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Angela May Rippon (born 12 October 1944)"Angela Rippon," ''Contemporary Authors Online'', Detroit: Gale, (2008) ''Gale Biography In Context'' is an English television journalist, newsreader, writer and presenter. Rippon presented radio and television news programmes in
South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities ...
before moving to
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
's '' Nine O'Clock News'', becoming a regular presenter in 1975. She was the first female journalist permanently to present the BBC national television news, and the second female news presenter on British television after
Barbara Mandell Allada Barbara Grenville Wells (15 July 1920 – 25 August 1998), known professionally as Barbara Mandell, was a British journalist, broadcaster, newsreader and travel writer. She became the United Kingdom's first female newsreader after she was ...
on Independent Television News (ITN) in 1955. Rippon appeared on a
Morecambe and Wise Eric Morecambe (John Eric Bartholomew, 14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984) and Ernie Wise (Ernest Wiseman, 27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known as Morecambe and Wise (and sometimes as Eric and Ernie), were an English comic double act, workin ...
Christmas Show in 1976, presented the first two series of '' Top Gear'' and also presented '' Come Dancing''. She hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977. She was a presenter on, and co-founder of, breakfast television franchisee TV-am. In the 1990s, she moved to radio, presenting daily news programmes for LBC Newstalk between 1990 and 1994, and appeared on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
's ''
The Big Breakfast ''The Big Breakfast'' is a British breakfast light entertainment television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4. Originally presented by Chris Evans and Gaby Roslin, the show was latterly presented by Mo Gilligan and AJ Odudu. The p ...
'' as a stand-in newsreader. She presented the BBC broadcast of the United Kingdom Ballroom Championships at the Bournemouth International Centre in 1991. Rippon has written fourteen books,"Angela Rippon," ''People of Today'', Debrett's Ltd., (2011) ''Gale Biography In Context'' toured with a production of '' Anything Goes'' and presented a segment of BBC One's ''
The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Ronan ...
''. Since 2009, she has co-presented the BBC consumer show '' Rip Off Britain'' with
Gloria Hunniford Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford, OBE (born 10 April 1940) is a Northern Irish television and radio presenter, broadcaster and singer. She is known for presenting programmes on the BBC and ITV, such as '' Rip Off Britain'', and her regular appea ...
and Julia Somerville and since 2013, she has co-hosted ''Holiday Hit Squad'' on the BBC alongside Helen Skelton and
Joe Crowley Joseph Crowley (born March 16, 1962) is an American politician and consultant who served as U.S. Representative from New York's 14th congressional district from 1999 to 2019. He was defeated by Democratic primary challenger Alexandria Ocasio-C ...
. She also regularly voices the BBC One game show '' The Wall''. Currently, she is often seen presenting on GB News as a stand-in presenter for Alastair Stewart.


Early life

Rippon was born in
Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to ...
,
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
, into a working-class family. Her father, John, was a Royal Marine; she first saw him in 1947 when he returned from
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. Rippon's Scottish mother, Edna, worked at a fine china company called Lawley's and was also a
seamstress A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician. Not ...
. She attended Public Secondary School for Girls, Cobourg Street in Plymouth.


Career

After leaving school at 17, Rippon joined the photographic office of the ''
Western Morning News The ''Western Morning News'' is a daily regional newspaper founded in 1860, and covering the West Country including Devon, Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and parts of Somerset and Dorset in the South West of England. Organisation The ''Western M ...
'' and worked for the ''Sunday Independent'', and later, BBC local radio and Westward Television as an editor.


Television and radio

When she was 21, Rippon began her television career at
BBC South West BBC South West is the BBC English Regions, BBC English Region serving Cornwall, Devon, Isles of Scilly, West Somerset, West Dorset and Channel Islands. Services Television ''BBC South Wests television service (broadcast on BBC One South West) con ...
in Plymouth in 1966, before becoming a reporter for BBC TV news. Rippon first presented a national news programme on
BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...
in 1974. For a fortnight, she replaced newsreader Richard Baker – who was on holiday – on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
's ''Nine O'Clock News'', and was offered a permanent newsreading role on that programme in 1975. Rippon was called by newspapers the first female television newsreader. However, ITN's
Barbara Mandell Allada Barbara Grenville Wells (15 July 1920 – 25 August 1998), known professionally as Barbara Mandell, was a British journalist, broadcaster, newsreader and travel writer. She became the United Kingdom's first female newsreader after she was ...
predated her, having first appeared on the second night of ITV in 1955; Nan Winton was the first female BBC newsreader in 1960, and Mary Marquis had already been
BBC Scotland BBC Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''BBC Alba'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Irela ...
's main newsreader for a few years. Rippon was the first female journalist to read the news regularly on national television. In an interview with ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'', she said: "You just become an automated autocue reader and if you've half a brain you want an opportunity to use it. When I read the Nine O'Clock News, I kept my brain active by working on programmes like '' Antiques Roadshow'' (which she briefly hosted in 1979), '' Top Gear'' and ''In the Country''." Rippon was a guest in the 1976
Morecambe and Wise Eric Morecambe (John Eric Bartholomew, 14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984) and Ernie Wise (Ernest Wiseman, 27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known as Morecambe and Wise (and sometimes as Eric and Ernie), were an English comic double act, workin ...
Christmas Show, first appearing behind a BBC newsdesk, then emerging to perform a high-kicking dance routine. Her appearance was so popular she made a
cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...
in the following year's show, in which she was revealed to be one of a
chorus line A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed. Chorus line dancers in Broadway musicals and revues have been referred to by slang terms su ...
. Rippon later presented the long-running show '' Come Dancing''. Rippon hosted the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest at the Wembley Conference Centre in London. She was the first presenter of BBC television's '' Top Gear'', presenting the motoring programme from 1977 to 1979. Rippon appeared briefly on TV-am following its launch in 1983. After a much publicised exit from TV-am (with most of its other founder presenters), she worked as an Arts and Entertainments correspondent for WHDH-TV (then known as WNEV) in Boston, Massachusetts for a brief period. Rippon co-presented the BBC's coverage of the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer on 29 July 1981 and BBC One's coverage of the 1979 UK general election results. In the mid-1980s, she hosted the quiz show, '' Masterteam'' on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
, and hosted ITV's revival of the panel game '' What's My Line?'' from 1989 to 1990. In 1990, she also hosted a game show, '' Matchpoint'', that was based on tennis format. She also became a regular presenter on
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
, often sitting in for Jimmy Young and presenting a seasonal Friday night show from 1986 to 1989. From 1990 to 1994, she presented ''Angela Rippon's Morning Report'', a daily radio news programme on LBC Newstalk, and, later, ''Angela Rippon's Drivetime''. She was a stand-in newsreader on Channel 4's The Big Breakfast until 2002. In 2005, Rippon co-hosted a series of ''Sun, Sea and Bargain Spotting'' for BBC 2 and in April 2006, she toured the UK as a cast member of the musical ''Anything Goes''. In 2007, she became a presenter on ''
Cash in the Attic ''Cash in the Attic'' is a British television programme that aired on BBC One from 4 November 2002 to 24 May 2012. The programme's tagline was ''The show that helps you find hidden treasures in your home, and then sells them for you at auction ...
'', a BBC One daytime television programme broadcast where presenters meet members of the general public, who seek out valuables and antiques to be sold at auction, in their homes. In 1997, Rippon presented the
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
show "Game of War" with co-presenter
Paddy Griffith Paddy Griffith (4 February 1947, Liverpool, England – 25 June 2010) was a British military theorist and historian, who authored numerous books in the field of War Studies. He was also a wargame designer for the UK Ministry of Defence, and a le ...
, a programme that re-enacted historic battles on the wargames table with modern-day military commanders re-fighting the battles. The show only aired for three episodes. The battles re-fought were Battle of Naseby (14 June 1645),
Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armies of the Sevent ...
(18 June 1815) and Battle of Balaklava (25 October 1854). In 2010, Rippon appeared for one night on the ITV show ''
Dancing on Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their prof ...
'' as a judge, covering for Robin Cousins and returned to the show as one of 16 participants in the sixth season on 9 January 2011, with her professional partner, Canadian ice skater
Sean Rice Sean Rice (July 20, 1972 – January 14, 2022) was a Canadian pair skater who also competed in the fours discipline. With Jodeyne Higgins, he was the 1995 Skate Canada International bronze medalist, the 1992 Nebelhorn Trophy bronze medalist, ...
. In March 2011, she appeared with Lenny Henry,
Samantha Womack Samantha Zoe Womack (''née'' Janus; born 2 November 1972) is an English actress, singer, model and director who has worked in film, television and stage. Womack initially planned a career in singing and she represented the United Kingdom i ...
and Reggie Yates in a BBC documentary to raise funds for
Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...
. It was called ''Famous, Rich and in the Slums'', and showed four celebrities travelling to
Kibera Kibera (Kinubi: ''Forest'' or ''Jungle'') is a division of Nairobi Area, Kenya, and neighbourhood of the city of Nairobi, from the city centre. Kibera is the largest slum in Nairobi, and the largest urban slum in Africa.http://www.dominionp ...
in Kenya, Africa's largest
slum A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily ...
. In 2011 she joined ''
The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Ronan ...
'', presenting a five-minute slot called "Rippon's Britain". On 19 November 2011, Rippon appeared on Children in Need, performing alongside BBC newsreaders
Sian Williams Sian Mary Williams (; born 28 November 1964) is a Welsh journalist, current affairs presenter best known for her work with the BBC, and psychologist. From 2001 until 2012, Williams regularly presented weekday editions of ''BBC Breakfast'' a ...
, Susanna Reid, Sophie Raworth, and Emily Maitlis in a special one-off edition of ''
Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 j ...
''. In the same month she worked briefly on
BBC Radio 5 Live BBC Radio 5 Live is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that broadcasts mainly news, sport, discussion, interviews and phone-ins. It is the principal BBC radio station Broadcasting of sports events, covering sport in ...
as a stand-in presenter on the ''Double Take'' programme. Rippon joined the BBC again, as a co-presenter on the
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
show ''Holiday Hit Squad'' in 2013, alongside
Joe Crowley Joseph Crowley (born March 16, 1962) is an American politician and consultant who served as U.S. Representative from New York's 14th congressional district from 1999 to 2019. He was defeated by Democratic primary challenger Alexandria Ocasio-C ...
and Helen Skelton. The show returned for a second series in March 2014. In 2014, Rippon co-hosted the ITV Saturday night entertainment series '' Amazing Greys'' alongside Paddy McGuinness. The show lasted for just one series. In April 2016, she co-presented the two-part
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
series ''How to Stay Young''. In 2018, Rippon was a co-presenter of live coverage of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for Channel Seven (Australia) alongside
Michael Usher Michael Usher is an Australian television presenter and reporter. Usher presents ''Seven News Sydney'' on Friday and Saturday with Angela Cox and ''The Latest: Seven News''. Career Usher graduated from All Saints' College, Perth in 1987. He we ...
and Melissa Doyle. In 2021, on the Christmas episode of '' Would I Lie to You?'', Rippon revealed that her nickname was "Ripps". In 2022, she provided analysis on the Australian television broadcaster
Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
's coverage of the
death and state funeral of Elizabeth II On 8 September 2022, at 15:10 BST, Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, and the longest-reigning British monarch, died of old age at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, at the age of 96. The Queen's death wa ...
as a royal commentator. She has been a stand-in presenter on GB News, first alongside
Eamonn Holmes Eamonn Holmes (; born 3 December 1959)Holmes receives honorary degree
BBC ...
on the breakfast programme, and then on Alistair Stewart and Friends.


Books

In the early 1980s, Rippon wrote a series of children's books about a character called "Victoria Plum" that was published by
Purnell and Sons Purnell and Sons started out as a small family printers based in Somerset which merged with other printers over the next 100 years to become one the largest print groups in the UK and at one time a major publisher. History The company was found ...
. Victoria Plum was a tree fairy in "the Great Wood". Merchandise and a Christmas annual were released following the second series. In 1982, she wrote a book '' Mark Phillips, the Man and His Horses'', about the Princess Royal's then husband. Rippon has since written keep-fit guides for older people, including ''Stay Active, Stay Supple, Stay Healthy''.


Other activities

Rippon is patron of the Old Time Dance Society. In 2010, she attended the society's 25th Anniversary Ball of the Year. In 2000, Rippon was appointed Chair of
English National Ballet English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin as London Festival Ballet and based in London, England. Along with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scot ...
. After several years of involvement, she resigned in late 2003 following complaints and briefings about her leadership style, which was described as "schoolmistressy" and "imperious".


Personal life

In 1967 at the age of 22, she married Christopher Dare, an engineer. They separated in 1989, divorcing later. They had no children.


Honours and awards

She was the subject of ''
This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...
'' in 1981 when she was surprised by
Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...
while signing copies of her newly published book in a store at the Brent Cross Shopping Centre. Rippon was appointed
Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(OBE) in the
2004 Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours 2004 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 11 June 2004 for the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the Cook IslandsCook Islands list: and elsewhere to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2004. The recipients of honours are ...
. Rippon was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from
Plymouth University The University of Plymouth is a public research university based predominantly in Plymouth, England, where the main campus is located, but the university has campuses and affiliated colleges across South West England. With students, it is th ...
in 2012. She was appointed
Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(CBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to dementia care in her role as development lead with Dementia Friendly Communities.


Filmography


References


External links

*
Bio at www.screenonline.org

Angela Rippon
at Knight Ayton Management {{DEFAULTSORT:Rippon, Angela 1944 births Living people BBC newsreaders and journalists English journalists British women journalists English National Ballet English television presenters British women television presenters Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Mass media people from Plymouth, Devon Top Gear people WFTV Award winners BBC Radio 2 presenters British women radio presenters