Nicky Campbell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nicky Campbell OBE
Campbell speaking at the Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in London in 2018
Born	Nicholas Lackey (1961-04-10) 10 April 1961 (age 64) Edinburgh, Scotland
Education	Edinburgh Academy
Alma mater	University of Aberdeen
Television	Wheel of Fortune Top of the Pops Watchdog For the Rest of Your Life The Big Questions Long Lost Family
Spouse(s)	Linda Larnach ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 1995)​ Tina Ritchie ​ (m. 1997)​
Children	4

Nicholas Andrew Argyll Campbell OBE (born Nicholas Lackey; 10 April 1961) is a well-known Scottish TV and radio presenter. He has worked in broadcasting since 1981 and has been a presenter for BBC Radio since 1987. You might know him from shows like Long Lost Family or The Big Questions.

Early life and education

Nicky Campbell was born on 10 April 1961 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was adopted as a baby. His adoptive mother was a social worker who helped people, and his adoptive father published maps.

Nicky went to an independent school called Edinburgh Academy. Later, he studied history at the University of Aberdeen and earned a good degree.

Career in broadcasting

Radio journey

Nicky Campbell presenting the Radio 1 Roadshow from Helensburgh in July 1989

Nicky Campbell has always loved radio. In his 2021 book, One of the Family, he shared how he and his friend, actor Iain Glen, used to call radio shows pretending to be different people.

He started his radio career at Northsound Radio in Aberdeen while still at university. He made commercials and wrote catchy jingles. In 1983, he got his own show called The World of Opera. One night, the DJ for the pop show didn't show up, and Nicky stepped in. Soon after, he became the host of the station's breakfast show until 1986.

After that, he sent a tape to Capital Radio in London and got a Saturday afternoon show. He then took over the weekend breakfast show and filled in for other popular daytime hosts. In October 1987, BBC Radio 1 hired him.

He first presented a late-night Saturday show. By late 1988, he was hosting the weekday late-night show called Into the Night. He played many types of music and interviewed interesting guests like Frank Zappa and John Major.

In 1997, Nicky joined BBC Radio 5 Live, a news and sports network. He hosted the mid-morning phone-in show for five years. In 2003, he moved to the breakfast show, first with Victoria Derbyshire and later with Shelagh Fogarty and Rachel Burden. Since 2021, he has hosted a two-hour phone-in program every weekday morning.

Nicky has also done special shows for BBC Radio 2. In 2019, he interviewed famous singers like Engelbert Humperdink and Francis Rossi from Status Quo. He also interviewed Giles Martin at Abbey Road studios for a Beatles special.

During his time at Radio 5 Live, Nicky has covered many big events. These include four Olympic Games, three Football World Cups, and every general election since 1997. He has won several awards for his radio work, including five gold Sony Awards. In 2017, he and Rachel Burden won the Aria Award for "Best Speech Presenter Breakfast". In 2014, he was added to the Arqiva Radio Academy Hall of Fame for his great contributions to UK radio.

Television highlights

Nicky Campbell started his mainstream TV career in 1987. He hosted a pop quiz called The Video Jukebox for Grampian Television.

From 1988 to 1997, he was a regular presenter on Top of the Pops on BBC1, a very popular music show.

He also hosted the British version of Wheel of Fortune from 1988 to 1996. This game show was very popular, reaching up to 12 million viewers. You can still watch old episodes on Challenge TV.

In 2001, he became a presenter for Watchdog, a show that helps consumers with problems. He stayed there until 2009.

One of his most well-known shows is Long Lost Family, which started in 2011. He presents it with Davina McCall. The show helps people find missing relatives. It has helped with over 700 searches and is one of ITV's most popular factual shows. Nicky and Davina also host Long Lost Family – What Happened Next and Long Lost Family – Born without Trace, which helps foundlings (babies abandoned at birth) discover their origins using DNA. The show has won several awards, including a BAFTA Award in 2014 and 2021.

Nicky also hosted The Big Questions, a show on BBC One that discussed ethical and religious topics. It ran for 14 series from 2007 to 2021, with almost 900 debates.

In 2024, Nicky Campbell appeared on The Masked Singer UK as the character "Dippy Egg". He was unmasked in the sixth episode.

Voiceover work

Nicky Campbell narrates the CBeebies show Our Story, which is for younger children. He has also narrated documentaries like Motorway Cops: Catching Britain's Speeders and Rogue Landlords, Nightmare Tenants for Channel 5.

Podcasts

Nicky has two popular podcasts. His podcast One of Family is about dogs and often reaches the number 1 spot on Apple Podcasts' Pets and Animal charts. He interviews famous guests like Ricky Gervais and Gary Lineker.

In 2022, the BBC launched his podcast Different for Radio 5 Live. In this podcast, he interviews people who have had unusual experiences or careers. In 2023, Different won the award for best interview podcast at the British Podcast Awards.

Music

Nicky Campbell is a self-taught musician who plays piano, guitar, and ukulele. He started writing music for radio jingles and commercials in 1981.

In 1996, he won a Sony Award for his original music for the BBC Radio One Afternoon Show. He has also written songs for other artists, like the swing album Moonlight's Back in Style for actor Mark Moraghan in 2009.

He co-wrote the album Just Passing Through with Kate Robbins in 2014. Nicky also composed the theme music for his TV show The Big Questions. He has written all the music for his podcasts, One of the Family and Different.

Writing and books

Nicky Campbell has written for many newspapers and magazines, including the Guardian and the Daily Mail.

He has written two books. His first book, Blue-Eyed Son – The Story of an Adoption, came out in 2004. In it, he shared his journey of searching for and meeting his birth parents, Stella Lackey and Eugene Hughes. He wrote about the challenges of finding his family and understanding their backgrounds. The book was praised for being "astonishingly honest" and "an extraordinary story".

His second book, One of the Family – Why a Dog Called Maxwell Changed My Life, was a the Sunday Times Bestseller in 2021. In this book, he talked about his emotional struggles and his diagnosis of bipolar disorder. He explained how the unconditional love of his Labrador dog, Maxwell, helped him through difficult times. This book was described as a "remarkable autobiography" and a "poignant book about the search for belonging".

Helping animals

Nicky Campbell loves dogs and is a strong supporter of animal rights and conservation. He actively campaigns to raise awareness about issues like the illegal ivory trade, which harms African elephants. He works with organizations like the Born Free Foundation and supports charities such as the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya.

He often attends the Global March for Elephants and Rhinos, which takes place in cities around the world, and speaks at these events. In 2020, he won an Animal Star Award for his work in campaigning for animals. He also supports Guide Dogs UK and Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

Honours and awards

Nicky Campbell has received several honours for his work.

• In 2008, he received an Honorary Doctorate from the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.
• In 2015, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to children and adoption.
• In 2016, he was given another Honorary Doctorate from the University of Aberdeen.

Personal life

Nicky Campbell met his first wife, Linda Larnach, while working at Northsound Radio. They married in 1988. During their marriage, he found his birth mother, Stella, in 1989.

He later married his second wife, Tina Ritchie, a journalist, in 1997. Tina is a newsreader for BBC Radio 4. They live in Clapham and also have a home in the Scottish Highlands. They have four daughters. After having his own children, Nicky decided to find his biological father in 2002.

Nicky's book Blue-Eyed Son (2004) shares his personal story of being adopted and finding both his birth parents and their families in Ireland. His birth mother, Stella, passed away in 2008, and his birth father, Eugene, passed away in 2021. Because of his work promoting adoption, Nicky became a Patron of the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) and an Ambassador for Adoption UK.

Nicky has openly discussed his bipolar disorder diagnosis and his experiences with depression. His birth mother also had bipolar disorder.

In 2021, he dedicated his book One of the Family to his adoptive mother, Sheila. She passed away in 2019 at the age of 96. Nicky shared a heartfelt message about her, saying, "The day she and Dad adopted me was the day I won the lottery. She was my adoptive mum. She was my real mum."

Filmography

Television

Radio