Noel Edmonds

Edmonds in 2020

**Noel Ernest Edmonds** is an English television presenter, radio DJ, writer, producer, and businessman. Edmonds first became known as a disc jockey on Radio Luxembourg before moving to BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presented various radio shows and light-entertainment television programmes across 50 years, originally working for the BBC, later Sky UK and Channel 4. His television work includes *Top of the Pops* (1972–1978), *Multi-Coloured Swap Shop* (1976–1982), *Top Gear* (1979–1980), *The Late, Late Breakfast Show* (1982–1986), *Telly Addicts* (1985–1998), *The Noel Edmonds Saturday Roadshow* (1988–1990), *Noel's House Party* (1991–2000), and *Deal or No Deal* (2005–2016).

## Early life

Edmonds was born in Ilford, Essex, the son of Dudley Edmonds, a headmaster who worked in Hainault, London, and Lydia Edmonds, an art teacher. He attended Glade Primary School in Clayhall and Brentwood School in Brentwood, Essex.

He was offered a place at the University of Surrey but turned it down to focus on his radio career.

## Radio career

Edmonds began working as a newsreader on Radio Luxembourg, which was offered to him in 1968 after he sent tapes to offshore radio stations.

In 1969, Edmonds moved to BBC Radio 1, where he began by recording trailers for broadcasts and filling in for absent DJs, such as Kenny Everett. In April 1970, he began his own two-hour Saturday-afternoon programme, broadcasting from 1 pm to 3 pm, before replacing Everett on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon in July that year. In October 1971, he was moved to a Sunday slot from 10 a.m. to noon before being promoted to host *The Radio 1 Breakfast Show* from Monday 4 June 1973 to Friday 28 April 1978, taking over from Tony Blackburn. Edmonds moved to Sunday mornings and middays, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., in 1978 and also presented *Talkabout*, an hour-long talk show broadcast on Thursday evenings. Edmonds left Radio 1 in March 1983.

Edmonds made two brief returns to Radio 1. Firstly in 1985 when he sat in for Mike Read when he was hosting the breakfast show, and again in 1992 to celebrate Radio 1's 25th Birthday.[*citation needed*]

In 2003, Edmonds made a brief radio comeback, taking over the 'drivetime' broadcast on BBC Radio 2 for eight weeks while Johnnie Walker was treated for cancer. His stint on Radio 2 lasted from 4 August until 3 October. In December 2004, Edmonds played a detective on a radio murder mystery play on local station BBC Radio Devon.

## Television career

Edmonds hosted *Top of the Pops* at various points between 1972 and 1978, during which time he also presented a phone-in programme for teenagers called *Z Shed* on BBC1 as well as a programme called *Hobby Horse*. He hosted the children's Saturday-morning programme *Multi-Coloured Swap Shop*, which ran from 1976 to 1982. With fellow *Swap Shop* regulars Maggie Philbin and Keith Chegwin, Edmonds was a member of the trio Brown Sauce, which recorded the single "I Wanna Be a Winner" in 1981. It reached number 15 in the UK singles chart. In 1980, Edmonds took part in the *Eurovision Song Contest*, introducing the UK entry live on stage at the final in the Hague. During *Swap Shop*'s run Edmonds hosted *Lucky Numbers*, a Saturday evening phone-in quiz programme which required viewers to call in and answer questions based on clips of films shown, and a revival of the 1960s pop music series *Juke Box Jury*.

Edmonds was one of the original presenters of the BBC's motoring series *Top Gear* during the late 1970s. During his time on the programme he mocked the Fiat Strada, saying it "wasn't very good", which caused Fiat to threaten to sue the BBC unless he apologised for the comments. Edmonds reappeared in one episode of *Top Gear* in the 1990s, to road test the classic 1960s Ford GT40 supercar, of which he owned 2, because the then-current host Jeremy Clarkson – at 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) tall – was unable to fit into the cockpit. In 1997 Clarkson was one of Edmonds' star team for the 1997 Le Mans race which was featured in *Noel's Le Mans Dream*, a 2 part documentary for BBC 2. In the 1980s Edmonds hosted a series on BBC1 called *The Time of Your Life*, in which celebrities recalled the time they were at their happiest professionally. It ran for three series from 1983.

## Connection to the series

In the finale of Acting Constables, Noel is presenting an edition of Noel's House Party when Dave and Bob chase Simon (Anthony Head), into 'the house'.