1. Christopher John Tarrant was born on 10 October 1946 and is a retired English broadcaster, television personality, radio DJ and stand up comedian.
51 Facts About Chris Tarrant
1. 2.
Chris Tarrant presented ATV Today, a current affairs programme serving the Midlands area of England, until 1982.
3.
Chris Tarrant rose to prominence after becoming a co-host on Tiswas, the children's television show broadcast on a Saturday morning from 1974 to 1981.
4.
Chris Tarrant was a member of the Four Bucketeers group, whose single "Bucket Of Water Song" reached No 26 in the UK Singles Chart in 1980.
5.
In January 1982, along with Bob Carolgees, John Gorman, Randolph Sutherland and Lenny Henry, Chris Tarrant launched a late-night show, OT.
6.
Chris Tarrant was a Capital Radio host from 1984 to 2004, presenting the early-morning show Capital Breakfast.
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Chris Tarrant hosted several other game shows including It's Not What You Know and The Colour of Money.
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Chris Tarrant received an OBE in 2004 for his charity work, in particular his campaigning on behalf of disadvantaged children.
9.
Chris Tarrant announced his retirement in December 2024 after 52 years in television.
10.
Christopher John Tarrant was born on 10 October 1946 in Reading, England, to father Basil and mother Joan Tarrant.
11.
Chris Tarrant's father had joined a territorial unit of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps in 1936 and was among those evacuated from Dunkirk in the retreat of May 1940.
12.
Chris Tarrant was educated as a boarder in Choir House at the King's School, Worcester from 1960 to 1964.
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Chris Tarrant represented the school at hockey and cricket and gained A, B and D grades at A-level in English, history and ancient history.
14.
Chris Tarrant then studied English at the University of Birmingham, graduating in 1967.
15.
Chris Tarrant worked as a schoolteacher and briefly as a film director for the Central Office of Information before joining ATV in 1972 as a newsreader on ATV Today, a current affairs programme serving the Midlands area of England, until 1982.
16.
Chris Tarrant rose to prominence after becoming a co-presenter on Tiswas, a children's television show broadcast on a Saturday morning from January 1974 to March 1981, alongside Sally James.
17.
In 1982, along with Bob Carolgees, John Gorman, Randolph Sutherland and Lenny Henry, Chris Tarrant hosted the short-lived Saturday late-night show OT.
18.
In 1984, Chris Tarrant joined Capital Radio as a presenter, initially presenting the station's Sunday lunchtime show before moving to a late-morning weekday slot, following David Jensen.
19.
Chris Tarrant had regular co-presenter Kara Noble as his sidekick for the early years until Noble moved to Heart FM in 1995 with regular contributions from Flying Eye traffic reporter Russ Kane and newsreader Howard Hughes.
20.
In subsequent interviews about the Ingram case, Chris Tarrant has always insisted he was totally unaware of any coughing around him at the time of Ingram's run, but realised something wasn't right after viewing the tape afterwards.
21.
In July 2000, Chris Tarrant signed a contract with ITV to present the show until December 2002.
22.
Chris Tarrant said he would have "politely turned down" an offer by the network to return to the show had he been approached.
23.
Chris Tarrant is known to have worked at Salford Royal Foundation Trust as a Hospital radio presenter.
24.
Chris Tarrant narrated the schools programme Stop, Look, Listen, made by ATV and later Central Television.
25.
Chris Tarrant hosted Everybody's Equal in 1989, although the programme came to an end in 1990.
26.
On 1 January 1993, after Thames Television lost its ITV franchise and been replaced by Carlton Television, Chris Tarrant hosted the first programme of the new contractor, A Carlton New Year.
27.
Also in 1993, Chris Tarrant hosted Lose A Million, in which contestants started off with a million pounds and were required to lose it by aiming to answer a set of questions incorrectly.
28.
From 1996 to 1999 Chris Tarrant hosted the UK edition of Man O Man.
29.
In 1994, Chris Tarrant hosted a revival of Pop Quiz, previously hosted by Mike Read.
30.
Chris Tarrant was the long-term host of Chris Tarrant on TV, a programme which shows clips featuring a number of unusual television programmes from around the world.
31.
In 1998, Chris Tarrant released a compilation album entitled Ultimate Party Megamix on PolyGram Television's record label.
32.
In 2003, Chris Tarrant did voice over work on the film Johnny English, where he starred as himself hosting a radio presentation of Sauvage's coronation.
33.
In January 2009, Chris Tarrant began hosting a new ITV show, The Colour of Money, which was cancelled after seven episodes after failing to perform well in the ratings.
34.
Since 2014, Chris Tarrant has been a brand ambassador and has appeared in commercials for Lottoland.
35.
In 2017, Chris Tarrant became a continuity announcer for the TV channel Challenge.
36.
On 25 April 2022, Chris Tarrant released his book It's Not A Proper Job: Stories from 50 Years in TV.
37.
In December 2024, Chris Tarrant announced his retirement after 50 years in television, after the COVID-19 pandemic led him to reconsider how he wanted to spend his time as well as claiming he no longer "needs the money".
38.
Chris Tarrant had two children from his marriage to Sheila Roberton, Helen in 1977 and Jennifer in 1980.
39.
Chris Tarrant met his second wife, Ingrid Dupre-Walsh, when they both worked for TV-am.
40.
Chris Tarrant's father died in 2005 and his mother died in 2012.
41.
Whilst Chris Tarrant was preparing for his mother's funeral, he discovered his father's war diary in an open desk.
42.
Chris Tarrant is a fan of English rock group Status Quo, and in 1991 followed them on their Rock 'til You Drop tour, which covered four concerts in one day in aid of Nordorff-Robbins.
43.
Chris Tarrant was a patron of the Headway Thames Valley, until he left in 2006, blaming "work commitments".
44.
Chris Tarrant is a patron of the Trooper Potts VC Memorial Trust, Reading.
45.
In 2024, Chris Tarrant promoted the National Lottery's 'People's Portraits' series of Ukrainian refugees at the Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool.
46.
On 13 May 2007, Chris Tarrant was arrested on suspicion of assault at an Indian restaurant and was released on police bail.
47.
The incident took place at the MemSaab Restaurant on Maid Marian Way, Nottingham, where Chris Tarrant, who had been joking with a couple dining at an adjacent table, threw an item of cutlery towards the man.
48.
Chris Tarrant admitted to the BBC that he did jokingly "lob" some cutlery onto the couple's table after asking them to leave him alone to discuss work with his colleagues.
49.
On 5 March 2009, Chris Tarrant was arrested on suspicion of assault at his home in Esher.
50.
On 18 December 2017, Chris Tarrant appeared in court charged with drink-driving.
51.
Chris Tarrant was ranked number 38 in ITV's TV's 50 Greatest Stars poll of 2006.