Peter Wheeler (8 December 1934 – 18 May 2010) was an English television and radio broadcaster and actor.

Early life

He was born in

West Hartlepool West Hartlepool was a predecessor of Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It developed in the Victorian era and took the name from its western position in the parish of what is now known as the Headland. The former town was originally formed ...

. He grew up in the

north west of England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of 7,4 ...

, was educated at

William Hulme's Grammar School William Hulme's Grammar School is a coeducational all-through comprehensive school in Whalley Range, Manchester, England. History William Hulme (1631–1691) of Hulme Hall, Stockport, was the founder of "Hulme's Charity" later known as ...

, and first appeared as a boy actor in radio dramas.

Career

He began presenting news reports and conducting interviews for

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

in the early 1960s, before working for

BBC TV BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios ...

on ''Crossword On Two'', a

quiz show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating and narrating whe ...

, and '' Call My Bluff'' in 1967. At around the same time, he also hosted the Granada children's quiz ''Junior Criss Cross Quiz''. In 1971, he created and hosted another quiz, ''Full House'', for Thames TV.Gavin Gaugha
Obituary: Peter Wheeler
''The Independent'', 20 July 2010 He regularly contributed narrations, credited as "court reporter", for the Granada TV drama series ''

Crown Court The Crown Court is the criminal trial court, court of first instance in England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals of the decisions of magistrates' courts. It is ...

'' between 1972 and 1984. In 1974 he started working, mainly as an off-screen voice, on '' What the Papers Say'', at first on ITV and later

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

and then

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...

. He also made appearances, often as himself, in television dramas including ''The Villains'' in 1964, and ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

'', in which he made several appearances between 1975 and 2001. He appeared as the toastmaster in a televised competition for

after-dinner speaker Public speaking, is the practice of delivering speeches to a live audience. Throughout history, public speaking has held significant cultural, religious, and political importance, emphasizing the necessity of effective rhetorical skills. It all ...

s, ''M'Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen'', on Granada TV in 1978–79. His other work included a period hosting ''

Come Dancing ''Come Dancing'' is a British ballroom dancing competition show made by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which aired on BBC One at various intervals from 1950 to 1998. Unlike its subsequent follow-up show, ''Strictly Come Dancing'', ...

'', and he narrated and presented many documentaries and training films from the 1960s onwards. He formed his own broadcasting consultancy business, Peter Wheeler Associates, in 1981. He was the younger brother of broadcaster Geoffrey Wheeler.

Personal life

He had three sons and a daughter, Jo Wheeler. He lived in Carrwood Road in

Wilmslow Wilmslow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the borough of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is south of Manchester. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the parish had a population of 26,213 and the built up area had a p ...

References

1934 births 2010 deaths English radio presenters English television presenters People educated at William Hulme's Grammar School People from Hartlepool People from Wilmslow {{UK-tv-bio-stub