30 Facts About Michael Aspel

Michael Aspel attended Emanuel School after passing his eleven-plus in 1944 and served as a conscript during his National Service, in the ranks of the King's Royal Rifle Corps, from 1951 to 1953.

Michael Aspel worked as a drainpipe-layer and gardener and sold advertising space for the Western Mail newspaper in Cardiff.

Michael Aspel worked as a teaboy at William Collins publishers in London and then entered National Service.

Michael Aspel took up a job at the David Morgan department store in Cardiff until 1955, before working as newsreader for the BBC in Cardiff in 1957.

Michael Aspel acted in Cardiff, in a BBC Children's Hour serial Counterspy, produced by BBC Wales and written by and starring John Darran.

At the BBC, Michael Aspel began presenting a number of other programmes such as the series Come Dancing, Crackerjack, Ask Michael Aspel, and the Miss World beauty contest, which he covered 14 times.

Michael Aspel narrated the BREMA cartoon documentary, The Colour Television Receiver, which was shown every day on BBC2 between 14 October 1967 and 8 January 1971.

Michael Aspel provided narration for the BBC nuclear war drama documentary The War Game, which won the Best Documentary Feature Oscar in 1966, but was not shown on British television until 1985.

Michael Aspel was a studio announcer at the BBC on 14 February 1969 during a live broadcast from the Dorchester Hotel of an awards ceremony, when the host, Kenneth Horne, died of a heart attack.

In both 1969 and 1976, Michael Aspel hosted the BBC's A Song for Europe contest to choose Britain's Eurovision entry and provided the UK TV commentary twice at the Eurovision Song Contest in the same years, 1969 and 1976, in which year he presented the contest previews.

Michael Aspel provided the Eurovision radio commentary for the UK in 1963.

Michael Aspel had a regular joke slot on the Kenny Everett radio show on Capital Radio, and guest-starred twice on The Goodies, appearing as himself, including in the episode "Kitten Kong", which won the Silver Rose at the Montreux Light Entertainment Festival.

From 2 September 1974 until 27 July 1984, Michael Aspel presented a three-hour weekday, mid-morning music and chat programme on Capital Radio in London.

Michael Aspel then presented a Sunday show on Capital before moving to LBC for the remainder of the decade.

Michael Aspel presented weekend shows on BBC Radio 2 in the late 1980s and again in the 1990s.

In 1977, Michael Aspel appeared with a number of other newsreaders and presenters in a song-and-dance routine on The Morecambe and Wise Show.

Michael Aspel was featured on This is Your Life in 1980, and when host Eamonn Andrews died in 1987 he became presenter of the programme until its run ended in 2003.

Michael Aspel presented a new version of the ITV game show Blockbusters for the BBC in 1997; Aspel presented 60 episodes in total.

In 1993, Michael Aspel became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire "for services to broadcasting", and has been voted TV Times and Variety Club Television Personality of the Year.

Michael Aspel was voted into the Royal Television Society Hall of Fame for outstanding services to television.

Michael Aspel presented BBC's Antiques Roadshow from 2000 until 2008; his last programme was shown on 30 March 2008, being a tribute to himself.

Michael Aspel guest hosted the topical quiz show Have I Got News for You on two occasions.

Michael Aspel was reunited with his childhood gang of evacuees at Forde Abbey, just outside the town.

Michael Aspel has been married three times and has seven children.

Michael Aspel married Dian Sessions in 1957; they had two children and divorced in 1961.

Michael Aspel married Anne Reed, a TV scriptwriter, in 1962 and they had twin children, divorcing in 1967.

In 1977, Michael Aspel married actress Elizabeth Power, best known for her role as Christine Hewitt in EastEnders; the couple had two sons, but Michael Aspel left her in 1994 for a production assistant on This Is Your Life, Irene Clarke.

Michael Aspel is a Vice-President of The Children's Trust, a UK charity for children with brain injury.

Michael Aspel is a Patron and long time supporter of Princess Alice Hospice, Esher and The British Evacuees Association.

Michael Aspel is one of nine presidents of The Young People's Trust for the Environment.