
Richard Whiteley
Known for acting · Born 28 December 1943 · Died 26 June 2005 · aged 61 · Bradford, England, Uk
18 credits
John Richard Whiteley OBE DL (28 December 1943 – 26 June 2005) was an English presenter, and journalist, best known for his twenty-three years as host of the game show Countdown. Countdown was the launch program for Channel 4 at 4:45 pm on 2 November 1982, and Whiteley was the first person to be seen on the channel (not counting a program montage). Despite his intelligence, Whiteley enjoyed projecting the image of an absent-minded eccentric. His trademarks were his jolly, avuncular manner, his fondness for puns, and his bold, sometimes garish wardrobe. Thanks to over twenty years' worth of nightly installments of Countdown as well as his work on the Yorkshire magazine program Calendar and various other television projects, at the time of his death Whiteley was believed to have clocked more hours on British television screens—and more than 10,000 appearances—than anyone else alive, apart from Carole Hersee, the young girl who appeared on the BBC's Test Card F.
Known for

Countdown
1982
Calendar
1968

Calendar Countdown
1982

The Brighton Bomb
2004

A Bronte Christmas
1980

Top Gear
2002
The Terry and Gaby Show
2003
It's Only TV But I Like It
1999

Have I Got News for You
1990

Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
2002

Shooting Stars
1993

The Paul O'Grady Show
2004