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Keith Chegwin (17 January 1957 – 11 December 2017), also known by the nickname Cheggers, was an English television presenter and actor, appearing in several children's entertainment shows in the 1970s and 1980s, including ''
Multi-Coloured Swap Shop ''Multi-Coloured Swap Shop'', more commonly known simply as ''Swap Shop'', is a British children's television series that aired on BBC1 from 2 October 1976 to 27 March 1982. It was groundbreaking in many ways: by broadcasting on Saturday morning ...
'' and '' Cheggers Plays Pop''. Chegwin's early career saw him performing in such West End stage shows as ''
Tom Brown's School Days ''Tom Brown's School Days'' (sometimes written ''Tom Brown's Schooldays'', also published under the titles ''Tom Brown at Rugby'', ''School Days at Rugby'', and ''Tom Brown's School Days at Rugby'') is a novel by Thomas Hughes, published in 1 ...
'' and '' Captain Pugwash''. He also had a career as a singer, releasing singles on the
Pye Records PYE or Pye Records is an independent British record label. It was first established in 1955 and played a major role in shaping rock 'n' roll and pop music history. The Pye name was dropped in 1980 due to trademark issues, after which it produced ...
label and worked as a disc jockey for 194 Radio City in Liverpool. He spent four years at
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
on
Tony Blackburn Anthony Kenneth Blackburn (born 29 January 1943) is an English disc jockey, singer and television presenter, whose career spans over 60 years. Blackburn first achieved fame broadcasting on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio Londo ...
's weekend morning show. In 2000, he presented the Channel 5 nudist game-show '' Naked Jungle'', appearing naked except for a hat and later describing it as "the worst career move" in his life. Chegwin was known for his off-the-cuff ad-lib style of broadcasting and stated that no one had ever written a word for him. In 2012, he was scheduled to take part in the 7th series of ''
Dancing on Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series broadcast from 2006 to 2014 and then from 2018 to 2025. It was presented by Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern. Other previous hosts include Phillip Schofield and Christine Lampard. The series ...
'', but he was forced to withdraw after breaking three ribs and fracturing his shoulder on the first day of training. In 2015, he was a housemate on ''
Celebrity Big Brother ''Celebrity Big Brother'' or ''Big Brother VIP'' is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, t ...
'' series 15 where he finished in fourth place. Chegwin died on 11 December 2017 of the lung disease
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) synonymous with cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis is a rare, progressive illness of the respiratory system, characterized by the thickening and stiffening of lung tissue, associated with the formation of scar ...
.


Early life

Chegwin was born in Walton, Liverpool, on 17 January 1957. His elder sister was future DJ Janice Long (1955–2021). He also had a twin brother, Jeff, with whom he attended stage school and whose son, Hugo Chegwin, co-created and starred in
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...
mockumentary sitcom '' People Just Do Nothing''. Chegwin entered an end-of-the-pier talent competition in Rhyl,
North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...
, and later joined 'The Happy Wanderers', a concert party that toured the pubs and clubs of the North West. He was then spotted by June Collins (mother of
Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...
) of the Barbara Speake Stage School on '' Junior Showtime'', a
Yorkshire Television ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...
children's talent series. She invited him to London to audition for the stage show ''
Mame MAME (formerly an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a free and open-source emulator designed to emulate the hardware of arcade games, video game consoles, old computers and other systems in software on modern personal computers and ...
'' with
Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...
. He attended stage school with his twin brother, Jeff. As part of a play he performed in at the school, Chegwin sang the first song that Phil Collins ever wrote.


Early career

While at school, Chegwin auditioned and gained roles on TV, film and stage. He appeared in
Children's Film Foundation The Children's Film Foundation (CFF) is a non-profit organisation which makes films and other media for children in the United Kingdom. Originally it made films to be shown as part of children's Saturday morning matinée cinema programming. Th ...
productions, including as Egghead Wentworth in ''The Troublesome Double'' (1967) and ''Egghead's Robot'' (1970). His most prestigious acting role was that of Fleance in
Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...
's film ''
Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...
'' (1971); he also had a small role in the film '' The Optimists of Nine Elms'' (1973). In 1973 Chegwin appeared in the pilot episode of ''
Open All Hours ''Open All Hours'' is a British television sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke for the BBC. It ran for 26 episodes over four series, which aired in 1976, 1981, 1982, and 1985. The programme was developed from a television pilot broadcast ...
''. After that he had parts in '' The Liver Birds'', '' The Adventures of Black Beauty'', '' My Old Man'', ''
Village Hall A village hall is a public building in a rural or suburban community which functions as a community centre without a religious affiliation. United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a village hall is a building which is owned by a local gover ...
'', ''
Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police and CID detectives in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by ...
'' (both 1974), ITV's ''The Wackers'' and ''
The Tomorrow People ''The Tomorrow People'' is a British children's science fiction on television, science fiction television series created by Roger Price (television producer), Roger Price. Produced by Thames Television for the ITV (TV network), ITV Network, th ...
'' serial ''Worlds Away'' (both 1975). Chegwin's last major acting role was the title role in the film ''Robin Hood Junior'' (1975), although he had two small roles with Tom Courtenay in the '' Chester Mystery Cycle'' (1976) and some years later in the film '' Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?'' (1999). He appeared in TV ads for products such as
Pepsi Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...
and Cadbury Creme Eggs as well as for Ready Brek, Toffo and
Tizer Tizer is a red-coloured, citrus-flavoured soft drink bottled and sold in the UK. The name originally comes from the original name, "Pickup's Appetiser". It was launched in 1924 by Fred and Tom Pickup of Birtle, Bury when it was known as "Picku ...
, and was also associated with the
Freemans Freemans is a British online and catalogue multi-channel retailer headquartered in Bradford, England. Freemans offers a range of products, predominantly clothing, footwear and homewares. History The company was founded as Freemans & Co in 19 ...
catalogue. Chegwin performed in West End stage shows such as ''
Tom Brown's School Days ''Tom Brown's School Days'' (sometimes written ''Tom Brown's Schooldays'', also published under the titles ''Tom Brown at Rugby'', ''School Days at Rugby'', and ''Tom Brown's School Days at Rugby'') is a novel by Thomas Hughes, published in 1 ...
'' with Russell Grant and Simon Le Bon; ''The Good Old Bad Old Days'' with
Anthony Newley Anthony Newley (24 September 1931 – 14 April 1999) was an English actor, director, comedian, singer, and composer. A "latter-day British Al Jolson", he achieved widespread success in song, and on stage and screen. "One of Broadway's greatest ...
; and '' Captain Pugwash'' by John Kennett at the King's Road Theatre in 1973. He had a career as a singer, releasing singles on the Cherub and Pye record labels, such as 'I'll Never Fall in Love Again' (1977), but turned down an offer to front the band
Kenny Kenny is a surname, a given name, and a diminutive of several different given names. In Ireland, the surname is an Anglicisation of the Irish ''Ó Cionnaith'', also spelt ''Ó Cionnaoith'' and ''Ó Cionaodha'', meaning "descendant of Cionnaith". ...
(who had a number 3 hit in the UK singles chart with "The Bump"). He also worked as a disc jockey for 194 Radio City in Liverpool, and worked at
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
on
Tony Blackburn Anthony Kenneth Blackburn (born 29 January 1943) is an English disc jockey, singer and television presenter, whose career spans over 60 years. Blackburn first achieved fame broadcasting on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio Londo ...
's weekend morning show for four years.


Presenting and later career

In the mid-1970s, Chegwin moved away from acting, becoming a household name presenting programmes such as ''
Multi-Coloured Swap Shop ''Multi-Coloured Swap Shop'', more commonly known simply as ''Swap Shop'', is a British children's television series that aired on BBC1 from 2 October 1976 to 27 March 1982. It was groundbreaking in many ways: by broadcasting on Saturday morning ...
'' (1976–82), '' Cheggers Plays Pop'' (1978–86) and, in the 1980s, ''
Saturday Superstore ''Saturday Superstore'' is a British children's television series that aired on BBC1 from 2 October 1982 to 18 April 1987. It was shown on Saturday mornings with presenters including Mike Read, Sarah Greene, Keith Chegwin, and John Craven. The ...
''. As Brown Sauce, he and ''Swap Shop'' co-presenters
Noel Edmonds Noel Ernest Edmonds (born 22 December 1948) is an English businessman, and former television presenter, radio DJ, writer and producer. Edmonds first became known as a disc jockey on Radio Luxembourg before moving to BBC Radio 1 in the UK, pres ...
and
Maggie Philbin Margaret Elizabeth Philbin Officer of the Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 23 June 1955) is an English radio and television presenter whose credits include ''Tomorrow's World'', ''Multi-Coloured Swap Shop'' and latterly ''Bang Goes the Th ...
released the pop single "I Wanna Be a Winner", which reached number 15 in January 1982, and a follow-up single as the Saucers called "Spring Has Sprung". On ''Swap Shop'' and ''Superstore'', he was featured in outside broadcasts; on ''Swap Shop'' they were called Swaparama, appearing at outdoor venues around Britain, where he helped children swap their toys. On ''Superstore'', Chegwin had a similar role. Chegwin was known for his off-the-cuff ad-lib style of broadcasting. He stated that no-one had ever written a word for him. Chegwin's career waned in the late 1980s and 1990s, due to his alcoholism, as detailed, in his own words, in his semi-autobiographical book, ''Shaken But Not Stirred''. From 1989 to 1991, he hosted the live nightly
Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...
talent programme ''Sky Star Search''. Chegwin stopped drinking after his appearance on the Richard and Judy show '' This Morning'' on 5 November 1992. Chegwin's career regained speed in 1993 when he presented the "Down Your Doorstep"
outside broadcast Outside or Outsides may refer to: * Wilderness Books and magazines * ''Outside'', a book by Marguerite Duras * Outside (magazine), ''Outside'' (magazine), an outdoors magazine Film, theatre and TV * Outside TV (formerly RSN Television), a televi ...
segment on ''
The Big Breakfast ''The Big Breakfast'' is a British breakfast light entertainment television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4 from 1992 to 2002, and as a revival from 2021 to 2022. The show had various presenters, starting with Chris Evans (presenter), ...
'' and subsequently hosted the show from 1995 to 1996. Chegwin also presented a short-lived cookery show called ''The Heat is On'' for UK Living in 1997. Only 1 series of the show was produced and was not renewed for further series. Chegwin went on to present a revived version of the 1970s gameshow '' It's a Knockout'' on Channel 5 from 1999 to 2000. He also toured the country hosting Graham Fisher's International Knockout for corporate and charity events. In 2000 Chegwin presented his own internet TV show, where his daily audience for the seven-week trial reached over 250,000. Chegwin presented the
Yorkshire Television ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...
-made Channel 5 nudist gameshow '' Naked Jungle'', appearing naked except for a hat. He identified making the show as "the worst career move" in his life. Chegwin worked for seven years on
GMTV GMTV (an initialism for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ''ITV Breakfast, ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited'', was the name of the national ITV (TV network), ITV breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the Uni ...
. In 2006 he appeared as himself in an episode of
Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, television producer and filmmaker. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office (British TV series), The Office'' (2001–2003) ...
and
Stephen Merchant Stephen James Merchant (born 24 November 1974) is an English comedian, writer, director, and actor. He was the co-writer and co-director of the British TV comedy series ''The Office (British TV series), The Office'' (2001–2003), and co-writer ...
's comedy series '' Extras''. Chegwin frequently wrote jingles for the ''Chris Moyles Breakfast Show'' on
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
. For seven years he ran his own web-based bingo site ''Cheggersbingo''. In 2007 Chegwin voiced and starred in the quiz-based video game Cheggers Party Quiz, in which a CGI version of himself acts as a quizmaster. The game was developed by Oxygen Interactive and released on Nintendo Wii,
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
and PC. The game was met with mixed reviews. In November 2011 Chegwin played himself in the comedy horror film '' Kill Keith''. He made an appearance in Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's comedy series '' Life's Too Short'' with Shaun Williamson and
Les Dennis Leslie Dennis Heseltine (born 12 October 1953) is an English television presenter, actor and comedian. He presented '' Family Fortunes'' from 1987 to 2002. Early life Dennis was born as Leslie Dennis Heseltine on 12 October 1953 in the Liv ...
. In August 2012, he was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Reality TV Awards. Chegwin was originally set to take part in the seventh series of ''
Dancing on Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series broadcast from 2006 to 2014 and then from 2018 to 2025. It was presented by Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern. Other previous hosts include Phillip Schofield and Christine Lampard. The series ...
'', but he was forced to withdraw after breaking three ribs and fracturing his shoulder on the first day of training with Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean. Chegwin joined the eighth series of ''Dancing on Ice'' partnered with Olga Sharutenko. Chegwin was eliminated on 17 February 2013. From October 2013 to January 2014, he played the part of Drosselmeyer in the 'Nutcracker On Ice' with Imperial Ice Stars from Russia at the
London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...
. On 19 October 2013 Chegwin took part in a celebrity episode of '' The Chase''. In September 2014 he was a contestant on BBC1's '' Pointless Celebrities'' show. In 2015 Chegwin took part in the fifteenth series of ''
Celebrity Big Brother ''Celebrity Big Brother'' or ''Big Brother VIP'' is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, t ...
'' on Channel 5. On 6 February, he finished in fourth place. He took part in the 2015 series of '' Celebrity MasterChef'', won by Kimberly Wyatt of
the Pussycat Dolls The Pussycat Dolls were an American girl group and dance ensemble, founded in Los Angeles, California, by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a neo-burlesque troupe. At the suggestion of Jimmy Iovine, Antin decided to take the troupe mainstrea ...
. In the same year he made a cameo appearance as himself in BBC Two's comedy-drama '' A Gert Lush Christmas'' where he is revealed to be a friend of Tony ( Greg Davies). He also hosted the 2015
BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
television and film industry awards. In later years Chegwin was a popular
pantomime dame A pantomime dame is a traditional role in British pantomime. It is part of the theatrical tradition of '' travesti'' portrayal of female characters by male actors in drag. Dame characters are often played either in an extremely camp style, or el ...
and in March 2016 appeared in the Easter pantomime tour of ''
Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...
''.


Personal life

From 1982 to 1993, Chegwin was married to presenter
Maggie Philbin Margaret Elizabeth Philbin Officer of the Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 23 June 1955) is an English radio and television presenter whose credits include ''Tomorrow's World'', ''Multi-Coloured Swap Shop'' and latterly ''Bang Goes the Th ...
with whom he had a daughter. He later married Maria Anne Fielden and they had a son. Chegwin regularly made public appearances around the UK and was involved in charity work. Chegwin and his wife lived in
Ashmansworth Ashmansworth is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Basingstoke and Deane district of the English county of Hampshire. The village is about northeast of the town of Andover, Hampshire, Andover. The parish population at ...
, Hampshire, but moved to a country home in the area of Shropshire between Whitchurch and
Wem Wem may refer to: * HMS ''Wem'' (1919), a WWI Royal Navy minesweeper * Weem, a village in Perthshire, Scotland * Wem, a small town in Shropshire, England * Wem (musician), hip hop musician WEM may stand for: * County Westmeath County Westmeat ...
, partly because they wanted to be closer to family further north.


Death

In a 2001 interview, Chegwin said he smoked 60 cigarettes a day and was a recovering alcoholic. He died at his home in Shropshire on 11 December 2017, having been ill with
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) synonymous with cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis is a rare, progressive illness of the respiratory system, characterized by the thickening and stiffening of lung tissue, associated with the formation of scar ...
(IPF), a chronic lung disease, for an extended period. He was 60 years old.


Filmography


Works

* (autobiography)


See also

* List of ''Celebrity Big Brother'' (British TV series) housemates * List of ''Dancing on Ice'' contestants


References


External links


Keith Chegwin
at the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chegwin, Keith 1957 births 2017 deaths Deaths from pulmonary fibrosis English game show hosts English male child actors English male television actors English radio DJs English television presenters People from Walton, Liverpool Radio City DJs Television presenters from Liverpool English twins People educated at Barbara Speake Stage School People from Ashmansworth Male actors from Liverpool Male actors from Hampshire Male actors from Shropshire Actors from Basingstoke and Deane