Irish radio and tv presenter Henry Kelly has died on the age of 78, following ‘a interval of sick well being’, his household has introduced.
Kelly started his profession as a tough information journalist with the Irish Occasions, leading to him overlaying The Troubles in Nineteen Seventies Northern Eire, however a decade later he determined to pursue a very completely different path in gentle leisure – having been eager to emulate the success of household pal Terry Wogan.
The always-smiling host can be finest remembered as a family title for presenting such reveals as Going For Gold and Sport For A Giggle.
Kelly’s household mentioned he ‘died peacefully’ on Tuesday ‘after a interval of sick well being’.
Their assertion mentioned: ‘Henry can be sorely missed by his family and friends, together with his accomplice Karolyn Shindler, their son Alexander, Henry’s daughter Siobhan and her mom Marjorie.’
Kelly, born on 17 April 1946 in Athlone, County Westmeath in Eire, right into a household of 5 youngsters, confirmed a prowess in his youth for writing and have become concerned about pursuing a profession as a information reporter.
He enrolled at College School Dublin, throughout which he wrote theatre opinions for The Irish Occasions.
After graduating with a level in English in 1968, he was taken on as a fledgling journalist with the paper and inside two years had been promoted to Belfast-based Northern Editor.
Irish radio and tv presenter Henry Kelly has died on the age of 78, following ‘a interval of sick well being’, his household has introduced
The presenter, pictured in 2016, can be finest remembered as a family title for presenting such reveals as Going For Gold and Sport For A Giggle
Kelly pictured together with his accomplice, Karolyn Shindler in 1996. The couple lived in north London
It was whereas on this position that he started overlaying The Troubles, often known as the Northern Eire battle, and the civil unrest that ensued throughout this time.
In 1972, he authored a guide, How Stormant Fell, which continues to be regarded extremely by historians as a portrayal of political occasions between 1968 and 1972.
He went on to cowl the Center East and the civil conflict in Lebanon.
Kelly additionally visited Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam throughout his time as a journalist.
4 years later, Kelly moved to the BBC to work on Radio 4’s The World Tonight programme.
He appeared set on a path to overlaying information, however on the age of 34 selected a profession change in tv gentle leisure.
Whereas at college, Kelly had befriended the household of BBC host Terry Wogan and was eager to emulate his success as a family title.
HIs probability got here in 1981, when he was chosen as a co-presenter on London Weekend Tv’s primetime present, Sport For A Giggle.
As a presenter, Henry Kelly was as adept behind the mic as he was in entrance of the cameras
Profession change: Kelly determined to change from journalism into TV gentle leisure – and by no means appeared again
Kelly pictured with sports activities presenter Des Lynam and Irish actor T P McKenna exterior Inexperienced’s Oyster Bar in London
On the way in which to success: Kelly with Sport For a Giggle co-hosts Matthew Kelly Sarah Kennedy and Jeremy Beadle
The position, which he stayed in till 1983, shot him to success and secured Kelly as a agency family favorite, alongside co-hosts Sarah Kennedy, Matthew Kelly (who was not a relation) and Jeremy Beadle.
That includes quite a lot of sensible jokes, contestants have been subjected to the Dunk Tunk, the place they’d be lowered right into a tank of water and a Pie Chair, the place they’d be pied within the face when answering a query mistaken.
The present turned so in style that it successfully killed the BBC’s Saturday evening flagship present, The Technology Sport.
In June that yr, he turned the host of TV-AM, and introduced the Saturday version of Good Morning Britain with Toni Arthur.
After leaving the present in 1987, Kelly was given a ‘golden’ alternative – because the host of a brand new BBC1 quiz present – Going For Gold.
Aired simply after the lunchtime exhibiting of Neighbours, Going For Gold turned an enormous daytime hit with a cult following and featured a memorable theme tune by future award-winning composer Hans Zimmer.
At present, Zimmer is finest recognized for his work on scoring field workplace hit movies, together with No Time To Die, The Lion King, Gladiator, The Darkish Knight and Black Hawk Down, however to call just a few.
Regardless of his rocketing success nevertheless, Zimmer doesn’t shrink back from acknowledging his earlier work.
Chatting with The Guardian in 2014, he mentioned: ‘I am not ashamed of it! It paid the lease and opened up all kinds of doorways. I’ll admit to it: all of us should have our responsible little somethings!’
Going For Gold was distinctive in that it featured contestants from throughout Europe competing in opposition to each other to win a prize.
Kelly’s pure humour and aptitude for presenting made him an immediate family title.
He went on to host BBC 1 sport present Going For Gold for 10 seasons from the late Nineteen Eighties to the mid-Nineteen Nineties.
It was shortly revived by Channel 5 with newsreader John Suchet on the helm through the 2000s, with the European contestants absent from the revival.
Kelly additionally appeared in comedy present Dinnerladies, had a stint on morning programme TV-am, and discuss present After Darkish.
Like his icon Wogan, he was as snug on the mic in a radio station, as he was in entrance of cameras.
In the course of the late 80s, he hosted a spread of reveals on discuss radio station LBC and in 1992 was a founding presenter on Traditional FM’s breakfast present, attracting almost 3.5 million listeners.
He continued on the present till 2003, returning in 2006 to host on Sunday mornings.
In 1994 Kelly was voted nationwide broadcaster of the yr within the Sony Radio Awards.
His later radio profession noticed him work at native station BBC Radio Berkshire between 2005 and 2015.
In 2022, Kelly together with RTE and TV3 present affairs presenter Vincent Browne was requested by a Belfast coroner to offer proof on the inquest of barman John Moran, who was killed in a loyalist bomb assault in 1972.
A listening to, at Belfast Coroner’s Court docket, heard that Kelly’s accomplice had indicated he has no recollection of the incident and is unable to help.
Final yr, the court docket mentioned it had been unable to conclude the inquest by a deadline.
Away from his public life, Kelly was a lover of classical music, high-quality meals, golf, cricket and horse racing.
In a nod to his earlier profession, he was additionally ‘fascinated’ by present affairs, his daughter revealed.
Barrister Siobhan Kelly, who was born throughout Kelly’s 20-year marriage to his childhood sweetheart, Marjorie, instructed The Irish Occasions: ‘Proper until the final minute, his thoughts was as sharp as something, his fascination with present affairs by no means diminished. We have been speaking about rugby and Ukraine final Sunday – he was thrilled to have seen Eire win the Triple Crown on Saturday.’
Kelly additionally had a son, Alex, together with his accomplice, historian and former BBC producer Karolyn Shindler, with whom he lived in Hampstead, north London.
