The Four Bucketeers were an ad hoc music/water-throwing group from the ITV children's programme Tiswas .
83-544: Officially, the Four were Chris Tarrant , Sally James , John Gorman and Bob Carolgees ; sometimes Lenny Henry contributed as well. Gorman was the musical talent in the group, having been part of The Scaffold and the Grimms . The musicians backing them up included Ollie Halsall ( guitar ), John Halsey ( drums ) and Clive Griffiths ( bass ). The Four Bucketeers' best-known number (and also their highest- charting single )
166-463: A 25th Anniversary episode of Tiswas . The show lasted 90 minutes and featured celebrities discussing their enjoyment of Tiswas as children, as well as appearances from kids and people who had appeared on the original show. In the summer of 2007, he presented Lenny's Britain , a comedy documentary tour made with the Open University on BBC One on Tuesday nights. In late 2007, he hosted
249-645: A Saturday night magic series called The Magicians on BBC One . The show returned in 2012; however, Henry was replaced by Darren McMullen . In March 2011, he appeared with Angela Rippon , Samantha Womack and Reggie Yates in the BBC fundraising documentary for Comic Relief called Famous, Rich and in the Slums , wherein the four celebrities were sent to Kibera in Kenya, the African continent's largest slum . Henry
332-575: A backing singer on Kate Bush 's album The Red Shoes (1993) for the song "Why Should I Love You?" on which Prince played guitar. He also performed, backed by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd , at Amnesty International 's Big 3-0 fund raising concert. Henry returned to the BBC to do Lenny Henry in Pieces , a character-based comedy sketch show which was followed by The Lenny Henry Show , in which he combined stand-up, character sketches and song parodies. In 1994, The Daily Mail reported that Henry
415-673: A blood clot from his right leg. 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 (Sheffield, Glasgow, Birmingham and London) in aid of Nordorff-Robbins. In 2013, he attended the premiere of the band's feature film Bula Quo! in London. He is also a supporter of Reading F.C. Two of Tarrant's children also work in radio, both employed by Global Radio : Toby presents on Radio X , and Fia on Heart . Tarrant's charity work, for which he received an OBE in 2004, includes: being an ambassador for
498-700: A brief relationship when she first arrived in England from their native Jamaica. Henry attended St John's Primary School and later The Blue Coat School in Dudley, before completing his schooling at W.R. Tuson College in Preston, Lancashire . Henry's formative years in comedy were spent in working men's clubs , where he impersonated mainly white characters, such as the Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em character Frank Spencer. His earliest television appearance
581-727: A charity that supports the visually impaired in the Berkshire County. In 2024, Tarrant promoted the National Lottery's 'People's Portraits' series of Ukrainian refugees at the Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool . On 13 May 2007, Tarrant was arrested on suspicion of assault at an Indian restaurant and was released on police bail. The incident took place at the MemSaab Restaurant on Maid Marian Way, Nottingham , where Tarrant, who had been joking with
664-522: A couple dining at an adjacent table, threw an item of cutlery towards the man. 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. He said: "I've no idea what his [the accuser's] motives were – it genuinely makes no sense. I got back from the station at 1 am and to this minute I am completely bemused by what happened." On 25 May 2007, Tarrant
747-523: A date of birth), Stevie Wonder , Run-DMC , Cee Lo Green , Denzel Washington , Idris Elba and Wesley Snipes . It was in 1985 that Henry co-founded the British Comic Relief charity organisation, and 1988 when the first-ever Red Nose Day was celebrated. Over 150 celebrities and comedians, including Henry, took part in an evening-long BBC broadcast, which was watched by 30 million viewers and raised over £15 million. Prior to
830-484: A magical, doglike creature who appears in the dreams of another character called Barbie. Henry penned Three Little Birds , a six-part drama series, based on and inspired by his mother's Windrush experience and co-written with Russell T Davies , and first broadcast on ITV and ITVX in October/November 2023. On 31 January 2024, Henry announced that he would be hosting Comic Relief for the final time when
913-517: A number of unusual television programmes from around the world, and Tarrant Lets the Kids Loose , a programme which gives three- to six-year-olds the chance to fulfil their greatest ambitions in the adult world. He also hosted several other game shows including It's Not What You Know and The Colour of Money . Tarrant received an OBE in 2004 for his charity work, in particular his campaigning on behalf of disadvantaged children. Chris Tarrant
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#1732802162935996-605: A play based on his radio show Rudy's Rare Records , which played at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre before moving on to a run in London. Henry wrote Danny and the Human Zoo , a ninety-minute television film shown on BBC One in 2015. Directed by Destiny Ekaragha , it was a fictionalised account of Henry's life as a teenager in 1970s Dudley . Henry played Samson Fearon, a character based on Henry's own father Winston. In 2017, Henry appeared in
1079-495: A rabbit) singing "Bright Eyes" . Chris Tarrant Christopher John Tarrant , OBE (born 10 October 1946) is an English broadcaster, television personality, former radio DJ and stand up comedian. He is best known for presenting the ITV children's television show Tiswas from 1974 to 1981, and the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? from its inception in 1998 until 2014. Tarrant's career began in 1972, when he
1162-491: A record and it became a hit. It just all happened so left-of-field and so unplanned…but then that’s how a lot of things did happen in Tiswas . Things that you think would work, don’t, and things that you ‘Oh that’ll be good for a one-off’ end up being huge hits". The moniker 'The Four Bucketeers' came about as a way of circumnavigating any potential copyright difficulties of using the 'Tiswas' brand when Tarrant and Co. performed
1245-416: A recurring role in the third series of Broadchurch . In November 2019, it was announced that Henry would guest star in " Spyfall ", the two-part opening episode of Doctor Who ' s twelfth revived series , which broadcast on New Year's Day and 4 January 2020. Henry played technology billionaire Daniel Barton. In December 2020, Henry was announced as a cast member of Amazon Prime Video 's The Lord of
1328-587: A series of tabloid stories, on 18 September 2006 the couple announced that they were separating. The couple previously lived with their two children, Sammy and Toby , in Esher , plus two children from Ingrid's previous marriage, Dexter and Fia, the latter a radio presenter with Heart . In a statement in September 2006, Tarrant said: "I am deeply sorry for the hurt I have caused to my loyal wife and wonderful children, all of whom I adore. I have only myself to blame for
1411-463: A set of questions incorrectly. Tarrant would later host Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? , in which the objective of the game is to do the opposite. From 1996 to 1999 Tarrant hosted the UK edition of Man O Man . In 1994, Tarrant hosted a revival of Pop Quiz , previously hosted by Mike Read . It ran one series and eight episodes in total, airing again on Saturday nights (as Read's version did). Tarrant
1494-430: A show for Watch called Tarrant Lets the Kids Loose . The eight-part series, beginning on 4 October, gave three- to six-year-olds the chance to fulfil their greatest ambitions in the adult world, whether running a photographic studio, a radio station or an ice-cream van. The show was executively produced by Lisa Perrin and Tess Cumming. In April 2010, Tarrant become one of the first three celebrities to be subjected to
1577-525: A stand-up comedy tour of the UK. In early 2008, Henry's series lennyhenry.tv was broadcast on BBC One . The programme has an accompanying website of the same name and broadcasts strange, weird and generally amusing online videos and CCTV clips. He starred in the Radio 4 show Rudy's Rare Records . On 31 December 2008 and 1 January 2009, he appeared on Jools Holland 's Hootenanny on BBC Two, singing part of
1660-431: A tabletop game made by Tiger Electronics based on the show. He recorded a total of 592 episodes across 30 series, in which a total of five contestants won the cash prize of £1 million. One contestant, Charles Ingram , won the £1 million cash prize (and was declared by Tarrant as "the most amazing contestant we have ever, ever had") but was denied his winnings when it was determined that he had cheated . Tarrant attended
1743-411: A television interview, Tarrant said he had chosen not to watch the revived series. He said he would have "politely turned down" an offer by the network to return to the show had he been approached. In 2020, a TV mini-series, Quiz , about Ingram's attempt to win a million pounds on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? by cheating, was released. Tarrant was portrayed by the actor Michael Sheen . Tarrant
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#17328021629351826-656: A total of 592 episodes across 30 series, in which a total of five contestants won the cash prize of £1 million. In 2012, Tarrant began a travel documentary series, Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways , with locations including the Congo-Ocean Railway , the Ghan across Australia and the Konkan Railway in India. Tarrant's other television credits include Tarrant on TV , a programme which shows clips featuring
1909-450: A very short duration) 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 . It was on this show that he first coined his "Is that your final answer?" catchphrase. At 9:00 am on 2 April 2004, after hosting 4,425 shows, 20 years on Capital Radio and giving away prizes to the value of £3.5 million, Tarrant said his farewell to
1992-754: Is an English comedian, actor and writer. He gained success as a stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in The Lenny Henry Show in 1984. He was the most prominent black British comedian of the time and much of his material served to celebrate and parody his African-Caribbean roots. In 1985, he co-founded the charity Comic Relief with the comedy screenwriter Richard Curtis . He has appeared in numerous other TV programmes, including children's entertainment show Tiswas , sitcom Chef! and The Magicians for BBC One , and in his later years has transitioned toward acting roles on stage and screen. He appears in
2075-434: Is known to have worked at Salford Royal Foundation Trust as a Hospital radio presenter. Tarrant narrated the schools programme Stop, Look, Listen , made by ATV and later Central Television . Tarrant hosted Everybody's Equal in 1989, although the programme came to an end in 1990 (the format was revived in 1997 by Channel 5 as Whittle , with Tim Vine as host). In 1991 he hosted the second series of Cluedo which
2158-433: The 1987 general election , Henry lent his support to Red Wedge by participating in a comedy tour organised by the campaign. In 1987, he appeared in a TV film, Coast to Coast . It was a comedy thriller with John Shea about two DJs with a shared passion for Motown music being chased across Britain. The film has a strong following, but contractual problems have prevented it from being distributed on video or DVD. In
2241-585: The Amazon Prime series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power . Henry was the chancellor of Birmingham City University . In February 2024, he announced his planned retirement from the position at the end of the 2023–24 academic year after eight years in the post. Lenworth George Henry was born at Burton Road Hospital in Dudley , on 29 August 1958, and named after
2324-612: The Lord of the Dance troupe. In 2006, Henry starred in the BBC programme Berry's Way . On 16 March 2007, Henry made a cameo appearance as himself in a sketch with Catherine Tate , who appeared in the guise of her character Geordie Georgie from The Catherine Tate Show . The sketch was made for the BBC Red Nose Day fundraising programme of 2007. On 16 June 2007, Lenny appeared with Chris Tarrant and Sally James to present
2407-520: The Midlands area of England, until 1982 . 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 1981, alongside Sally James . It also featured the young Lenny Henry and occasionally Jim Davidson together with Bob Carolgees and his puppet , Spit the Dog. John Gorman , former member of The Scaffold ,
2490-960: The Trafalgar Studios in Whitehall . In November 2011, Henry made his debut at the Royal National Theatre in London in Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors , directed by Dominic Cooke , in which he played the character of Antipholus of Syracuse. The production was selected to be broadcast live to selected cinemas worldwide in March 2012 as part of the National Theatre Live programme. Henry's performance gained positive reviews. Paul Taylor in The Independent wrote that "Henry beautifully conveys
2573-649: The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds . Before the production opened the director Barrie Rutter said of the decision to cast him: "knives might be out at me or at Lenny. I don't care. This has come about from a completely genuine desire to do a piece of theatrical work. Bloody hell, how long has the Donmar had Hollywood stars going there for £200? He's six-foot five. He's beautifully black. And he's Othello ." Henry received widespread critical acclaim in
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2656-499: The BBC show Would I Lie to You? on David Mitchell 's team alongside Mel Giedroyc . In 2012, Tarrant filmed the Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways series for Channel 5 , which has been compared with similar programmes presented by Michael Palin and Michael Portillo and features locations including the Congo-Ocean Railway , the Ghan across Australia and the Konkan Railway in India. The series
2739-603: The British version of the American institution of a comedy roast, on Channel 4's A Comedy Roast .In August 2010, Tarrant launched the Fishing with Chris Tarrant application for iOS devices in association with Angling Times magazine. Also in 2010 he presented ITV1's The Door , a game show in which celebrities faced unpleasant and scary challenges to win money for charity. On 13 April 2012, Tarrant made an appearance in
2822-520: The Christmas comedy Bernard and the Genie alongside Alan Cumming and Rowan Atkinson . Moreover, Henry is known as the choleric chef Gareth Blackstock from the 1990s television comedy series Chef! , and from his 1999 straight-acting lead role in the BBC drama Hope and Glory . He was co-creator with Neil Gaiman and producer of the 1996 BBC drama serial Neverwhere . Henry appeared as
2905-544: The Rings: The Rings of Power . It premiered on 1 September 2022. In 2021, Henry appeared as a contestant on the second series of The Masked Singer as "Blob". He finished in 6th place. On 6 November 2021, The Guardian published Black British culture matters , curated by Henry and Marcus Ryder for its Saturday Culture Issue No7. In 2022, Henry was cast in The Sandman as the voice of Martin Tenbones ,
2988-555: The TV channel Challenge . On 25 April 2022, Tarrant released his book It's Not A Proper Job: Stories from 50 Years in TV. Tarrant had two children from his marriage to Sheila Roberton, Helen in 1977 and Jennifer in 1980. The couple married in Southend-on-Sea in 1976 and divorced in 1982. Tarrant met his second wife, Ingrid Dupre-Walsh , when they both worked for TV-am . The couple married in 1991 and divorced in 2007. After
3071-518: The UK Singles Chart in 1980. In January 1982, along with Bob Carolgees , John Gorman , Randolph Sutherland and Lenny Henry , Tarrant launched a late-night show, O.T.T. ("Over the Top"), thought of as an "adult" version of Tiswas , which despite being short-lived, was very popular amongst adults. His co-host Sally James presented the concurrent and final series of Tiswas alone. Tarrant
3154-514: The allegations. In subsequent interviews about the Ingram case, 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. He has also said he was very sad about the whole situation, saying: "This was a very cynical plan, motivated by sheer greed. It is hugely insulting to the hundreds and hundreds of other contestants who have come on
3237-555: The breakdown of my marriage." Since 2008, Tarrant has been in a long-term relationship with legal assistant Jane Bird. In June 2000, Tarrant's River Thames launch boat the Ben Gunn was vandalised and burnt at its mooring in East Molesey . Tarrant's father died in 2005 and his mother died in 2012. Whilst Tarrant was preparing for his mother's funeral, he discovered his father's war diary in an open desk. Tarrant stated, "For
3320-506: The characters he had developed during Summer Season, including Theophilus P. Wildebeeste (based on Teddy Pendergrass ) and Delbert Wilkins. A principal scriptwriter for his television and stage shows during the 1990s was Jon Canter . The Lenny Henry Show ran periodically for a further 19 years in various incarnations. Across the incarnations, he performed impressions of several iconic American celebrities such as Beyoncé , Jay-Z , Tina Turner , Prince , Michael Jackson (the two men shared
3403-783: The company now known as Fonterra , as well as portraying Saint Peter in the Virgin Mobile advertising campaign in South Africa. In the UK, he used his character of Theophilus P. Wildebeeste to advertise Alpen muesli , and promoted the non-alcoholic lager , Kaliber . In June 2000, for a BBC documentary, he sailed a trimaran from Plymouth to Antigua with yachtsman Tony Bullimore . In 2005, he appeared in Birmingham , as an act for Jasper Carrott's Rock with Laughter . He appeared alongside performers such as Bill Bailey , Jasper Carrott , Bonnie Tyler , Bobby Davro and
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3486-469: The concurrent and final series of Tiswas alone. In 1984, 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. From March 1987 until April 2004 he hosted Capital Breakfast . The show was highly popular, increasing Capital Radio's audience share in London. Tarrant had regular co-presenter Kara Noble (eventually replaced by Zabe Newsome for
3569-530: The doctor who delivered him to Winston Jervis Henry (1910–1978) and Winifred Louise Henry (1922–1998), who had emigrated to Britain from Jamaica . The fifth of seven children, Henry was the first child of the family to be born in the United Kingdom. When Henry was 10 years old, he began spending time with the man who was later revealed to be his biological father, Albert Augustus "Bertie" Green (1927–2004), another Jamaican immigrant with whom his mother had
3652-478: The early 1990s, Henry starred in the Hollywood film True Identity , in which his character pretended to be a white person (using make-up, prostheses , and a wig) to avoid the mob . The film was not commercially successful. In 1991, he starred in a BBC drama alongside Robbie Coltrane called Alive and Kicking , in which he played a heroin addict, which was based on a true story. Also in 1991, he starred in
3735-406: The first time, I had his own record of his wartime experiences." On 12 March 2014, it was reported that Tarrant had suffered a mini stroke whilst on board a return flight from Bangkok to London Heathrow on 1 March 2014, returning from overseas shooting for Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways . Upon landing, he was rushed to Charing Cross Hospital where doctors did emergency surgery to remove
3818-410: The form of a megamix. In 2003, Tarrant did voice over work on the film Johnny English , where he starred as himself hosting a radio presentation of Sauvage's coronation. In 2008, he presented the game show It's Not What You Know on Challenge . In January 2009, Tarrant began hosting a new ITV show, The Colour of Money , which was cancelled after seven episodes after failing to perform well in
3901-444: The fort at home. In 2008, he became the face of budget hotel operator Premier Inn . One of the 2010 adverts caused controversy and was banned from children's programming hours as it parodied a well-known scene from the film The Shining , with Lenny Henry spoofing the scene originally starring Jack Nicholson , smashing a door with an axe and then thrusting his head through the door saying: "Here's Lenny." In 2011, Henry presented
3984-503: The fundraiser returned on 15 March. Henry is playing a voice acting role in upcoming film Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl . Henry was introduced to the works of Shakespeare when he made the 2006 Radio 4 series Lenny and Will , which saw him going "in search of the magic of Shakespeare in performance". In February 2009, he appeared in the title role in the Northern Broadsides production of Othello at
4067-431: The group, he met his wife, comedian Dawn French . She encouraged him to move over to the fledgling alternative comedy scene, where he established a career as a stand-up comedy performer and character comedian. He introduced characters who both mocked and celebrated African Caribbean British culture, such as Brixton pirate radio disc jockey DJ Delbert Wilkins. His stand-up material, which sold well on LP , owed much to
4150-632: The homeless charity, Centrepoint ; trustee / patron of West Heath School for disadvantaged children; patron of Milly's Fund, set up in memory of murdered Surrey teenager Amanda Dowler ; patron of Swings & Smiles, a charity for children with special needs. He was a patron of the Headway Thames Valley, until he left in 2006, blaming "work commitments". Tarrant is a patron of the Trooper Potts VC Memorial Trust , Reading. As well as Berkshire Vision ,
4233-465: The only black person wherever I go...There was never a black or Asian director when I went to the BBC. Eventually I thought 'where are they all?' I spent a lot of time on my own. Things have changed a bit, but rarely at the BBC do I meet anyone of colour in a position of power." The production was scheduled to transfer to the West End of London from 11 September to 12 December 2009, to be performed at
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#17328021629354316-463: The programme once his contract was finished; no more specials would be filmed after this announcement, leaving only those made before it to be aired as the final episodes. After the final celebrity editions, Tarrant hosted a clip show entitled "Chris' Final Answer", which aired on 11 February 2014 and ended the original series. In 2018, ITV commissioned a new series of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? , to be presented by new host Jeremy Clarkson . In
4399-618: The ratings. In June 2008 it was announced he would return to radio, hosting a weekly Saturday morning show for the GMG Radio network of stations including London's 102.2 Smooth Radio , Real Radio in Scotland and the North West's Century Radio . The show would air in direct competition to Jonathan Ross 's show on BBC Radio 2 and began on 26 July. It was aired for 12 months until July 2009. In 2009, UKTV signed Tarrant to present
4482-537: The role. Charles Spencer in The Daily Telegraph said "This is one of the most astonishing debuts in Shakespeare I have ever seen. It is impossible to praise too highly Henry's courage in taking on so demanding and exposed a role, and then performing it with such authority and feeling." Michael Billington in The Guardian noted "Henry's voice may not always measure up to the rhetorical music of
4565-589: The school at hockey and cricket and gained A, B and D grades at A-level in English, history and ancient history. He then studied English at the University of Birmingham , graduating in 1967. Tarrant worked as a schoolteacher and also 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
4648-419: The show, just hoping for much smaller amounts of money but prepared to try and win their money honestly." In July 2000, Tarrant signed a contract with ITV to present the show until December 2002. This contract was later extended to 2013. On 22 October 2013, Tarrant announced that, after fifteen years of hosting the programme, he would be leaving Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? , which consequently led ITV to axe
4731-540: The song Mercy along with singer Duffy . In January 2009, he appeared on the BBC's comedy show, Live at The Apollo , in which he played host for the night, introducing Andy Parsons and Ed Byrne , where he referred to Misplaced Pages as "Wrongopedia" for containing incorrect information about his life. In October 2009, Henry reprised his role of Deakus to feature in comedy shorts about story writing alongside Nina Wadia , Tara Palmer Tomkinson and Stephen K. Amos . He also offers his own writing tips and amusing anecdotes in
4814-401: The song outside of the TV show situation, and the initial record release. Ultimately though, a compromise was reached and thereafter, the phrase 'Tiswas presents The Four Bucketeers' was used. The aquatic theme was carried through into a less successful follow-up single, the anthemic waltz-time "Water Is Wonderful", which eulogised: An album , entitled Tiswas Presents The Four Bucketeers ,
4897-540: The station. Tarrant began hosting the television quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 1998. The format was sold to over 100 other countries. Tarrant coined the format's catchphrase, "But we don't want to give you that," and continued his older catchphrase, "Is that your final answer?", contributing it to the format. Tarrant presented the ITV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? from 1998 to 2014, while also providing some audio recordings for some console games, and
4980-420: The studio. We had this little area outside the back of the studio where a camera would sort of poke out of the window, so we ended the show down there marching about, sploshing all this water from the buckets. And then the next week it was incredible, because the people were jamming the switchboard, ‘I’ve got to have this record!’. There was never any idea that it would be a record, but of course we did quickly make
5063-526: The tragicomic plight of an innocent abroad." In 2015, Henry was asked by Sky Arts to produce a show for them, Lenny Henry's Got The Blues . He worked with a group of musicians including Jakko Jakszyk , lead singer of King Crimson , to produce the album New Millennium Blues . The album consists of both covers of blues classics, as well as original tracks co-written by Lenny. Henry later released "hard-hitting animated blues video" directed by Iranian filmmaker, Sam Chegini titled The Cops Don't Know which
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#17328021629355146-487: The trial regarding the Ingram fraud case. When called to testify, he stated that he had not noticed anything amiss during the filming and had not heard any coughing. He said that following the win the Ingrams had been behaving "as normal as people who had just won £1m would be in that situation." Tarrant also said that he would not have signed the cheque if he had had suspicions of cheating and was "shocked" when he heard about
5229-413: The verse, but there is a simple dignity to his performance that touches one". Lynne Walker of The Independent said of Henry that his "emotional dynamism is in no doubt. The frenzy within his imagination explodes into rage and, finally, wretchedness. It's not a subtle reading but it works powerfully in this context." Henry has said that he saw parallels between himself and Othello. "I'm used to being
5312-505: The writing abilities of Kim Fuller . During this time, he also spent three years as a DJ on BBC Radio 1 , playing soul and electro tracks and introducing some of the characters that he would later popularise on television. He made a guest appearance in the final episode of The Young Ones as The Postman, in 1984. The first series of The Lenny Henry Show appeared on the BBC in 1984. The show featured stand up, spoofs like his send-up of Michael Jackson's Thriller video , and many of
5395-545: The writing tips video clip on BBC raw words – story writing. He supplied the voices of both Big and Small in the BBC CBeebies children's programme Big & Small . In 2010, Henry produced and starred in a five-part web series for the BBC Comedy website, Conversations with my Wife , about a fictional couple conversing over Skype while the wife is away on business leaving the husband (played by Henry) to hold
5478-471: Was "The Bucket Of Water Song", which reached No. 26 in the UK Singles Chart in 1980. Originally the song was composed and performed as a sketch within the Tiswas programme. According to Sally James , "John came in one day and he said ‘I’ve sort of got this idea’. It’s a march basically, and we all sing this song. And it’s another excuse to chuck buckets of water! So obviously we didn’t do it in
5561-418: Was a Capital Radio host from 1984 to 2004, presenting the early-morning show Capital Breakfast . The show was highly popular, increasing Capital Radio's audience share in London. Tarrant presented the ITV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? from 1998 to 2014, while also providing some audio recordings for some console games, and a tabletop game made by Tiger Electronics based on the show. He recorded
5644-520: Was aired in December 2012. A second series was shown in 2015. In 2013, Channel 5 aired a new series called Chris Tarrant Goes Fishing . A year later Tarrant began appearing in the ITV daytime game show Show Me the Telly as the TV legends team captain. Since 2014, Tarrant has been a brand ambassador and has appeared in commercials for Lottoland . In 2017, Tarrant became a continuity announcer for
5727-438: Was also a presenter. In 1982, along with Bob Carolgees, John Gorman, Randolph Sutherland and Lenny Henry, Tarrant hosted the short-lived Saturday late-night show O.T.T. ("Over the Top"), which was billed as an adult version of Tiswas but was not such a success. Despite being short-lived, the show was very popular amongst adults. After this, Tarrant did a stint on the breakfast television station TV-am . Sally James presented
5810-433: Was also released. This included both singles (albeit a different version of "Water Is Wonderful") together with other skits from the television series. Contrary to the impression given by the singles, these were not all concerned with pailborne aquatic antics. All of The Four Bucketeers' records were produced by Neil Innes . A third single was released from the album featuring Matthew Butler (the 6 year old who dressed as
5893-442: Was also the long-term host of Tarrant on TV , a programme which shows clips featuring a number of unusual television programmes from around the world. He presented the show from 1990 to 2006. In 1998, Tarrant released a compilation album entitled Ultimate Party Megamix on PolyGram Television 's record label. A second edition entitled Ultimate Summer Party was also released. Both albums contain songs compiled by Tarrant himself in
5976-715: Was born on 10 October 1946 in Reading , England, to father Basil and mother Joan Tarrant. His 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. He was also active in the Normandy landings . Tarrant was educated as a boarder in Choir House at the King's School , Worcester from 1960 to 1964. He represented
6059-817: Was contractually obligated to perform and regretted his part in the show, telling The Times in 2015 that his appearance on the show led to a profound "wormhole of depression", and he regretted his family not intervening. In 1976, Henry appeared with Norman Beaton in LWT 's sitcom The Fosters , Britain's first comedy series featuring a predominantly black cast. Henry also made guest appearances on television programmes including Celebrity Squares , Seaside Special and The Ronnie Corbett Show . In 1980, Henry performed in Summer Season in Blackpool with Cannon and Ball . He has since said that "the summer season
6142-570: Was criticised for his opening sketch for the 2011 Comic Relief, during which he spoofed the film The King's Speech and grew impatient with Colin Firth 's portrayal of King George VI as he stammered over his speech. The Sun reported that the British Stammering Association had branded the sketch as "a gross and disgusting gleefulness at pointing out someone else's misfortune". In 2014, Henry appeared in and produced
6225-400: Was formally cautioned by Nottinghamshire Constabulary with regard to the incident. On 5 March 2009, Tarrant was arrested on suspicion of assault at his home in Esher . He was later released without charge. On 18 December 2017, Tarrant appeared in court charged with drink-driving . He returned to court on 18 January 2018 and received a £6,000 fine and a 12-month driving ban. Tarrant
6308-475: Was hired by the television broadcaster, ATV . He presented ATV Today , a current affairs programme serving the Midlands area of England, until 1982. 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. Tarrant was a member of the Four Bucketeers group, whose single "Bucket Of Water Song" reached No. 26 in
6391-530: Was on the New Faces talent show in 1975, aged 16, which he won with impersonations of Frank Spencer, Stevie Wonder and others. His first manager was Robert Luff , who signed him in 1975 and gave him the opportunity, between the ages of 16 and 21, to perform as a comedian as part of the Luff-produced touring stage version of The Black and White Minstrel Show . In July 2009, Lenny Henry stated he
6474-440: Was part panel quiz and part murder drama, based on the board game of the same name. On 1 January 1993, after Thames Television lost its ITV franchise and been replaced by Carlton Television , Tarrant hosted the first programme of the new contractor, A Carlton New Year . Also in 1993, Tarrant hosted Lose A Million , in which contestants started off with a (fictional) million pounds and were required to lose it by aiming to answer
6557-615: Was premiered by Classic Rock magazine on 20 April 2016. Henry has published four books, two autobiographies, and two young adult fantasies . Who Am I, Again? (2019) a memoir that covered his formative years, starting with the arrival of his parents in Dudley, and ending when he began to experience success in the late 1970s. Rising to the Surface continues his memoirs from the point his first ended. Rising... covers his rise to fame. Henry begins with his children's show Tiswas and continues through his The Lenny Henry Show , which
6640-524: Was set to star in a biographical film of Billy Strachan's life titled A Wing and a Prayer , however the script was never turned into a movie. Peter Frost, a journalist for the Morning Star , believes that Strachan's communist beliefs were somewhat responsible for the movie not being created. In 2003, Henry was listed in The Observer as one of the fifty funniest acts in British comedy. He
6723-496: Was the first time [he] felt that [his] act had received a proper response from an audience". Around the same time, he co-hosted the children's programme Tiswas from 1978 until 1981 playing such characters as Rastafarian Algernon Razzmatazz, David Bellamy and Trevor McDoughnut (a parody of Trevor McDonald ), and subsequently performed in and wrote for the show Three of a Kind . Also in 1980, he teamed up with alternative-comedy collective The Comic Strip . While involved with
6806-636: Was the voice of the British speaking clock for two weeks in March 2003 in aid of Comic Relief. Henry voiced Dre Head, the " shrunken head " on the Knight Bus in the 2004 Alfonso Cuarón movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , and read the audiobook version of Neil Gaiman 's Anansi Boys . He also voiced Sporty on the children's show Little Robots . Henry appeared in advertisements for butter products in New Zealand, commissioned by
6889-640: Was voted Number 38 in ITV 's TV's 50 Greatest Stars list of 2006. In August 2010, Tarrant was awarded a place on Birmingham's Walk of Stars , and made an honorary citizen of Birmingham . On receiving the award, he said, "I love it here. I'm an honorary Brummie. I owe everything that has happened in my career to my start in Birmingham with ATV and Tiswas . I'm very proud to have my own bit of pavement on Broad Street in Brum." Lenny Henry Sir Lenworth George Henry CBE (born 29 August 1958)
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