Angela Rippon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Angela Rippon, OBE (born 12 October 1944) in Plymouth, Devon, is a well-known English television journalist. Her presenting career started at the BBC in Plymouth.
She is often erroneously stated to have been the first female newsreader on prime-time television news, on BBC2 in 1974 (later presenting the BBC's Nine O'clock News), but Barbara Mandell predates her, having first appeared on the second night of ITV in 1955. However, Rippon was the first female newsreader to hold the job on a regular basis.
She famously guest-starred in a Morecambe and Wise Christmas show (first appearing behind a newsdesk and then emerging to do a high-kicking dance routine), and later presented Come Dancing.
In 1977, she hosted the Eurovision Song Contest at The Wembley Conference Centre in the UK. According to The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History by author John Kennedy O'Connor, the contest was postponed by over a month, finally broadcast on 7 May 1977. [1]
She was the first presenter of BBC Television's Top Gear motoring show. She appeared briefly on TV-am following its launch in 1983. After a much publicised exit from TV-am (with most of its other founder presenters) Rippon worked as an Arts and Entertainments Editor for a television station called CHANNEL 7 in Boston, MA for a spell.
Rippon helped to present the BBC's coverage of the wedding between Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles on 29 July 1981. In the mid-1980s she hosted the TV quiz show, Masterteam on BBC One, then went on to host the ITV revival of the popular panel game What's My Line? from 1989 to 1990.
From 1990 to 1994 she presented a daily radio news programme on LBC Newstalk - Angela Rippon's Morning Report and later, Angela Rippon's Drivetime. She was also a regular stand-in newsreader on Channel 4's The Big Breakfast when regular newsreaders were on holiday or otherwise unavailable.
Equestrianism is another of her interests and she authored a book on Princess Anne's first husband : Mark Phillips: the man and his horses.
Rippon was awarded the OBE in June 2004. In 2005 she co-hosted a new series of Sun, Sea and Bargain Spotting for BBC2 daytime. In April 2006 she toured the country as part of the cast of the musical 'Anything Goes'.
BBC One is currently showing Rippon presenting 'Cash In The Attic'. The daytime television programme meets members of the general public in their homes searching for valuables and antiques to be sold at auction. Rippon, along with an antiques expert, presents the show with the owners at auction helping them to get the best price for their items. She recently hosted a weekend news show called Live with Angela Rippon on the ITV News Channel.
Rippon was married to Christopher Dare for 22 years although is now divorced.
Contents |
[edit] Books
In the early 1980s, Rippon wrote a series children's books about a character called "Victoria Plum", for Purnell and Sons. The character was a tree fairy in "the Great Wood". Other fairy characters - Marsha, Ben, Sugar Plum - and talking woodland creatures inhabited the fictional universe. The series spawned related merchandise and a Christmas annual.[2]
She has since written keep-fit guides for older people, including "Stay Active, Stay Supple, Stay Healthy" and "Feel Fabulous at Fifty and Beyond: A Survival Guide".[3]
[edit] Music
The song "Mucky Pup" by Puncture, an English punk band, has an allusion to her in the last verse of the song (this song was covered by the Exploited on their first album "Punk's Not Dead"). [4]
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ O'Connor, John Kennedy. The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History. Carlton Books, UK. 2007 ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3
- ^ Biblio.com entry for "Victoria Plum Annual by Rippon, Angela", accessed 19 December 2007
- ^ Amazon.co.uk search for "Angela Rippon"
- ^ http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Mucky-pup-lyrics-Exploited/A27AC9007FFCA74E482570E5000F8D6F
| Preceded by Bruce Parker |
Host of Antiques Roadshow 1979 |
Succeeded by Arthur Negus |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
