Noel Edmonds Explained

Noel Edmonds
Birth Name:Noel Ernest Edmonds
Birth Date:22 December 1948
Birth Place:Ilford, Essex, England
Years Active:1968–present
Children:4

Noel Ernest Edmonds (born 22 December 1948) is an English television presenter, radio DJ, writer, producer, and businessman. Edmonds first became known as a disc jockey on Radio Luxembourg before moving to BBC Radio 1 in the UK, presenting the breakfast show for almost five years. He has presented various radio shows and light-entertainment television programmes for 50 years, originally working for the BBC, later Sky UK and Channel 4.

After presenting children's Saturday morning programme Multi-Coloured Swap Shop (1976–1982) and various other programmes for the BBC like Top of the Pops between 1972 and 1978 and Top Gear (1979–1980), he became best known for presenting Noel's House Party on BBC One for eight years between 1991 and 1999. The show achieved 15 million viewers at its peak and originated the character of Mr Blobby. After a hiatus from broadcasting, Edmonds presented the game show Deal or No Deal on Channel 4 between 2005 and 2016.

Early life

Edmonds was born in Ilford, Essex, the son of Dudley Edmonds, a headmaster who worked in Hainault, London, and Lydia Edmonds, an art teacher.[1] He attended Glade Primary School in Clayhall and Brentwood School in Brentwood, Essex.[2]

He was offered a place at the University of Surrey but turned it down to focus on his radio career.

Radio career

Edmonds began working as a newsreader on Radio Luxembourg,[3] which was offered to him in 1968 after he sent tapes to offshore radio stations.

In 1969, Edmonds moved to BBC Radio 1, where he began by recording trailers for broadcasts and filling in for absent DJs, such as Kenny Everett.[3] In April 1970, he began his own two-hour Saturday-afternoon programme, broadcasting from 1to 3p.m., before replacing Everett on Saturdays from 10a.m. to noon in July that year. In October 1971, he was moved to a Sunday slot from 10a.m. to noon before being promoted to host The Radio 1 Breakfast Show from Monday 4 June 1973 to Friday 28 April 1978, taking over from Tony Blackburn. Edmonds moved to Sunday mornings and middays, from 10a.m. to 1p.m., in 1978 and also presented Talkabout, an hour-long talk show broadcast on Thursday evenings.[4] Edmonds left Radio 1 in March 1983.[3]

Edmonds made two brief returns to Radio 1. Firstly in 1985 when he sat in for Mike Read when he was hosting the breakfast show, and again in 1992 to celebrate Radio 1's 25th Birthday.

In 2003, Edmonds made a brief radio comeback, taking over the drivetime broadcast on BBC Radio 2 for eight weeks while Johnnie Walker was treated for cancer. His stint on Radio 2 lasted from 4 August until 3 October.[5] In December 2004, Edmonds played a detective on a radio murder mystery play on local station BBC Radio Devon.[6]

In 2020, Edmonds set up an online radio network in New Zealand, called Positivity Radio.[7]

Television career

Edmonds hosted Top of the Pops at various points between 1972 and 1978, during which time he also presented a phone-in programme for teenagers called Z Shed on BBC1 as well as a programme called Hobby Horse. He hosted the children's Saturday-morning programme Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, which ran from 1976 to 1982. With fellow Swap Shop regulars Maggie Philbin and Keith Chegwin, Edmonds was a member of the trio Brown Sauce, which recorded the single "I Wanna Be a Winner" in 1981. It reached number 15 in the UK singles chart.[8] [9] In 1980, Edmonds took part in the Eurovision Song Contest, introducing the UK entry live on stage at the final in the Hague. During Swap Shop's run Edmonds hosted Lucky Numbers, a Saturday evening phone-in quiz programme which required viewers to call in and answer questions based on clips of films shown, and a revival of the 1960s pop music series Juke Box Jury.

Edmonds was one of the original presenters of the BBC's motoring series Top Gear during the late 1970s. During his time on the programme he mocked the Fiat Strada, saying it "wasn't very good", which caused Fiat to threaten to sue the BBC unless he apologised for the comments.[10] Edmonds reappeared in one episode of Top Gear in the 1990s, to road test the classic 1960s Ford GT40 supercar, of which he owned two, because the host Jeremy Clarkson – at 6feet tall – was unable to fit into the cockpit. In 1997 Clarkson was one of Edmonds' star team for the 1997 Le Mans race which was featured in Noel's Le Mans Dream, a two-part documentary for BBC 2.[11] In the 1980s Edmonds hosted a series on BBC1 called The Time of Your Life, in which celebrities recalled the time they were at their happiest professionally. It ran for three series from 1983.

The Late, Late Breakfast Show

See main article: The Late, Late Breakfast Show. The Late, Late Breakfast Show was Edmonds' first Saturday-evening light-entertainment show on the BBC. Presented by Edmonds live on Saturday evenings from 4 September 1982 to 8 November 1986, initially with co-host Leni Harper. It also featured Mike Smith and John Peel.

The programme is remembered for several accidents during its regular "Give it a Whirl" stunt slot; in particular the death of Michael Lush. The show was cancelled by the BBC on 15 November 1986, following Lush's death two days earlier. While rehearsing a bungee jump to be performed live on the show, Michael Lush plunged to his death when his rope came loose. Edmonds resigned from the BBC immediately afterwards.

Telly Addicts

See main article: Telly Addicts. Telly Addicts was a BBC1 game show hosted by Edmonds, who also owned the format. Telly Addicts broadcast for 13 years from 3 September 1985 until 29 July 1998. Questions were based on past and present television programmes, and generally took the form of a short clip being shown followed by a series of questions either specifically about the clip or more generally about the programme from which it had been taken. Two teams sat opposite each other on sofas.

In 1991 he presented a prime time series called Noel's Addicts, but this show had no similarity to the Telly Addicts format and only ran for one series.

Noel's Saturday Roadshow

See main article: The Noel Edmonds Saturday Roadshow. Noel's Saturday Roadshow was Edmonds's second BBC television light entertainment show, broadcast on Saturday evenings from 3 September 1988 to 15 December 1990.[12] Presented by Edmonds, it was his first major TV project since the demise of The Late, Late Breakfast Show two years earlier. The programme contained several elements found in its predecessor, such as phone-in quizzes, celebrity interviews and bands performing in the studio. The premise for the new show was that unlike The Late Late Breakfast Show, which had been broadcast from the BBC's studios each week, the Roadshow would come from a new, different and exotic location each week. These "locations" were in fact elaborate studio sets dressed to resemble each week's location, such as the North Pole, a space station, Hollywood, Niagara Falls. The irony of this was not lost on Edmonds, whose self-deprecating presentation style frequently made light of the low-budget production values.

The programme was a slow-burning success and, following the third series in 1990, Edmonds's popularity and reputation were sufficiently re-established with the public for him to pitch his idea for Noel's House Party to the BBC.

The show introduced regular features such as the Gunge Tank, the Gotcha Oscars and Wait 'Til I Get You Home, which would all be carried across and subsequently developed in House Party. Another item was Clown Court, in which a guest actor from a TV series would be on trial for all the bloopers made during the shooting of that show, for example Sylvester McCoy for the title role of Doctor Who, and Tony Robinson for his character of Baldrick in Blackadder the Third.

Noel's House Party

See main article: Noel's House Party. By 1991, the Saturday Roadshow morphed into Noel's House Party, which ran for eight years, from Edmonds' mansion in the fictional village of Crinkley Bottom. Regular features included NTV, in which cameras were secretly hidden in viewers' homes, often in VHS tape cases. There was also the "Gotchas", with celebrities caught in elaborate and embarrassing set-up situations.

In one incident NTV's hidden cameras caught celebrity psychic Uri Geller apparently bending a spoon with his hands while demonstrating his "powers" to a member of the public. When then-Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis was "Gotcha'd" live on Radio 1, he infamously yelled "Edmonds, you are a dead man!" He later participated when Edmonds himself was "Gotcha'd". Mr Blobby, a pink and yellow spotted character, initially appeared in the "Gotcha" section, and became a regular feature of the programme. The character even achieved the 1993 Christmas No. 1.[13]

Noel's House Party was a staple of BBC1's autumn and spring schedules throughout the 1990s. The show regularly attracted audiences of over 15 million but along with the general decline in the traditional Saturday night ratings by the time it ended it was pulling in less than 8 million.[14] In the final programme, broadcast on 20 March 1999, Edmonds signed off with thanks to the audience and the wish that history would be kind to the programme.[15]

Deal or No Deal

See main article: Deal or No Deal (British game show). In 2005, Edmonds was persuaded back to TV presentation by Peter Bazalgette, then CEO of Endemol, which was experiencing great success with its new game show format of Deal or No Deal. Edmonds initially declined the approach, citing that he was concentrating on business interests, but eventually agreed to host a short run of 66 shows.[16] The programme was initially recorded at Paintworks in Bristol but later moved to a dedicated studio in The Bottle Yard Studios in 2014. Deal or No Deal began UK transmission on 31 October 2005, and was broadcast on afternoons, and occasionally evenings, six days a week. In March 2006 Edmonds had his contract for presenting Deal or No Deal extended until autumn 2007, for a fee rumoured to be £3 million, making him one of the highest-paid personalities on UK television.[17] In 2006, Edmonds was nominated for a BAFTA Television Award for his work on the programme but lost out on the night to Jonathan Ross.[18]

On 16 March 2007, Edmonds made a cameo appearance as himself in a sketch with Catherine Tate who appeared in the guise of her character Joanie "Nan" Taylor from The Catherine Tate Show. Nan appeared on a special episode of Deal or No Deal, where she ended up cheating. The sketch was made for the BBC Red Nose Day fundraising programme of 2007.[19]

Deal or No Deal ran for 11 years and almost 3,000 shows were recorded, with over £40m being given away during its run. Celebrity specials were aired sporadically between 2012 and 2015. In the summer of 2016 by mutual agreement Edmonds and Channel 4 agreed to end the show.[20] In celebration of one of UK TV's longest and most popular gameshow runs, the final shows were recorded on location.[21] Games were filmed on a Boeing 737, the Flying Scotsman, atop the Blackpool Tower and down a cave in Somerset.[22]

Work with Sky

See main article: Noel's HQ and Are You Smarter than a 10 Year Old? (British game show). On 24 May 2007, Sky One announced that Edmonds would host the UK version of the American hit Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?, titled Are You Smarter than a 10 Year Old?. The programme made its debut on Sky One on 7 October 2007. Edmonds hosted the peak-time showing of the programme, with the daily programme being presented by Dick & Dom.

Sky1's autumn 2008 season saw Edmonds host Noel's HQ, a new live entertainment show with a philanthropic purpose, his fees going to a charitable trust.[23] [24] This was later developed into a series. The show received a negative review from The Guardian.[25] Sky edited a repeat broadcast after Edmonds launched an extended verbal attack on a council press officer.[26] In March 2009, Sky1 announced the cancellation of the show.[27]

Other television appearances

Edmonds has hosted major TV events including the BAFTA Awards, the Brit Awards and the launch of the UK National Lottery. Edmonds was involved in the Live Aid concerts in 1985, transporting stars to and from the Wembley Stadium concert via helicopter and appearing on stage at Wembley to introduce the joint set by Sting and Phil Collins. Edmonds also took Collins to Heathrow Airport, where Collins boarded Concorde to fly to the United States to perform at the Philadelphia concert.

Noel's Christmas Presents was an annual broadcast in which Edmonds delivered special presents to special people. Some of the gifts included arranging trips to Lapland for ill or disadvantaged children, or arranging family reunions.[28] Noel's Christmas Presents was originally broadcast on BBC One on Christmas Day from 1989 until 1999 (except 1992), before it returned to UK screens courtesy of Sky1 on 23 December 2007. Further editions were screened on 21 December 2008, 20 December 2009, 18 December 2010 and 18 December 2011.[29]

In 1997, Edmonds was involved in an episode of the Chris Morris spoof documentary series Brass Eye, in which he unwittingly pledged his allegiance on camera to a campaign to rid the country of a new killer drug, the entirely fictitious "cake", which apparently made 10 seconds appear as a few hours to a user by stimulating part of the brain called Shatner's Bassoon.[30] Edmonds was also a guest host for the fourth-series episode of The Friday Night Project, broadcast on 26 January 2007.[31] In 2014 he appeared in BBC Four's The Life of Rock with Brian Pern as himself.[32]

In 2017, Edmonds presented Cheap Cheap Cheap, a cross between a sitcom and a game show. Edmonds came up with the concept, produced by Hat Trick and Channel 4 commissioned 30-hour-long episodes. The action took place in 'Noel's Store' and according to the Radio Times, "contestants are presented with three similar items – be it laundry detergent, noodles, baked beans, coffins, live poultry or lottery tickets – and must identify the cheapest one of the three in order to win money." A cast of actors play workers at the store.[33] Stuart Heritage of The Guardian said that "It's like watching a weird piece of existential Lithuanian amateur community theatre [...] It's the worst idea in the world, stretched out for all eternity".[34] The Daily Telegraphs Ed Power described it as "naff, tacky and numbingly dull" and "mind-bendingly outlandish".[35]

The Curse of Noel Edmonds, a documentary tracing the rise and fall of his showbiz career, was transmitted by Five on 9 November 2004, with former Radio 1 DJ Mike Read being one of the contributors to the programme. On 27 August 2022, Edmonds was the subject of an in-depth documentary on Channel 5, titled Noel Edmonds: The Rise & Fall of Mr. Saturday Night. The show documented the highs and lows of Edmonds' career to date.[36] [37]

I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

In November 2018, Edmonds participated in the eighteenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.[38] Edmonds' appearance fee of £600,000 made him the highest paid participant ever in the show's history up to that date.[39]

He was the first celebrity to leave the series when he was voted out on 30 November 2018.[40] Many fans of the show were surprised by the departure, with Radio 1 Breakfast Show host Greg James described as "furious and sad".[41]

Business ventures

Unique Group

In 1985, Edmonds formed the Unique Group, which consisted of various operations. The Unique Broadcasting Company Media Group plc (UBCMG) was an independent producer of audio programming in the UK, supplying BBC and independent radio. Michael Peacock was an executive of the group between 1989 and 2005, and former Radio 1 controller Johnny Beerling joined the group following his departure from the network in 1993. It owned Classic Gold Digital before selling the stations back to GCap Media which merged them into the Gold network.[42] Edmonds resigned as non-executive director of UBCMG in March 2006 as a direct result of the success of Deal or No Deal.[43] As of 2006, Edmonds also had interests in Unique Motor Company, a producer of small off-road vehicles.[44]

In July 2019, Edmonds agreed to a compensation deal with Lloyds Banking Group as a victim of the HBOS Reading branch fraud. He had claimed that bank staff had destroyed Unique Group.[45]

Theme parks

Edmonds-licensed theme park attractions based on Crinkley Bottom and Mr Blobby were set up in existing parks at Cricket St Thomas in Somerset and Pleasurewood Hills Theme Park in Lowestoft, Suffolk. A park was also built in Morecambe, Lancashire, on the site of the former Happy Mount Park. Following disappointing visitor numbers, and in the case of Morecambe, legal disputes with the local council, the deal was scrapped and the park closed. The two existing parks reverted to their previous state. Edmonds was said to be very critical of Lancaster city council's management of the Morecambe park.[46]

A report by the district auditor found that the council had behaved 'unlawfully' in its dealings with Edmonds, which cost £2.5m, and two former senior officers were found to have committed 'misconduct', although this was not deemed to be 'wilful'.[47] The affair was dubbed 'Blobbygate' by the media.[48]

Buying the BBC

In March 2014, Edmonds declared on Newsnight that he was part of a consortium which planned to buy the BBC, because the corporation is "sleepwalking itself to destruction".[49] He said that he did not have a TV licence and only watched BBC programmes on catch-up.[50]

Personal life

Edmonds married Gillian Slater in 1971, but the marriage ended in divorce after 11 years. From July 1986 to 2005, he was married to Helen Soby; the couple have four daughters.[51] In July 2009, Edmonds married his third wife, Liz Davies, who was a make-up artist on the programme Deal or No Deal when they first met.

Edmonds is a licensed helicopter pilot, and one of his early personal aircraft was registered G-NOEL.[52] He was president of the British Horse Society between 2004 and 2007.[53]

On 27 September 2015, Edmonds received an award from the Atlantic Award Group for his extensive contributions to broadcasting.[54] The selection process was initiated by a nomination by a viewer of Deal or No Deal. Edmonds was the first TV personality to receive an award from the AAG and was also the first recipient from the UK in 2015.

In June 2017 Edmonds said he had attempted suicide in 2005, after fraud by a group of HBOS financiers destroyed his Unique Group business: "Until these criminals took me to the brink of emotional annihilation, I had always felt those who opt out by taking their own lives were selfish and cowardly... But having been cast into that bottomless dark space devoid of logic and reason, I have a much deeper understanding of life without hope... I seek no sympathy and feel no shame in admitting that on the evening of January 18th 2005 I attempted to end the overwhelming mental pain which had consumed my whole being."[55] In September 2017, Edmonds said there was a direct link between fraudulent HBOS financiers causing stress and his prostate cancer. He stated: "I don't say cancer was caused by the stress, but that my health deteriorated to such an extent I got prostate cancer. I am absolutely sure the negative forces acting on me impacted on my health. There is a wealth of information from various clinical studies of a direct link between stress and cancer. I am absolutely certain there was a link in my case."[56]

Edmonds and his wife decided to move to New Zealand in 2015 and eventually emigrated in 2019; during the COVID lockdown he set up 100 online community radio stations called Positivity Radio.[57] He currently lives in Ngātīmoti, in the South Island, with his wife, having gained residency permission in February 2020.[58] Living in the country since the previous September, Edmonds said he and his wife had felt an "incredible spiritual pull" on a visit in 2016 leading them to settle in the country.[59]

Edmonds is fond of referring to himself in the third person.[60]

Political views

Edmonds was chairman of the Renewable Energy Foundation (REF),[61] an organisation which is staunchly opposed to wind farms. He was said to have joined "because of the threat near his home in Devon".[62] He has been quoted as saying that, "Politicians are promoting the wind industry as a green icon, but they are misleading the public into believing the propaganda of the wind industry. The reality is that wind power is too costly and can never meet our energy needs; but it will destroy the countryside".[63] His view is that those who are promoting wind farms are energy companies with a vested financial interest, and that wind turbines are not reliable enough as a source of sustainable energy.

Edmonds is an outspoken critic of immigration[64] and the BBC's Welsh language service.[65]

He coordinated the Heart of Devon campaign to provide information for farmers affected by the foot and mouth epidemic in 2001.[66]

TV licence boycott

Edmonds said that he had stopped payment on his TV licence in early 2008, in response to the sometimes controversial methods used to enforce collection of the TV licence fee. Edmonds said that it is wrong to "threaten" and "badger" people, in response to the collection authority's common assumption that the non-possession of a licence can mean licence evasion, as well as the large fines which can be used as enforcement for non-payment.[67] TV Licensing later claimed that Edmonds did possess a valid current TV licence, but this claim was denied by a spokesman for Edmonds.[68]

Spiritualism

For many years, Edmonds has been a believer in spiritualism, in particular the concept of cosmic ordering, a subject he became interested in after being introduced to Bärbel Mohr's book The Cosmic Ordering Service – A Guide to Realising Your Dreams by his reflexologist.[69] He had not worked on TV since the end of his BBC TV show Noel's House Party in 1999 and one of his wishes was for a new challenge. Later he was offered the chance to return to TV to work on Deal or No Deal.[70] Edmonds later went on to write his own book[71] titled Positively Happy: Cosmic Ways To Change Your Life.[72] [73]

Edmonds said in 2008 that he is constantly accompanied by two melon-sized "spiritual energy" balls, which appear over his shoulders and which he believes to be the spirits of his dead parents. "Orbs are little bundles of positive energy and they think they can move between 500 and 1,000 miles per hour," according to Edmonds. "They look like little round planets but they come in all shapes and sizes."[74] He has asserted that the orbs appear only on digital photographs.[75]

In August 2015, Edmonds gave an interview to the Daily Mirror in which he stated that the greatest problem facing humanity was "electrosmog" due to Wi-Fi and other "systems", causing the destruction of "our natural electro-magnetic fields". He also stated a belief that death was impossible because the body was merely a container for "a universal energy", and that this had "been known for a very long time". When he dies, Edmonds anticipates that "My energy will return to where it came from – part of a massive, incomprehensible universal web of energy".[76]

EMP Pad

On 7 June 2016, Edmonds said on Twitter that an electromagnetic pulse device costing £2,315 was "A simple box that slows ageing, reduces pain, lifts depression and stress and tackles cancer. Yep tackles cancer!".[77] Edmonds provoked further criticism after tweeting to a man with kidney cancer, lymph node metastases and psoriatic arthritis that "Scientific fact-disease is caused by negative energy. Is it possible your ill health is caused by your negative attitude? #explore." The following day, Edmonds was interviewed by Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on ITV's This Morning television programme stating that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in November 2013. He said that a "very stressful, very negative period" in life had caused his prostate cancer, "I was, I thought, very, very healthy. I know why I got my cancer... the definition of stress is negative energy. It didn't just decide to manifest itself, there was cause". He went on to add: "I then had my tumour destroyed by sound waves, proving yet again energy is at the heart of this issue" and said that "I believe pulsed electromagnetism has a role to play in tackling cancer and I will always believe that".[78] [79]

In response, the firm responsible for the device, EMP Pad Limited, said it did not agree with his claim "in any way, shape or form", and that it had not paid him in relation to it. While EMP Pad said it did not pay Edmonds to promote the product, the company's owner Maria Robertson, previously worked as an assistant to the TV presenter and acknowledged having known Edmonds for 25 years and having worked with him and his daughter.[80] Cancer Research UK produced an article to reassure the public that "the best studies looking at this topic have failed to show a link between emotional stress and an increased risk of cancer" and that "no reliable evidence has ever been produced that Rife machines – or any similar devices producing low-frequency electromagnetic pulses – have any benefit for cancer patients. Nor have organisations that scrutinise new treatments and devices (like the US Food and Drug Authority or the European Medicines Agency) approved any as a therapy for any type of disease".[81]

David Grimes, a cancer researcher at the University of Oxford, told This Morning: "It's not just untrue, it's patronising and victim blaming, cancer is bad luck... the healthiest people in the world get cancer and it's not because they are negative".[82] Prof. John Gribben, chair of medical oncology at Queen Mary University of London, said: "This is complete gibberish and undermines all the good work everyone does with evidence-based medicine and targeted approaches".[83] Edzard Ernst, emeritus professor at the University of Exeter said: "The reason why most of us put 'negative energy' in inverted commas is simple: it is a pure figment of the imagination of fantasists. That would not be so bad except that, as we see, some VIPs seem to take this nonsense seriously. The result might be that some desperate patients believe them, and choose the nonsense over the best that real medicine has to offer. And that could hasten deaths."

In 2016 the UK's Advertising Standards Authority said that it was "urgently looking into" a complaint made over the claims, because advertising any proven or unproven cancer treatment would violate the Cancer Act 1939 if payments had been made. Later the ASA said that no rules had been broken. The same year the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said that it was investigating the products available from EMP Pad "to determine whether there are any breaches of the Medical Device Regulations 2002".

Dispute with Lloyds Bank

A major turning point for Edmonds was the 2005 collapse of his entertainment company Unique Group – an umbrella for various production companies that owned the rights to, among other things, Mr Blobby and Telly Addicts. Edmonds held Lloyds Bank responsible, because it had acquired HBOS, whose Reading branch was involved in the alleged scam. Edmonds sought £60m in losses and damages. Edmonds complained to the Advertising Standards Authority about the "By Your Side" Lloyds marketing campaign, claiming it was hypocritical; the complaint was not upheld.[84] In 2017, the HBOS bankers and others involved in the scam were found guilty of committing fraud and jailed.[85] [86] In 2019 it was reported that the dispute was settled, with Lloyds Bank Group agreeing a compensation deal with Edmonds, and apologising to him for the "distress" he had suffered.[87]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleChannelNotes
1970Come DancingHimself/PresenterBBC11 episode
1972–1981Top of the Pops76 episodes
1973Disney Time1 episode
1974Going a BundleSelfSouthern TV
1975Call My BluffBBC22 episodes; series 9
Seaside SpecialSelf/PresenterBBC13 episodes
1976New FacesSelf/PanellistATV7 episodes
1976–1981Star TurnSelfBBC18 episodes
1976–1982Multi-Coloured Swap ShopSelf/Presenter165 episodes
1977–1978Blue PeterSelf2 episodes
1978–1979Lucky NumbersSelf/Presenter17 episodes
1979Juke Box Jury10 episodes
1979–1999Top GearSelfBBC226 episodes
1982–1986The Late, Late Breakfast ShowSelf/PresenterBBC179 episodes
1983–1985The Time of Your Life37 episodes
1984The Montreux Golden Rose Pop Festival3 episodes
1984–1988Christmas Morning with Noelaka The Live Live Christmas Breakfast Show
1985–1998Telly Addicts83 episodes
1986The Noel Edmonds ShowSelfABCTelevision pilot
1987–1988Whatever Next...Self/PresenterBBC116 episodes
1988The Britannia Music AwardsAwards ceremony
1988–1990The Noel Edmonds Saturday Roadshow48 episodes
1988–1993Going Live!SelfChildren's BBC6 episodes
1989–1999Noel's Christmas PresentsSelf/PresenterBBC17 episodes
1991–1999Noel's House Party168 episodes
1993Mr BlobbySelfBBC1/VHSMusic video
The DetectivesBBC11 episode
1994The National Lottery LiveSelf/PresenterLaunch show
1995–1997Live & KickingSelf/GuestChildren's BBC"Hot Seat" interviewee
1996–1997Noel's Telly YearsSelf/PresenterBBC120 episodes
1997Noel's Le Mans DreamSelfBBC TwoDocumentary
Brass EyeChannel 4Prank victim
1998Red Dwarf A-ZBBC TwoTelevision film
1999Faking ItChannel 4Television film
The World of the Secret CameraSelf/PresenterBBC One3 part series
Kirsty Young InterviewsSelf/GuestChannel 5Television special, interviewee
2003Loose WomenGuestITV11 episode
2004The Curse of Noel EdmondsSelf; archive footage onlyFiveMockumentary
2005–2016Deal or No DealSelf/PresenterChannel 43,001 episodes in total
2006It Started With Swap ShopBBC TwoTelevision special
ParkinsonSelf/GuestITV11 episode
National Lottery Day: Everyone's a WinnerSelf/PresenterBBC OneTelevision special
2006–2007TV BurpSelf/CameoITV1Both archive and original footage
2007The Friday Night ProjectSelf/PresenterChannel 4Guest host
Red Nose Day 2007SelfBBC OneSketch with Catherine Tate
2007–2011Noel's Christmas Presents (revival)Self/PresenterSky One5 specials
2008–2009Noel's HQ6 episodes
2008–2010Are You Smarter than a 10 Year Old?11 episodes
2011–2018This MorningSelfITV8 episodes
2012Run for Your WifeMan in shopN/ADirect-to-DVD film
2013The Sarah Millican Television ProgrammeSelfBBC TwoGuest, Series 2 Episode 2
2012–2015Celebrity Deal or No DealPresenterChannel 414 specials
2014The Life of Rock with Brian PernSelfBBC FourMockumentary
NewsnightBBC TwoGuest
The Fight for Saturday NightBBC FourTelevision special
The Late Late ShowSelf/GuestRTE One1 episode, 10 October 2014
2016Deal or No Deal on TourPresenterChannel 410 episodes
Noel's Sell or Swap LivePresenterTelevision special
2017Cheap Cheap CheapSelf/Presenter30 episodes; also creator and writer
2018Victoria DerbyshireSelf/GuestBBC News1 episode
Eight Go Rallying: The Road to SaigonSelfBBC Two4 episodes
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!ITV11 episodes
2021Ant & Dec's Saturday Night TakeawayThe Overlord1 episode
BankstersSelfN/ADocumentary film
2022Noel Edmonds: The Rise & Fall of Mr. Saturday NightSelf; archive footage onlyChannel 5Documentary
Oxide Ghosts: The Brass Eye TapesSelf; archive footage onlyN/ADocumentary

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: BFI Screenonline: Edmonds, Noel (1948-) Biography . 16 August 2022 . Screenonline.org.uk.
  2. Rachel Cooke, The Observer, Noel Edmonds talks to Rachel Cooke, 29 January 2006
  3. Web site: Noel Edmonds Biography . 27 September 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060721202503/http://www.noeledmonds.tv/biography.php . 21 July 2006.
  4. Web site: Radio Rewind . Noel Edmonds at Dingly Dell . 12 September 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060616191831/http://radiorewind.co.uk/noel_edmonds_page.htm . 16 June 2006.
  5. Web site: BBC Radio 2. Noel Edmonds Returns To His Radio Roots . 10 September 2006.
  6. Web site: BBC . Noel Edmonds turns detective for BBC Radio Devon's whodunnit.. 10 September 2006.
  7. Web site: Issue of the day: Noel Edmonds' radio for plants. The Herald. Sugden. Maureen. 14 September 2020. 23 March 2023.
  8. Web site: Label and Recording info. . 2 September 2007 . vinylsingles.co.uk . https://web.archive.org/web/20070928190846/http://www.vinylsingles.co.uk/iwannabeawinner.htm . 28 September 2007 . dead .
  9. Web site: Sound and Video Gallery:Multi-Coloured Swap Shop . 2 September 2007 . saturdaymornings.co.uk . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070929140950/http://saturdaymornings.co.uk/svgallery.shtml?show=swapshop . 29 September 2007 .
  10. News: A history of Top Gear presenters: there was life before Clarkson . https://web.archive.org/web/20160412030413/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/top-gear/a-history-of-top-gear-presenters/noel-edmonds-on-a-ford-gt40/ . dead . 12 April 2016 . The Telegraph . 11 April 2016.
  11. News: Baker. Andrew. 15 June 1997. Sport on TV: The Blobbymobile and the Crinkly bottom line. The Independent. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220621/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/sport-on-tv-the-blobbymobile-and-the-crinkly-bottom-line-1256068.html . 21 June 2022 . subscription . live. 6 September 2020.
  12. Web site: Off The Telly . The Glory Game – The Rise And Rise Of Saturday Night Telly . 10 September 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20041118201432/http://offthetelly.co.uk/lightentertainment/glorygame/part15.htm . 18 November 2004.
  13. Web site: Everything2 . UK Number One singles of 1993 . 10 September 2006.
  14. News: Duff. Seamus. 16 April 2018. Noel Edmonds' House Party set to return after 20 years – with a 'modern' twist. Mirror. 6 September 2020.
  15. Web site: TV Cream . The TV Cream Guide to Television Presenters . 12 September 2006 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20061014025650/http://tv.cream.org/specialassignments/presenters/e.htm . 14 October 2006 . dmy-all .
  16. News: Timms. Dominic. 17 October 2005. Bazalgette sealed the Deal for Edmonds. The Guardian. 6 September 2020.
  17. Web site: Manchester Online . Noel Edmonds 'set for TV deal' . 10 September 2006.
  18. News: BBC News Online . Bafta TV Awards 2006: The winners . 10 September 2006 . 7 May 2006 . London.
  19. News: Tate in Deal Or No Deal . Metro.co.uk . 31 January 2007 . 17 April 2013.
  20. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37130769 Deal Or No Deal: No new Channel 4 deal for Noel Edmonds' game show
  21. Web site: Frances. Taylor. 22 December 2016. How Deal or No Deal on Tour was filmed 37,000 feet in the air. 6 September 2020. Radio Times.
  22. News: Caroline. Westbrook. 23 December 2016. Deal Or No Deal just rounded off its UK tour with its ninth quarter-millionaire. Metro. 6 September 2020.
  23. News: Edmonds fronts TV show for free . BBC News . 11 February 2009 . 17 April 2013.
  24. Web site: VirginMedia.com . Noels broken Britain call . 2 September 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081227100044/http://latestnews.virginmedia.com/news/entertainment/2008/07/02/noels_broken_britain_call . 27 December 2008 . dmy-all .
  25. News: Charlie . Brooker . Charlie Brooker's screen burn . The Guardian . 17 April 2013 . London . 14 February 2009.
  26. News: Ben . Dowell . Editing of tirade against council . The Guardian . 13 February 2009 . 17 April 2013 . London.
  27. News: Noel Edmonds show dropped by Sky. BBC News. 26 July 2015.
  28. News: Paul. Whitelaw. The nightmare over Christmas. The Scotsman. 17 December 2005. 16 September 2006.
  29. Web site: Sky 1. Sky.
  30. Chris Morris . 1997 . Brass Eye, Series 1, Episode 6: Decline . Television series.
  31. The Channel 4 programme The Friday Night Project, 26 January 2007
  32. Web site: Middle Age of Rock, The Life of Rock with Brian Pern, Brian Pern – BBC Four. BBC. 15 February 2018.
  33. Web site: What is Cheap Cheap Cheap? Noel Edmonds' new Channel 4 game show is unlike anything you've ever seen – review. 25 August 2017. Radio Times.
  34. News: Noel Edmonds: TV's emperor of folly. Stuart. Heritage. 14 August 2017. The Guardian.
  35. News: Is Noel Edmonds' Cheap Cheap Cheap the most tragically weird show ever made?. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2017/08/18/noel-edmonds-cheap-cheap-cheap-tragically-weird-show-ever-made/ . 12 January 2022 . subscription . live. The Daily Telegraph. 18 August 2017.
  36. Web site: Noel Edmonds: The Rise & Fall of Mr Saturday Night. Radio Times. 23 March 2023.
  37. Web site: What's on TV and radio this weekend: Saturday, August 27, and Sunday, August 28. The Times. Dowell. Ben. 27 August 2022. 23 March 2023.
  38. Web site: Zoe. Shenton. 30 November 2018. Noel Edmonds' I'm A Celebrity earnings per day revealed after £600k star becomes first to exit. Mirror.
  39. Amin. Meghna. The Jungle's Biggest Fat Cats. Metro. 24 November 2023. DMG Media. 28.
  40. News: No deal for Noel's bus lane claim . Lauren . Turner . 30 November 2018 . BBC News . 1 December 2018.
  41. Web site: Noel Edmonds was voted out of the jungle and I'm a Celeb viewers don't understand what happened. Radiotimes.com.
  42. Web site: UBC Media Group plc . Radio Stations Overview . https://web.archive.org/web/20051228211129/http://www.ubcmedia.com/view.php?p=2 . dead . 28 December 2005 . 12 September 2006 .
  43. Web site: UBC Media Group plc . Directorate Change . https://web.archive.org/web/20061129180543/http://www.ubcmedia.com/pressview.php?ID=45 . dead . 29 November 2006 . 10 September 2006 .
  44. News: The Independent Online . The Verdict: Qpod . 18 September 2006 . dead . London . https://web.archive.org/web/20060108111317/http://motoring.independent.co.uk/road_tests/article321873.ece . 8 January 2006 .
  45. News: Noel Edmonds reaches deal with Lloyds over scam. 27 July 2019. 27 July 2019. en-GB. BBC News.
  46. News: BBC News Online . Council broke law in Blobby park failure . 12 September 2006 . 31 January 2003 . London.
  47. Web site: This is Lancashire . Council got it wrong says auditor . 10 September 2006 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081227110041/http://archive.thisislancashire.co.uk/2003/2/6/568681.html . 27 December 2008 . dmy-all .
  48. Web site: The Westmoreland Gazette. Blobbygate report 'fair'. 18 September 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20070927014732/http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/archive/display.var.291555.0.blobbygate_report_fair.php. 27 September 2007. dead.
  49. News: Noel Edmonds: I've put together a consortium to buy out the BBC. The Herald. Glasgow. 18 March 2014. 25 December 2018.
  50. News: Perry. Keith. BBC is "sleepwalking to destruction" says Noel Edmonds. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/10704532/BBC-is-sleepwalking-to-destruction-says-Noel-Edmonds.html . 12 January 2022 . subscription . live. The Daily Telegraph. London. 18 March 2014. 8 June 2016.
  51. News: 8 January 2005. TV star Noel Edmonds to divorce. BBC News.
  52. Book: Gill. Rosemary. Swap Shop: Book 4. Crispin. Evans. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1981. 0-563-17989-9.
  53. Web site: The British Horse Society - About Us: President. https://web.archive.org/web/20060825045647/http://www.bhs.org.uk/content/Abt-President.asp. 25 August 2006. 16 September 2006. The British Horse Society.
  54. Web site: Award to Noel Edmonds . Atlanticaward.com . 27 September 2015 . 9 January 2019.
  55. News: Sarah. Deen. 19 June 2017. Noel Edmonds says he was 'pushed to the brink of suicide' after falling victim to financial fraud. Metro.co.uk.
  56. News: Sarah. Deen. 10 September 2017. Noel Edmonds says stress of HBOS financial crisis 'triggered' his prostate cancer. Metro.co.uk.
  57. Web site: UK businessman hires investigator to track down TV star in NZ. 22 June 2023. The New Zealand Herald. 21 June 2023.
  58. News: 29 October 2023. Coronavirus: UK media star Noel Edmonds hopes NZ radio network will aid recovery. Stuff.co.nz.
  59. News: Molyneux. Vita. 1 June 2020. British broadcasting legend Noel Edmonds reveals why he loves New Zealand. Newshub. New Zealand. 5 September 2020.
  60. News: Delaney . Sam . 'I confuse people': Noel Edmonds on bank fraud, Mr Blobby and his 'barmy' reputation. The Guardian . 1 June 2019 . en-uk.
  61. Web site: 18 May 2011 . Will the real Renewable Energy Foundation please stand up? Leo Hickman . 15 August 2022 . the Guardian . en.
  62. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2004/jul/15/environment.environment Edmonds joins fight against wind farms
  63. Web site: Woodford wind farm action group . Woodfordwindfarm.com . 17 April 2013 . 16 March 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120316232607/http://www.woodfordwindfarm.com/Wind%20Power%20Myths%20%26%20Links.html . dead .
  64. Web site: Edmonds says "bus is full" on immigration . Baker . Luke . . 14 September 2008 . 25 January 2015 . . "I'm very straightforward on immigration. The bus is full," he said. "We haven't got enough energy, we haven't got enough electricity, we haven't got enough of a health service." .
  65. Web site: Noel Edmonds criticises BBC for spending £48m on the Welsh language. 18 March 2014. Walesonline.co.uk. 26 July 2015.
  66. News: Tibbetts . Graham . Edmonds fights plans to build wind farms . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1448800/Edmonds-fights-plans-to-build-wind-farms.html . 12 January 2022 . subscription . live . The Daily Telegraph . 8 December 2003 . 9 January 2019.
  67. News: BBC News. Edmonds begins TV licence boycott. 13 September 2008. 13 September 2008 . London.
  68. News: BBC News. Edmonds 'does have a TV licence'. 18 September 2008. 21 September 2008 . London.
  69. News: Leonard. Tom. Need a lover or a house? Call on the cosmos. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/alternative-medicine/3338065/Need-a-lover-or-a-house-Call-on-the-cosmos.html . 12 January 2022 . subscription . live. The Daily Telegraph. London. 4 April 2006. 8 June 2016.
  70. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16895144&method=full&siteid=66633&headline=dear-cosmos--can-i-have-a-hit-show---name_page.html DEAR COSMOS, CAN I HAVE A HIT SHOW?
  71. Book: Edmonds, Noel. 2006. Positively Happy: Cosmic Ways to Change Your Life. London. Vermillion. 978-0091912987.
  72. News: Positively Happy by Noel Edmonds. 7 August 2006. The Guardian.
  73. Web site: Honestly, money doesn't enter into it. Emily. Stokes. 12 August 2006. The Guardian.
  74. News: Alleyne. Richard. Profile: Noel Edmonds. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/profiles/2967913/Profile-Noel-Edmonds.html . 12 January 2022 . subscription . live. The Daily Telegraph. London. 16 September 2008. 8 June 2016.
  75. News: McSmith. Andy. What's eating Noel Edmonds?. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220621/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/whats-eating-noel-edmonds-931994.html . 21 June 2022 . subscription . live. The Independent. 15 September 2008. 8 June 2016.
  76. News: Mandle. Chris. Noel Edmonds says death doesn't exist and 'electrosmog' is more deadly than Ebola or AIDs. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220621/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/noel-edmonds-says-death-doesnt-exist-and-electrosmog-is-more-deadly-than-ebola-or-aids-10439536.html . 21 June 2022 . subscription . live. The Independent. 4 August 2015. 8 June 2016.
  77. News: Noel Edmonds suggests cancer sufferer's ill health is caused by his 'negative attitude'. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/07/noel-edmonds-investigated-by-advertising-watchdog-after-endorsin/ . 12 January 2022 . subscription . live. The Daily Telegraph. London. 7 June 2016. 8 June 2016.
  78. News: Noel Edmonds: 'My dad died of ignorance, I got prostate cancer because of stress'. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/08/noel-edmonds-my-dad-died-of-ignorance-i-got-prostate-cancer-beca/ . 12 January 2022 . subscription . live. Yorke. Harry. 8 June 2016. The Daily Telegraph. 8 June 2016. London.
  79. News: Noel Edmonds reveals prostate cancer diagnosis as he defends cancer caused by 'negative attitude' tweets. 8 June 2016. The Herald. 8 June 2016. Glasgow.
  80. News: Noel Edmonds 'cancer box' claim dismissed by firm. BBC News. 7 June 2016. 8 June 2016.
  81. Web site: Stress, cancer and electromagnetic therapy – what does the evidence say?. Cancer Research UK – Science blog. 10 June 2016. 20 August 2017.
  82. News: Doctors Slam Noel Edmonds' Suggestion That Cancer Is Caused By Negativity. 8 June 2016. HuffPost UK. 20 August 2017. en-GB.
  83. Web site: expert reaction to Noel Edmonds' statements about negative energy and cancer. Sciencemediacentre.org. en-US. 20 August 2017.
  84. Web site: Noel Edmonds fails to get Lloyds Bank's black horse ads banned. TheGuardian.com. 2 October 2018.
  85. Web site: 30 January 2017 . Ex-HBOS manager and five others face jail over £245m scam . 15 August 2022 . the Guardian . en.
  86. Web site: 13 June 2022 . Victims of one of UK's biggest banking frauds 'to be offered £3m compensation' . 15 August 2022 . the Guardian . en.
  87. News: 27 July 2019 . Noel Edmonds reaches compensation deal with Lloyds over scam . en-GB . BBC News . dead . 15 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191012040428/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-49138587 . 12 October 2019.