Hardeep Singh Kohli
Encyclopedia
Hardeep Singh Kohli is a British
writer and radio and television presenter.
and moved to Glasgow
in Scotland
when he was four. His parents came to the UK from India
in the 1960s. The family's roots lie in the Punjab
. His mother was a social worker, and his father a teacher, then a property landlord. His first school was Hillhead Primary School in the West End of Glasgow, after which he attended Meadowburn Primary. He briefly lived in Little Sutton in Cheshire
.
At age eight, he moved to St. Aloysius College
, a private Roman Catholic school in central Glasgow. Kohli gained eight As in his O-grade
s, and four As and a B in his Highers
. He then studied Law
at the University of Glasgow
.
While studying, Kohli managed a few restaurants and began working as an usher
at the Citizens Theatre.
graduate production trainee scheme. He moved to BBC Television Centre
, London to direct children's TV
, and Janet Street Porter's series Reportage. He directed It'll Never Work
, which won awards from the Royal Television Society
and BAFTA.
Kohli left the corporation in 1996 to begin working independently. He wrote, directed and starred in Channel 4
's Meet the Magoons
in 2004, which was axed after one series after a poor reception. Nancy Banks Smith and A. A. Gill
were lukewarm; however, the show was entered for a Golden Rose
at the Montreux Comedy Festival
. Kohli presented a documentary In Search of the Tartan Turban, which explored cultural identity as a Briton and a Scot belonging to an ethnic minority. The producers won a children's BAFTA and produced a brief Channel 4 daytime schools series, Hardeep Does... that covered a variety of different topical issues including sex, religion and pets.
In January 2007, Kohli had a three-part series on Channel 4, £50 Says You'll Watch This, exploring gambling
. The show involved Kohli taking part in a celebrity card game, visiting casinos in Las Vegas
. In October 2006, February 2007 and January 2009 he appeared on the BBC political panel programme Question Time
, and was an occasional presenter on Newsnight Review, Saturday Live on BBC Radio 4
and Loose Ends
.
In May 2008 Kohli presented a cooking series for UKTV
with John Torode
.
Kohli participated in a celebrity edition of The Apprentice
in order to raise money for charity. Sport Relief Does The Apprentice
was part of the BBC's annual charity initiative Sport Relief
and aired on 12 and 14 March 2008. He was the first Celebrity Apprentice to be "fired". He also appeared on Gordon Ramsay
: Cook Along Live. In September 2006, Kohli took part in the first series of BBC One
's Celebrity MasterChef programme, reaching the final along with Roger Black
and ultimate winner, Matt Dawson
.
Kohli was the presenter for series two of CBBC
game show
Get 100
. In 2008, he appeared in the Scottish segment of the BBC's Children in Need
appeal, anchored by Jackie Bird
and Des Clarke, and was a judge for the Man Booker Prize
.
In June 2009 Kohli was one of five volunteers who took part in a BBC series of three programmes Famous, Rich and Homeless about living penniless on the streets of London.
From 2007-2009 Kohli wrote Hardeep is your Love, a column for Scotland on Sunday
, on topics that mainly concerned food and family and being ashamed of enjoying Harry Potter
. Scotland on Sunday axed the feature in August 2009.
Kohli occasionally writes for The Guardian
and The Independent
. Kohli wrote a book about food and travel in India, Indian Takeaway. In August 2009 he performed a one man show, The Nearly Naked Chef (a reference to Jamie Oliver
's The Naked Chef), at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The show received mixed reviews from local and national press. According to The Guardian, "the impression is of a man who has wrongly assumed that comedy is as easy as it looks. It isn't, as Kohli proves".
In 2008, Kohli filmed a documentary
about Scientology
, mainly the so-called Free Zone
, titled A Beginner's Guide to L. Ron Hubbard. The documentary is presented as a road trip
, in which he travels from London via East Grinstead
, Moscow
and Munich
to an undisclosed Russian location of a Ron's Org.
.
In February 2008, he was third out of four candidates in the election for Rector of the University of Glasgow.
reported: "Properties owned and rented by comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli have been branded "grubby and dirty" and substandard as the celebrity was issued with warnings over his conduct as a landlord. Mr Kohli... was also denied three-year licences for two flats which are part of a raft he owns and leases through his father's company in Glasgow's west end.
for six months after a complaint by a female member of staff for inappropriate behaviour. After he apologised, it was announced in March 2010 that it was possible he could return to the show.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
writer and radio and television presenter.
Background
Kohli was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and moved to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
when he was four. His parents came to the UK from India
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
in the 1960s. The family's roots lie in the Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
. His mother was a social worker, and his father a teacher, then a property landlord. His first school was Hillhead Primary School in the West End of Glasgow, after which he attended Meadowburn Primary. He briefly lived in Little Sutton in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
.
At age eight, he moved to St. Aloysius College
St. Aloysius' College, Glasgow
St. Aloysius' College is a selective fee-paying independent Jesuit school in Glasgow, Scotland. It was founded in 1859, and named after the famous Jesuit, Aloysius Gonzaga. Its strong Jesuit ethos emphasises practice of the Roman Catholic faith both in the church and in the community, with many...
, a private Roman Catholic school in central Glasgow. Kohli gained eight As in his O-grade
O-grade
The Ordinary Grade of the Scottish Certificate of Education is a now-discontinued qualification which was studied for as part of the Scottish secondary education system...
s, and four As and a B in his Highers
Higher (Scottish)
In Scotland the Higher is one of the national school-leaving certificate exams and university entrance qualifications of the Scottish Qualifications Certificate offered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. It superseded the old Higher Grade on the Scottish Certificate of Education...
. He then studied Law
Law degree
A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...
at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
.
While studying, Kohli managed a few restaurants and began working as an usher
Usher (occupation)
Ushers assist visitors by formally showing the way in a large building or to their appropriate seats. This may coincide with a security role. The word comes from the French huissier, with the same meaning , ushers were servants or courtiers who showed or ushered visitors in and out of meetings in...
at the Citizens Theatre.
Broadcasting
After graduating, he joined the BBC ScotlandBBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
graduate production trainee scheme. He moved to BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre at White City in West London is the headquarters of BBC Television. Officially opened on 29 June 1960, it remains one of the largest to this day; having featured over the years as backdrop to many BBC programmes, it is one of the most readily recognisable such facilities...
, London to direct children's TV
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
, and Janet Street Porter's series Reportage. He directed It'll Never Work
It'll Never Work
It'll Never Work was a television programme for children showcasing new inventions and developments in scientific technology. Produced by Roy Milani for BBC Children's, the show ran for seven series between 9 November 1993 and 23 August 1999 on weekdays within the Children's BBC, later CBBC, strand...
, which won awards from the Royal Television Society
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
and BAFTA.
Kohli left the corporation in 1996 to begin working independently. He wrote, directed and starred in Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's Meet the Magoons
Meet the Magoons
Meet the Magoons is a six part comedy television series in the United Kingdom aired on Channel 4 in 2005, directed by and starring Hardeep Singh Kohli. The main characters are a Punjabi family who live in Glasgow, and own an Indian restaurant called "The Spice".It received mixed reviews. A. A...
in 2004, which was axed after one series after a poor reception. Nancy Banks Smith and A. A. Gill
A. A. Gill
Adrian Anthony Gill is a British writer who uses the byline A. A. Gill. He is currently employed by The Sunday Times as their restaurant reviewer and television critic and Vanity Fair magazine as a restaurant reviewer...
were lukewarm; however, the show was entered for a Golden Rose
Golden Rose
The Golden Rose is a gold ornament, which popes of the Catholic Church have traditionally blessed annually. It is occasionally conferred as a token of reverence or affection...
at the Montreux Comedy Festival
Montreux Festival
Montreux Festival is a Blues album by Albert King, Chico Hamilton andLittle Milton, recorded live on July 1, 1973 at the Montreux Jazz Festival.-Track listing:#"In View" – 12:20#"Let Me Down Easy" – 6:35...
. Kohli presented a documentary In Search of the Tartan Turban, which explored cultural identity as a Briton and a Scot belonging to an ethnic minority. The producers won a children's BAFTA and produced a brief Channel 4 daytime schools series, Hardeep Does... that covered a variety of different topical issues including sex, religion and pets.
In January 2007, Kohli had a three-part series on Channel 4, £50 Says You'll Watch This, exploring gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
. The show involved Kohli taking part in a celebrity card game, visiting casinos in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. In October 2006, February 2007 and January 2009 he appeared on the BBC political panel programme Question Time
Question Time
Question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers , which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be cancelled in exceptional circumstances...
, and was an occasional presenter on Newsnight Review, Saturday Live on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
and Loose Ends
Loose Ends (radio)
Loose Ends is a British radio programme originally broadcast on Saturday mornings, and then transmitted early Saturday evenings from 1998 by BBC Radio 4. It was hosted by Ned Sherrin until he became ill in late 2006 with a reported throat infection, and later throat cancer...
.
In May 2008 Kohli presented a cooking series for UKTV
UKTV
UKTV is a digital cable and satellite television network, formed through a joint venture between BBC Worldwide, a commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and Scripps Networks Interactive, spun off from The E.W Scripps Company in 2008...
with John Torode
John Torode
John Torode is an Australian-born British celebrity chef specialising in Australasian food. He runs Smiths of Smithfield and several other restaurants scattered throughout London's Smithfield market....
.
Kohli participated in a celebrity edition of The Apprentice
The Apprentice (UK)
The Apprentice is a British reality television series in which a group of aspiring young businessmen and women compete for the chance to win a £100,000-a-year job as an apprentice to the British business magnate Lord Sugar in series one to six...
in order to raise money for charity. Sport Relief Does The Apprentice
Sport Relief Does The Apprentice
Sport Relief Does The Apprentice was a celebrity version of the British reality television series The Apprentice, produced in 2008 to raise money for Sport Relief. Five male celebrities and five female celebrities took part in the show to complete a business-themed task...
was part of the BBC's annual charity initiative Sport Relief
Sport Relief
Sport Relief is a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in both the UK and the world's poorest countries...
and aired on 12 and 14 March 2008. He was the first Celebrity Apprentice to be "fired". He also appeared on Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....
: Cook Along Live. In September 2006, Kohli took part in the first series of BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
's Celebrity MasterChef programme, reaching the final along with Roger Black
Roger Black
Roger Anthony Black MBE is a retired British athlete. During his athletics career, he won individual silver medals in the 400 metres sprint at both the Olympic Games and World Championships, two individual gold medals at the European Championships, and 4x400 metres relay gold medals at both the...
and ultimate winner, Matt Dawson
Matt Dawson
Matthew James Sutherland "Daws" Dawson, MBE is a retired English rugby union player who played scrum half for Wasps and Northampton Saints. During his international career he toured with the British and Irish Lions three times and was part of England's 2003 Rugby World Cup winning side...
.
Kohli was the presenter for series two of CBBC
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
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...
Get 100
Get 100
Get 100 was a British television children's quiz programme that was broadcast by CBBC between 16 April 2007 and 26 February 2009. It was originally hosted by Reggie Yates for Series 1, then Hardeep Singh Kohli took over as host for Series 2.-Series 1:...
. In 2008, he appeared in the Scottish segment of the BBC's Children in Need
Children in Need 2008
Children in Need 2008 was a campaign held in the United Kingdom to raise money for Children in Need. It culminated in a live broadcast on BBC One on the evening of Friday 14 November, through to the morning of Saturday 15 November...
appeal, anchored by Jackie Bird
Jackie Bird
Jackie Bird is a Scottish journalist and newsreader, working for BBC Scotland.-Career:After working as a reporter for The Sun newspaper, Bird joined Television South in Maidstone as a reporter and presenter for the South East edition of regional news programme Coast to Coast.She has been a main...
and Des Clarke, and was a judge for the Man Booker Prize
Man Booker Prize
The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland, or Zimbabwe. The winner of the Man Booker Prize is generally assured of international renown and...
.
In June 2009 Kohli was one of five volunteers who took part in a BBC series of three programmes Famous, Rich and Homeless about living penniless on the streets of London.
From 2007-2009 Kohli wrote Hardeep is your Love, a column for Scotland on Sunday
Scotland on Sunday
Scotland on Sunday is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by The Scotsman Publications Ltd and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate The Scotsman...
, on topics that mainly concerned food and family and being ashamed of enjoying Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
. Scotland on Sunday axed the feature in August 2009.
Kohli occasionally writes for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
. Kohli wrote a book about food and travel in India, Indian Takeaway. In August 2009 he performed a one man show, The Nearly Naked Chef (a reference to Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver
James "Jamie" Trevor Oliver, MBE , sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools...
's The Naked Chef), at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The show received mixed reviews from local and national press. According to The Guardian, "the impression is of a man who has wrongly assumed that comedy is as easy as it looks. It isn't, as Kohli proves".
In 2008, Kohli filmed a documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
about Scientology
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
, mainly the so-called Free Zone
Free Zone (Scientology)
The Free Zone comprises a variety of groups and individuals who practice Scientology beliefs and techniques independently of the Church of Scientology . Such practitioners range from those who closely adhere to the original teachings of Scientology's founder L...
, titled A Beginner's Guide to L. Ron Hubbard. The documentary is presented as a road trip
Road trip
A road trip is any journey taken on roads, regardless of stops en route. Typically, road trips are long distances traveled by automobile.-Pre-automobile road trips:...
, in which he travels from London via East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
to an undisclosed Russian location of a Ron's Org.
Personal life
The father of two children - a boy and a girl, he was divorced in 2009. His younger brother is the film and TV actor and writer Sanjeev KohliSanjeev Kohli
Sanjeev Singh Kohli is a Scottish Asian comedian, writer and actor. He is most famous for his role as Navid Harrid in the sitcom Still Game and as Rajesh Majhu in the radio sitcom Fags, Mags and Bags.- Early life :...
.
In February 2008, he was third out of four candidates in the election for Rector of the University of Glasgow.
As a landlord
In June 2008, The HeraldThe Herald (Glasgow)
The Herald is a broadsheet newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow, and available throughout Scotland. As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 47,226, giving it a lead over Scotland's other 'quality' national daily, The Scotsman, published in Edinburgh.The 1889 to 1906 editions...
reported: "Properties owned and rented by comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli have been branded "grubby and dirty" and substandard as the celebrity was issued with warnings over his conduct as a landlord. Mr Kohli... was also denied three-year licences for two flats which are part of a raft he owns and leases through his father's company in Glasgow's west end.
Suspension from the BBC's The One Show
In July 2009, Kohli was suspended from his roving reporter role on The One ShowThe One Show
The One Show is a topical magazine-style daily television programme broadcast live on BBC One and BBC One HD, hosted by Alex Jones and Matt Baker. Chris Evans joins Jones to present the programme on Friday...
for six months after a complaint by a female member of staff for inappropriate behaviour. After he apologised, it was announced in March 2010 that it was possible he could return to the show.
External links
- Meet the Magoons microsite at the Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
website - Hardeep Singh Kohli's official site