Noel Edmonds – Nostalgia Central

Essex-born Edmonds – an ex-public schoolboy and the son of a headmaster and a student teacher – turned down the chance of going to university for a broadcasting job with Radio Luxembourg in 1968.

With ten O-levels and four A-levels behind him, he entered the world of showbiz at the tender age of 19. Then he struck it lucky.

Joining the BBC in 1969, his chance to hit the big time came in 1970, when he was picked to take over Kenny Everett‘s Sunday morning show, a move that made him the youngest regular DJ on Radio 1.

In 1973, Edmonds took over the coveted Radio 1 Breakfast Show from Tony Blackburn. He hosted it for five highly successful years, pulling in millions of daily listeners with his cheeky on-air style.

From 1976 to 1982, he hosted the Saturday-morning children’s show Swap Shop. It revolutionised British TV by introducing live phone-ins and a national swap system for children’s toys.

The massive Saturday night light-entertainment show Noel’s House Party drew up to 15 million viewers weekly. It gave rise to the fictional village of Crinkley Bottom, the legendary “Gotcha” celebrity pranks, and the cultural phenomenon Mr Blobby.

In 2005, Edmonds made a triumphant television comeback, hosting Channel 4’s high-stakes game show Deal or No Deal for 11 years. He presented nearly 3,000 episodes before the original UK run ended in 2016.

In 2019, Edmonds and his third wife, Liz Davies, relocated to New Zealand, buying up a multi-million-dollar property portfolio.