Bradley Walsh
Bradley Walsh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Bradley John Walsh 4 June 1960 Watford, Hertfordshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occupation(s) | Actor, television presenter, comedian, singer, footballer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse |
Donna Derby (m. 1987) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bradley John Walsh (born 4 June 1960)[1][2] is an English actor, comedian, singer,[3] television presenter and former professional footballer, known for his roles as Danny Baldwin in Coronation Street, DS Ronnie Brooks in Law & Order: UK, and Graham O'Brien in Doctor Who, as well as hosting ITV game shows The Chase and Cash Trapped.
Walsh also hosts the annual Crime Thriller Awards and the Specsavers Crime Thriller Club on ITV3, he hosts the variety show Tonight at the London Palladium and is a team captain on the sports-themed panel show Play to the Whistle.
In October 2018 Walsh appeared as Graham O'Brien in the eleventh series of Doctor Who.[4]
Early life
Walsh was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, and grew up nearby in Leavesden. He attended what is now Francis Combe Academy, a comprehensive school in Garston, Hertfordshire.[5] At school, Walsh showed a particular interest in sports and media, and passed O-levels in both subjects. He was also a prominent member of the school's football squad, scoring 64 goals during his time there.[6]
Football career
In late 1978, at the age of eighteen, Walsh became a professional football player for Brentford and although he failed to make the first team, he was regularly a member of the reserves.[7] Separate ankle fracture injuries finished his career in the game in the early-1980s after a promising loan spell with non-league Dunstable Town, for whom he scored 15 goals in 25 league appearances.[8]
Walsh's time at Brentford also saw him play for Barnet on loan, making five Southern Football League appearances in the 1978–79 season. He also played for Tring Town, Boreham Wood and Chalfont St Peter.[9]
Walsh often participates in Soccer Aid, a charity football match where England takes on The Rest of the World with teams made up of celebrities and football legends,[10] he helped England win the 2006 edition as a player and the 2012 and 2016 editions as a coach.
Television career
Following his football career, Walsh had a variety of jobs including working as a bluecoat at Pontins[11] in Morecambe for three months.[12] He first came to prominence on television in 1994 after he won a role as one of the presenting team on the National Lottery which was regularly broadcast on Saturday and Wednesday evenings on BBC One.
After Walsh became a public favourite, he was quickly snapped up by rival television channel ITV, who offered him the role as presenter on one of the network's new game shows, Midas Touch. In 1997, Walsh was asked to front the British adaptation of the popular US game show Wheel of Fortune following the decision of long-time presenter Nicky Campbell to leave the show after more than eight years.
Walsh's tenure on Wheel of Fortune lasted just one year, when he decided to turn his hand to acting. He also appeared on Lily Savage's Blankety Blank.[13]
Acting
Walsh's first acting job was a minor role in the Channel 4 series, Lock, Stock.... Channel 4 later approached him for a role in their 2001 TV film Mike Bassett: England Manager.
Walsh returned to ITV in 2002, after landing a regular role in the short lived British soap opera Night and Day. He featured in a total of 52 episodes. In 2003 Walsh played a minor role in an episode of The Bill spin-off M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team.
In 2004 Walsh was approached for a role in soap opera Coronation Street. On 31 May 2004 Walsh made his first appearance in Weatherfield as factory boss Danny Baldwin. It was originally envisaged that Walsh's character would be called Vic, however, Walsh asked for the character's name to be changed to Danny after his late father. He also commented that "people had previously called me Young Danny, so I thought it would not be so bad when people called me by my character name."
In December 2006 Walsh was written out of the series at his own request.[14] During his time in Coronation Street, Walsh also appeared as Burglar Bill in the one-off play The Queen's Handbag.
In October 2007 he appeared in TV drama Torn.
In 2008 Walsh appeared in two episodes of Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures, in the second story of series two, The Day of the Clown, as a sinister entity that fed off other people's fear. In his role, he played three parts of the same ego – a sinister American-sounding clown called Odd Bob, a mysterious European-sounding ringmaster called Elijah Spellman, and the infamous Pied Piper of Hamelin.
In January 2009 Walsh and his son Barney featured in a special edition of the Channel 5 TV series, Dangerous Adventures for Boys, based on the best-selling book by Conn and Hal Iggulden, The Dangerous Book for Boys. Walsh and his son took part in hill-climbing before learning how to pilot a biplane.
In January 2009 Walsh began appearing in ITV crime drama Law & Order: UK. Walsh plays the character of DS Ronnie Brooks, a recovering alcoholic who has been in the police force for more than twenty years. From 2009 until 2014 Walsh starred in a total of 53 episodes. After the eighth series, Walsh decided to take a break from the programme and ITV decided to rest the show, but it has not been cancelled and is simply on a hiatus. Walsh said he would "like the opportunity to pursue other drama projects which ITV are developing."[15]
On 21 March 2013 Walsh appeared in an episode of The Spa on Sky Living.
In May 2014 Walsh was cast as Brutus in a BBC One comedy series called SunTrap, starring alongside Kayvan Novak and Keith Allen. The show premiered on 27 May 2015.[16][17]
In October 2017 the BBC announced that Walsh had been cast as a companion, Graham O'Brien, in the eleventh series of Doctor Who.[18]
Presenting
On 9 September 2007 Walsh hosted the countdown 50 Greatest Stars Polls on ITV, in which people had to vote for their favourite polls on celebrities. Later that year, on 29 December 2007, Walsh hosted the countdown for the No. 1 Soap Fan on ITV.
In August 2008 Walsh fronted his own ITV series entitled My Little Soldier, in which young contestants are required to do "grown-up things" such as travelling on their own by train. In November and December 2008 Walsh hosted another game show for ITV, called Spin Star.[19]
In June 2009 Walsh became the presenter of ITV game show The Chase, as well as the celebrity editions of the programme.[20] The Chase has become very popular, beating rival BBC quiz show Pointless regularly. The show features contestants who take on the "Chaser" in a series of general knowledge quiz rounds. There have also been a number of series of celebrity versions of the show, also hosted by Walsh.
Walsh hosted a pilot for an American version of The Chase in 2012. However, it was decided that Brooke Burns would host the show instead.[21]
Between 2010 and 2011 Walsh was the presenter of Saturday panel show Odd One In, with regular panellists Peter Andre and Jason Manford.[22]
Since 2012 Walsh has hosted the Crime Thriller Awards on ITV3. He also hosted the Crime Thriller Club on ITV3 in 2013.[23] Walsh also narrated a one-off documentary for ITV called The Circus.
In August 2014 Walsh hosted an ITV series called Come on Down! The Game Show Story, which looks back on the history of British game shows.[24]
On 26 October 2014, after two successful pilots, Walsh began hosting the first series of Keep It in the Family. He returned to host a second series in 2015.[25][26]
In 2014 Walsh presented an episode of Sunday Night at the Palladium. He returned to the show to present another episode in 2015. In 2016 he presented eight episodes of Tonight at the London Palladium, a spin-off from the Sunday night series.[27] A second series began airing in April 2017. On 26 December 2014 Walsh hosted an entertainment special called A Christmas Cracker, filmed at the Hammersmith Apollo in London.[28]
In May 2016 Walsh guest presented an episode of The One Show with Alex Jones. In 2016 Walsh began presenting Cash Trapped, a daytime game show for ITV. A second series was aired in 2017.
Other work
In 2007 Walsh took part in Northern Rock's All Star Golf Tournament on ITV, in which his team, Team Europe, won. Walsh stated that he has been playing golf since he was twenty years old.
In August 2008 Walsh appeared in talent show Maestro on BBC Two, where he placed sixth.
Since 2015 Walsh has been a team captain on the sports-based panel show Play to the Whistle. Hosted by Holly Willoughby, the first series lasted for seven episodes, beginning in April 2015. The second series began in April 2016, followed by a third in 2017.
In November 2016 Walsh released his debut album, Chasing Dreams, consisting of covers of jazz standards such as "That's Life" and "Mr. Bojangles" as well as the title track, an original song written by Walsh.[3] It became the biggest-selling debut album by a British artist in 2016, selling 111,650 copies.[29]
Theatre
Year | Titel | Role | Standort |
---|---|---|---|
1988 | Aladdin | Wishee Washee | Theatre Royal, Norwich |
1991–92 | Liverpool Empire Theatre | ||
1994–96 | Peter Pan | Smee | The Alban Arena, St Albans |
1996–97 | Cash on Delivery | Whitehall Theatre | |
1997–98 | Cinderella | Buttons | Theatre Royal, Nottingham |
1998 | Wimbledon Theatre | ||
1999 | Run For Your Wife | Churchill Theatre | |
2000–01 | Dick Whittington | Dick | Orchard Theatre, Dartford |
2001–02 | Snow White | Muddles | White Rock Theatre, Hastings |
2002–03 | Cinderella | Buttons | The Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage |
2003 | Tom, Dick and Harry | Theatre Royal, Windsor | |
2003–04 | Jack & the Beanstalk | The Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage | |
2006–07 | Cinderella | Buttons | Milton Keynes Theatre |
2007–08 | Aladdin | Wishee Washee | |
2008–09 | New Victoria Theatre, Woking | ||
2010–11 | Peter Pan | Smee | Cliffs Pavilion, Southend |
2013–14 | Cinderella | Buttons | Orchard Theatre, Dartford |
2014–15 | Peter Pan[30] | Smee | Milton Keynes Theatre |
2015 | Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure | Captain Hook | Adelphi Theatre, London (one-off concert) |
Cinderella – The World's Biggest Panto[31] | Buttons | Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham | |
2017 | Peter Pan – The World's Biggest Panto[32] | Smee | Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham |
SSE Arena, Wembley |
Awards
- British Soap Award (May 2006) for "Best Dramatic Performance" for Danny Baldwin in Coronation Street
- Broadcast Award (2013) for "Best Daytime Programme" for The Chase
- National Television Award (2016, 2017) for "Most popular Daytime Programme" for The Chase
Filmography
Film
Year | Titel | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | Mike Bassett: England Manager | Dave Dodds | |
The Glow | George | ||
2007 | To Each His Own Cinema | Father | (segment "Happy Ending") |
2013 | Imagine Africa | Himself |
Television
Year | Titel | Role | Channel | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1995–1996 | Midas Touch | Presenter | ITV | |
1997 | Wheel of Fortune | 1 series | ||
2000 | Lock, Stock... | Larry Harmless | Channel 4 | |
The Thing About Vince | Perry | ITV | ||
2001 | Hotel | Henry | Channel 5 | |
2002–2003 | Night and Day | Eddie "Woody" Dexter | ITV | |
2003 | Reps | Terry Arnold | ||
M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team | Phil Seagrove | |||
2004 | The Basil Brush Show | Mr. Savage | CBBC | |
Murder City | Ken Hill | ITV | ||
2004–2006 | Coronation Street | Danny Baldwin | Regular cast member | |
2007 | Torn | Steven Taylor | ||
The Old Curiosity Shop | Mr. Liggers | |||
2007–2008 | The National Lottery Draws | Presenter | BBC One | Occasional episodes |
2008 | The Sarah Jane Adventures | Odd Bob Elijah Spellman The Pied Piper |
CBBC | 2 episodes |
Spin Star | Presenter | ITV | 1 series | |
2009–2014 | Law & Order: UK | DS Ronnie Brooks | 8 series | |
2009–present | The Chase | Presenter | 10 series (regular) 6 series (celebrity) | |
2010–2011 | Odd One In | 2 series | ||
2012 | The Revolting World of Stanley Brown | Headmaster | CBBC | 1 episode |
2012–2014 | The Crime Thriller Awards | Annually | ITV3 | Presenter |
2013 | Crime Thriller Club | One-off special | ||
2014 | Come on Down! The Game Show Story | Presenter | ITV | 1 series |
A Christmas Cracker | One-off special | |||
2014, 2015 | Sunday Night at the Palladium | Guest presenter | 2 episodes | |
2014–2015 | Keep it in the Family | Presenter | 2 series | |
2015 | SunTrap | Brutus | BBC One | 1 series |
2015–2017[33] | Play to the Whistle | Team captain | ITV | 3 series |
2016–present | Tonight at the London Palladium | Presenter | 2 series | |
Cash Trapped | Presenter | 2 series | ||
2016 | Drunk History | Arthur Conan Doyle | Comedy Central | 1 episode |
The One Show | Guest presenter | BBC One | 1 episode | |
2017 | The Nightly Show | Guest presenter | ITV | 5 episodes |
The Family Chase[34] | Presenter | 6 episodes | ||
2018–present | Doctor Who[35] | Graham O'Brien[36] | BBC One | regular (companion to the Thirteenth Doctor) |
2018 | Happy Hour with Olly Murs | Himself | ITV | Guest star |
Discography
Albums
Titel | Year | Chart (2016) | Peak position |
---|---|---|---|
Chasing Dreams | 2016 | Scottish Albums (OCC)[37] | 13 |
UK Albums (OCC)[38] | 10 | ||
When You're Smiling | 2017 | Scottish Albums (OCC)[39] | 13 |
UK Albums (OCC)[40] | 11 |
References
- ^ "findmypast.co.uk".
- ^ "Bradley John Walsh". Company Check. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ^ a b Anisiobi, John James (21 October 2016). "The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh announces debut album Chasing Dreams with exclusive clip on Good Morning Britain". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- ^ Sirani, Jordan (23 October 2017). "Doctor Who: 13th Doctor's Companions Revealed". IGN.
- ^ "School reunion marks end of an era". Watford Observer. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- ^ "Students". Franciscombe.herts.sch.uk. Archived from the original on 6 June 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Brentford | News | Latest News | Latest News | EX BEES ROVER RETURNS". world.brentfordfc.co.uk. 16 August 2006. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Bradley Walsh: 8 things you never knew about the Doctor Who and Chase star". 23 October 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- ^ Griffin Gazette: Brentford's Official Matchday Magazine versus Chesterfield 30/09/95. 1995. p. 13.
- ^ "Soccer Aid Teams". Unicef UK. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
- ^ "The 5-Minute Interview: Bradley Walsh, Comedian and actor". The Independent. 2 December 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- ^ "Bradley Walsh: 'Credit card? Never had one, never will'". The Daily Telegraph. 10 June 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- ^ Lily Savage's Blankety Blank. 11 March 2001. ITV.
- ^ "Bradley Walsh: 'I can't rule out Coronation Street return'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ^ "ITV to rest Law & Order: UK as Bradley Walsh quits". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ^ "Woody – brand new BBC One comedy starring Bradley Walsh and Kayvan Novak goes into production – Media Centre". BBC. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ^ "Bradley Walsh – The Sun Trap". bradleywalsh.co.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ^ "Doctor Who: Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill and Sharon D Clarke join Jodie Whittaker as regular cast members". Radio Times. 22 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ "Ex-Corrie star lands ITV quiz role – TV News". Digital Spy. 22 August 2008. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
- ^ "Ann Widdecombe, Alex James, Eamonn Holmes for ITV1's 'Celebrity Chase'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ^ "Bradley Walsh to film 'The Chase' US pilot". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ^ "Bradley Walsh to host 'Odd One In'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ^ "Bradley Walsh on ITV3's new Crime Thriller Club series". ITV. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Come On Down! The Game Show Story". ITV. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ^ Richards, Chris (6 January 2014). "Simon Cowell new TV show: Keep It In The Family 'is inspired by the Generation Game'". Mirror. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ^ "Keep It In The Family". ITV. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ^ "Bradley Walsh to host Tonight At The London Palladium".
- ^ "A Christmas Cracker". ITV. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ^ Read-Dominguez, Jennifer (4 January 2017). "You'll never guess which unlikely TV star had 2016's best-selling debut album". Digital Spy. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- ^ "Peter Pan – Milton Keynes Theatre – ATG Tickets". atgtickets.com. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ^ "Cinderella Panto – Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham". Barclaycard Arena Birmingham.
- ^ "Worlds Biggest Panto | Barclaycard Arena Birmingham | Peter Pan". Barclaycard Arena Birmingham. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ User, Super. "Play to the Whistle Will Not Get Series 4". premieredate.news.
{{cite web}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - ^ "The Chase lands Saturday slot". m.broadcastnow.co.uk. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
- ^ Office, BBC Press. "Meet the Doctor's new team. Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill join Jodie Whittaker for #DoctorWho". Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ Grady, Constance (19 July 2018). "Watch: the first footage of Doctor Who's first woman Doctor is here". Vox. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
- ^ December 2016/40/ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
- ^ December 2016/7502/ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
External links
- 1960 births
- English people of Irish descent
- English male television actors
- English male soap opera actors
- English male comedians
- English television presenters
- English footballers
- Brentford F.C. players
- Barnet F.C. players
- Dunstable Town F.C. players
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Watford
- Male actors from Hertfordshire
- Isthmian League players
- Southern Football League players
- Association football forwards
- Tring Athletic F.C. players
- Boreham Wood F.C. players
- Chalfont St Peter A.F.C. players
- 20th-century English comedians
- 21st-century English comedians