one point taking photographs of topless models, and worked as a skin diving instructor, lavatory attendant and tour guide. He often said that he gave the best London tour because he realised that what people wanted was stories of blood, sex and death.
Beadle was chosen in 1970 by Tony Elliott, the founder of Time Out, to set up a Manchester edition of the magazine, a venture which was short-lived, though he subsequently maintained a connection with the publication in London. In 1972, North West Arts Association asked him to organise the Bickershaw Festival
Bickershaw festival
The Bickershaw festival was a rock festival held in Bickershaw, Greater Manchester, England between the 5–7 May 1972. Apart from the 1976-79 Deeply Vale Festivals, the Bickershaw festival was the only major north-west multi-day festival with camping...
, and he worked on further musical events over the next couple of years. In 1973, as an early member of the Campaign for Real Ale
Campaign for Real Ale
The Campaign for Real Ale is an independent voluntary consumer organisation based in St Albans, England, whose main aims are promoting real ale, real cider and the traditional British pub...
, he was elected to their National Executive and secured the campaign's first television or radio coverage in a one-hour programme on BBC Radio London
BBC London 94.9
BBC London 94.9 is London's BBC Local Radio station, and part of BBC London. Broadcasting across Greater London and beyond on 94.9 FM, DAB, Virgin Media Channel 930, Sky Channel 0152 and also online...
, which he hosted. It was during this period that his talent for practical jokes became evident, although occasionally this rebounded on him, such as when colleagues left him naked in front of 400 women arriving for their shift. He then started writing for radio and television, going on to provide material for stars such as Terry Wogan
Terry Wogan
Sir Michael Terence Wogan, KBE, DL , or also known as Terry Wogan, is a veteran Irish radio and television broadcaster who holds dual Irish and British citizenship. Wogan has worked for the BBC in the United Kingdom for most of his career...
, Michael Aspel
Michael Aspel
Michael Terence Aspel, OBE is an English television presenter, known for his reserved demeanour and rich speaking voice. He has been a high-profile TV personality in the United Kingdom since the 1960s, presenting programmes such as Crackerjack, Aspel and Company, This is Your Life, Strange But...
, Noel Edmonds
Noel Edmonds
Noel Ernest Edmonds, is an English broadcaster and executive, who made his name as a DJ on BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presented many light entertainment television programmes, including Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, Top of the Pops, The Late, Late Breakfast Show, Telly Addicts, Noel's Saturday...
and Kenny Everett
Kenny Everett
Kenny Everett was an English comedian, radio DJ and television entertainer. Born Maurice James Christopher Cole, Everett is best known for his career as a radio DJ and for the Kenny Everett television shows.-Early life:...
.
Radio and television
Beadle began supplying odd facts and questions to radio and television game shows, such as Celebrity Squares. He sent a number of questions to Bob MonkhouseBob Monkhouse
Robert Alan "Bob" Monkhouse, OBE was an English entertainer. He was a successful comedy writer, comedian and actor and was also well known on British television as a presenter and game show host...
, the host, without the answers and Monkhouse was so impressed he rang Jeremy to ask him to work on the show. His presenting style on the phone-in programme Nightline on LBC
LBC
LBC Radio operates two London-based radio stations, with news and talk formats. LBC was Britain's first legal commercial Independent Local Radio station, providing a service of news and information to London. It began broadcasting on 8 October 1973, a week ahead of Capital Radio...
in London, which he hosted between September 1979 and 22 June 1980 (when he was sacked), led to a cult following. He introduced himself as Jeremy James Anthony Gibson-Beadlebum: "Jeremy James Anthony Gibson-Beadle is my name and a bum is what I am," he explained. He teased his producer as 'Butch' Bavin Cook (b. 12 June).
On 31 May 1980, he began co-presenting the children's television show Fun Factory with his LBC co-star Therese Birch, Kevin Day and Billy Boyle
Billy Boyle
Billy Boyle is an Irish actor on British film, television and stage. He is a veteran of the West-End stage having played leading roles in over 15 hit shows. In his first West-End musical "Maggie May" he was nominated as best newcomer. Gower Champion then chose him to play Barnaby in "Hello Dolly"...
. On Capital Radio
Capital Radio
Capital London is a London based radio station which launched on 16 October 1973 and is owned by Global Radio. On 3 January 2011 it formed part of the nine station Capital radio network.- Pre-launch :...
Beadle presented Beadle's Odditarium, a music show concentrating on strange, bizarre and rare recordings all taken from the archives of producer Phil Swern
Phil Swern
Phil Swern is an English radio producer and music collector. He was formerly a record producer and songwriter, plus he has also written for television. He currently produces Pick of the Pops and Sounds of the 60s and formerly produced the Bob Harris Show for BBC Radio 2...
. From 5 October 1986, Beadle presented Beadle's Brainbusters on the independent local radio network, with questions written by Beadle and Paul Donnelley. He also became renowned for his off-air pranks and intellectually challenging quizzes. He wrote, devised and presented many television pilots for the highly successful game show company Action Time, then run by Jeremy Fox, son of Sir Paul Fox. Beadle wrote and presented The Deceivers, a BBC2
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
television series recounting the history of swindlers and hoaxers. The success of this led to using the same format for Eureka
Eureka (BBC TV series)
Eureka was a British educational television series about science and inventiveness which was produced and broadcast by the BBC from 1981 to 1986...
, which told the background behind everyday inventions.
Beadle then went on to become nationally famous as one of the presenters of LWT's Game for a Laugh
Game for a Laugh
Game For A Laugh was a popular British TV light entertainment show which ran for 56 editions and 4 specials between 26 September 1981 and 23 November 1985, made by London Weekend Television for the ITV network.- Origins :...
(along with Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly is an English television presenter and Olivier-award winning actor. Having been trained as a theatre actor, he first came to public prominence as a television presenter of ITV light entertainment shows such as You Bet! and Stars in Their Eyes...
, Henry Kelly
Henry Kelly
Patrick Henry Kelly is an Irish television presenter and radio DJ.Henry Kelly was born in Athlone, Co Westmeath, Ireland. He was educated at Belvedere College SJ, and at University College Dublin where he was Auditor of the Literary and Historical Society...
and Sarah Kennedy
Sarah Kennedy
Sarah Mary Kennedy MBE is a British TV and radio broadcaster. She presented her own daily early morning radio show, The Dawn Patrol, on BBC Radio 2 from 1993, before announcing her decision to leave the show on 3 September, 2010.Kennedy was honoured in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2005, when...
), a pivotal show in the history of British television since it was the first time ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
had beaten the BBC in the Saturday night ratings battle. This was followed by a hidden-camera style practical joke show, Beadle's About
Beadle's About
Beadle's About was a British television programme hosted by the late Jeremy Beadle, where members of the public became victims of practical jokes behind hidden cameras...
(1986–1996) which became the world's longest continuously running hidden camera show.
From 1990, he presented You've Been Framed!, a family show featuring humorous clips from viewers' home video recordings. An off-shoot of this was Beadle's Hotshots featuring viewers' intentionally funny parodies and sketches (some of which were re-edited and even re-shot by a young Edgar Wright
Edgar Wright
Edgar Howard Wright is an English film and television director and writer. He is most famous for his work with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on the films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, the TV series Spaced, and for directing the film Scott Pilgrim vs...
in his first industry job, other sketches and scripts were produced by writer/director Chris Barfoot
Chris Barfoot
Chris Barfoot is a British actor, writer/director and producer of film productions.- Biography :...
). In total, Beadle hit the UK Number One ratings slot four times. In 1995, reflecting his days on LBC, he presented a relatively short-lived but hugely popular Sunday late-evening show on the newly launched Talk Radio UK
TalkSPORT
Talksport , owned by UTV radio, is one of the United Kingdom's three terrestrial analogue Independent National Radio broadcasters, offering a sports and talk radio service broadcast from London to the United Kingdom....
. As well as his considerable television output as writer, presenter and producer he appeared in numerous pantomimes and acted as ringmaster for many circuses notably for Gerry Cottle. He also worked as a consultant for many television companies, wrote books and presented quizzes both commercially and for charity. As a radio presenter, he was chairman of a brief revival of Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
.
Writing
Beadle wanted to be the British Robert L. Ripley. A love of trivia was born when his mother Marji (9 July 1921 – July 2002) bought him The Guinness Book Of Records for Christmas when he was a small boy. This led him to write Today's the Day, (published in UK by WH Allen in 1979 and by Signet in the United States two years later), researched in his own library of more than 30,000 volumes. The book recounts — for any given day of the year — notable births, deaths and other events which occurred on this date in previous years linked to odd or amusing facts. Beadle briefly performed a similar duty on television's TV-amTV-am
TV-am was a breakfast television station that broadcast to the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 to 31 December 1992. It made history by being the first national operator of a commercial television franchise at breakfast-time , and broadcast every day of the week for most or all of the period...
, informing each morning's viewers of prominent events on this date in past years. The scripts were written by Beadle and Paul Donnelley.
For more than two years, he wrote a daily cartoon series of Today's the Day for the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
. He worked alongside Irving Wallace
Irving Wallace
Irving Wallace was an American best-selling author and screenwriter. Wallace was known for his heavily researched novels, many with a sexual theme. One critic described him "as the most successful of all the many exponents of junk fiction perhaps because he took it all so seriously, not so say...
and his son David Wallechinsky
David Wallechinsky
David Wallechinsky has worked as a commentator for NBC Olympic coverage and is the author of many Olympic reference books and other reference books. He is a Jewish-American. He is the author of The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics and The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics series...
and daughter Amy Wallace as the biggest contributor to the sex and death chapters of the sensationally successful The Book of Lists
The Book of Lists
The Book of Lists refers to any one of a series of books compiled by David Wallechinsky, his father best selling author Irving Wallace and sister Amy Wallace....
and was the London editor of The People's Almanac 2. The Wallaces' book The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People (Dell (US) Hutchinson (UK), 1981) was researched in part in Beadle's library, which contained an extensive canon of erotic literature. In autumn 2007 three new Beadle titles were published: Firsts, Lasts & Onlys: Crime, Firsts, Lasts & Onlys: Military (both co-authored by the celebrated writer Ian Harrison) and Beadle's Miscellany, the first hundred quizzes from his weekly puzzlers in The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
. He guest edited the January 2008 edition of True Detective magazine which featured contributions from his friends who are crime experts including James Morton, Paul Donnelley, Andrew Rose and Matthew Spicer.
General knowledge
Renowned for his general knowledgeTrivia
The trivia are the three lower Artes Liberales, i.e. grammar, rhetoric and logic. These were the topics of basic education, foundational to the quadrivia of higher education, and hence the material of basic education, of interest only to undergraduates...
, Beadle was host of Win Beadle's Money (based on the US format Win Ben Stein's Money
Win Ben Stein's Money
Win Ben Stein's Money is an American television game show that ran from July 28, 1997 to January 31, 2003 on the Comedy Central cable network with episodes airing until May 8, 2003. It featured three contestants who competed in a general knowledge quiz contest to win the grand prize of $5,000 from...
). Beadle lost his money only eight times in 52 shows. He wrote and presented a notoriously difficult quiz at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's The Atlantic Grill restaurant then owned by Oliver Peyton
Oliver Peyton
Oliver Peyton is an Irish restaurateur and judge on the BBC television series Great British Menu.- Biography :Oliver Peyton was born in Swinford, County Mayo, Ireland....
, often attended by celebrities and members of the press. He also wrote a quiz
Quiz
A quiz is a form of game or mind sport in which the players attempt to answer questions correctly. In some countries, a quiz is also a brief assessment used in education and similar fields to measure growth in knowledge, abilities, and/or skills.Quizzes are usually scored in points and many...
for The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
every Saturday. He occasionally appeared as a panellist on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's Quote... Unquote
Quote... Unquote
Quote... Unquote is a long-running panel game broadcast on BBC Radio 4 based on quotations. Every episode since the beginning of the series in 1976 has been chaired by its deviser, Nigel Rees. In July 2011, the programme began a new series, being broadcast at 1.30pm on Mondays, repeated on...
and in dictionary corner for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's Countdown
Countdown (game show)
Countdown is a British game show involving word and number puzzles. It is produced by ITV Studios and broadcast on Channel 4. It is presented by Jeff Stelling, assisted by Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and over sixty-five...
.
Charity work
In the 2001 New Year HonoursNew Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to charity. Beadle was a keen supporter of the charity Children With Leukaemia
Children With Leukaemia
Children With Leukaemia is a British charitable organisation, inaugurated by Diana, Princess of Wales on 12 January 1988, that provides funding for research into the prevention and cure of childhood leukaemia including acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and Acute myeloid leukaemia . It also supports...
, a disease he suffered from himself in 2005. He spent much time raising money for many different charities with Plastermind his 'outrageous quiz for those who don't like quizzes', as well as a school video venture called CamClass. Beadle was a patron of The Philip Green Memorial Trust
Philip Green Memorial Trust
The Philip Green Memorial Trust , was formed in 1985 by Cyril Paskin following the death of his close friend and fellow philanthropist, Philip Green....
, and he annually hosted a quiz party to raise money for disadvantaged children. Beadle was also the patron of Reach, an organisation providing support and advice for children in the UK with hand or arm deficiencies, and their parents. He was a member of Westminster City Council freemason Lodge No. 2882. Although he did not join this organisation until after his television heyday was over, he quickly became involved with all aspects of English Freemasonry
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, and particularly its charitable work, often using his celebrity status to assist in raising funds for masonic charities. Beadle also helped to raise money, around £35,000, for the Air Training Corps
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
in late 2007. It is estimated that his total charitable fund raising was of the order of £100million.
Health and disability
Beadle had Poland syndromePoland syndrome
Poland syndrome is a rare birth defect characterized by underdevelopment or absence of the chest muscle on one side of the body and webbing of the fingers of the hand on the same side mostly common on the right...
and was one of the first TV presenters with a visible disability which manifested itself as a disproportionately small right hand. In 2004, Beadle discovered he had developed cancer of the kidney
Renal cell carcinoma
Renal cell carcinoma is a kidney cancer that originates in the lining of the proximal convoluted tubule, the very small tubes in the kidney that filter the blood and remove waste products. RCC is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults, responsible for approximately 80% of cases...
and underwent a successful operation to remove it. However, in April 2005, a blood test during a routine post-op medical check-up led to him being diagnosed with leukaemia. Beadle was successfully treated for this, though two serious illnesses in such a short space of time were detrimental to his general state of health.
Death
On 25 January 2008, it was reported that Beadle had been admitted to The London Hospital and was subsequently placed in a Critical Care Unit due to severe pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. He died on 30 January 2008, aged 59. On 2 February 2008, ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
dedicated that day's episode of You've Been Framed to Beadle, and promoted their tribute webpage to him over the show's credits. ITV1's official tribute to Jeremy Beadle was broadcast on 4 February 2008 where various celebrity friends including Lord Sugar
Alan Sugar
Alan Michael Sugar, Baron Sugar is a British entrepreneur, media personality and political advisor. From humble origins in the East End of London, Sugar now has an estimated fortune of £770m , and was ranked 89th in the Sunday Times Rich List 2011...
paid tribute. He was cremated at Marylebone Crematorium on 14 February 2008 and interred in Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a cemetery located in north London, England. It is designated Grade I on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. It is divided into two parts, named the East and West cemetery....
(his headstone bears the inscription "Writer, Presenter, Curator of Oddities"). A further tribute was aired on Friday 16 May, An Audience Without Jeremy Beadle
An Audience with...
An Audience with... is a British entertainment television show produced by ITV Studios, in which a host, usually a singer or comedian, performs for an invited audience of celebrity guests, interspersed with questions from the audience, in a light hearted revue/tribute style.The show began as An...
, hosted by Chris Tarrant
Chris Tarrant
Christopher John "Chris" Tarrant, OBE is an English radio and television broadcaster, now best known for hosting the first version of the television game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in the United Kingdom and later Ireland, as the two national versions of the show merged in 2002.Chris...
and with contributions from Alan Sugar
Alan Sugar
Alan Michael Sugar, Baron Sugar is a British entrepreneur, media personality and political advisor. From humble origins in the East End of London, Sugar now has an estimated fortune of £770m , and was ranked 89th in the Sunday Times Rich List 2011...
, Henry Kelly
Henry Kelly
Patrick Henry Kelly is an Irish television presenter and radio DJ.Henry Kelly was born in Athlone, Co Westmeath, Ireland. He was educated at Belvedere College SJ, and at University College Dublin where he was Auditor of the Literary and Historical Society...
, Ken Campbell, Anneka Rice and others.
His obituary in The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
noted that he "was the most avidly watched presenter on television". On 15 August 2010, he was the subject of the ITV documentary The Unforgettable Jeremy Beadle.
TV appearances
- April Fool (1 April 1980) (writer, with Clive Doig)
- Fun Factory (31 May 1980)
- The Deceivers (1981)
- Eureka (1981)
- Game for a LaughGame for a LaughGame For A Laugh was a popular British TV light entertainment show which ran for 56 editions and 4 specials between 26 September 1981 and 23 November 1985, made by London Weekend Television for the ITV network.- Origins :...
(26 September 1981) - DefinitionDefinition (TV series)Definition was a Canadian television game show, which aired on CTV from 1974 to 1989, and filmed at its flagship studio of CFTO-TV in the former Scarborough, Ontario . For most of its run, it was hosted by Jim Perry....
(1984–1986) - The Saturday ShowThe Saturday Show (ITV TV series)The Saturday Show was Birmingham-based Central Television's flagship Saturday morning kids TV show which replaced their previous success Tiswas. It ran on ITV for two series between 1982 and 1984. It was originally planned that popular wrestler Big Daddy would star and that it would be called "Big...
(1983) - People Do the Funniest Things (1987)
- Beadle's AboutBeadle's AboutBeadle's About was a British television programme hosted by the late Jeremy Beadle, where members of the public became victims of practical jokes behind hidden cameras...
(1986–1996) - Chain LettersChain LettersChain Letters was a British television game show produced by Tyne Tees Television. The show was filmed at their City Road studios in Newcastle Upon Tyne and broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom between 7 September 1987 and 25 April 1997. Three contestants competed to win money by changing letters...
(1987) - Beadle's Box of Tricks
- Born Lucky (1989)
- It's Beadle! (1990)
- You've Been FramedYou've Been FramedYou've Been Framed is a British television show, produced by ITV Studios for ITV where viewers send in humorous home videos. It is currently narrated by the comedian Harry Hill....
(1990–1997) - Beadle's Daredevils (1993)
- GMTVGMTVGMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
(1993) - A Fistful of Fingers (1994)
- Is This Your Life? (1995, lengthy interview with Andrew NeilAndrew NeilAndrew Ferguson Neil is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster.He currently works for the BBC, presenting the live political programmes The Daily Politics and This Week...
for Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, made by Open MediaOpen MediaOpen Media is a British television production company, best known for the discussion series After Dark, described by The Daily Mail as "the most intelligent, thought-provoking and interesting programme ever to have been on television"....
) - Beadle's Hotshots (1996)
- This MorningThis Morning (TV series)This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
with Richard and JudyRichard and JudyRichard and Judy is the name informally given to Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, a married couple who are both British television presenters and columnists. Since their marriage, their television appearances have been largely made as a couple. They are best known for presenting This Morning and...
(1996) - Win Beadle's Money (1999)
- Celebrity Sleepover (2001)
- Ant & Dec's Banged Up With Beadle (2002 - part of Saturday Night TakeawaySaturday Night TakeawayAnt & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, is a variety show created by LWT and shown in the UK on Saturday evenings on ITV, presented and executively produced by Ant & Dec. It is broadcast live from The London Studios on the South Bank...
) - Comic Relief 2003: The Big Hair Do: University ChallengeUniversity ChallengeUniversity Challenge is a British quiz programme that has aired since 1962. The format is based on the American show College Bowl, which ran on NBC radio from 1953 to 1957, and on NBC television from 1959 to 1970....
- Celebrity Mastermind (2005, Winner. Specialist subject London Capital Murders 1900-1940)
- Celebrity Who Wants to be a Millionaire?Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television game show which offers large cash prizes for correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television International. The maximum cash prize is one million pounds...
(2005) Partner Sir Alan Sugar - The Trial of Jack the Ripper (2005) Winner
- CountdownCountdown (game show)Countdown is a British game show involving word and number puzzles. It is produced by ITV Studios and broadcast on Channel 4. It is presented by Jeff Stelling, assisted by Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and over sixty-five...
(2006) - The All Star Talent ShowThe All Star Talent ShowThe All Star Talent Show is a 2006, television programme which aires on Five. It is presented by Andi Peters and Myleene Klass, with Julian Clary making up the judging panel alongside 2 guest judges. Each 6 celebrities perform with the winner at the end of each episode going into the final at the...
(2006) - Get Me The Producer (2007) (He appeared in Episode 3 only)
- Dickinson's Real Deal (2008)
Publications
Books- Today's the Day - A Chronicle of the Curious (1979, US edition 1981)
- The Book of Outlawed Inventions (with Chris Winn)
- Beadle's About (with Robert Randell)
- How to Make Your Own Video Blockbuster (with Mark Leigh and Mike Lepine)
- Watch Out! My Autobiography (with Alec Lom)
- The Gossip's Guide to Madame Tussaud's (Pulped because of unflattering comments about Kemal Attaturk)
- Firsts, Lasts & Onlys Crime (with Ian Harrison) (2007)
- Firsts, Lasts & Onlys Military (with Ian Harrison) (2007)
- Beadle's Miscellany (2007)
Videos
- The Best of Beadle's About
- You've Been Framed
- You've Been Framed Again
- Jeremy Beadle's Beginners Guide to Practical Joking
- The Story of Crime
- Bickershaw Festival 1972
- Bickershaw Festival Volume 2
Magazine
- True Detective January 2008 (Guest Editor. First in 57 years)
External links
- Jeremy Beadle—Obituary and Tribute
- Find a Grave Jeremy Beadle [1948 - 2008]
- The Times obituary
- Jeremy Beadle: Loved and loathed TV prankster
- The Beadlean Library Actor & playwright Ken CampbellKen CampbellKen Campbell was an English writer, actor, director and comedian.Ken Campbell may also refer to:* Ken Campbell , Canadian evangelist* Ken Campbell , former Scotland international goalkeeper...
on BBC Radio 3