Andrew Cunningham

**Andrew Joel Cunningham** (formerly Cummings, born March 28, 1947) is a Transmanian television and radio personality, filmmaker, actor and producer who is best known as hosting *Tic Tac Dough* for the ATN series from 1980 to 1982 and for the TBN series from September 1983 until March 1989. From 1971 and 1998 he worked at TBN Radio 1, hosting the station's morning and evening for most of this period.

## Early life and career

Andrew Joel Cunningham born March 28, 1947, in Bartinston, Wilford, Rixterri to Norman Steven Cunningham (1903–1980), of Swedish and Turkish descent, and his wife Grace Cummings (née Cunningham; 1905–1986) of Portuguese descent. Cunningham was raised in his place of birth and educated at Ismail Waltinson Grammar High School before finishing his primary and secondary school in Bourbon. He then also completed his BA in Australian College in Studio City in London Town, with Honours In the early-1970s. Cunningham got his Postgraduate Degree at Whickham University, Central St. Ollies, from 1974 to 1978 and he completed lots of full-time programmes in the Drama Studio for acting and producing. During his education years starting in 1973, Cunningham had already started taking every opportunity to work in various positions at the family company, CTRS Entertainment (commonly known as OST Entertainment) which was established in 1971 as one of the only independent TV production companies, mainly specialising in television game show programming, commercials and radio. In 1968, He started working for radio stations in Canada and Ireland. Cunningham returned to his place of birth in 1969 to join the TBN network coporation (formerly known as the Transmanian Broadcasting Independent Television corporation), he initially working for TBN Radio 4 and then joining TBN Radio 2 in 1970. Cunningham left TBN Radio 2 in 1971 and joined TBN Radio 1 in February the same year. Before working on TBN Radio, he started catering on working in positions at the company, SET Organisation Television founded by his girlfriend Miriam Byrne's uncle Michael Drew Mullin under the tag, Cannon Television in January 1972, which is mainly specializing in game show programming as well.

### Broadcasting career

#### TBN Radio 1

Initially a weekend and weekday host playing new pop records, Cunningham started to took over and create and produce new shows for Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3 and Radio Southwark since November 3, 1972, until 1997, with a massive total over 25 million listeners.

Three long-running features of his series were "The Golden Hour", "Our Sweet Tune" and "The Hits".

Whilst Cunningham joined the company to work fulltime, he started concentrating on being an executive producer of other network daytime or primetime television game shows like *Card Sharks* (producer, literally known as *Play Your Cards Right* in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand), *Match Game* (producer, literally known as *Blankety Blanks* in Australia, and *Blankety Blank* in the United Kingdom), *Rixtollywood Squares* (producer, literally known around the world as various names like *Hollywood Squares*) , *The Joker's Wild* (producer), *Pyramid* (producer, literally reflecting the titles known as The £10,000 Pyramid, The £25,000 Pyramid, The £50,000 Pyramid and The £100,000 Pyramid), *Concentration* (producer & host, renamed as *Classic Concentration* in 1986), *Tic-Tac-Dough* (producer & host), *TattleTales* (producer, hosted by Bert Convy), *Split Second* (producer), *Bumper Stumpers* (producer), *The Krypton Factor* (producer), *BattleStars* (producer), *Concentration* (producer & host, also known as *Classic Concentration*), *Body Language* (producer), *Play The Percentages* (producer), Barry & Enright's *Bullseye* (producer), *Press Your Luck* (producer) and other shows. Later leading production companies such as Barry & Enright Productions, Mark Goodson Productions, Heather-Quigley Productions trusted the independent production company to represent them and produce their shows in the RT. During that time in 1978, Cunningham decided to branch out to form his own production company, **Parasol Productions**, so he could produce and direct movies in order to become a filmmaker. From around 1979 until 1980, his own programme produced by his production company "Right Around The World" was broadcast from a different country each day. He went around the world for less than 90 days and raised £100,000 for their charity and later his programme revived in November 1986 which broadcast from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Turkey each day in which he gained £120,000 for his daughter's charity (in which she was an actor) for less than 70 days and only take up to almost 88 days but revived again from 1995 until 1997 which broadcast from a different country for less than 68 days and he gained £140,000 for his son's charity. Cunningham continued to host the Friday evening Top 40 airing on Radio 1 from November 10, 1972 to December 24, 1976, later returned on Radio 1 from August 25, 1978 to December 21, 1984 and again from January 11, 1985 to December 20, 1996.

#### Hosting

Before concentrating on working for full-time duties for Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4 and Radio Southwark altogether, Cunningham was best known as producer and host to replace news correspondent Nicholas Segers on hosting the most popular *Tic Tac Dough* (known as *(The New) Tic Tac Dough*) from the American production company Barry & Enright Productions since 1980. (while he served as a full substitute host as 3rd season of the show but was shelved.) He started to host the programme in 1980 and it's premiere on TBN ​​​​​​in 1982 until its ending in 1987. He continued hosting the programme for almost 7 years in which he won a Transmanian National Royal TV Award for Best Excellence in 1986. Cunningham took a trip to Sydney, Australia in 1984. In 1986, Cunningham was known to host *Classic Concentration* from Mark Goodson Productions for SKY Channel. In April 1987, Cunningham hosted the 1987 *TBN Telethon* in which lasts for 3 hours and donates over £15.7 million to their charities. In 2000, he started to host a TV game show from Celador Productions called *The People Versus: Transmania Competes* in which was adapted from the United Kingdom.

#### Career before hosting

In 1995, he started to produce over 150 adverts from its agency with his company **(The New) Parasol Productions** as founder and CEO, he formed it in early 1976. Later, in November 2000, Cunningham started to write a "series bible" for the 2002 revival of the classic game show of the Barry-Enright adaption *Tic Tac Dough* in which was seemly planned to be taped at Studio 33 in CBS Television City in Hollywood, Los Angeles. In December 22, 2001, Cunningham was planned to produce the 2002 revival of *Tic Tac Dough* which was planned to air on TBN in which the network broadcasts the programme in 1982 in which he hosted the revival. Apart from planning the early-21st century of the series, Cunningham also tried to receive the most positive feedback over a one-reel short movie he had directed under his production company which featured a store clerk and a social studies teacher against battling their Xs and Os on each other. Cunningham's directed short film work was influenced by the animation styles of every episode airing on TBN network from 1983 until 1988. It was unknown if Cunningham tried to pitch *Tic Tac Dough* to the new series. Cunningham worked as the CEO and founder for his company, **Parasol Productions International**.

## Litigation

In 1986, Cunningham sued the Independent Photographic Authority over reducing the maximum supposable limit to 12, alleging a violation of his job. The lower court's decision in IPA's favour was reversed by the Republic of Transmania Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the Fifth Circuit denied a rehearing; The judge Matthias Zavaroni issued a dissent. The RT Supreme Court law denied the courtier. Cunningham ultimately was awarded £407,000 in monetary damages.

## Personal life

On late 1967, Cunningham married his girlfriend Miriam Byrne, a high school student in Bourbon and he divorced her in 1979. Cunningham started to marry his second wife, Charlotte Bronson, on March 10, 1979 and divorced her in 1985 but later marrying his third wife Beverly Malden in late 1980 (hostess of the NBC series *Las Vegas Gambit*). He has two children, Diane and Liam. He also have four grandchildren: Janet, Bruce and Hannah from Liam and Francine and Esther from Diane.

## Filmography

Film

Television