A modest man who'll be missed

From the Telegraph & Argus, first published Monday 27th Jun 2005.

If it had been suggested to Richard Whiteley that news of his death would be met with a groundswell of national sorrow, the popular TV presenter would no doubt have denied it. He was a genuinely modest man, known for his self-deprecating humour, who always seemed vaguely surprised to have found the fame that came his way, particularly after he became host of Channel 4's Countdown in 1982.

Richard Whiteley was a reluctant icon and perhaps an unlikely one. He didn't follow the career path of many popular figures in the broadcasting world, heading for a home in the Thames Valley when national fame came his way. Instead he stayed close to his Bradford roots in the countryside and among the people he knew and loved.

He grew up in Baildon, son of an Eccleshill worsted manufacturer, and at the time of his death had moved only a few miles away over the moor top to Ilkley.

He was a local boy who made good and stayed local, refusing to change his ways even when he joined the ranks of the country's top celebrities and won a legion of fans which reportedly included the Queen and the late Queen Mother. He was a proud Yorkshireman, identifying himself with many Yorkshire causes and working to promote the county's image.

He was a proud Bradfordian, too, and a keen supporter of this city and its aspirations. He will be greatly missed here as well as by the millions of people across the country who tuned in daily to Countdown to admire his loud ties and enjoy half an hour in his genial company.

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