
The triumph of Noel Edmonds
Edmonds is one of the great figures of British television
Now, thank goodness, Edmonds is back: after a seven-year hiatus, he's returning with a new series exploring his life in New Zealand, where he runs an 800-acre estate.
ITV's Noel Edmonds' Kiwi Adventure, which starts tonight, is full of quirk: he refers to his third wife, whom he met when she was his make-up artist on Deal or No Deal, as his 'earth angel' and explains that all the clocks in their house are fixed at 11.06, the time the couple first met. Edmonds looks amazing for 76 and puts this down to a wellness routine that includes crystal healing, tranquil power, infrared saunas and oxygen chambers.
TV hosts are often a bit weird and if you measure Edmonds against more bland presenters like Dermot O'Leary and Ben Shephard, he seems very weird. But perhaps the side of us that now sniggers at Edmonds is uncomfortable with the Edmonds in ourselves. We'd love to be chasing our dreams as enthusiastically as he is. We probably wish we too could be so open about our own idiosyncrasies, so we laugh at his instead.
But there's another side of us that can't help but cheer him on. It's this side he appeals to in his new show. 'Maybe people who have had negative thoughts about me personally will see this and see an honesty, a sincerity, a commitment, a positivity,' he says. 'Maybe a few of them will change their views'.
Let's hope so. Around the time that his stint on Deal or No Deal came to an end in 2016, people stopped laughing with Edmonds and laughed at him instead. It's not hard to see why: Edmonds cuts a curious figure. There's something of the Lassie dog about his appearance, and the way he's embraced so many unserious TV shows while often taking himself painfully seriously doesn't sit well. Alan Partridge and David Brent both poked fun at him, perhaps an indirect tribute from their creators, who surely took some inspiration from Edmonds.
But his kooky personality shouldn't mean that we ignore something that isn't often said about him: he is one of the great figures of British television.
Born in Essex, Edmonds started off on radio before moving to TV in the 1980s, where he presented Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, my first favourite programme. The madcap entertainment show was broadcast live for three hours on Saturday mornings, and allowed kids to phone-in and swap unwanted belongings with other children.
He also presented Top of the Pops, Top Gear and Telly Addicts, and became the toast of television during the 1980s thanks to his impish energy, which chimed with a more optimistic nation. He was the first British broadcaster to brand himself distinctly from his shows, and he began to sometimes refer to himself in the third person.
In the 1990s, he presented Noel's House Party, which was regularly watched by 18 million viewers and was described by a senior corporation executive as 'the most important show on the BBC'. The stunning success of the series, and its bulbous hero Mr Blobby, showed how Edmonds could tap into our sense of silliness, but it was dropped in 1999, when viewing figures started to fall.
Edmonds, who'd been omnipresent on the airwaves for nearly three decades, suddenly disappeared. But when he came back six years later it was with something special.
In the dark, moody Bristol warehouse where Deal or No Deal was filmed, he raised the tension by increasingly injecting a spiritual edge. He encouraged talk of telepathy, of box numbers having different energies and of a mystical force being at work in the game. You don't get that on Countdown.
Wearing tight floral shirts, with his trademark bouffant still going strong, he was as charismatic as ever. As the atmosphere became ever more esoteric, he seemed a bit like an aspiring cult leader who hoped he'd finally found his flock.
Where The Weakest Link had a bitchy host in Anne Robinson, Deal or No Deal had one who preached positive thinking to the contestants. A producer said later that the role was 'God given' for Edmonds. The columnist AA Gill wrote that watching Deal or No Deal was 'like putting heroin in your remote control'. That was a ridiculous thing to say: it was far more addictive than that.
But the show's success didn't last, so Edmonds took his spiritual message beyond the studio. He claimed that he'd found an electromagnetic pulse machine that 'tackles cancer' and suggested that the disease may be caused by a 'negative attitude', a remark he later apologised for.
Edmonds also offered to phone up people's sick pets and give them a motivational talk, even counselling a cat live on air on the Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2. He told the Guardian that the UK's population was at least ten million higher than official figures, saying that he worked this out using a formula he devised called 'the three 'F's' – food, faeces and farewells'.
Edmonds went from national treasure to something of a joke. He upped sticks to New Zealand in 2018, settling in Ngatimoti, a small town at the north end of New Zealand's South Island. Many of his fans thought that was it. But now – thank goodness – Edmonds is back. I can't wait to watch him on TV again.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scottish Sun
24 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Love Island fans in a frenzy as iconic Meet The Family segment RETURNS
it's back! Love Island fans in a frenzy as iconic Meet The Family segment RETURNS as Toni's mum makes her entrance Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LOVE Island fans have been sent into a frenzy as a fan-favourite feature makes its long-awaited comeback. ITV has confirmed the return of the very popular Meet The Family segment, set to air in the lead-up to the final. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 1 Love Island's Meet The Family segment is returning The fan-favourite, which sees Islanders reunited with their family members and friends inside the villa, has long been a staple of the series. It often delivers emotional reunions and candid exchanges, with some families raising concerns or giving their blessing to the couples ahead of the show's conclusion. This year's family visits are expected to air in the final week of the series.


The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Love Island fans in a frenzy as iconic Meet The Family segment RETURNS
LOVE Island fans have been sent into a frenzy as a fan-favourite feature makes its long-awaited comeback. ITV has confirmed the return of the very popular Meet The Family segment, set to air in the lead-up to the final. 1 The fan-favourite, which sees Islanders reunited with their family members and friends inside the villa, has long been a staple of the series. It often delivers emotional reunions and candid exchanges, with some families raising concerns or giving their blessing to the couples ahead of the show's conclusion. This year's family visits are expected to air in the final week of the series.


Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Vanessa Kirby confirms huge Fantastic Four secret everyone is talking about
Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Vanessa Kirby has confirmed the truth behind that Fantastic Four mid-credits sequence. The British actress, 37, plays Sue Storm—or the Invisible Woman, to those in the know—in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Sue makes up one quarter of Marvel's First Family, appearing alongside husband Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), hotheaded brother Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and human rock face The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as the titular Fantastic Four. With the Fantastic Four's Marvel Cinematic Universe debut out now, audiences have been flocking in droves to witness their arrival. The team may have their hands full battling cosmic world-eater Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), but there'll be an even bigger villain on fans' minds once the end credits finish rolling. With the cat out of the bag, Kirby has clarified what Doctor Doom's cameo at the end of the film means… and confirmed that star Robert Downey Jr. is already very much back. In the first of two post-credits sequences, Sue is shocked to find a menacing hooded figure looming over her young son, Franklin. Fans will already know this to be the Fantastic Four's longtime nemesis, Doctor Doom, who will be played by Robert Downey Jr. in the upcoming sequel, Avengers: Doomsday. Although the villain's face is obscured, Kirby has revealed that it was indeed Downey Jr. behind that hood. 'Yeah! Robert's never not been on set,' she told Variety when asked whetherRDJ was present for the shoot. She continued: 'He's always there. He is our leader. We call him our Godfather. He's looked after us. This sequence was filmed by the Russo Brothers as part of their work on Avengers: Doomsday and shot while Kirby was pregnant in real life. 'It's such a joy working with the Russos and him, because they've had such deep collaboration for so long,' she revealed. 'And it's been amazing being pregnant and working on Avengers. I felt so inspired and so relieved that I've been so taken care of. It's been a really beautiful journey. Robert is just doing incredible work. I'm so excited.' It was announced last year that Downey Jr. would be returning to the long-running franchise, six years after being killed off in Avengers: Endgame. This came as Earth's mightiest heroes faced off against purple menace Thanos (Josh Brolin) for the fate of the universe. This spelt the end of Downey Jr.'s career-defining stint as Tony Stark—aka Iron Man—sacrificing himself at the end of the film to secure the future of reality as we know it. A few years later, it was confirmed that he would be returning, albeit in an entirely different role. The actor's appointment to the post was unveiled at last year's Comic-Con, when a cloaked Downey Jr. removed his mask to reveal that he would be playing Doom, real name Victor von Doom. This character was previously played by late Nip/Tuck actor Julian McMahon in the 2005 and 2007 films and by Toby Kebbell in the 2015 reboot. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Doom's brief appearance at the end of First Steps gives little away as to what he has planned, although we do know it involves Sue and Reed's infant son. He will spearhead a massive cast in Avengers: Doomsday, which is currently set for release on December 26, 2026. More Trending Names already announced include Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright and Paul Rudd, as well as X-Men actors Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn and James Marsden. Of his return to the MCU, Downey Jr. joked: 'New mask, same task. 'What did I tell you? I like playing complicated characters.' The Fantastic Four: First Steps is out in UK cinemas now. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Pedro Pascal responds to misconceptions and his answer is so on-brand MORE: Benedict Cumberbatch blasts 'grossly wasteful' film industry MORE: Meet the 'hidden' Russo sibling leading her Marvel director brothers' studio