Irene Thomas
Encyclopedia
Irene Thomas was a British
radio
personality, well known for her participation in quiz show
s and panel game
s from the 1960s until her death.
Irene Thomas was born Elsie Irene Ready in Feltham
, Middlesex
, into a working-class family, the daughter of a musician in a military band. She left school at fifteen, and embarked on a career as a musician and singer. In 1946 she joined the chorus at Covent Garden
, and met and married her second husband, Eddie Thomas, to whom she remained married until her death. She branched out into session singing, joined the George Mitchell
Minstrels and became the familiar voice of many radio
and television
advertising jingle
s in the 1950s.
In 1961 she entered and won radio's Brain of Britain
contest. This heralded a forty-year period as a mainstay of radio panel game quiz programmes. in 1967, after much lobbying of the producers, she joined the panel on Round Britain Quiz
, regarded as the most erudite of the BBC
's quiz shows, and rapidly became its most celebrated panellist.
Her autobiography
, The Bandsman's Daughter, was published in 1979.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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...
personality, well known for her participation in quiz show
Quiz Show
Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film produced and directed by Robert Redford. Adapted by Paul Attanasio from Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America, the film is based upon the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s...
s and panel game
Panel game
A panel game or panel show is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Panelists may compete with each other, such as on The News Quiz; facilitate play by guest contestants, such as on Match Game/Blankety Blank; or do both, such as on Wait Wait.....
s from the 1960s until her death.
Irene Thomas was born Elsie Irene Ready in Feltham
Feltham
Feltham is a town in the London Borough of Hounslow, west London. It is located about west south west of central London at Charing Cross and from Heathrow Airport Central...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, into a working-class family, the daughter of a musician in a military band. She left school at fifteen, and embarked on a career as a musician and singer. In 1946 she joined the chorus at Covent Garden
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
, and met and married her second husband, Eddie Thomas, to whom she remained married until her death. She branched out into session singing, joined the George Mitchell
George Mitchell
George Mitchell may refer to:*George J. Mitchell , former Senator from Maine, special envoy to the Middle East for the Obama administration, former Senate majority leader and former chairman of Disney...
Minstrels and became the familiar voice of many 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...
advertising jingle
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
s in the 1950s.
In 1961 she entered and won radio's Brain of Britain
Brain of Britain
Brain of Britain is a BBC radio general knowledge quiz, broadcast on BBC Radio 4.-History:It began as a slot in What Do You Know? in 1953 before becoming a programme in its own right in 1967. It was chaired by Franklin Engelmann until his death in 1972.-Format:The format of the quiz is simple...
contest. This heralded a forty-year period as a mainstay of radio panel game quiz programmes. in 1967, after much lobbying of the producers, she joined the panel on Round Britain Quiz
Round Britain Quiz
Round Britain Quiz is a panel game that has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 since 1947, making it the oldest quiz still broadcast on British radio...
, regarded as the most erudite of 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 quiz shows, and rapidly became its most celebrated panellist.
Her autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, The Bandsman's Daughter, was published in 1979.
External links
- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/irene-thomas-728994.htmlObituary, The IndependentThe IndependentThe 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...
, 5 April, 2001] - Photo of Irene Thomas in 1961
