Paul Ross
Encyclopedia
Paul Ross is an English
television and radio presenter, journalist
, and media personality. He is the son of Martha Ross
and the elder brother of Jonathan Ross
.
and the University of Kent
. Realising he would not be able to follow the academic career he favoured, "an English lecturer at a polytechnic", he trained as a journalist
at Exeter University and started his career with the Western Times in Exeter in 1982.
before becoming an editor for The Six O'Clock Show and The London Programme.
He worked as an editor and producer on Channel Four's The Word
and became a familiar face on television having presented on The Big Breakfast
and numerous game shows such as No Win No Fee, Mind the Gap, and the UK versions of Jeopardy!
.
By 1997 he had his own late night The Paul Ross Show for ITV
which finished in 1998. He is a regular showbusiness reporter and newspaper reviewer for This Morning
.
He continues to work as a TV presenter often on shows such as Most Haunted Live!
and on shopping channels. Although his TV work is mainly at the popular
end of the cultural spectrum, Ross is dismissive, citing Sturgeon's Law
, of the bulk of such output. He also presented game shows such as Mind the Gap and the award winning No Win No Fee where he never won his broadcasting fee from the contestants.
, Virgin Radio
and, later, Talk Radio
.
Ross also presented a radio show for LBC
but left in early 2008, to present the Breakfast Show on BBC London 94.9
, initially with JoAnne Good
, then with Gaby Roslin
. He also presents a show on Saturday mornings on BBC Sussex
and BBC Surrey
(formerly BBC Southern Counties Radio
).
In November 2006, he caused controversy by announcing an upcoming EastEnders
Christmas storyline on his LBC show, causing his mother, who told him the storyline, to be fired
from her job as an extra on EastEnders.
after his singing failed to impress voters. He is featured in a popular YouTube cookery clip starring James Martin & Perry Cree (1997) where he 'helps' the guys to cook a chocolate souffle.
Ross appeared on a celebrity edition of Mastermind
where his specialist subject was "The Life and Works of Ezra Pound
" reflecting his passion for modern poetry.
He appeared in the film Bridget Jones's Diary
as "Mr Sit-up Britain"
and the Daily Star Sunday.
, in character as Borat Sagdiyev, 'revealed' in an interview on the Jonathan Ross TV show that "Paul Ross is a big star in Kazakhstan
. We have a statue of Paul Ross - 18 January is Paul Ross Day!"
At the end of 2008 Ross was the subject of an Internet meme
. Online retailer Amazon
were selling a canvas portrait of the presenter which was picked up and passed around the Internet with many humorous comments being added to Amazon's page. There are currently several prints available to purchase on amazon, all of which have excellent reviews. For the tea drinkers out there, a Paul Ross mug is also available for purchase. Hundreds of people have claimed that purchasing a Paul Ross print has dramatically changed their lives.
The British satirical rock band Half Man Half Biscuit
included a verse about the 'D-List
Paul Ross' in the song "Tyrolean Knockabout" on their album Cammell Laird Social Club
.
In 2010, Paul Ross was jokingly referred to as 'the runt of the litter' by BBC3 TV Show Mongrels
. A reference to his younger and more successful brother, Jonathan Ross
.
.
During an interview on the BBC
's Jonathan Ross Show, Paul Ross was accused by the anarchist Ian Bone
of grassing
on the Poll Tax Rioters
on London Weekend Television
's Crime Monthly TV programme which he hosted.
Ross' father designed and built an entire central heating system for the family home, including installing a coal-fired boiler in the outhouse, after reading how to do it in a book from the local library.
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 and radio presenter, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, and media personality. He is the son of Martha Ross
Martha Ross
Martha Ross is a British actress and radio presenter, and mother of television presenters Jonathan and Paul Ross. She also has three other sons called Simon, Miles and Adam, and a daughter named Liza, who works in the media....
and the elder brother of Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross (television presenter)
Jonathan Stephen Ross, OBE is an English television and radio presenter, best known for presenting the BBC One chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross from 2001 until he left the BBC in 2010. Ross began hosting a new chat show on ITV1 starting 3 September 2011...
.
Early life
Ross was educated, along with his brother, at Norlington School for BoysNorlington School for Boys
Norlington School For Boys is a single-sex comprehensive school located in the borough of Waltham Forest in London, England. The Head Teacher is John Hernandez...
and the University of Kent
University of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
. Realising he would not be able to follow the academic career he favoured, "an English lecturer at a polytechnic", he trained as a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
at Exeter University and started his career with the Western Times in Exeter in 1982.
Television
Ross moved into television as a researcher at London Weekend TelevisionLondon Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
before becoming an editor for The Six O'Clock Show and The London Programme.
He worked as an editor and producer on Channel Four's The Word
The Word (TV series)
The Word was a 1990s Channel 4 television programme in the United Kingdom.-Format:Its presenters included Mancunian radio presenter Terry Christian, comedian Mark Lamarr, Dani Behr, Katie Puckrik, Jasmine Dotiwala, Alan Connor, Amanda de Cadenet and "Huffty"...
and became a familiar face on television having presented on The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast was a British light entertainment television show shown on Channel 4 and S4C each weekday morning from 28 September 1992 until 29 March 2002 during which period 2,482 shows were produced. The Big Breakfast was produced by Planet 24, the production company co-owned by former...
and numerous game shows such as No Win No Fee, Mind the Gap, and the UK versions of Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
.
By 1997 he had his own late night The Paul Ross Show for 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...
which finished in 1998. He is a regular showbusiness reporter and newspaper reviewer for This Morning
This 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...
.
He continues to work as a TV presenter often on shows such as Most Haunted Live!
Most Haunted Live!
Most Haunted Live was a spin-off of the paranormal reality television series Most Haunted and was also produced by Antix Productions. The show consists of paranormal investigations broadcast live over a period of one or more nights, usually with interactive sections that involve the...
and on shopping channels. Although his TV work is mainly at the popular
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
end of the cultural spectrum, Ross is dismissive, citing Sturgeon's Law
Sturgeon's Law
Sturgeon's revelation, commonly referred to as Sturgeon's law, is an adage derived from quotations by Theodore Sturgeon, an American science fiction author. While Sturgeon coined another adage that he termed "Sturgeon's law", it is his "revelation" that is usually referred to by that term...
, of the bulk of such output. He also presented game shows such as Mind the Gap and the award winning No Win No Fee where he never won his broadcasting fee from the contestants.
Radio
By the late 1980s Ross had worked as a presenter for GLRBBC 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...
, Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio
Absolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...
and, later, Talk Radio
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....
.
Ross also presented a radio show for 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...
but left in early 2008, to present the Breakfast Show on BBC London 94.9
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...
, initially with JoAnne Good
JoAnne Good
JoAnne Dorothy Good is a British radio presenter, television presenter, broadcast journalist and actor.-Actor:As an actor, she is best known for her role as Carol Sands in the ITV soap Crossroads from 1982 to 1984. She played a schoolgirl in the 1978 cult British horror film Killer's Moon, and...
, then with Gaby Roslin
Gaby Roslin
Gaby Roslin is an English television presenter and actress. She rose to fame while co-presenting The Big Breakfast on Channel 4 between 1992 and 1996, and also presented the BBC's Children in Need charity appeal from 1994 to 2004....
. He also presents a show on Saturday mornings on BBC Sussex
BBC Sussex
BBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
and BBC Surrey
BBC Surrey
BBC Surrey is the BBC Local Radio service covering the English county of Surrey, along with North-East Hampshire and the northern fringes of West Sussex including Crawley, East Grinstead and Gatwick Airport...
(formerly BBC Southern Counties Radio
BBC Southern Counties Radio
BBC Southern Counties Radio was the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Surrey and Sussex. The station also covered a large part of North-East Hampshire. It was the first BBC Local Radio station to introduce a controversial all-speech format...
).
In November 2006, he caused controversy by announcing an upcoming 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...
Christmas storyline on his LBC show, causing his mother, who told him the storyline, to be fired
Termination of employment
-Involuntary termination:Involuntary termination is the employee's departure at the hands of the employer. There are two basic types of involuntary termination, known often as being "fired" and "laid off." To be fired, as opposed to being laid off, is generally thought of to be the employee's...
from her job as an extra on EastEnders.
Other appearances
Ross was the first contestant to be eliminated on 2003's Comic Relief does Fame AcademyComic Relief Does Fame Academy
Comic Relief Does Fame Academy is a spin-off of the original Fame Academy show where celebrities sing as students of the Academy. The programme was launched in 2003 to help raise money for the charities supported by Comic Relief, with the final of the show occurring on Red Nose Day...
after his singing failed to impress voters. He is featured in a popular YouTube cookery clip starring James Martin & Perry Cree (1997) where he 'helps' the guys to cook a chocolate souffle.
Ross appeared on a celebrity edition of Mastermind
Mastermind (TV series)
Mastermind is a British quiz show, well known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting and air of seriousness.Devised by Bill Wright, the basic format of Mastermind has never changed — four and in later contests five contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the...
where his specialist subject was "The Life and Works of Ezra Pound
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic and a major figure in the early modernist movement in poetry...
" reflecting his passion for modern poetry.
He appeared in the film Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones's Diary (film)
Bridget Jones's Diary is a 2001 British romantic comedy film based on Helen Fielding's novel of the same name. The adaptation stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget, Hugh Grant as the caddish Daniel Cleaver, and Colin Firth as Bridget's "true love", Mark Darcy...
as "Mr Sit-up Britain"
Writing
By the mid 2000s Ross had columns in the tabloid papers News of the WorldNews of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
and the Daily Star Sunday.
In popular culture
In 2006 Sacha Baron CohenSacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen is an English stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and voice artist. He is most widely known for his portrayal of three unorthodox fictional characters: Ali G, Borat, and Brüno...
, in character as Borat Sagdiyev, 'revealed' in an interview on the Jonathan Ross TV show that "Paul Ross is a big star in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
. We have a statue of Paul Ross - 18 January is Paul Ross Day!"
At the end of 2008 Ross was the subject of an Internet meme
Internet meme
The term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
. Online retailer Amazon
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
were selling a canvas portrait of the presenter which was picked up and passed around the Internet with many humorous comments being added to Amazon's page. There are currently several prints available to purchase on amazon, all of which have excellent reviews. For the tea drinkers out there, a Paul Ross mug is also available for purchase. Hundreds of people have claimed that purchasing a Paul Ross print has dramatically changed their lives.
The British satirical rock band Half Man Half Biscuit
Half Man Half Biscuit
Half Man Half Biscuit, often "HMHB", are an English rock band from Birkenhead, Merseyside, active since the mid-1980s, known for satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs. The group comprises Nigel Blackwell , Neil Crossley , Ken Hancock , and Carl Henry...
included a verse about the 'D-List
A-list
A-list is a term that alludes to major movie stars, or the most bankable in the Hollywood film industry.The A-list is part of a larger guide called The Hot List that has become an industry-standard guide in Hollywood...
Paul Ross' in the song "Tyrolean Knockabout" on their album Cammell Laird Social Club
Cammell Laird Social Club
Cammell Laird Social Club is the ninth album released by UK rock band Half Man Half Biscuit in 2002.Cammell Laird Social Club is a Working Men's Club in Rock Ferry, just outside the band's native Birkenhead. The title is a pun on the title of the film and album Buena Vista Social Club about various...
.
In 2010, Paul Ross was jokingly referred to as 'the runt of the litter' by BBC3 TV Show Mongrels
Mongrels (TV series)
Mongrels, formerly known under the working titles of We Are Mongrels and The Un-Natural World, is a British puppet-based situation comedy series first broadcast on BBC Three between 22 June and 10 August 2010, with a making-of documentary entitled "Mongrels Uncovered" broadcast on 11 August 2010...
. A reference to his younger and more successful brother, 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...
.
Personal life
Ross has been married twice and has 5 children and one grandchild. He lives near MarlowMarlow, Buckinghamshire
Marlow is a town and civil parish within Wycombe district in south Buckinghamshire, England...
.
During an interview on 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...
's Jonathan Ross Show, Paul Ross was accused by the anarchist Ian Bone
Ian Bone
Ian Bone , is a prominent British anarchist and an active publisher of anarchist newspapers and tabloids, such as Class War and The Bristolian...
of grassing
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
on the Poll Tax Rioters
Poll Tax Riots
The UK Poll Tax Riots were a series of mass disturbances, or riots, in British towns and cities during protests against the Community Charge , introduced by the Conservative government led by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher...
on London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
's Crime Monthly TV programme which he hosted.
Ross' father designed and built an entire central heating system for the family home, including installing a coal-fired boiler in the outhouse, after reading how to do it in a book from the local library.