Chris Tarrant
Encyclopedia
Christopher John "Chris" Tarrant, OBE
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...

 (born 10 October 1946) is an English radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...

 and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 broadcaster
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...

, now best known for hosting the first version of the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...

 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (UK game show)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a British television quiz show which offers a maximum cash prize of one million pounds for correctly answering successive multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty...

in the United Kingdom and later Ireland, as the two national versions of the show merged in 2002.

Chris Tarrant was educated as a boarder in Choir House at The King's School, Worcester
The King's School, Worcester
The King's School, Worcester is an English independent school refounded by Henry VIII in 1541. It occupies a site adjacent to Worcester Cathedral on the banks of the River Severn in the centre of the city of Worcester...

 from 1960-1964. He represented the school at hockey and cricket and gained A, B and D grades at A-level in English, History and Ancient History. He then studied English at the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...

. Tarrant worked as a schoolteacher and also briefly as a researcher for the Central Office of Information
Central Office of Information
The Central Office of Information is the UK government's marketing and communications agency. Its Chief Executive, currently Mark Lund, reports to the Minister for the Cabinet Office...

 before joining ATV
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...

 as a newsreader
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...

 on ATV Today
ATV Today
ATV Today was a regional television news and current affairs programme, produced by ATV, serving the Midlands area of England. The programme aired from October 1964 until 31 December 1981 - the final day of broadcasting from ATV before the company was restructured and relaunched as Central...

.

Tiswas

Tarrant rose to prominence after becoming a co-host on Tiswas
Tiswas
Tiswas was a Saturday morning children's British television series which ran from 5 January 1974 to 3 April 1982 and was produced for the ITV network by ATV Network Limited....

, a children's television show broadcast on a Saturday morning in 1974. In 1982, he hosted a short-lived Saturday evening show O.T.T.
O.T.T.
O.T.T. was a late-night adult version of the anarchic ATV children's show Tiswas, but made by its ITV franchise successor Central Television. It was broadcast at 11.00pm on Saturday nights for one series in 1982. O.T.T. was created and presented by Chris Tarrant, and also starred ex-Tiswasians John...

, which was billed as an adult version of Tiswas
Tiswas
Tiswas was a Saturday morning children's British television series which ran from 5 January 1974 to 3 April 1982 and was produced for the ITV network by ATV Network Limited....

, but this was not a success. After this, he did a stint on the breakfast television station 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...

.

Capital Radio

In 1984, Tarrant joined Capital Radio as a presenter, initially presenting the station's lunchtime show. From 1987 until 2004 he hosted Capital Breakfast. The show was immensely popular, increasing Capital Radio's audience share in London. Chris had regular co-presenter Kara Noble as his sidekick for the early years until she moved to Heart FM in 1995, with regular contributions from Russ Kane, the flying eye traffic reporter, and news reader Howard Hughes. Chris Tarrant won the coveted Sony Radio Academy Awards, Breakfast Show Gold in 1995 for this show.

Another notable point was the release of a photo in early 1999 of the young Countess of Wessex who was a Public Relations representative at Capital, and was photographed sitting next to Tarrant in a taxi whilst having her top pulled down on an outside broadcast. The photo was released in 1999 by ex co-host of the breakfast show Kara Noble, by now working at Heart 106.2 in London when the Countess was about to marry Prince Edward.

At 9am, on Friday 2nd April 2004 after hosting 4425 shows over 17 years on Capital and giving away prizes to the value of £3.5 million, Chris Tarrant said his farewell to Capital Radio

Game Shows

Tarrant began to host the popular television quiz show 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...

in 1998, a job he still has today. The show has gone on to have series in over 100 other countries, and in 2002, the UK version merged with the Irish version. Tarrant has coined catchphrases such as "But we don't want to give you that!" and "Is that your final answer?" through the show. It was confirmed by UKGameshows.com
UKGameshows.com
UKGameshows.com is a website dedicated to British game shows. The site currently provides information on more than 1,500 British game show formats from 1938 to the present day, over 500 mini-biographies of hosts, along with numerous other background articles....

 that Tarrant has been the regular host for at least one full series of more game shows than anyone else on British television, with sixteen different series to his credit. In 2008 he presented the game show It's Not What You Know
It's Not What You Know (game show)
It’s Not What You Know was a game show, hosted by Chris Tarrant, which aired on the British digital TV channel Challenge in 2008. The show was unusual as Challenge tends to air repeats of classic game shows that were originally commissioned by other broadcasters, very rarely producing original...

.

Other work

Tarrant created and hosted Everybody's Equal
Everybody's Equal
Everybody's Equal was a game show hosted by Chris Tarrant, made by Celador and Thames Television for ITV, from 7 June 1989 to 22 July 1991. Versions also existed in many European countries, plus Canada...

 in 1989, although the programme came to an end in 1990. In 1991 he hosted the second series of Cluedo. On 1 January 1993, when Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....

 dissolved and was replaced by Carlton Television
Carlton Television
Carlton Television was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties including the cities of Solihull and Coventry of the West Midlands, south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire,...

, Tarrant hosted the first programme of the franchise, A Carlton New Year. Also in 1993, Tarrant hosted Lose A Million
Lose A Million
Lose A Million was an early 1990s British game show which was produced by Action Time for Carlton Television and was hosted by Chris Tarrant with voiceovers by Honor Blackman....

, in which contestants started off with a million pounds and were required to lose it by aiming to incorrectly answer a set of questions. Ironically Tarrant would go on to host 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...

, where the objective of the game is to do the complete opposite. From 1996 to 1999 Tarrant hosted the UK edition of Man O Man
Man O Man (UK game show)
Man O Man was a United Kingdom game show, which ran from 4 May 1996 to 7 August 1999, hosted by Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? presenter Chris Tarrant. The first series was produced by Richard Hearsey who previously produced another show hosted by Tarrant called Prove It. These shows were recorded...

.

Tarrant is also the long-term host of Tarrant on TV
...on Television
"...on Television" or "...on TV", was a long running late-night television programme on ITV. The programme featured a number of clips from unusual or, , amusing television programmes and commercials from around the world. The show was fronted initially by Clive James, then by Keith Floyd, and...

, a programme which shows clips featuring a number of unusual television programmes from around the world. He has presented the show since 1990.

In 1998, Tarrant released a compilation album entitled Ultimate Party Megamix on PolyGram Television's record label. A second edition entitled Ultimate Summer Party was also released. Both albums contain songs compiled by Tarrant himself in the form of a megamix.

In June 2008 it was announced he would return to radio, hosting a weekly Saturday morning show for the GMG Radio
GMG Radio
GMG Radio is the radio division of the Guardian Media Group. The group is based in Laser House, Salford Quays in Greater Manchester. The advertising division is in Old Trafford, Manchester. John Myers was the Chief Executive Officer, his deputy replaced him in April 2009...

 network of stations including London's 102.2 Smooth Radio
102.2 Smooth Radio
102.2 Smooth Radio was an Independent Local Radio station for the Greater London area, which replaced 102.2 Smooth FM on 26 March 2007, launched by Gavin McCoy with Barbra Streisand's "A Star Is Born"...

, Real Radio (Scotland)
Real Radio (Scotland)
Real Radio Scotland is an Independent Local Radio station in Central and Southern Scotland, owned and operated by GMG Radio. The station broadcasts from studios at Ballieston in the east end of the Glasgow on 100.3 & 101.1FM and on DAB.- Background :...

 and the North West's Century Radio. The show would air in direct competition to Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross may refer to:* Jonathan Ross , English television and radio personality* Jonathan Ross , United States Senator, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court* Jonathon Ross , former Australian rules footballer...

's show on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...

 and began on 26 July. It was aired for 12 months until July 2009.

In January 2009, Tarrant began to host new show The Colour of Money
The Colour of Money (TV series)
The Colour of Money was a British game show, broadcast on ITV between 21 February and 11 April 2009. The programme was produced by 12 Yard Productions, and hosted by Chris Tarrant and Millie Clode...

, which was cancelled after just seven episodes after failing to perform well in the ratings.

In 2009 UKTV signed Chris Tarrant to present a show for Watch
Watch (TV channel)
Watch is a general entertainment channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as part of the UKTV network. The channel launched on 7 October 2008 on satellite through Sky and on cable primarily through Virgin Media.-History:...

 called Tarrant Lets the Kids Loose
Tarrant Lets the Kids Loose
Tarrant Lets the Kids Loose is a television programme shown in 2009 on the UKTV channel Watch. It was produced by UKTV along with North One and All3Media, and hosted by Chris Tarrant.. It gave children aged three to six the chance to fulfil an ambition, by undertaking a task or challenge, such as...

. The eight-part series, beginning on 4 October, gives three- to six-year-olds the chance to fulfil their greatest ambitions in the adult world; whether running a photographic studio, a radio station or an ice-cream van.

In April 2010, Tarrant become one of the first three celebrities to be subjected to the British version of the American institution of a comedy roast, on Channel 4's A Comedy Roast.

In 2010 he presented ITV1's The Door, a game show in which celebrities faced unpleasant and scary challenges to win money for charity.

Tarrant sat in for Steve Wright in May, July, August 2010 and he sat in for Steve Wright again from 21 February to 25 February 2011, 4–8 April 2011 and 9–20 May 2011. Tarrant sat in for Steve Wright again from 4-8 July 2011 and 12 - 16 September 2011 on BBC Radio 2.

A keen fisherman
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

, Tarrant launched the Fishing with Chris Tarrant application for the Apple Inc. iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...

 and other iOS devices in August 2010, in association with Angling Times
Angling Times
The Angling Times is the UK's largest angling newspaper. They also publish Angling Times Advanced and Improve Your Coarse Fishing.Angling Times has advice from nationally known names in the sport, such as Steve Cole, Steve Ringer, Keith Arthur, John Wilson and Bob Nudd.The price of the publication...

magazine.

Personal life

Tarrant met his second wife Ingrid Dupre-Walsh
Ingrid Tarrant
Ingrid Dupre Tarrant is an English broadcaster and former wife of Chris Tarrant. She was educated at St Margaret's School, Bushey and has presented such programmes as TV Mail, Wish You Were Here? and This Morning...

 when they both worked for 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...

. The couple married in 1991 and divorced in 2007 when it was revealed that Tarrant had a "close" relationship with Fiona McKechnie, a schoolteacher and co-patron for Headway.
After a series of tabloid stories, on 18 September 2006 the couple announced that they were separating. The couple previously lived with their two children, daughter Sammy and son Toby in Esher, plus two children from Ingrid's previous marriage, Dexter and Fia, the latter a radio presenter with Reading 107 FM
Reading 107 FM
Reading 107 FM is an Independent Local Radio station in the English town of Reading. The station is based at studios in the Madejski Stadium, home of Reading F.C. and London Irish...

. Tarrant also has two children from a previous marriage to Sheila Tarrant, Helen and Jennifer. On 30 November 2006 Chris and Ingrid were interviewed separately on the Biography Channel and clips of it were shown on GMTV
GMTV
GMTV 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...

 to talk about the downfall of their relationship. During this interview, Chris did not seem sorry about the breakup; he was quoted as saying, "Well, I was a naughty boy" and said about Ingrid, "She wouldn't trust me with a pint of milk"; however, in other interviews he showed clear remorse.

In June 2000, Tarrant's River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 launch boat the Ben Gunn was vandalised and burnt at its mooring in East Molesey
East Molesey
Molesey is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England. Situated on the outskirts of Greater London, approximately from Charing Cross, it is a typical suburban area. There are two distinct areas in the town: West and East Molesey...

.

He is a fan of Reading F.C.
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...

.

Charity work

Tarrant's charity work, for which he received an OBE in 2004 includes: being an ambassador for the homeless charity, Centrepoint
Centrepoint (charity)
Centrepoint is the leading charity in the United Kingdom supporting homeless young people aged 16-25. Its is HRH The Duke of Cambridge.It provides a range of accommodation and additional support in health, education and life skills...

; Trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...

/Patron
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...

 of The New School at West Heath
The New School at West Heath
The New School at West Heath is an independent school in Sevenoaks, in southeast England. It caters for children for whom mainstream schooling has become insufficient, for varying reasons...

 for disadvantaged children (the school previously being a private school for girls that the late Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...

 attended); patron of Milly's Fund, set up in memory of murdered Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

 teenager "Milly" Dowler; patron of the Phoenix Centre for children with special needs.

He was a patron of the Headway Thames Valley, until details of his affair with trustee Fiona McKechnie became public and he resigned.

He is a patron of Wildlife Aid and does a lot of work to get animals rehabilitated.

Arrests

At approximately 10 pm on 13 May 2007, Tarrant was arrested on suspicion of assault at an Indian restaurant and released on police bail. The incident took place at the MemSaab Restaurant on Maid Marian Way, Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...

, where Tarrant, who had been joking with a couple dining at an adjacent table, threw an item of cutlery towards the man.

Tarrant admitted to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 that he did jokingly "lob" some cutlery onto the couple's table after asking them to leave him alone to discuss work with his colleagues. He said: "I've no idea what his [the accuser's] motives were - it genuinely makes no sense. I got back from the station at 1 am and to this minute I am completely bemused by what happened."

On 25 May 2007 he was formally cautioned
Police caution
A police caution is a formal alternative to prosecution in minor cases, administered by the police and other law enforcement agencies in England and Wales, and in Hong Kong...

 by Nottinghamshire Constabulary with regard to the incident.

As a result of this arrest, he was ranked number 99 on BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...

's "The Most Annoying People Of The Year 2007". He was also made the central subject of most of the jokes on the episode of Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...

which came on the week after his arrest, which he was guest presenting.

On 5 March 2009 he was arrested on suspicion of assault at his home in Esher
Esher
Esher is a town in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge in South East England near the River Mole. It is a very prosperous part of the Greater London Urban Area, largely suburban in character, and is situated 14.1 miles south west of Charing Cross....

. He was later released without charge.

Awards and honors

  • Winner of the "Lifetime Achievement" at the 2000 National Television Awards
  • Voted Number 38 in 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...

    's TV's 50 Greatest Stars
    TV's 50 Greatest Stars
    TV's 50 Greatest Stars was a British awards show, broadcast as part of ITV's 50th birthday celebrations on 9 September 2006. The two 2 hour show was presented by Bradley Walsh.-Results:As voted for by ITV viewers.1. David Jason2. Morecambe and Wise...

  • Winner of the "Lifetime Achievement" 2006 UK comedy award

Discography

  • Album 'Tiswas presents The Four Bucketeers'
  • Single 'The Bucket Of Water Song/Smello'
  • Single 'Water Is Wonderful/Raspberry Rock'
  • Album 'Saturday Scene'
  • Album 'Ultimate Party Megamix'
  • Album 'Ultimate Summer Party'

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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