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The Guardian
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Henry Kelly obituary
Henry Kelly, who has died aged 78, was a hard-nosed Irish journalist who reported on the Troubles in Northern Ireland before finding television fame as a presenter of ITV's Saturday evening light-entertainment programme Game for a Laugh, which fashioned itself as a 'people show'. Viewers and the studio audience were declared to be the stars – game for a laugh and at the centre of the action, which included challenges and pranks. A regular game had an audience member sitting in the 'pie chair' and given an almost impossible task – if they failed, they would be on the receiving end of extra-foamy custard pies delivered by extendable mechanical arms with hands on the end. Fans of the programme were also featured displaying their talents, among them a vicar giving a believable impression of Liberace, a laundry worker building a magnificent robot and a man devoted to decorating the inside of his house with old master-style paintings. The four original hosts – Kelly, Jeremy Beadle, Sarah Kennedy and Matthew Kelly (no relation) – presented the show seated on tall stools and were remembered for signing off each episode, inviting viewers to tune in the following week, with the catchphrase 'Watching us … watching you … watching us … watching you' while the camera switched between each presenter and the audience as they delivered the words. Within two months of its launch in 1981, Game for a Laugh attracted more than 15 million viewers. Kelly, described by TV Times magazine as 'the fair, skinny one with the Terry Wogan accent', eventually left two years later after three series, along with Kennedy and Matthew Kelly. 'I realised that comedy really is a serious business,' he told the Daily Express in 2016. 'We had no script, no Autocue and no earpieces. It was a brilliant show. It changed my life … it opened doors for me.' Opportunities included the chance to host a BBC daytime quiz show, Going for Gold, featuring contestants from across Europe. When it was initially suggested, Kelly recalled, he regarded the idea as 'nonsense', but he took on the programme and it became a hit. The show was particularly popular with students, and Kelly was made honorary president of one student union. Going for Gold ran for 10 series (1987-96) and was later revived by Channel 5 with John Suchet presenting. Halfway through his run on Going for Gold, Kelly – who had been a BBC radio reporter before moving into television – returned to radio to become one of the launch presenters of the Classic FM station. From 1992 to 2003, he hosted the mid-morning programme, then the breakfast show, building up an audience of more than 3 million listeners with a format that included recipes and racing tips as well as music, and he was named national broadcaster of the year in the 1994 Sony radio awards. Born in Dublin, Henry was the youngest of five children. His father, also Henry, was a civil servant who had been private secretary to Kevin O'Higgins, the 1920s Irish politician responsible for the execution of 77 IRA members. 'He once showed me notes he had written about 20 minutes after O'Higgins was assassinated,' said Kelly, who pronounced his father a 'warm, lovable, generous man' while admitting to not having a close relationship with his mother. The family moved to Athlone when he was a baby and seven years later returned to Dublin. Henry was educated at the Jesuit school Belvedere college, where he was a friend of Terry Wogan's brother, Brian, and a frequent visitor to the Wogan family home. 'I was good at Latin and Greek and English, and talking, and not necessarily in that order,' he said. While studying English at University College Dublin, he wrote theatre reviews for the Irish Times. On graduation in 1968, he joined the paper as a reporter. When he became its northern editor in Belfast, Kelly reported on the violence that had reignited there. 'I was privileged enough to be one of that small group who knew the north was a serious story long before it became fashionable,' he told the Irish Times. 'It was a very exciting time. I loved it … I absolutely loved it.' Those years on the paper also included assignments in the Middle East and south-east Asia. Kelly's book How Stormont Fell, an authoritative account of the dissolution of Northern Ireland's parliament, was published in 1972. Four years later, he moved to London, joining BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight as a reporter for a five-year stint. He was also a regular reporter on Woman's Hour in 1979-80 before leaving to present Game for a Laugh. 'My colleagues at Radio 4 thought I was mad when I moved to light entertainment,' he said. Nevertheless, he continued on Radio 4 to host the Midweek morning show (1982-83) and co-presented the second and third series of the BBC TV programme Food and Drink (1983-84). In 1983, he joined the ITV breakfast service TV-am during its first year, to take over the Saturday edition of Good Morning Britain from Michael Parkinson. He also sometimes presented the weekday show before leaving in 1987. Kelly's regular return to radio came with his shows on Classic FM in the 1990s – and there was a storm of complaints from listeners after his breakfast programme was handed over to Simon Bates. He went back to the station to host a Sunday morning show (2006-08) after a stint presenting the drivetime programme on LBC (2003-04), which returned him to his news roots. He also had his own mid-morning programme on BBC Radio Berkshire (2005-15). He and his partner, Karolyn Shindler, a former BBC producer, wrote a travel guide to Connemara, titled Henry Kelly in the West of Ireland with Karolyn Shindler, published in 1996. Kelly's marriage to his childhood sweetheart, Margery Conway, ended in divorce. He is survived by Karolyn, their son, Alexander, and a daughter, Siobhan, from his marriage. Patrick Henry Kelly, broadcaster and journalist, born 17 April 1946; died 25 February 2025
The Independent
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Henry Kelly: The Troubles journalist who became a household name on TV
Henry Kelly's long career brought him from reporting on the frontline of the Troubles in Northern Ireland to fame as a presenter of light entertainment shows Game for a Laugh and Going for Gold. The broadcaster, who has died at the age of 78, became known for his Irish charm as one of the most recognisable faces on TV during the 1980s. Born in Athlone in 1946, Kelly moved to Dublin as a child and studied at Belvedere College and later University College Dublin. He began his journalism career at the Irish Times while still a student, writing obituaries and theatre reviews while studying for an English degree. He became the paper's northern editor in 1970 at the height of the Troubles, after being initially sent to Northern Ireland on a week's holiday cover in 1969 as a reporter. Kelly spent four years covering the worst of the Troubles and authored the book 'How Stormont Fell'. His experiences in Northern Ireland were recalled in a legacy inquest in 2022 when a coroner made an appeal for him to come forward as a potential witness to a loyalist bomb attack in Belfast in 1972. The court was later told he was unable to assist the process. His daughter Siobhan told the Irish Times that the years he spent covering Northern Ireland were among the proudest of his career. She said: 'He always held the Irish Times very firmly in his heart and was very proud of the work he did in Northern Ireland and the time he spent there. 'I think probably looking back that was his proudest time.' Kelly joined the BBC in 1976, working as a reporter and presenter for Radio 4's The World Tonight. However, his next move was to take him in an entirely different direction. Following the lead of Irish stars Terry Wogan and Eamonn Andrews, he switched to presenting light entertainment TV shows. LWT's Saturday night vehicle Game for a Laugh, which revolved around a series of practical jokes, regularly pulled in huge television audiences of more than 17 million and launched the presenting careers of Kelly, Jeremy Beadle and Matthew Kelly. Kelly later hosted TV-am before attaining cult status when presenting the daytime BBC quiz show Going for Gold for a decade. The show pitted contestants from across Europe against each other to win a grand prize. Later, Kelly, who had a lifelong love of classical music, was one of the original presenters on Classic FM, hosting its breakfast show for a number of years in the 1990s where his horse racing tips proved popular with listeners. In 1998 he wrote the book 'Classic FM – Musical Anecdotes'. Kelly was also to present radio shows on LBC and BBC London. In 2004 he declared himself bankrupt after suffering financial troubles over several years. His daughter Siobhan told the Irish Times that her father retained his interest in current affairs until his death. She said: 'Right till the very last minute, his mind was as sharp as anything, his fascination with current affairs never diminished. 'We were talking about rugby and Ukraine last Sunday – he was thrilled to have seen Ireland win the Triple Crown on Saturday.' He watched it with his son Alex. Henry Kelly is survived by his partner Karolyn Shindler, his son Alex, his daughter Siobhan and her mother Marjorie.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Henry Kelly: The Troubles journalist who became a household name on TV
Henry Kelly's long career brought him from reporting on the frontline of the Troubles in Northern Ireland to fame as a presenter of light entertainment shows Game for a Laugh and Going for Gold. The broadcaster, who has died at the age of 78, became known for his Irish charm as one of the most recognisable faces on TV during the 1980s. Born in Athlone in 1946, Kelly moved to Dublin as a child and studied at Belvedere College and later University College Dublin. He began his journalism career at the Irish Times while still a student, writing obituaries and theatre reviews while studying for an English degree. He became the paper's northern editor in 1970 at the height of the Troubles, after being initially sent to Northern Ireland on a week's holiday cover in 1969 as a reporter. Kelly spent four years covering the worst of the Troubles and authored the book 'How Stormont Fell'. His experiences in Northern Ireland were recalled in a legacy inquest in 2022 when a coroner made an appeal for him to come forward as a potential witness to a loyalist bomb attack in Belfast in 1972. The court was later told he was unable to assist the process. His daughter Siobhan told the Irish Times that the years he spent covering Northern Ireland were among the proudest of his career. She said: 'He always held the Irish Times very firmly in his heart and was very proud of the work he did in Northern Ireland and the time he spent there. 'I think probably looking back that was his proudest time.' Kelly joined the BBC in 1976, working as a reporter and presenter for Radio 4's The World Tonight. However, his next move was to take him in an entirely different direction. Following the lead of Irish stars Terry Wogan and Eamonn Andrews, he switched to presenting light entertainment TV shows. LWT's Saturday night vehicle Game for a Laugh, which revolved around a series of practical jokes, regularly pulled in huge television audiences of more than 17 million and launched the presenting careers of Kelly, Jeremy Beadle and Matthew Kelly. Kelly later hosted TV-am before attaining cult status when presenting the daytime BBC quiz show Going for Gold for a decade. The show pitted contestants from across Europe against each other to win a grand prize. Later, Kelly, who had a lifelong love of classical music, was one of the original presenters on Classic FM, hosting its breakfast show for a number of years in the 1990s where his horse racing tips proved popular with listeners. In 1998 he wrote the book 'Classic FM – Musical Anecdotes'. Kelly was also to present radio shows on LBC and BBC London. In 2004 he declared himself bankrupt after suffering financial troubles over several years. His daughter Siobhan told the Irish Times that her father retained his interest in current affairs until his death. She said: 'Right till the very last minute, his mind was as sharp as anything, his fascination with current affairs never diminished. 'We were talking about rugby and Ukraine last Sunday – he was thrilled to have seen Ireland win the Triple Crown on Saturday.' He watched it with his son Alex. Henry Kelly is survived by his partner Karolyn Shindler, his son Alex, his daughter Siobhan and her mother Marjorie.
The Guardian
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
TV presenter Henry Kelly dies aged 78
Henry Kelly, who presented TV shows such as Going for Gold and Game for a Laugh, has died aged 78. His family said he 'died peacefully' on Tuesday 'after a period of ill health'. Their statement said: 'Henry will be sorely missed by his friends and family, including his partner Karolyn Shindler, their son Alexander, Henry's daughter Siobhan and her mother Marjorie.' More details soon …
BBC News
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
TV presenter and journalist Henry Kelly dies
Journalist and TV presenter Henry Kelly has died aged 78, his family has was a journalist who later pivoted to light entertainment, hosting TV gameshow Game For A Laugh in the 1980s. He also presented programmes on BBC Radio 4, LBC and Classic a statement, Kelly's family said he "died peacefully" on Tuesday "after a period of ill health". "Henry will be sorely missed by his friends and family," it continued, "including his partner Karolyn Shindler, their son Alexander, Henry's daughter Siobhan and her mother Marjorie."Kelly started his journalistic career in newspapers, working for The Irish Times in the 1970s during the start of civil unrest and The Troubles in Northern Ireland. He left the newspaper and joined the BBC in 1976, working for Radio 4's The World in 1980, aged 34, he left journalism to become a light entertainment presenter. He went on to front Game for a Laugh, lunchtime quiz show Going For Gold, breakfast show TV-AM and the first iteration of Good Morning later became one of the launch presenters of Classic FM and also hosted shows on speech station LBC and BBC Radio London.
