Martin Kelner
Encyclopedia
Martin B. Kelner is a British journalist, author, comedian and radio presenter
, educated at Stand Grammar School, in Whitefield
near Manchester
.
Kelner studied Arts and Social Studies at Strathclyde University
in Glasgow
, but dropped out, and he was employed as a reporter on the Western Daily Press
in Bristol
and for the Oxford Mail
. He then joined the Central Office of Information
, for whom he worked in Bristol, Lambeth
, South London
, and in Birmingham
.
to begin his career
in radio, reading the breakfast show news in late 1976. There was a brief spell at London's LBC and Manchester
's Piccadilly Radio, before Kelner moved to Leeds
in 1981 and the fledgling Radio Aire. He left Radio Aire in late 1982, and worked for Yorkshire TV for a time on a programme called Calendar
It's The Weekend.
He was also a co-presenter on a show called Living It Up. Other television excursions for Kelner include Brainwave, a daytime quiz
show and Pick Of The Week.
Kelner joined the BBC
around 1986, presenting his own Saturday night show on BBC Radio 2
, various stand-ins across the network
, and later his own Saturday afternoon show on Radio Two from 1994 to 1996. Around the same time he was presenting a local radio late night show broadcast from the Radio Leeds studio
s and broadcast across the BBC Night Network
in the north
, on which he first gave airtime to radio comedy
sketches from Caroline Aherne
. She portrayed the Mrs Merton character on his radio show ad-libbing conversations with Kelner for around eight years. He also introduced Aherne into network broadcasting on Radio Two and the original BBC Radio Five
.
He returned to Manchester to present the breakfast show on 100.4 Jazz FM
, where he introduced another great comic talent to the public in the shape of Jake Yapp
's Dora Dale, with whom Martin produced the hit BBC7 comedy show, "Pleased To Meet You". This show was nominated for a Sony National Radio Award
on 28 March 2007 in the category of "Best Comedy programme".
Until October 2006, Kelner presented the Friday and Saturday late show at the weekends on BBC Radio Humberside
, BBC Radio York
, BBC Radio Leeds
and BBC Radio Sheffield
.
Other stations he has worked for include BBC Thames Valley FM
, BBC Radio Cleveland, Pennine Radio
, BBC Radio Five Live
, Talksport
, BBC7, and BBC Radio Manchester
and Mansfield 103.2.
Between 2009 and 2010, he presented his own podcast, the Piss Poor Podcast, accompanied by his long serving comedy sidekick Edouard Lapaglie
. He also appears on BBC Radio 5 Live
as a pundit on Fighting Talk
and has contributed to Chart The Week on Richard Bacon
's programme. His most regular radio slot is the BBC Radio Leeds
Breakfast Show which he co-presents Mondays to Fridays from 6:30am to 9:00am.
, Screen Break, taking a lighthearted look at the world of sport on TV, and a fortnightly column about radio. He writes occasional travel pieces for The Mail on Sunday, and has written for The Independent
, of which his brother Simon Kelner
was executive editor
.
Other publications he has written for include GQ, Men's Health
, Later (now defunct), RCME, The Observer
, Landrover Owner magazine, You magazine, and Public Servant, the local and national government journal. He also has contributed to the YouGov
website.
His first book, about the outer suburbs of show business, was called When Will I Be Famous?
Kelner was also responsible for a 1992 local publication in Leeds called The International Pest. A query posted to Kelner's website regarding the provenance of the magazine revealed that it was published in partnership with Anthony Quinn aka Edouard LaPaglie from his radio shows.
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...
, educated at Stand Grammar School, in Whitefield
Whitefield, Greater Manchester
Whitefield is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on undulating ground in the Irwell Valley, along the south bank of the River Irwell, south-southeast of Bury, and to the north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
near Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
Kelner studied Arts and Social Studies at Strathclyde University
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...
in 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...
, but dropped out, and he was employed as a reporter on the Western Daily Press
Western Daily Press
The Western Daily Press is a regional newspaper covering parts of South West England , mainly Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset as well as the metropolitan areas of Bath and North East Somerset and the Bristol area. It is published Monday to Saturday in Bristol, UK...
in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and for the Oxford Mail
Oxford Mail
Oxford Mail is a daily tabloid newspaper in Oxford, England owned by Newsquest. It is published six days a week. It is a sister paper to the weekly tabloid The Oxford Times.-History:...
. He then joined 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...
, for whom he worked in Bristol, Lambeth
Lambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
, South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
, and in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
Broadcasting
Martin Kelner moved to Radio Hallam in SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
to begin his career
Career
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
in radio, reading the breakfast show news in late 1976. There was a brief spell at London's LBC and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
's Piccadilly Radio, before Kelner moved to Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
in 1981 and the fledgling Radio Aire. He left Radio Aire in late 1982, and worked for Yorkshire TV for a time on a programme called Calendar
Calendar (News)
Calendar is a regional television news and current affairs programme, produced by ITV Yorkshire at its studios in Leeds, serving Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and parts of the North Midlands and North West Norfolk...
It's The Weekend.
He was also a co-presenter on a show called Living It Up. Other television excursions for Kelner include Brainwave, a daytime quiz
Quiz
A quiz is a form of game or mind sport in which the players attempt to answer questions correctly. In some countries, a quiz is also a brief assessment used in education and similar fields to measure growth in knowledge, abilities, and/or skills.Quizzes are usually scored in points and many...
show and Pick Of The Week.
Kelner joined 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...
around 1986, presenting his own Saturday night 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...
, various stand-ins across the network
Radio network
There are two types of radio networks currently in use around the world: the one-to-many broadcast type commonly used for public information and mass media entertainment; and the two-way type used more commonly for public safety and public services such as police, fire, taxicabs, and delivery...
, and later his own Saturday afternoon show on Radio Two from 1994 to 1996. Around the same time he was presenting a local radio late night show broadcast from the Radio Leeds studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...
s and broadcast across the BBC Night Network
BBC Night Network
The BBC Night Network was a radio network which linked up the North East England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and North West England regions of BBC Local Radio. Each station would share the same programming from 7:00 p.m...
in the north
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
, on which he first gave airtime to radio comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
sketches from Caroline Aherne
Caroline Aherne
Caroline Mary Aherne is an English comedian and BAFTA winning writer and actress, best known for Mrs Merton and The Royle Family.- Background :...
. She portrayed the Mrs Merton character on his radio show ad-libbing conversations with Kelner for around eight years. He also introduced Aherne into network broadcasting on Radio Two and the original BBC Radio Five
BBC Radio 5 (former)
BBC Radio 5 was a BBC radio network that carried sport, children's and educational programmes.It was transmitted via analogue radio on 693 and 909 kHz, and lasted for three years and eight months. The success of BBC Radio 4's coverage of the Gulf War, on a service known as Scud FM,...
.
He returned to Manchester to present the breakfast show on 100.4 Jazz FM
100.4 Jazz FM
100.4 Jazz FM was an independent local radio station for the North West England playing jazz music. 100.4 Jazz FM played its own music from its Salford studio during the day, whereas specialist shows like Dinner Jazz and Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis were networked from London's 102.2 Jazz FM...
, where he introduced another great comic talent to the public in the shape of Jake Yapp
Jake Yapp
- Jake Yapp :Describing himself as "Broadcast comedy's best kept secret", Yapp first came to prominence in the mid 1990's on Martin Kelner's radio shows on BBC North and the old Jazz FM playing the character Dame Dora Dale...
's Dora Dale, with whom Martin produced the hit BBC7 comedy show, "Pleased To Meet You". This show was nominated for a Sony National Radio 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...
on 28 March 2007 in the category of "Best Comedy programme".
Until October 2006, Kelner presented the Friday and Saturday late show at the weekends on BBC Radio Humberside
BBC Radio Humberside
BBC Radio Humberside is a BBC Local Radio service covering the area of the former English county of Humberside, which was returned to North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire the East Riding of Yorkshire and the City of Kingston upon Hull on 1 April 1996....
, BBC Radio York
BBC Radio York
BBC York is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of North Yorkshire.- Early history :The station was launched at 6:30am on 4 July 1983 - a launch featured on the cover of the Radio Times...
, BBC Radio Leeds
BBC Radio Leeds
BBC Radio Leeds is the BBC Local Radio service for the English metropolitan county of West Yorkshire.- Frequencies :It broadcasts from its studios at St...
and BBC Radio Sheffield
BBC Radio Sheffield
BBC Radio Sheffield is the BBC Local Radio service for English metropolitan county of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. This includes the city of Sheffield, plus Doncaster, Barnsley, Rotherham, Chesterfield and surrounding areas. It was the BBC local radio station, beginning on 15 November 1967...
.
Other stations he has worked for include BBC Thames Valley FM
BBC Radio Berkshire
BBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Berkshire, as well as parts of North Hampshire, including Basingstoke. Radio Berkshire broadcasts on 94.6 , 95.4 , 104.1 and 104.4 FM from its studios at Caversham Park near Reading. The 104.1 FM signal is the strongest...
, BBC Radio Cleveland, Pennine Radio
Pennine Radio (radio station)
Pennine Radio was the original name for what is now the Pulse of West Yorkshire in Bradford, the independent local radio station for West Yorkshire...
, BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
, 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....
, BBC7, and BBC Radio Manchester
BBC Radio Manchester
BBC Radio Manchester is a BBC Local Radio station broadcasting to Greater Manchester in North West England. It broadcasts 24 hours a day from studios at MediaCityUK in Salford Quays via a transmitter at Holme Moss, with a small repeater at Saddleworth covering Tameside and Saddleworth...
and Mansfield 103.2.
Between 2009 and 2010, he presented his own podcast, the Piss Poor Podcast, accompanied by his long serving comedy sidekick Edouard Lapaglie
Edouard Lapaglie
Edouard Lapaglie is a UK radio personality most famous for his sidekick comedy input on programmes presented by Martin Kelner. Kelner often refers to him as "everyone's favourite bogus Frenchman"...
. He also appears on BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
as a pundit on Fighting Talk
Fighting Talk
Fighting Talk is a topical sports show broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live during the English football season. Its first series aired in October 2003, and was presented by Johnny Vaughan. The second series featured Christian O'Connell. It is currently hosted by Colin Murray and is aired on Saturday...
and has contributed to Chart The Week on Richard Bacon
Richard Bacon
Richard Bacon may refer to:* Richard Bacon , English Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for South Norfolk since 2001* Richard Bacon , English television and radio presenter...
's programme. His most regular radio slot is the BBC Radio Leeds
BBC Radio Leeds
BBC Radio Leeds is the BBC Local Radio service for the English metropolitan county of West Yorkshire.- Frequencies :It broadcasts from its studios at St...
Breakfast Show which he co-presents Mondays to Fridays from 6:30am to 9:00am.
Writing and journalism
Kelner's journalism includes a weekly column for The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Screen Break, taking a lighthearted look at the world of sport on TV, and a fortnightly column about radio. He writes occasional travel pieces for The Mail on Sunday, and has written for 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...
, of which his brother Simon Kelner
Simon Kelner
Simon Kelner is a British journalist and newspaper editor. Kelner was editor-in-chief of The Independent and Independent on Sunday newspapers. He was appointed in May 1998 to succeed Andrew Marr and Rosie Boycott and ended his tenure in 2008...
was executive editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
.
Other publications he has written for include GQ, Men's Health
Men's Health (magazine)
Men's Health , published by Rodale Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, United States, is the world’s largest men’s magazine brand, with 44 editions around the world. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands. It covers fitness, nutrition, sexuality, lifestyle and other aspects of...
, Later (now defunct), RCME, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, Landrover Owner magazine, You magazine, and Public Servant, the local and national government journal. He also has contributed to the YouGov
YouGov
YouGov, formerly known as PollingPoint in the United States, is an international internet-based market research firm launched in the UK in May 2000 by Stephan Shakespeare, now Chief Executive Officer, and Nadhim Zahawi...
website.
His first book, about the outer suburbs of show business, was called When Will I Be Famous?
Kelner was also responsible for a 1992 local publication in Leeds called The International Pest. A query posted to Kelner's website regarding the provenance of the magazine revealed that it was published in partnership with Anthony Quinn aka Edouard LaPaglie from his radio shows.