Frank Bough

Frank Bough (pronEng|ˈbɒf) (born 15 January 1933) is a British television presenter who specialised in sports programmes.

Early life

He was born in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, England on 15 January, 1933.

Bough was educated at the independent Oswestry School in Oswestry, Shropshire and at Merton College, Oxford, reputedly being one of the last generation of undergraduates to be awarded a fourth class degree. He played football for the university against Cambridge, and performed his national service in the Royal Tank Regiment.

Career

He joined the BBC as an anchorman and reporter and in 1964 he began presenting the BBC Sports Review of the Year, which he would host for eighteen years. He also presented "Sportsview", and in 1968 the BBC's flagship Saturday afternoon sports programme "Grandstand". He went on to present the early evening news programme, "Nationwide". This made him one of the most familiar faces on British television throughout the 1970s.

In 1977 Bough was memorably a guest on the "Morecambe and Wise" Christmas special, performing a song and dance routine in top hat and tails with the likes of Eddie Waring and Barry Norman, among others. The programme's recorded audience figures remain a British record.

He was the main presenter of the BBC's coverage of the 1978 World Cup finals in Argentina, and was the BBC correspondent at Guildford for the Election 79 programme.

He was a roving holidaymaker in the BBC's "Holiday" programme; and made history as the first presenter of the BBC's inaugural breakfast television programme, "Breakfast Time" with Selina Scott. He left Breakfast Time at the end of 1987, moving on to be the main anchor for the BBC's "Holiday" programme for the next year. When allegations about his private life surfaced, he was dropped by the BBC and moved to LWT (part of the ITV network) where he fronted a Friday evening magazine programme. At the same time, he had a short lived interview programme on Sky TV.

In the early 1990s he was a presenter on London's LBC radio, staying on for the launch of London News Talk and moving to the News 97.3 service where he remained until 1996. He then presented Travel Live for the cable channel Travel.

Personal life

He married Nesta Howells (grand-niece of Rees Howells) after leaving the army in 1959. They have three children.

Bough had a colourful private life which involved taking cocaine and wearing lingerie at sex parties. [Platell, Amanda [http://www.newstatesman.com/200210280021 Watching brief - Amanda Platell won't have Angus Deayton home] , New Statesman, 28 October 2002, accessed 12 June 2008] The cocaine allegations almost ended his television career, although he did briefly return to present ITV's coverage of the 1991 Rugby World Cup. He also made headlines after being found in an S&M brothel in 1992. [ [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-508836/Stars-BBC-Breakfast-Time-reunite-celebrate-25th-anniversary--wheres-Frank-Bough.html Stars of BBC Breakfast Time reunite to celebrate 25th anniversary - but where's Frank Bough?] Daily Mail , 17 January 2008, accessed 12 June 2008]

In 1993, after his activities were regularly ridiculed in monologues by Angus Deayton on "Have I Got News For You", Bough was invited on to the programme as a guest and agreed. He was not ridiculed by Deayton this time, although Ian Hislop and Jo Brand made light-hearted comments when a picture of a woman's legs in stockings were shown.

He had a liver transplant in 2001 after cancer was found.

He now lives in retirement in Holyport, Berkshire.

References

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/in_depth/2000/sports_personality/1021673.stm Frank Bough's career on the BBC website]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0099271/ Frank Bough at IMDb]

Persondata
NAME= Bough, Frank
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=British television presenter
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, England
DATE OF BIRTH=1933-01-15
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=