Richard Newman (Writer & Broadcaster)
Encyclopedia
Richard James Newman is a writer, broadcaster, and reality TV contestant, best known for participating in the seventh series of the British version of Big Brother
.
, Newman emigrated with his family to Edmonton
, Alberta
, in 1976 at the age of five. Newman studied Radio & Television arts at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
in Edmonton. After graduating he was employed as a traffic co-ordinator at the CKUA Radio Network and eventually went on to write scripts for the station. He then returned to the UK in 1996, moving to London
to pursue a career as a writer and broadcaster.
. Newman eventually ended up in the final, placing 4th, after 93 days inside the house. Shortly after, Richard made an appearance on The Charlotte Church Show
, Richard & Judy
as well as the game show The Mint. Richard was interviewed and photographed by Attitude
magazine after leaving the Big Brother house, he also appeared on the cover Boyz
magazine wearing his trademark cowboy hat. He went on to host Mr Gay UK
that year, and in October 2006 it was announced that Richard would be working as a host on the digital station Gaydar Radio
.
In the summer of 2008, Newman made a return to TV appearing alongside fellow housemate Lea Walker on E4's Big Brother's Little Brother.
where he presented two shows: The Saturday Morning Show and The Dicky & Dolly Show, which he presented every Sunday morning along with fellow Big Brother 7
housemate Lea Walker. During this time, he interviewed celebrities such as Alan Carr
, Samantha Fox
, Alison Moyet
, Kim Wilde
, Carol Decker, Immodesty Blaize
, Gail Porter
, The Puppini Sisters
, Margarita Pracatan, Russell Grant
, Victoria Wilson James (Soul II Soul
), Luciana (Bodyrox
) and Russian pop singer Sergey
. During his time at Gaydar Radio
, the station won the 2007 Sony Radio Award for Digital Station of the year; it was again nominated in 2008. Along with Gaydar Radio
, Newman also collected an Arqiva
award in 2007 and 2008 for Digital Station of the Year.
about the Stonewall riots
to be included on the 25th anniversary DVD release of Greta Schiller Emmy Award winning documentary Before Stonewall
released by Peccadillo Pictures
. Newman was part of a Q&A session alongside Before Stonewall
director Greta Schiller - Film director Richard Kwietniowski
(Owning Mahowny & Love And Death On Long Island) - German film director, Monika Treut
(Seduction: The Cruel Woman) - Former mayor of London, Ken Livingstone
, and British Gay Activist, Alan Wakeman. On the DVD, Newman speaks openly about his own experiences growing up gay
and expresses his thoughts on the Stonewall riots
that took place on 27 June 1969 when the police raided the Stonewall Inn
in New York.
, QX
, Scene 24/7 and Winq Magazine. Newman also writes his own blog, Richard Says! (see external links).
Big Brother (UK)
Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...
.
Early life
Though born in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Newman emigrated with his family to Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, in 1976 at the age of five. Newman studied Radio & Television arts at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology is located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and provides technical training and applied education designed to meet the demands of Alberta's industries...
in Edmonton. After graduating he was employed as a traffic co-ordinator at the CKUA Radio Network and eventually went on to write scripts for the station. He then returned to the UK in 1996, moving to London
London
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...
to pursue a career as a writer and broadcaster.
Big Brother
In the summer of 2006, Newman participated in the seventh series of Big Brother, entering the house on Day 1. Richard held the record for most evictions survived at 6, until Freddie "Halfwit" Fisher broke the record with 7 in the tenth seriesBig Brother 2009 (UK)
Big Brother 2009, occasionally referred to as Big Brother 10, was the tenth series of the British reality television series Big Brother. It began on 4 June 2009 and was aired on Channel 4 and E4 for 93 days, concluding on 4 September when Sophie "Dogface" Reade was crowned the winner with 74.4% of...
. Newman eventually ended up in the final, placing 4th, after 93 days inside the house. Shortly after, Richard made an appearance on The Charlotte Church Show
The Charlotte Church Show
The Charlotte Church Show was a Channel 4 entertainment television show presented by Welsh singer Charlotte Church. It was first broadcast on 1 September 2006 and ran for 6 subsequent Fridays. The show was commissioned for a further two series, the first of which aired from 23 February to 6 April...
, Richard & Judy
Richard & Judy
Richard & Judy was a British magazine/chat show which was presented by married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. It originally aired on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2008 but later moved to digital channel Watch in October 2008. It featured the world's most famous stars, along with their Book Club...
as well as the game show The Mint. Richard was interviewed and photographed by Attitude
Attitude (magazine)
Attitude is a British gay lifestyle magazine owned by Vitality Publishing. It is sold worldwide as a physical magazine and a digital download for the iPad and iPhone via the App Store. The first issue appeared in May 1994....
magazine after leaving the Big Brother house, he also appeared on the cover Boyz
Boyz (magazine)
Boyz is a free, London-based magazine, targeted at gay men and distributed mainly through gay bars, clubs and saunas in the United Kingdom. Published weekly, it tends to focus on news about the gay scene and celebrities popular with young scene-going gay men.Boyz is relatively light on "serious"...
magazine wearing his trademark cowboy hat. He went on to host Mr Gay UK
Mr Gay UK
Mr Gay UK is a British annual beauty contest for gay men, with regional heats held in gay nightclubs with a grand final usually at a gay venue. The contests is owned and promoted by gay entrepreneur Terry George....
that year, and in October 2006 it was announced that Richard would be working as a host on the digital station Gaydar Radio
Gaydar Radio
GaydarRadio is a British digital radio station for gay men, lesbians and gay friendly people. It is available on DAB multiplexes in London and Brighton and also online. It broadcasts 24 hours a day, with live programming from 5am to midnight during the week, 7am to midnight at weekends.-Format:The...
.
In the summer of 2008, Newman made a return to TV appearing alongside fellow housemate Lea Walker on E4's Big Brother's Little Brother.
Gaydar Radio
Newman spent two years at Gaydar RadioGaydar Radio
GaydarRadio is a British digital radio station for gay men, lesbians and gay friendly people. It is available on DAB multiplexes in London and Brighton and also online. It broadcasts 24 hours a day, with live programming from 5am to midnight during the week, 7am to midnight at weekends.-Format:The...
where he presented two shows: The Saturday Morning Show and The Dicky & Dolly Show, which he presented every Sunday morning along with fellow Big Brother 7
Big Brother 7
Big Brother 2007 may refer to:*Big Brother 2007 *Big Brother 8 *Big Brother Australia 2007*Big Brother 2007 *Big Brother * Celebrity Big Brother 2007...
housemate Lea Walker. During this time, he interviewed celebrities such as Alan Carr
Alan Carr
Alan Carr is an English comedian and television personality. Born in Weymouth, he was raised in Northampton before moving to Manchester during his early 20's....
, Samantha Fox
Samantha Fox
Samantha Karen "Sam" Fox is an English dance-pop singer, actress, and former glamour model. In 1983, at the age of 16, she began her topless modeling career on Page Three of The Sun, and went on to become a popular pin-up girl...
, Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet , is an English singer, songwriter and performer noted for her bluesy voice.Her UK album sales have reached a certified 2.3 million, with 800,000 singles sold, all in the UK, where all seven of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the Top 40 UK Album Chart,...
, Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde is an English pop singer, author and television presenter who burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the number 2 UK Singles Chart new wave classic "Kids in America". In 1987 she had a major hit in the United States when her version of The Supremes' classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On"...
, Carol Decker, Immodesty Blaize
Immodesty Blaize
Immodesty Blaize is a British burlesque dancer who performs internationally. She was crowned Reigning Queen of Burlesque in June 2007 at the Las Vegas Burlesque Hall of Fame formerly known as Exotic World.- Rise to fame :Her ethnic heritage is Croatian, Russian and Irish...
, Gail Porter
Gail Porter
Gail Porter is a Scottish television presenter.- Life and career :Porter attended Portobello High School. She studied a BTEC HND in Media Production at West Herts College...
, The Puppini Sisters
The Puppini Sisters
The Puppini Sisters are a vocal trio. Arion Berger described them as part of "Retro's futuristic vanguard" and described their sound as "swing-punk". The group has sought to be associated with a burlesque revival....
, Margarita Pracatan, Russell Grant
Russell Grant
Russell John Dammerall Grant is a British astrologer and media personality. He has written several books on Astrology, provides syndicated newspaper horoscopes and operates premium rate astrology phone lines. In March 2010, he began offering a "Pet Psychic" service...
, Victoria Wilson James (Soul II Soul
Soul II Soul
Soul II Soul are a British group that was created in London in 1988. They are best known for their 1989 UK chart-topper and U.S. Top 5 hit, "Back to Life ".-Career:...
), Luciana (Bodyrox
Bodyrox
Bodyrox is an Electro house music duo consisting of Jon Pearn and Nick Bridges.-Career History:"Yeah Yeah", Bodyrox's first commercial single was released in November 2006, featuring vocals by Luciana. The song was very successful, with high levels of play in clubs, radio, and music TV channels...
) and Russian pop singer Sergey
Sergey Lazarev
Sergey Vyacheslavovich Lazarev is a singer, dancer and actor born in Moscow, Russia. He is most famous for his singing career, when he rose to fame as the dark-haired member of the group Smash!!. The group broke up in 2006...
. During his time at Gaydar Radio
Gaydar Radio
GaydarRadio is a British digital radio station for gay men, lesbians and gay friendly people. It is available on DAB multiplexes in London and Brighton and also online. It broadcasts 24 hours a day, with live programming from 5am to midnight during the week, 7am to midnight at weekends.-Format:The...
, the station won the 2007 Sony Radio Award for Digital Station of the year; it was again nominated in 2008. Along with Gaydar Radio
Gaydar Radio
GaydarRadio is a British digital radio station for gay men, lesbians and gay friendly people. It is available on DAB multiplexes in London and Brighton and also online. It broadcasts 24 hours a day, with live programming from 5am to midnight during the week, 7am to midnight at weekends.-Format:The...
, Newman also collected an Arqiva
Arqiva
Arqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company, with headquarters located at Crawley Court in the village of Crawley, Hampshire, was formed by National Grid Wireless...
award in 2007 and 2008 for Digital Station of the Year.
Before Stonewall 25th Anniversary DVD release
In May 2009, Newman took part in a panel discussion at the 23rd London Lesbian and Gay Film FestivalLondon Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
The London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival takes place every spring in London, England. It began as a season of gay and lesbian films at the National Film Theatre in 1986 and 1987 under the title "Gay's Own Pictures", curated by Peter Packer of the Tyneside Cinema, and was renamed the London...
about the Stonewall riots
Stonewall riots
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
to be included on the 25th anniversary DVD release of Greta Schiller Emmy Award winning documentary Before Stonewall
Before Stonewall
Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community is a 1984 American documentary film about the LGBT community prior to the 1969 Stonewall riots. It was narrated by author Rita Mae Brown, co-produced by John Scagliotti and Robert Rosenberg, and co-directed by Rosenberg and Greta Schiller...
released by Peccadillo Pictures
Peccadillo Pictures
Peccadillo Pictures is a UK based film distributor of art house, gay and lesbian, independent and world cinema. They have provided distribution for many award winning films such as XXY, Eyes Wide Open, Four Minutes, The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros, Transylvania, Cockles and Muscles and Summer...
. Newman was part of a Q&A session alongside Before Stonewall
Before Stonewall
Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community is a 1984 American documentary film about the LGBT community prior to the 1969 Stonewall riots. It was narrated by author Rita Mae Brown, co-produced by John Scagliotti and Robert Rosenberg, and co-directed by Rosenberg and Greta Schiller...
director Greta Schiller - Film director Richard Kwietniowski
Richard Kwietniowski
Richard Kwietniowski is an English film director and screenwriter of Polish descent. During the 1980s he was a film lecturer at Bulmershe College of Higher Education Richard Kwietniowski (born 17 March 1957) is an English film director and screenwriter of Polish descent. During the 1980s he was a...
(Owning Mahowny & Love And Death On Long Island) - German film director, Monika Treut
Monika Treut
Monika Treut is an openly lesbian German filmmaker.In the mid-1970s she began working with video. She founded Hyena Filmproduktion together with Elfi Mikesch in 1984, and began producing, writing, and directing independent feature films....
(Seduction: The Cruel Woman) - Former mayor of London, Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
, and British Gay Activist, Alan Wakeman. On the DVD, Newman speaks openly about his own experiences growing up gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and expresses his thoughts on the Stonewall riots
Stonewall riots
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
that took place on 27 June 1969 when the police raided the Stonewall Inn
Stonewall Inn
The Stonewall Inn, often shortened to Stonewall is an American bar in New York City and the site of the Stonewall riots of 1969, which are widely considered to be the single most important event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for gay and lesbian rights in the United...
in New York.
Published work
Newman has since become an accomplished freelance writer contributing mainly to the gay press in the UK, Europe and Canada. He has written for BoyzBoyz (magazine)
Boyz is a free, London-based magazine, targeted at gay men and distributed mainly through gay bars, clubs and saunas in the United Kingdom. Published weekly, it tends to focus on news about the gay scene and celebrities popular with young scene-going gay men.Boyz is relatively light on "serious"...
, QX
QX (British magazine)
QX Magazine also known as QX International is a free gay weekly magazine distributed at most gay bars, gay clubs and other gay venues across London and the UK. As a free magazine, it has a high proportion of advertising space for revenue...
, Scene 24/7 and Winq Magazine. Newman also writes his own blog, Richard Says! (see external links).