Johnny Vaughan

Johnny Vaughan (born July 16 1966) is an English broadcaster and journalist. Vaughan has become well-known as a television and radio personality and has also built a reputation as a film critic. He is currently the presenter of the Capital Breakfast with Johnny Vaughan on London radio station 95.8 Capital FM and also writes a weekly column in "The Sun" newspaper reviewing recent film releases. He is well noted for his ironic sense of humour which some have occasionally found offensive.

Biography

Born Jonathan Randall Vaughan in Barnet, North London, he was educated privately at Uppingham School, Rutland. On leaving, Vaughan worked as a video-shop assistant.

In 1988, Vaughan was arrested for trying to sell £15,000 of cocaine to undercover policemen in Northampton. He was found guilty of being "concerned with the supply" of cocaine and sentenced to 4 years in prison, of which he served 2 years. [ [http://www.thelondonpaper.com/cs/Satellite/london/news/article/1157141999966?packedargs=aid%3D1157141999966%26suffix%3DArticleController Interview: Johnny Vaughan | london focus | the londonpaper ] ] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/1304609.stm BBC News | TV AND RADIO | The rise of Johnny come lately ] ]

Career

On release from prison, Vaughan decided to turn his life around by developing a career in entertainment and media. His big break into television was on Channel 4 in 1993, when the public first saw his blend of quick-fire humour and impressions on the movie review show "Moviewatch."

Channel 4 producers decided he was a natural in front of the camera, and in light of ailing viewing figures he was chosen to front "The Big Breakfast" from 1997 until 2001, forming a successful partnership with former programme weather girl and actress Denise van Outen from 1998. Van Outen's cheeky "Essex Girl" personality played off well against the quick wit of Vaughan, and together they recovered audience figures to record levels. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/joseph/about/outen.shtml Bio at BBC Joseph] BBC.com - "retrieved 11th August 2007"] One groundbreaking feature of Johnny's presentation was the way in which he frequently interacted with the various cameramen and technical people in the studio, turning some of them into popular characters in their own right. Also notable was that each programme finished with a zany situational competition in which Johnny revealed considerable talent as a character actor. In parallel with "The Big Breakfast" Vaughan presented another movie show, "The Johnny Vaughan Film Show."

Van Outen left to pursue her acting career at the end of 1998. The partnership with replacement glamour model Kelly Brook failed to reproduce the chemistry between Vaughan and Van Outen [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/408073.stm Kelly quits Big Breakfast] BBC News - 30 July, 1999] , and audience figures "plummeted" [ [http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=15958397&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=kelly-brook--why-i-want-my-sex-scenes-cut-out--name_page.html Kelly Brook: Why I Want My Sex Scenes Cut Out] The Daily Mirror - 12 September, 2005] . Brook was replaced by Liza Tarbuck and Van Outen returned again as main female presenter in 2000 [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/866333.stm Van Outen's Breakfast return] BBC News - 4 August, 2000] but the show was unrevivable. Johnny and Denise left the show in January 2001 [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1113460.stm Breakfast over for Denise and Johnny] BBC News - 12 January, 2001] .

In 2001 he transferred to the BBC to present a late-night talk show, "Johnny Vaughan Tonight" in the same vein of American shows by Johnny Carson and Jay Leno. Viewing figures were good, and commentators suggested that the format was best suited to the free-wheeling Vaughan. A highly promoted BBC Two sitcom vehicle "'Orrible" was poorly received by the critics, and - far from being the huge hit that was hoped - was not renewed for a second series or even repeated. It is now the single most expensive comedy series available for purchase on Amazon. In October 2003 he devised and produced and was the first presenter of BBC Radio Five Live's Fighting Talk, a sport related show comedy show currently presented by Colin Murray. Further television appearances ensued, when Vaughan tried a revival of his on screen relationship with Van Outen in 2004 in the BBC's Saturday night family show "Passport to Paradise." [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4054443.stm Johnny and Denise lose Passport] BBC News - 30 November, 2004]

In April 2004 he moved to radio and returned to the "zoo" format, when he replaced Chris Tarrant as the presenter of the Capital 95.8 breakfast show, and has since seen the listening figures for his show drop from over 1.3 million to 980,000 listeners, according to official Rajar statistics. [ [http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/frames/master.asp?sid=20&aid=153971 statistics broadcastnow.co.uk] ] The show is now the third most popular in London, behind BBC Radio 4's "Today" programme and Radio 2's "Wake Up To Wogan" respectively. [ [http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/newshome.asp?sid=1&aid=144728 broadcastnow.co.uk] ]

Vaughan has also been heavily involved with telethon charity drives such as "Children in Need", "Comic Relief" and "Sport Relief". In 2004 the BBC ran "a search to find the nation's best-loved sitcom" with a format that aped that of the 100 Greatest Britons. One celebrity championed each of the top ten sitcoms, presenting an hour-long special on why their favourite was the best. Vaughan was the presenter of the segment on prison-based sitcom "Porridge".

In 2005, Vaughan became the host of the American reality/game show "My Kind of Town" on ABC. The show was cancelled after four episodes. He was also featured in the 2005 film , playing an awards ceremony host.

Vaughan presented the controversial hoax "reality" show "Space Cadets" for Channel 4.

In June 2006, Vaughan appeared as a guest on "TV Heaven, Telly Hell".

He was a team captain on the Channel 4 comedy panel show "Best of the Worst" that also features team captain David Mitchell (Peep Show), and chairman Alexander Armstrong. They and their guests celebrate the very best of the very bad, although the show appears not to have been renewed for a second series.

In December 2006, he made a guest appearance on the BBC comedy panel game QI (Series D, Episode 10, "Divination").

Personal life

He is married to Antonia Davies; they met while he was working in a video store at age 19. They have 2 children, Tabitha born 2000 and Rafferty born 2003.

Vaughan is a big fan of cars and currently owns a Maserati 3200 GT. An avid supporter of Chelsea FC, he travelled to Sweden to see Chelsea win the 1998 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final, and spent the next day broadcasting live on "The Big Breakfast" with images and details of the big moments in the match, with input from his friends.

He has had thinning hair for a number of years, and on the television show "Best of the Worst" expressed jealousy of those with "long fly away locks."

References

* Vaughan's interview with Ian Burrell in "The Independent", 13th April 2004

External links

* [http://www.capitalfm.com/breakfastshow/ Johnny's homepage at capitalfm.com]
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* http://www.geocities.com/jess_mcmahon/ Unofficial - The World of Johnny Vaughan]
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