Richard Keys
Encyclopedia
Richard Keys is an English
radio presenter
best known for his time with British sports channel Sky Sports
from 1991 until 2011. In February 2011, Keys along with fellow Sky presenter, Andy Gray signed with talkSPORT
.
In the mid to late 1980s, he co-presented TV-am
, a breakfast show on the ITV
network, with Anne Diamond
. He also commentated on football matches for ITV and cycling for Channel 4. Keys was one of the presenters for The Sports Channel on British Satellite Broadcasting
(BSB) in Spring 1990. When BSB merged with Sky in 1991, the channel was renamed Sky Sports
. Keys presented TV-am for the final time on 28 December 1990 before he left for Sky Sports full time. In January 2011, Keys and his colleague Andy Gray were suspended for off-air remarks they made about a female assistant referee
; he resigned on 26 January, subsequent to Gray's dismissal.
coverage of Premier League football since the league's inception in 1992. He was the presenter of the flagship Super Sunday
and also presented Sky's Monday Night Football
until Ian Payne
took over in 2003, which coincided with Sky gaining rights for the UEFA Champions League
. Sky broadcast their 1,000th Premier League game on 10 May 2007 with Keys fronting the majority of them. Taking into account all the other competitions, Keys had already clocked up a personal milestone of 1,000 games (558 Premiership fixtures, 134 FA Cup and 57 League Cup ties, 71 England internationals, 20 Scottish matches and 11 Charity Shields) back in 2002 and was given a Merit Award by the Premier League sponsor's Barclaycard
in recognition.
He presented UEFA Euro 2008 for Al Jazeera Sports
.
In November 2008, Sky Sports was criticised by Roy Keane
who named Keys by person in his criticism, "I was asked last week by ITV to do the Celtic game," he said. "A couple of weeks before that I was asked to do the United game against Celtic at Old Trafford. I think I've done it once for Sky. Never again. I'd rather go to the dentist. You're sitting there with people like Richard Keys and they're trying to sell something that's not there.
against Scotland in a Euro 2008 qualifier on 6 June 2007 on Sky Sports. Shortly before closing the programme when he thought he was off-air he made remarks about the game. The feed was broadcast on the Sky High Definition channel. Sky apologized, saying that "Keys was at the end of a six-hour shift and was directing his comments towards the Faroe Islands' "quirky" stadium in Toftir
rather than Scottish football". No action was taken regarding his position at Sky.
Keys was involved in another controversy on 6 April 2010 in the FC Barcelona
vs Arsenal
Champions League
quarter final second leg, when he made remarks about Arsenal's Theo Walcott
, and about other studio presenters and guests.
Keys' career at Sky came to an end with his resignation amid further controversy in January 2011. On 22 January, Keys was recorded making sexist remarks about female assistant referee, Sian Massey
prior to Liverpool
's Saturday lunchtime fixture at Wolves
. In an off-air exchange with Andy Gray, Keys commented that "Somebody better get down there and explain offside to her." After Gray suggested that "Women don't know the offside rule", Keys remarked "Course they don't. I can guarantee you there will be a big one today. Kenny
(Liverpool manager Dalglish) will go potty. This isn't the first time, is it? Didn't we have one before?" Keys later said, "The game's gone mad. Did you hear the charming Karren Brady
this morning complaining about sexism
? Do me a favour, love."
The remarks led to both Keys and Gray being suspended by Sky Sports for the Monday Night Football
game between Bolton Wanderers
and Chelsea
and being given formal disciplinary action. Barney Francis, Sky Sports Managing Director explained that the pair's comments were "inexcusable from anyone at Sky regardless of their role or seniority".
The following day saw Gray dismissed by Sky over another incident and also further sexist remarks from Keys being revealed on tape. Keys had been caught making a series of sexual references about Jamie Redknapp
's ex-girlfriend as the pair sat in a studio with Graeme Souness
and Ruud Gullit
before a game at Stamford Bridge
. Keys twice asks Redknapp if he "smashed it", before adding: ‘Mind you, that's a stupid question, if you were anywhere near it, you definitely smashed it. You could have gone round there any night and found Redknapp hanging out the back of it'.
On 26 January 2011, Keys went spent an hour on-air on Talksport
in an attempt to apologise and clear his name also blaming 'dark forces' at work, but resigned from his role later that day.
Keys has been appointed to present the 10am-1pm slot on Talksport
with his former Sky colleague Andy Gray.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
radio presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
best known for his time with British sports channel Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
from 1991 until 2011. In February 2011, Keys along with fellow Sky presenter, Andy Gray signed with talkSPORT
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....
.
In the mid to late 1980s, he co-presented TV-am
TV-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...
, a breakfast show on the 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...
network, with Anne Diamond
Anne Diamond
Anne Margaret Diamond is an English radio and television presenter and journalist. She hosted Good Morning Britain for TV-am and the similarly titled Good Morning... with Anne and Nick for BBC1, both with Nick Owen as her co-presenter...
. He also commentated on football matches for ITV and cycling for Channel 4. Keys was one of the presenters for The Sports Channel on British Satellite Broadcasting
British Satellite Broadcasting
British Satellite Broadcasting was a British television company which provided direct broadcast satellite television services to the United Kingdom...
(BSB) in Spring 1990. When BSB merged with Sky in 1991, the channel was renamed Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
. Keys presented TV-am for the final time on 28 December 1990 before he left for Sky Sports full time. In January 2011, Keys and his colleague Andy Gray were suspended for off-air remarks they made about a female assistant referee
Assistant referee (association football)
In association football, an assistant referee is one of several officials who assist the referee in controlling a match. Two officials, traditionally known as linesmen , stand on the touchlines, while a fourth official assists administrative or other match related tasks as directed by the referee...
; he resigned on 26 January, subsequent to Gray's dismissal.
Sports presenting
Keys presented Sky SportsSky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
coverage of Premier League football since the league's inception in 1992. He was the presenter of the flagship Super Sunday
Ford Super Sunday
Ford Super Sunday is Sky Sports' flagship live football programme, broadcasting live Barclays Premier League football on most Sundays over the course of a season...
and also presented Sky's Monday Night Football
Ford Monday Night Football
Ford Monday Night Football is a football programme on Sky Sports which broadcasts live English football generally from the Premier League.-Original run:...
until Ian Payne
Ian Payne
Ian Payne is a British television broadcaster who has appeared on Radio 5 Live, Sky Sports News and Sky Sports. He is the son of Peter Payne, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist.-Early career:...
took over in 2003, which coincided with Sky gaining rights for the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. Sky broadcast their 1,000th Premier League game on 10 May 2007 with Keys fronting the majority of them. Taking into account all the other competitions, Keys had already clocked up a personal milestone of 1,000 games (558 Premiership fixtures, 134 FA Cup and 57 League Cup ties, 71 England internationals, 20 Scottish matches and 11 Charity Shields) back in 2002 and was given a Merit Award by the Premier League sponsor's Barclaycard
Barclaycard
Barclaycard, part of Barclays Retail and Business Banking, is a global payment business. The Barclaycard was the first credit card introduced in the UK, coming into service in 1966. It enjoyed a monopoly until the introduction of the Access card in 1972....
in recognition.
He presented UEFA Euro 2008 for Al Jazeera Sports
Al Jazeera Sports
Al Jazeera Sports is a popular Arabic-language sports channel launched in November 2003 by the well-known Al Jazeera network.Al Jazeera Sports also owns the exclusive broadcasting rights in the Middle East for major football leagues, such as the Spanish La Liga, the French Ligue 1 and the Italian...
.
In November 2008, Sky Sports was criticised by Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
who named Keys by person in his criticism, "I was asked last week by ITV to do the Celtic game," he said. "A couple of weeks before that I was asked to do the United game against Celtic at Old Trafford. I think I've done it once for Sky. Never again. I'd rather go to the dentist. You're sitting there with people like Richard Keys and they're trying to sell something that's not there.
Controversy
Keys was involved in controversy while presenting the Faroe IslandsFaroe Islands national football team
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third...
against Scotland in a Euro 2008 qualifier on 6 June 2007 on Sky Sports. Shortly before closing the programme when he thought he was off-air he made remarks about the game. The feed was broadcast on the Sky High Definition channel. Sky apologized, saying that "Keys was at the end of a six-hour shift and was directing his comments towards the Faroe Islands' "quirky" stadium in Toftir
Toftir
Toftir is a village in Nes Municipality on the island of Eysturoy, in the Faroe Islands .Toftir is part of a chain of villages stretching over a distance of 10 kilometres on the east side of Skálafjørður on Eysturoy....
rather than Scottish football". No action was taken regarding his position at Sky.
Keys was involved in another controversy on 6 April 2010 in the FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
vs Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
quarter final second leg, when he made remarks about Arsenal's Theo Walcott
Theo Walcott
Theo James Walcott is an English footballer of Jamaican descent who plays for Arsenal and the England national team. Walcott is a product of the Southampton F.C. Academy. He is a striker who is usually deployed on the right wing as a wide forward to exploit his speed...
, and about other studio presenters and guests.
Keys' career at Sky came to an end with his resignation amid further controversy in January 2011. On 22 January, Keys was recorded making sexist remarks about female assistant referee, Sian Massey
Sian Massey
Sian Louise Massey is an English football and women's football referee who officiates generally in the role of assistant referee – primarily in the Football League – but she has also had appointments to Premier League, Football League Trophy, UEFA Women's Champions League and FIFA Women's World...
prior to Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
's Saturday lunchtime fixture at Wolves
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
. In an off-air exchange with Andy Gray, Keys commented that "Somebody better get down there and explain offside to her." After Gray suggested that "Women don't know the offside rule", Keys remarked "Course they don't. I can guarantee you there will be a big one today. Kenny
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
(Liverpool manager Dalglish) will go potty. This isn't the first time, is it? Didn't we have one before?" Keys later said, "The game's gone mad. Did you hear the charming Karren Brady
Karren Brady
Karren Brady is an English sporting executive, television broadcaster, newspaper columnist, author and novelist. She is the former managing director of Birmingham City Football Club and current vice-chairman of West Ham United...
this morning complaining about sexism
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
? Do me a favour, love."
The remarks led to both Keys and Gray being suspended by Sky Sports for the Monday Night Football
Ford Monday Night Football
Ford Monday Night Football is a football programme on Sky Sports which broadcasts live English football generally from the Premier League.-Original run:...
game between Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
and Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
and being given formal disciplinary action. Barney Francis, Sky Sports Managing Director explained that the pair's comments were "inexcusable from anyone at Sky regardless of their role or seniority".
The following day saw Gray dismissed by Sky over another incident and also further sexist remarks from Keys being revealed on tape. Keys had been caught making a series of sexual references about Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Frank Redknapp is a retired English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005. He is now a football pundit with Sky Sports, and an editorial columnist with the Daily Mail....
's ex-girlfriend as the pair sat in a studio with Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...
and Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit
OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the...
before a game at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
. Keys twice asks Redknapp if he "smashed it", before adding: ‘Mind you, that's a stupid question, if you were anywhere near it, you definitely smashed it. You could have gone round there any night and found Redknapp hanging out the back of it'.
On 26 January 2011, Keys went spent an hour on-air on Talksport
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....
in an attempt to apologise and clear his name also blaming 'dark forces' at work, but resigned from his role later that day.
Keys has been appointed to present the 10am-1pm slot on Talksport
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....
with his former Sky colleague Andy Gray.