Michael Aspel facts for kids

Michael Terence Aspel, born on January 12, 1933, is a famous English television presenter and newsreader who is now retired. He hosted many popular TV shows. Some of these include Crackerjack!, Ask Aspel, Aspel & Company, Give Us a Clue, This Is Your Life, Strange but True?, and Antiques Roadshow.

Early Life and Education

Michael Aspel was born in Battersea, London, on January 12, 1933. During the Second World War, he was moved away from London for safety. He spent almost five years in Chard, Somerset, as an evacuee.

After the war, he passed his eleven-plus exam in 1944. This allowed him to attend Emanuel School. From 1951 to 1953, he served in the King's Royal Rifle Corps as a conscript during his national service.

Michael Aspel's Career Journey

Michael Aspel had many different jobs before becoming a broadcaster. He worked as a drainpipe-layer and a gardener. He also sold advertising space for the Western Mail newspaper in Cardiff.

He was a teaboy at William Collins publishers in London. After his national service, he worked at the David Morgan department store in Cardiff until 1955.

Starting in Broadcasting

In 1957, Michael Aspel began working as a newsreader for the BBC in Cardiff. He also acted in a BBC Children's Hour radio show called Counterspy. In this show, he played a Canadian character named "Rocky" Mountain.

By the early 1960s, he became one of the main newsreaders on BBC national television. He worked alongside other well-known newsreaders like Richard Baker and Robert Dougall.

Hosting Popular TV Shows

At the BBC, Aspel started presenting many other shows. These included Come Dancing, Crackerjack!, and Ask Aspel. He also hosted the Miss World beauty contest 14 times.

He narrated a cartoon documentary called The Colour Television Receiver. This film was shown daily on BBC2 for several years. He also narrated The War Game, a BBC drama about nuclear war. This film won an Oscar in 1966.

Memorable Moments in Live TV

On February 14, 1969, Michael Aspel was a studio announcer for a live awards ceremony. The host, Kenneth Horne, sadly passed away during the broadcast. Aspel stepped in without a script to continue the show.

He later said it was a difficult moment because Kenneth Horne was a great performer and a wonderful person. Aspel handled the situation with dignity.

Eurovision and Radio Work

Michael Aspel hosted the BBC's A Song for Europe contest twice, in 1969 and 1976. This contest chose Britain's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. He also provided the TV commentary for Eurovision in those same years.

He had a regular joke segment on the Kenny Everett radio show on Capital Radio. He also appeared as himself twice on The Goodies TV show.

From 1974 to 1984, Aspel presented a three-hour weekday radio show on Capital Radio. He then moved to LBC and later presented weekend shows on BBC Radio 2.

Moving to ITV and Documentaries

In 1977, Aspel joined other newsreaders in a song-and-dance routine on The Morecambe and Wise Show. He also hosted popular ITV shows like Give Us a Clue, Child's Play, and The 6 O'Clock Show.

In the early 1990s, Aspel presented two documentaries on BBC Radio 2. Caught in the Draft looked back at compulsory national service. Nobody Cried When The Trains Pulled Out was about children being evacuated during World War 2.

Hosting Aspel & Company

Michael Aspel hosted the chat show Aspel & Company on ITV from 1984 to 1993. The show was very popular and featured famous guests. These included Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and musicians George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

The show faced some criticism in 1993 after an interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Sylvester Stallone. After this, Aspel decided he would not host another chat show.

Later Career Highlights

Aspel was featured on This Is Your Life in 1980. When the host, Eamonn Andrews, passed away in 1987, Aspel took over as presenter until the show ended in 2003.

In 1993, he began presenting Strange but True? on ITV. This show explored supernatural events and unexplained mysteries. He also hosted a new version of the game show Blockbusters for the BBC in 1997.

In 1993, Michael Aspel was awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his work in broadcasting. He also won several awards, including TV Times and Variety Club Television Personality of the Year. He was also inducted into the Royal Television Society Hall of Fame.

From 2000 to 2008, Aspel presented BBC's Antiques Roadshow. His last episode, shown on March 30, 2008, was a tribute to him. He also guest-hosted the quiz show Have I Got News for You twice.

In 2006, he was the narrator for the UK tour of The Rocky Horror Show. In 2008, Aspel filmed Evacuees Reunited, a documentary series for ITV1. He returned to places from his childhood as an evacuee, including Chard, Somerset.

Personal Life

Michael Aspel has been married three times and has seven children. He married Dian Sessions in 1957, and they had two sons. They divorced in 1961.

He married Anne Reed in 1962, and they had twin children, a son and a daughter. They divorced in 1967. In 1977, Aspel married actress Elizabeth Power. They had two sons. They separated in 1994.

Since 1994, Michael Aspel has been with Irene Clarke. They live in Weybridge, Surrey.

In April 2008, Aspel was made a Freeman of the borough of Elmbridge, Surrey. This was in recognition of his support for the charity Cancer Research UK. A 2004 article mentioned that he has a dormant case of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which he gets checked yearly.

Charity Work

Michael Aspel is a Vice-President of The Children's Trust. This UK charity helps children with brain injuries.

He is also a Patron and long-time supporter of the Princess Alice Hospice in Esher. He supports The British Evacuees Association as well. Aspel is one of nine presidents of Better Planet Education.