Nicky Campbell
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Andrew Argyll "Nicky" Campbell (born 10 April 1961) is a Scottish radio
and television
presenter and journalist
. He is known for his time presenting on programmes such as the consumer affairs programme Watchdog
. He also presented the gameshow Wheel of Fortune
from 1988 to 1996 and currently presents both the BBC Radio 5 Live
Breakfast programme and BBC One's flagship faith and ethics show The Big Questions
.
, Scotland. He was adopted as a four-day old baby, and was educated at the independent school
Edinburgh Academy
. Its former pupils include Robert Louis Stevenson
and Magnús Magnússon
. His adoptive mother was a psychiatric social worker and his adoptive father a publisher of maps.
After graduating from the University of Aberdeen
with a 2:1 in history
, he toyed with ideas of becoming an actor and got involved in commercial production for radio in order to gain his Equity
card. At university, his best friend had been the actor Iain Glen
. He worked at Northsound Radio
in Aberdeen
from 1981 to 1985, first as a jingle
writer, before going on to host the breakfast show.
He worked at London station Capital Radio
from 1986–87 and joined BBC Radio 1
in 1987, presenting a Saturday night show from 10pm-midnight. In early 1988, he took over the weekend early morning show from 6-8am from Simon Mayo
and in October 1988 he presented the Monday-Thursday late-evening music and interview show which he named Into The Night, which went out from 10pm-midnight. Guests included political figures, with Campbell interviewing John Major
in 1991 after Conservative Party
chairman Chris Patten
recommended the show to the Prime Minister when Radio 1 sent an invitation to No.10. He was also regularly joined by Frankie Howerd
in the last years of the comedian's life. In August 1993, he also took over a Sunday morning show from 10am-1pm, following the on-air resignation of Dave Lee Travis
.
Campbell left the network briefly in October 1993 to care for his sick wife. In early 1994, he took over the weekday drivetime show from 4-7pm, and in 1995 he took over the afternoon show from 2-4pm. Campbell attracted a large audience, and when Radio 2 wanted a replacement for Jimmy Young
, he revealed that he was the BBC's choice and detailed a series of meetings between himself and the controller of Radio 2. However, the BBC later claimed that Campbell had initiated the meetings himself, and his public revelations prompted the wrath of Greg Dyke
.
Campbell presented the British version (produced by Scottish Television
for the ITV
network) of Wheel of Fortune
from 1988 to 1996, and presented Top of the Pops
regularly from 1988 to 1991 and again from 1994 to 1997. In the 1990s Campbell fronted the legendary regional discussion series Central Weekend
on Central Television in the English Midlands
and Carlton Live in London with Richard Littlejohn and then Andrew Neil.
Campbell left BBC Radio 1
in October 1997 and joined BBC Radio 5 Live
when offered the job by Roger Mosey
the station's head, the news and sport network. He presented the mid-morning programme on 5 Live for over 5 years before replacing Julian Worricker
in the breakfast slot in January 2003, co-presenting initially with Victoria Derbyshire
. From 2004 to 2011 he co-presented the programme with Shelagh Fogarty
. In May 2011, Shelagh Fogarty left the breakfast show and was replaced by Rachel Burden
. Nicky joins the programme an hour later than Rachel and continues on his own for an hour at the end when the show becomes a phone-in. He also presented BBC consumer show Watchdog and an interactive programme called Now You're Talking. Campbell has won seven Sony Awards
, including a Gold Award in 2007 for the 5 Live Breakfast programme as Best News and Current Affairs Programme [with Shelagh Fogarty]. In 2008 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.
In 2006, Campbell appeared in the celebrity duet singing show Just the Two of Us, with Beverley Knight
. Currently he fronts For the Rest of Your Life
for Endemol
, a daytime game show on ITV1
which began in May 2007. Campbell featured in the BBC programme Who Do You Think You Are? aired 11 July 2007 where he is seen tracing his adoptive family's roots in Scotland and Australia. He is Patron of the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF). He currently presents the Sunday morning programme The Big Questions
on BBC One
. He is also host of the BBC Two
quiz show Battle of the Brains
, replacing the previous host Paddy O'Connell
.
In May 2009 it was revealed that Anne Robinson would replace Campbell and Julia Bradbury for the new series of Watchdog, which returned to the BBC on 10 September. Campbell is currently presenting Long Lost Family
on ITV1
with Davina McCall
.
Campbell married his second wife, journalist Tina (Christina) Ritchie who is the former head of Virgin Radio News, in December 1997 in Kensington, and the couple have four daughters (born December 1998, June 2000, January 2002 and June 2004). In 1989 during his first marriage, he had traced his birth mother and after having children of his own with Ritchie, Campbell decided to find his Irish biological father in 2002. Whereas his birth mother was from a Dublin Protestant family his biological father was a Northern Irish Catholic thirteen years younger than her. He also discovered that his grandfather had been in the IRA
at the time of Michael Collins
, and his biological father had spent time in the fifties in the IRA and still cleaved to his Republican beliefs. His cousin had also both been in the IRA. Anthony Hughes was killed by British troops in Armagh in 1973. In 2004 Campbell wrote Blue-Eyed Son [Story of an Adoption], his account of being adopted and tracing both his birth parents and his extended families in Ireland in which he also confesses to adultery against his first wife in a Holiday Inn
in Birmingham. Both sides of his birth families helped with and contributed to the book. His birth mother Stella died in 2007. Campbell spoke at her Dublin funeral. As a result of his book and work in adoption, he was asked to become Patron of the British Association for Adoption and Fostering.
. In impersonating Campbell he exaggerated his Scottish accent and consistently came up with the lines "I'm Nicky Campbell, two l's. Don't mess with my name".
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...
presenter and 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...
. He is known for his time presenting on programmes such as the consumer affairs programme Watchdog
Watchdog (TV series)
Watchdog is a BBC television series that investigates viewers' reports of problematic experiences with traders, retailers, and other companies around the UK...
. He also presented the gameshow Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (UK game show)
Wheel of Fortune is a British television game show created by Merv Griffin. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes...
from 1988 to 1996 and currently presents both the 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...
Breakfast programme and BBC One's flagship faith and ethics show The Big Questions
The Big Questions
The Big Questions is a faith and ethics television programme usually presented by Nicky Campbell. It is currently broadcast live on BBC One between 10:00am and 11:00am on Sunday, replacing Heaven & Earth as the BBC's religious discussion programme....
.
Life and career
Campbell was born in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland. He was adopted as a four-day old baby, and was educated at the independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
Edinburgh Academy
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is an independent school which was opened in 1824. The original building, in Henderson Row on the northern fringe of the New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, is now part of the Senior School...
. Its former pupils include Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
and Magnús Magnússon
Magnus Magnusson
Magnus Magnusson KBE was a television presenter, journalist, translator and writer. He was born in Iceland but lived in Scotland for almost all of his life, although he never took British citizenship...
. His adoptive mother was a psychiatric social worker and his adoptive father a publisher of maps.
After graduating from the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
with a 2:1 in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, he toyed with ideas of becoming an actor and got involved in commercial production for radio in order to gain his Equity
British Actors' Equity Association
Equity is the trade union for actors, stage managers and models in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1930 by a group of West End performers....
card. At university, his best friend had been the actor Iain Glen
Iain Glen
Iain Glen is a Scottish film and stage actor.Iain Glen was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and trained at RADA where he won the Bancroft Gold Medal. He was married to Susannah Harker from 1993 to 2004; they have one son, Finlay...
. He worked at Northsound Radio
Northsound Radio
Northsound Radio was the name for the original Northsound Radio station, broadcast from Aberdeen, Scotland to the north-east of Scotland. In 1995, the station split to become two commercial local radio stations.- History :...
in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
from 1981 to 1985, first as a 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...
writer, before going on to host the breakfast show.
He worked at London station Capital Radio
Capital Radio
Capital London is a London based radio station which launched on 16 October 1973 and is owned by Global Radio. On 3 January 2011 it formed part of the nine station Capital radio network.- Pre-launch :...
from 1986–87 and joined BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
in 1987, presenting a Saturday night show from 10pm-midnight. In early 1988, he took over the weekend early morning show from 6-8am from Simon Mayo
Simon Mayo
Simon Mayo is an English radio presenter who has worked for BBC Radio since 1981. As of January 2010, Mayo is presenter of Simon Mayo Drivetime on BBC Radio 2 and, with Mark Kermode, presenter of Kermode and Mayo's Film Reviews on BBC Radio 5 Live.In 2008, Mayo was recognised as the "radio...
and in October 1988 he presented the Monday-Thursday late-evening music and interview show which he named Into The Night, which went out from 10pm-midnight. Guests included political figures, with Campbell interviewing John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
in 1991 after Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
chairman Chris Patten
Chris Patten
Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC , is the last Governor of British Hong Kong, a former British Conservative politician, and the current chairman of the BBC Trust....
recommended the show to the Prime Minister when Radio 1 sent an invitation to No.10. He was also regularly joined by Frankie Howerd
Frankie Howerd
Francis Alick "Frankie" Howerd OBE was an English comedian and comic actor whose career, described by fellow comedian Barry Cryer as "a series of comebacks", spanned six decades.-Early career:...
in the last years of the comedian's life. In August 1993, he also took over a Sunday morning show from 10am-1pm, following the on-air resignation of Dave Lee Travis
Dave Lee Travis
Dave Lee Travis , also known professionally as DLT and the Hairy Cornflake, is a British radio presenter, best known for his career on BBC Radio 1.-Early life:...
.
Campbell left the network briefly in October 1993 to care for his sick wife. In early 1994, he took over the weekday drivetime show from 4-7pm, and in 1995 he took over the afternoon show from 2-4pm. Campbell attracted a large audience, and when Radio 2 wanted a replacement for Jimmy Young
Jimmy Young (disc jockey)
Sir Jimmy Young CBE was a British singer, disc jockey and radio interviewer.-Early life:...
, he revealed that he was the BBC's choice and detailed a series of meetings between himself and the controller of Radio 2. However, the BBC later claimed that Campbell had initiated the meetings himself, and his public revelations prompted the wrath of Greg Dyke
Greg Dyke
Gregory "Greg" Dyke is a British media executive, journalist and broadcaster. Since the 1960s, Dyke has a long career in the UK in print and then broadcast journalism. He is credited with introducing 'tabloid' television to British broadcasting, and reviving the ratings of TV-am...
.
Campbell presented the British version (produced by Scottish Television
Scottish Television
Scottish Television is Scotland's largest ITV franchisee, and has held the ITV franchise for Central Scotland since 31 August 1957. It is the second oldest ITV franchisee still active...
for the 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...
network) of Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (UK game show)
Wheel of Fortune is a British television game show created by Merv Griffin. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes...
from 1988 to 1996, and presented Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
regularly from 1988 to 1991 and again from 1994 to 1997. In the 1990s Campbell fronted the legendary regional discussion series Central Weekend
Central Weekend
Central Weekend is a British television debate show which ran from 1986 to 2001. Known for the confrontational nature of its studio audience and topics, it was presented for many years by Nicky Campbell...
on Central Television in the English Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
and Carlton Live in London with Richard Littlejohn and then Andrew Neil.
Campbell left BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
in October 1997 and joined 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...
when offered the job by Roger Mosey
Roger Mosey
Roger Mosey is a British broadcasting executive who is currently working as the BBC's Director of London 2012 Olympic Games coverage....
the station's head, the news and sport network. He presented the mid-morning programme on 5 Live for over 5 years before replacing Julian Worricker
Julian Worricker
Julian Worricker is a British journalist, currently working as a presenter of You and Yours on BBC Radio 4 and a relief presenter on BBC News, the corporation's 24 hour rolling news channel...
in the breakfast slot in January 2003, co-presenting initially with Victoria Derbyshire
Victoria Derbyshire
Victoria Derbyshire is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster who currently presents the mid-morning news/current affairs & interview programme on BBC Radio 5 Live between 10am and 12noon each weekday...
. From 2004 to 2011 he co-presented the programme with Shelagh Fogarty
Shelagh Fogarty
Shelagh Fogarty, born 13 January 1966 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, is a radio and television presenter and journalist. She formerly hosted the BBC Radio 5 Live breakfast show with Nicky Campbell.-Early life:...
. In May 2011, Shelagh Fogarty left the breakfast show and was replaced by Rachel Burden
Rachel Burden
Rachel Mary Burden , is a British-born Irish national, who is a radio news reporter and presenter, currently presenting the BBC Radio 5 Live weekday breakfast show....
. Nicky joins the programme an hour later than Rachel and continues on his own for an hour at the end when the show becomes a phone-in. He also presented BBC consumer show Watchdog and an interactive programme called Now You're Talking. Campbell has won seven Sony Awards
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...
, including a Gold Award in 2007 for the 5 Live Breakfast programme as Best News and Current Affairs Programme [with Shelagh Fogarty]. In 2008 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.
In 2006, Campbell appeared in the celebrity duet singing show Just the Two of Us, with Beverley Knight
Beverley Knight
Beverley Knight MBE is a British soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer who released her debut album in 1995. Heavily influenced by soul greats such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, Knight has released six studio albums to date...
. Currently he fronts For the Rest of Your Life
For the Rest of Your Life
For the Rest of Your Life was a British game show on ITV, hosted by Nicky Campbell. It was produced by Initial, a company of Endemol.-Round One:...
for Endemol
Endemol
Endemol is an international television production and distribution company based in the Netherlands, with subsidiaries and joint ventures in 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Poland,...
, a daytime game show on ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
which began in May 2007. Campbell featured in the BBC programme Who Do You Think You Are? aired 11 July 2007 where he is seen tracing his adoptive family's roots in Scotland and Australia. He is Patron of the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF). He currently presents the Sunday morning programme The Big Questions
The Big Questions
The Big Questions is a faith and ethics television programme usually presented by Nicky Campbell. It is currently broadcast live on BBC One between 10:00am and 11:00am on Sunday, replacing Heaven & Earth as the BBC's religious discussion programme....
on 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...
. He is also host of the BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
quiz show Battle of the Brains
Battle of the Brains (TV series)
Battle of the Brains is a British game show hosted by Nicky Campbell and produced by Shine Limited for BBC Manchester. The first series was broadcast weekdays on BBC Two at 6:00pm, and started on 28 July 2008, ending on 22 August. The second series began on 9 February 2009 ending on 6 March...
, replacing the previous host Paddy O'Connell
Paddy O'Connell
Guy Patrick Bennett O'Connell , known as Paddy O'Connell, is an English television and radio presenter, working mainly for the BBC....
.
In May 2009 it was revealed that Anne Robinson would replace Campbell and Julia Bradbury for the new series of Watchdog, which returned to the BBC on 10 September. Campbell is currently presenting Long Lost Family
Long Lost Family
Long Lost Family is a television series produced by ITV which aims to reunite relatives after years of separation.-Show description:Presented by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell, the series offers a last chance for people who are desperate to find long lost relatives...
on ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
with Davina McCall
Davina McCall
Davina McCall is an English television presenter and actress, most notable as the presenter of the UK version of Big Brother up until its move to Channel 5.- Early life :...
.
Background
Campbell met his first wife Linda Larnach, who was eight years older than he was, in Scotland. He later nursed her through a cancer scare and ME, and took time out from his career. He was then criticised when he broke up with her and she gave interviews in which she said his career break had been a publicity stunt.Campbell married his second wife, journalist Tina (Christina) Ritchie who is the former head of Virgin Radio News, in December 1997 in Kensington, and the couple have four daughters (born December 1998, June 2000, January 2002 and June 2004). In 1989 during his first marriage, he had traced his birth mother and after having children of his own with Ritchie, Campbell decided to find his Irish biological father in 2002. Whereas his birth mother was from a Dublin Protestant family his biological father was a Northern Irish Catholic thirteen years younger than her. He also discovered that his grandfather had been in the IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
at the time of Michael Collins
Michael Collins (Irish leader)
Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...
, and his biological father had spent time in the fifties in the IRA and still cleaved to his Republican beliefs. His cousin had also both been in the IRA. Anthony Hughes was killed by British troops in Armagh in 1973. In 2004 Campbell wrote Blue-Eyed Son [Story of an Adoption], his account of being adopted and tracing both his birth parents and his extended families in Ireland in which he also confesses to adultery against his first wife in a Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
in Birmingham. Both sides of his birth families helped with and contributed to the book. His birth mother Stella died in 2007. Campbell spoke at her Dublin funeral. As a result of his book and work in adoption, he was asked to become Patron of the British Association for Adoption and Fostering.
In popular culture
Campbell has been impersonated and parodied by impressionist Alistair McGowanAlistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan is a British impressionist, stand-up comic, actor, singer and writer best known to British audiences for The Big Impression , which was, for four years, one of BBC1's top-rating comedy programmes - winning numerous awards, including a BAFTA in 2003...
. In impersonating Campbell he exaggerated his Scottish accent and consistently came up with the lines "I'm Nicky Campbell, two l's. Don't mess with my name".