Jon Gaunt
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Charles Gaunt is an English
radio
talk show
presenter, TV Personality, newspaper columnist
, social commentator and spokesman.
Gaunt describes himself as a "working-class, educated guy with, in broad strokes, a rightwing agenda". He appears every Wednesday as a newspaper reviewer on Sky News Sunrise. He also appears as a contributor to TV programmes such as Question Time
, Countdown
, The Daily Politics
, BBC News
. On Radio, Gaunt is a regular contributor on BBC Radio Two's Jeremy Vine Show.
. On graduation he founded a theatre co-operative in Coventry called Tic Toc, and wrote over 15 political plays. The company eventually received funding from West Midlands Arts and the Arts Council of Britain. It was also funded by the company becoming a major promoter at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, promoting and hosting acts such as Julian Clary, Harry Enfield and Mike Myers.
His most successful play was Hooligans which won a Fringe First at the 1986 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It also won the Perrier Pick of The Fringe. This play was subsequently adapted by Yorkshire Television
, and Gaunt began writing for television, becoming a member of the Emmerdale
script writing team for two years. In 1989, Gaunt and the company raised over one million pounds from the private sector and West Midlands Enterprise Board to buy and renovate an old cinema, The Orchid, into a multi-purpose arts centre and nightclub called The TicToc Club. This venture went into administration in 1992.
Forum in West Lothian
, Scotland
for a year, before returning to Coventry where a chance meeting with Moz Dee, who later became the programme director at Talksport
, led to him being persuaded to audition for the local radio station for which Dee worked, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
.
Gaunt has worked for many radio stations, including BBC Three Counties Radio
, BBC WM
, BBC London 94.9
, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
and Talksport. Gaunt's BBC Three Counties show was awarded three Sony Radio Academy Gold Award
in 2001, which is approximately three more than all of Talksport's presenters put together.
Gaunt hosted a mid-morning current affairs
show on Talksport
. On 18 November 2008 it was announced that Talksport had terminated Gaunt's contract following an interview with Redbridge Council's Michael Stark on 7 November, in which Gaunt branded Councillor
Stark a "Nazi", and "an ignorant pig" live on air in a discussion about whether smokers should be allowed to foster children in care. Gaunt felt that the policy was draconian and would leave children in care, where he believed that they would be in much more danger. He had criticised Redbridge Council in similar terms in his Sun newspaper column that morning. Ofcom
later found Talksport in "breach of broadcasting rules" as a result of the incident and Jon Gaunt's appeal failed. "The broadcast was undoubtedly highly offensive to Mr Stark and was well capable of offending the broadcast audience."
In January 2009 Gaunt stated his intent to fight the human rights case for the sake of "all broadcasters", before turning his attention to suing Talksport for terminating his contract. In January 2010 he won the right to appeal against Ofcom on the grounds that it had breached his right to freedom of expression. The case returned to the High Court of Justice
on 15–16 June 2010, but on 13 July it was announced that Gaunt had lost his case, the judge upholding Ofcom's decision and concluding that "the offensive and abusive nature of the broadcast was gratuitous, having no factual content or justification". Human rights group Liberty
intervened in the case because of its "wider importance to free speech", but Gaunt's decision to appeal the judge's ruling was dismissed in the Court of Appeal
in June 2011.
From April 2009 to July 2010, Gaunt presented an online radio talk show for The Sun
s website, called Sun Talk. The show was also broadcast on regular FM radio in Spain, on the Costa Blanca via Bay Radio (Spain)
and Costa Del Sol via Spectrum FM
. The three-hour talkshow was broadcast every weekday from 10am to 1pm GMT.
In March 2010, the show won a British Press Award
for Digital Innovation, and Gaunt was nominated for a Sony Radio Award for Speech Radio Personality of the year. In May that year, SunTalk announced that it would be expanding its output for the 2010 World Cup
.
In July 2010 SunTalk was closed down by News International, as part of a cost review strategy to focus on core operations.
In August 2010 Gaunt became the official spokesman for the EU Referendum Campaign.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
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...
talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
presenter, TV Personality, newspaper columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
, social commentator and spokesman.
Gaunt describes himself as a "working-class, educated guy with, in broad strokes, a rightwing agenda". He appears every Wednesday as a newspaper reviewer on Sky News Sunrise. He also appears as a contributor to TV programmes such as 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...
, Countdown
Countdown
A countdown is a sequence of counting backward to indicate the seconds, days, or other time units remaining before an event occurs or a deadline expires. Typical events for which a countdown is used include the launch of a rocket or spacecraft, the detonation of a bomb, the start of a race, and the...
, The Daily Politics
The Daily Politics
The Daily Politics is a British television show launched by the BBC in 2003. Presented by Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn, the programme takes an in-depth and sometimes irreverent look at the daily goings on in Westminster and other areas across Britain and the world, and includes interviews with leading...
, BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
. On Radio, Gaunt is a regular contributor on BBC Radio Two's Jeremy Vine Show.
Play and script writer
He studied Drama and Theatre Arts at the University of BirminghamUniversity 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...
. On graduation he founded a theatre co-operative in Coventry called Tic Toc, and wrote over 15 political plays. The company eventually received funding from West Midlands Arts and the Arts Council of Britain. It was also funded by the company becoming a major promoter at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, promoting and hosting acts such as Julian Clary, Harry Enfield and Mike Myers.
His most successful play was Hooligans which won a Fringe First at the 1986 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It also won the Perrier Pick of The Fringe. This play was subsequently adapted by Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
, and Gaunt began writing for television, becoming a member of the Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
script writing team for two years. In 1989, Gaunt and the company raised over one million pounds from the private sector and West Midlands Enterprise Board to buy and renovate an old cinema, The Orchid, into a multi-purpose arts centre and nightclub called The TicToc Club. This venture went into administration in 1992.
Radio presenter
Gaunt then ran the LivingstonLivingston, Scotland
Livingston is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It is the fourth post-WWII new town to be built in Scotland, designated in 1962. It is about 15 miles west of Edinburgh and 30 miles east of Glasgow, and is bordered by the towns of Broxburn to the northeast and Bathgate to the northwest.Livingston...
Forum in West Lothian
West Lothian
West Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and South Lanarkshire....
, 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...
for a year, before returning to Coventry where a chance meeting with Moz Dee, who later became the programme director at Talksport
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....
, led to him being persuaded to audition for the local radio station for which Dee worked, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
BBC Coventry and Warwickshire is the BBC Local Radio service serving the City of Coventry and the county of Warwickshire. It broadcasts on 94.8, 103.7 and 104 MHz FM, DAB Digital Radio and is streamed on the internet via the ....
.
Gaunt has worked for many radio stations, including BBC Three Counties Radio
BBC Three Counties Radio
BBC Three Counties Radio is the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire...
, BBC WM
BBC WM
BBC WM is the BBC Local Radio service for the West Midlands, South Staffordshire, north Worcestershire and north Warwickshire, operated by BBC Birmingham. Launched on 9 November 1970 as BBC Radio Birmingham, it broadcasts from central Birmingham on 95.6 FM, DAB and on the internet...
, 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...
, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
BBC Coventry and Warwickshire is the BBC Local Radio service serving the City of Coventry and the county of Warwickshire. It broadcasts on 94.8, 103.7 and 104 MHz FM, DAB Digital Radio and is streamed on the internet via the ....
and Talksport. Gaunt's BBC Three Counties show was awarded three Sony Radio Academy Gold Award
Sony Radio Academy Awards
The Sony Radio Academy Awards , started in 1983, are some of the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. They are run by ZAFER Associates in association with the Radio Academy...
in 2001, which is approximately three more than all of Talksport's presenters put together.
Gaunt hosted a mid-morning current affairs
Current affairs (news format)
Current Affairs is a genre of broadcast journalism where the emphasis is on detailed analysis and discussion of news stories that have recently occurred or are ongoing at the time of broadcast....
show on Talksport
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....
. On 18 November 2008 it was announced that Talksport had terminated Gaunt's contract following an interview with Redbridge Council's Michael Stark on 7 November, in which Gaunt branded Councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
Stark a "Nazi", and "an ignorant pig" live on air in a discussion about whether smokers should be allowed to foster children in care. Gaunt felt that the policy was draconian and would leave children in care, where he believed that they would be in much more danger. He had criticised Redbridge Council in similar terms in his Sun newspaper column that morning. Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
later found Talksport in "breach of broadcasting rules" as a result of the incident and Jon Gaunt's appeal failed. "The broadcast was undoubtedly highly offensive to Mr Stark and was well capable of offending the broadcast audience."
In January 2009 Gaunt stated his intent to fight the human rights case for the sake of "all broadcasters", before turning his attention to suing Talksport for terminating his contract. In January 2010 he won the right to appeal against Ofcom on the grounds that it had breached his right to freedom of expression. The case returned to the High Court of Justice
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
on 15–16 June 2010, but on 13 July it was announced that Gaunt had lost his case, the judge upholding Ofcom's decision and concluding that "the offensive and abusive nature of the broadcast was gratuitous, having no factual content or justification". Human rights group Liberty
Liberty (pressure group)
Liberty is a pressure group based in the United Kingdom. Its formal name is the National Council for Civil Liberties . Founded in 1934 by Ronald Kidd and Sylvia Crowther-Smith , the group campaigns to protect civil liberties and promote human rights...
intervened in the case because of its "wider importance to free speech", but Gaunt's decision to appeal the judge's ruling was dismissed in the Court of Appeal
Court of Appeal of England and Wales
The Court of Appeal of England and Wales is the second most senior court in the English legal system, with only the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom above it...
in June 2011.
From April 2009 to July 2010, Gaunt presented an online radio talk show for The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
s website, called Sun Talk. The show was also broadcast on regular FM radio in Spain, on the Costa Blanca via Bay Radio (Spain)
Bay Radio (Spain)
Bay Radio is an English language radio station for expats in the Valencian Community. It serves the majority of the Costa Blanca, broadcasting from Valencia to Torrevieja. The station is on-air 24 hours a day....
and Costa Del Sol via Spectrum FM
Spectrum FM
Spectrum FM is the largest English language radio station in southern Spain.It specifically broadcasts to the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Costa Almeria, Costa Calidaand the cities of Benidorm, Marbella, Murcia, Malaga and Alicante-Programmes:...
. The three-hour talkshow was broadcast every weekday from 10am to 1pm GMT.
In March 2010, the show won a British Press Award
British Press Awards
The British Press Awards is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of British journalism. Established in the 1970s, honours are voted on by a panel of journalists and newspaper executives...
for Digital Innovation, and Gaunt was nominated for a Sony Radio Award for Speech Radio Personality of the year. In May that year, SunTalk announced that it would be expanding its output for the 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
.
In July 2010 SunTalk was closed down by News International, as part of a cost review strategy to focus on core operations.
In August 2010 Gaunt became the official spokesman for the EU Referendum Campaign.