Richard Keith Robert Coles (born 26 March 1962) is an English writer, radio presenter and

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

priest. He first came to prominence as the multi-instrumentalist who partnered

Jimmy Somerville James William Somerville (born 22 June 1961) is a singer from Glasgow, Scotland who rose to prominence in the 1980s with the synth-pop groups Bronski Beat and the Communards. With Bronski Beat, Somerville achieved commercial success with the 1 ...

in the 1980s band

the Communards The Communards were a British synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985. They consisted of Scottish singer Jimmy Somerville and English musician Richard Coles. They are best known for their cover versions of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes fe ...

. They achieved three UK top-10 hits, including the No. 1 record and best-selling single of 1986, a dance version of "

Don't Leave Me This Way "Don't Leave Me This Way" is a song written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Cary Gilbert. It was originally released in 1975 by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes featuring Teddy Pendergrass, an act signed to Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia Interna ...

". Coles frequently appears on radio and television as well as in newspapers and, from March 2011 until March 2023, was the co-host of

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

's '' Saturday Live'' programme. He is a regular contributor to the television shows '' QI'', '' Would I Lie to You?'' and ''

Have I Got News for You ''Have I Got News for You'' (''HIGNFY'') is a British television panel show, produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC, which premiered on 28 September 1990. The programme focuses on two teams, one usually captained by Ian Hislop and one ...

''. He is the chancellor of the

University of Northampton The University of Northampton is a public university based in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England. It was formed in 1999 by the amalgamation of a number of training colleges, and gained full university status as the University of Northampto ...

, a former honorary chaplain to the

Worshipful Company of Leathersellers The Worshipful Company of Leathersellers is one of the livery companies of the City of London. The organisation originates from the latter part of the 14th century receiving its Royal Charter in 1444, and is therefore the senior leather industr ...

, and a patron of social housing project Greatwell Homes in

Wellingborough Wellingborough ( ) is a market town in the North Northamptonshire, Unitary Authority area, England, from London and from Northampton, north of the River Nene. Originally named "Wendelingburgh" (the stronghold of Wændel's people), the Anglo ...

Early life

Coles was born in

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

, England. His grandfather was a prosperous shoe manufacturer. The company struggled under Coles's father, and the family lost much of its wealth. He was educated at the independent

Wellingborough School Wellingborough School is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school in the market town of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire. It was established in 1595 and is one of List of the oldest schools in the United Kin ...

(where he was a choirboy), and at the South Warwickshire College of Further Education (Department of Drama & the Liberal Arts) in

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...

. He later attended

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

, where he studied

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

from 1990. Coles was awarded an MA by research from the

University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...

in 2005 for work on the Greek text of the

Epistle to the Ephesians The Epistle to the Ephesians is the tenth book of the New Testament. Traditionally believed to have been written by the Paul the Apostle, Apostle Paul around AD 62 during his imprisonment in Rome, the Epistle to the Ephesians closely rese ...

Career

Music

Coles learned to play the

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

and keyboards, and moved to London in 1980, where he played in theatre. In 1983, he appeared with

in the Lesbian and Gay Youth Video Project film '' Framed Youth: The Revenge of the Teenage Perverts'', which won the

Grierson Award Grierson: The British Documentary Awards, commonly known as The Grierson Awards, are awards bestowed by The Grierson Trust to recognise innovative and exciting documentary films, in honour of the pioneering Scottish documentary filmmaker John ...

. Coles joined

Bronski Beat Bronski Beat were a British synth-pop band formed in 1983 in London, England. The initial lineup, which recorded the majority of their hits, consisted of Scottish musicians Jimmy Somerville (vocals) and Steve Bronski (keyboards, percussion) and ...

(initially on saxophone) in 1983. Somerville left Bronski Beat, and in 1985 he and Coles formed

, who were together for just over three years and had three UK top 10 hits, including the biggest-selling single of 1986, a version of "

", which was at number one for four weeks. The band split in 1988, and Somerville went solo.

Church ministry

Coles provided narration for

the Style Council The Style Council were an English pop band formed in Woking in 1982 by Paul Weller, the former lead vocalist, principal songwriter and guitarist with the rock band the Jam, and keyboardist Mick Talbot, previously a member of Dexys Midnight Ru ...

's film ''JerUSAlem'' in 1987 and also started a career as a writer, particularly with the ''

Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

'' and the ''

Catholic Herald The ''Catholic Herald'' is a London-based Roman Catholic monthly magazine, founded in 1888 and a sister organisation to the non-profit Catholic Herald Institute, based in New York. After 126 years as a weekly newspaper, it became a magazine ...

''. He took up religion in his late twenties, after "the best of times, the worst of times", pop success and the deaths of friends as a result of

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

. From 1991 to 1994 he studied for a BA in theology at

. While at university, Coles became a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

and remained so for the next ten years before returning to

Anglicanism Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

in 2001. Coles was selected for training for the priesthood in the

and began his training at the

College of the Resurrection A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary education, tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding academic degree, degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further educatio ...

Mirfield Mirfield () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the A644 road (Great B ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

, in 2003, before being

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

in 2005. After ordination, he was a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...

at St Botolph's Church in

Boston, Lincolnshire Boston is a market town and inland port in the borough of the same name in the county of Lincolnshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Lincoln, east of Nottingham and north-east of Peterborough. The town had a population of 45,339 at ...

and then at

St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, is an English Grade II* listed Anglican church of the Anglo-Catholic tradition located at 32a Wilton Place in Knightsbridge, London. History and architecture The church was founded in 1843, the first in London t ...

in London. He has been chaplain of the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

, played Dr Frank N Furter in a local concert and conducted an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

funeral for

Mo Mowlam Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam (18 September 1949 – 19 August 2005) was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Redcar (UK Parliament constituency), Redcar f ...

in 2005. Coles was an inspiration for the character of Adam Smallbone (played by

Tom Hollander Thomas Anthony Hollander (; born 25 August 1967) is a British actor. He trained with National Youth Theatre and won the Ian Charleson Award in 1992 for his performance as Witwoud in ''The Way of the World''. He made his Broadway debut in the ...

) in the

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, 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 matte ...

sitcom '' Rev.'' and was also an advisor to the show. Coles mentions in his book ''Fathomless Riches'' that he is also the inspiration for the character "Tom" in the

Bridget Jones Bridget Rose Jones is a fictional character created by British writer Helen Fielding. Jones first appeared in Fielding's '' Bridget Jones's Diary'' column in ''The Independent'' in 1995, which did not carry any byline. Thus, it seemed to be an ac ...

novels. In January 2011, Coles was appointed as vicar of St Mary the Virgin,

Finedon Finedon is a town and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, England, with a population at the 2021 census of 4,552. In 1086 when the Domesday Book was completed, Finedon (then known as Tingdene) was a large royal manor, previously held by ...

in the Diocese of Peterborough. Since 2011, Coles has been on the board of Wellingborough Homes, a social enterprise providing housing and community support for the

Borough of Wellingborough The Borough of Wellingborough was a non-metropolitan district and borough in Northamptonshire, England, from 1974 to 2021. It was named after Wellingborough, its main town, but also included surrounding rural areas. The local council preferre ...

and, after its name change to Greatwell Homes, became its Patron. In 2012, Coles was awarded an honorary doctorate by the

and also became a fellow of the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

. In 2016, he was awarded an honorary

DLitt Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

by the

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of ...

. In 2019, he was appointed Honorary Chaplain to the

. In July 2017, Coles was elected a Fellow of

and separately as Chancellor of the

. Coles retired as vicar of Finedon on Low Sunday 2022. Looking back on his time as a "half-time vicar", he said: How do you do all the things you do?' I am frequently asked, and the answer is by neglecting important things and disappointing people. I was once called in the middle of the night to attend a parishioner's deathbed and I could not because I was in Glasgow doing ''

Celebrity Antiques Road Trip ''Antiques Road Trip'' (also known as ''Celebrity Antiques Road Trip'') is a BBC television series produced by STV Studios. It was first shown on BBC Two from 2010 to 2012, and has been shown on BBC One since 2013. Format Regular In the progr ...

.'' I found someone to cover, but it should have been me." He explained: "I will still be a priest, I will always be a priest, and I will minister where I am able. Next month I am going to my first conference of prison chaplains and I hope I can make myself useful as a volunteer with inmates in the criminal justice system." In April 2022, Coles announced that he retired from parish duties due to the

allegedly increasingly excluding gay couples, and what he described as its "

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

, punchy and

fundamentalist Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that are characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishin ...

" direction.

Writing

On 1 November 2012 (

All Saints' Day All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the Church, whether they are know ...

), Darton, Longman and Todd published Coles's book, ''Lives of the Improbable Saints'', illustrated by Ted Harrison, a précis of the life stories of nearly 200 lesser-known saints. In the following year Volume two, ''Legends of the Improbable Saints'', was published. In 2014, the first volume of his memoirs, ''Fathomless Riches'', was published by

Weidenfeld & Nicolson Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd (established 1949), often shortened to W&N or Weidenfeld, is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It has been a division of the French-owned Orion Publishing Group since 1991. History George Weidenfeld ...

(W&N). A follow-up volume, ''Bringing in the Sheaves'', was published in 2016. In June 2022, Coles's debut

mystery novel Mystery is a fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a re ...

''Murder Before Evensong'' was released. It is the first in a series about Canon Daniel Clement. The sequel, ''A Death In The Parish'', was published on 8 June 2023. In 2022, ''Murder Before Evensong'' was optioned for a television adaptation, with Coles serving as an executive producer. In December 2024, Matthew Lewis was cast as Canon Clement. Filming got underway on the

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...

in February 2025. In 2023, Coles signed a deal with W&N to write three more Canon Clement books. The first of these, ''Murder at the Monastery'', was released in June 2024.

Broadcasting and media

Coles still works as a broadcaster, which he describes as "just showing off", on programmes including ''

Nightwaves ''Free Thinking'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 weekly from Friday 5 April 2024. It was previously broadcast on Radio 3 as part of its "After Dark" late night programming. The programme is a rebranded version of ''Night Wave ...

'' on

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

, which he formerly presented, and ''

Newsnight Review ''The Review Show'' is a British discussion programme dedicated to the arts which ran, under several titles, from 1994 to 2014. The programme featured a panel of guests who reviewed developments in the world of the arts and culture. History ''T ...

'' on BBC Two. He has appeared on the Radio 4 panel game show ''

Heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Heresy in Christian ...

'' twice: first in May 2008 and then in May 2010. Coles has appeared seven times as a guest on the topical television news quiz ''

'': in 1994, May 2009, May 2013, April 2016, June 2017, April 2020 and May 2021. He presented a special edition of ''

Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns, worship songs and inspirational performances in churches of varying denominations from around the UK alongside interviews and stories reflecting how Ch ...

'' in January 2010. He was a guest on the

Children in Need ''BBC Children in Need'' is the BBC's UK Charitable organization, charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the country. Established in 1980, the organisation has raised over £1 billion by 2023 through its ...

special of the BBC quiz ''

Only Connect ''Only Connect'' is a British television quiz show presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell. In the series, teams compete in a tournament of finding connections between seemingly unrelated clues. The title is taken from a passage in E. M. F ...

'' in November of the same year. In 2011, he presented a four-part Radio 3 series calle
''Out in the World: A Global Gay History''
He regularly guest-hosted the Radio 4 programme '' Saturday Live'', while the regular host

Fi Glover Fiona Susannah Grace "Fi" Glover (born 27 February 1969) is a British journalist and presenter who currently hosts a two hour show for Times Radio and the Off Air podcast, for ''The Times''. Before joining ''The Times'' in October 2022, Glover w ...

was on maternity leave from 2008 to 2009. Coles replaced Glover permanently in 2011. On 1 September 2011, he presented a short piece on his home town and parish of Finedon for the Radio 4 programme ''

You and Yours ''You and Yours'' is a British radio consumer affairs programme, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and produced by BBC News. History ''You and Yours'' began broadcasting in October 1970, when its first presenter was Joan York. In the 1980s it briefly ra ...

''. In December 2012, December 2013 and November 2014, Coles appeared as a guest on the BBC comedy quiz show '' QI''. In January 2014, he won the BBC's ''Celebrity Mastermind'', with his specialist subject being the ''

Mapp and Lucia ''Mapp and Lucia'' is a 1931 comic novel written by E. F. Benson. It is the fourth of six novels in the popular Mapp and Lucia (novel series), Mapp and Lucia series, about idle women in the 1920s and their struggle for social dominance over the ...

'' novels of

E. F. Benson Edward Frederic Benson (24 July 1867 – 29 February 1940) was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist, historian and short story writer. Early life E. F. Benson was born at Wellington College (Berkshire), Wellington College in Berkshire, ...

. Coles featured as the subject of '' Fern Britton Meets...'' on BBC1 in December 2014. Since 2014 he has appeared regularly in the "Pause for Thought" slot on Radio 2's ''

The Chris Evans Breakfast Show ''The Chris Evans Breakfast Show'' (currently referred to on-air due to sponsorship reasons as ''The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Virgin Money'') is the name given to two versions of a radio programme hosted by broadcaster Chris Evans in the ...

'', for which he won a Jerusalem Award in 2014. In July 2016, Coles appeared on the BBC cooking series ''

Celebrity Masterchef ''MasterChef'' is a British competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 2005 as ''MasterChef Goes Large' ...

'', finishing in fifth place. In December 2021, he once again appeared on the programme, this time winning the edition. In February 2017, he co-presented '' The Big Painting Challenge'' with

Mariella Frostrup Mariella Frostrup (born 12 November 1962) is an Irish-Norwegian journalist and presenter, known in British television and radio mainly for arts programmes. She has written for ''The Daily Telegraph'' as a travel writer, ''The Guardian'', ''The ...

on BBC1. From September 2017, Coles was a contestant in the 15th series of BBC's ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (commonly referred to as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin dance. Each couple is ...

.'' He was paired with professional dancer

Dianne Buswell Dianne Claire Buswell (born 6 May 1989) is an Australian professional dancer who is best known for her appearances on the British television show ''Strictly Come Dancing''. After competing on ''Dancing with the Stars'' in Australia, she joined t ...

. They were the second couple to be eliminated after scoring 14 points for their

Paso Doble Pasodoble (Spanish language, Spanish: ''double step'') is a fast-paced Spanish military march used by infantry troops. Its speed allowed troops to give 120 steps per minute (double the average of a regular unit, hence its name). This often wa ...

to the theme from ''

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' ...

'' – at the time, the lowest scoring Paso Doble in the history of the show. On 18 December 2017, Coles was a guest panellist on the Christmas special of the eleventh series of BBC1 comedy quiz '' Would I Lie to You?'', hosted by

Rob Brydon Robert Brydon Jones (; born 3 May 1965) is a Welsh actor, comedian, impressionist, presenter, singer and writer. He gained prominence for his roles in film, television and radio. He was appointed Order of the British Empire, Member of the Order ...

. Coles was captain of a team from the

who were series champions on the BBC's '' Christmas 2019 University Challenge''. In December 2020 Coles was featured in the BBC series ''

Winter Walks ''Walking with...'' is a BBC English Regions television series where presenters take solitary walks along scenic paths, filming themselves and their surroundings with a 360-degree camera on a selfie stick. It is produced by Cy Chadwick. The seri ...

'', walking from

Sutton Bank Sutton Bank is a hill in the former Hambleton District of the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire in England. It is a high point on the Hambleton Hills with extensive views over the Vale of York and the Vale of Mowbray. The A1 ...

Rievaulx Abbey Rievaulx Abbey ( ) was a Cistercian abbey in Rievaulx, near Helmsley, in the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, England. It was one of the great abbeys in England until it was seized in 1538 under Henry VIII during the Dissolu ...

.. He said, "At the centre of what we do in order to be who we are, we need silence, we need retreat, we need contemplation." Coles appeared in a January 2021 episode of the

BBC Four BBC Four 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 launched on 2 March 2002

series ''

Britain's Lost Masterpieces ''Britain's Lost Masterpieces'' is a factual BBC Four documentary television series that aims to uncover overlooked art treasures in British public collections, in conjunction with Art UK. It is presented by Bendor Grosvenor, along with art hist ...

'', discussing the story of the

Magi Magi (), or magus (), is the term for priests in Zoroastrianism and earlier Iranian religions. The earliest known use of the word ''magi'' is in the trilingual inscription written by Darius the Great, known as the Behistun Inscription. Old Per ...

in the gospels, in relation to a portrayal of

Balthazar Balthazar, Balthasar, Baltasar, or Baltazar may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Balthazar (novel), ''Balthazar'' (novel), by Lawrence Durrell, 1958 * ''Balthasar'', an 1889 book by Anatole France * ''Professor Balthazar'', a Croatian a ...

Joos van Cleve Joos van Cleve (; also Joos van der Beke; c. 1485–1490 – 1540/1541) was a leading painter active in Antwerp from his arrival there around 1511 until his death in 1540 or 1541. Within Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, he combines the tr ...

. In August 2022, Coles appeared in the

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 ...

documentary ''Good Grief with Reverend Richard Coles'', discovering some of the different ways people deal with bereavement. From 7 to 11 November 2022 Coles guest-hosted Channel 4's game show ''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

'' as part of its 40th-anniversary celebrations. On 22 March 2023, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' reported that Coles was disappointed to be leaving the BBC Radio 4 ''Saturday Live'' programme following that week's edition, due to the programme's relocation to

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. On 17 May 2024, he was featured on the podcast ''Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth''. From 21 November 2024, Coles was a contestant on the 2024 series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'', coming third.

Personal life

Richard Coles first

came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...

as gay to his mother, in 1978, when he was 16. He played her the

Tom Robinson Band Tom Robinson Band (TRB) are a British Rock music, rock band, established in 1976 by singer, songwriter and bassist Tom Robinson. The band's debut single "2-4-6-8 Motorway" was a top five hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1977, and their third sin ...

's "

Glad to Be Gay "Glad to Be Gay" is a song by British punk rock/ new wave group Tom Robinson Band. It is one of their defining songs, and has been considered Britain's national gay anthem. Song information The song was originally written by Tom Robinson for a Lo ...

" four times, before she said "Darling, are you trying to tell me something?" Coles has spoken about the "mental crisis" that he suffered following his coming out, which ultimately led to him attempting

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

and being diagnosed with

clinical depression Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Intro ...

. Coles suffers from

tinnitus Tinnitus is a condition when a person hears a ringing sound or a different variety of sound when no corresponding external sound is present and other people cannot hear it. Nearly everyone experiences faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely ...

in his right ear, the result of his performing loud pop music, which he described in 2020 as sounding "like something from the National Grid kind of powering through your ear ... can be very frustrating." In 2007, Coles began a relationship with David Oldham, who was also an Anglican priest. In 2010, the couple entered into a civil partnership (which the Church of England has allowed clergy to do since 2005), with David taking Richard's surname. Coles asserted at the time that the relationship was

celibate Celibacy (from Latin ''caelibatus'') is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the term ''celibacy'' is applied on ...

, but later said that this had not been true, but he had to promise celibacy in order to maintain his job as a vicar. David Coles died in December 2019, with Coles stating in 2024 that he died from

alcoholic liver disease Alcoholic liver disease (ALD), also called alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD), is a term that encompasses the liver manifestations of alcohol overconsumption, including fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and chronic hepatitis with liver fibrosi ...

. Coles said he had received hate mail saying that his partner is in hell. In June 2023, Coles revealed that he was in a relationship with actor

Richard Cant Richard Cant (born 1964) is a British actor. He is the son of actor and children's television presenter Brian Cant, and partner of Richard Coles, the former Communards musician and Anglican priest. Career Cant appeared twice on the long-runnin ...

. Coles's elder brother,

Andy Coles Andrew Wallace Jardine Coles (born 1960) is an English former police officer and Conservative Party politician, known for his undercover police work in the 1990s and subsequent political career. Career Andy Coles joined the Metropolitan Polic ...

, a former Metropolitan Police officer, was elected in 2015 as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

councillor in Peterborough and was appointed deputy

Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Police and Crime Commissioner is the police and crime commissioner, an elected official tasked with setting out the way crime is tackled by the Cambridgeshire Constabulary in the English County of Cambridgeshi ...

in 2016. Following a reference to his earlier career as an undercover police officer in Coles's 2014 autobiography, he resigned as deputy commissioner over allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a political activist. The relationship was part of a wider

UK undercover policing relationships scandal Around the end of 2010 and during 2011, it was disclosed in UK media that a number of undercover police officers had, as part of their 'false persona', entered into intimate relationships with members of targeted groups and in some cases proposed ...

in this period. Coles is a member of the Labour Party. He is also a member of the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

(GAA), having become enthusiastic about GAA sports through watching the 2020 TV series ''

Normal People ''Normal People'' is a 2018 novel by the Irish author Sally Rooney. ''Normal People'' is Rooney's second novel, published after '' Conversations with Friends'' (2017). It was first published by Faber & Faber on 30 August 2018. The book became a ...

''. Family ties led to Coles selecting

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

as his

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

( hurling team/

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...

) and St Finbarr's as his club. The club responded by sending him a membership card. Coles moved to

Friston Friston is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is southeast of Saxmundham, its post town, and northwest of Aldeburgh. The River Alde bounds the village on ...

, East Sussex, in May 2022 to be closer to his friend and former manager Lorna Gradden. He said: "I'll be living in a charming 18th-century cottage with a

bow window A bow window or compass window is a curved bay window. Like bay windows, bow windows add space to a room by projecting beyond the exterior wall of a building and provide a wider view of the garden or street outside than flush windows, but combine ...

that looms over the street affording a privileged view of my neighbours' comings and goings, as the scent of lavender floats across the

village green A village green is a commons, common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common pasture, grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for ...

Legal issues

In 1991, Coles sued accountants Coombes Wales Quinnell, who allegedly had refused to hand over financial records until £30,000 fees were paid.Midem News – Newsfile
/ref>

Works

Discography

* ''

Communards The Communards () were members and supporters of the short-lived 1871 Paris Commune formed in the wake of the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. After the suppression of the Commune by the French Army in May 1871, 43,000 Communards we ...

'' (1986) * ''

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

'' (1987)

Bibliography

Non-fiction

* ''Lives of the Improbable Saints'' (illustrated by Ted Harrison, Darton, Longman & Todd, 2012, ) * ''Legends of the Improbable Saints'' (illustrated by Ted Harrison, Darton, Longman & Todd, 2013, ) * ''Fathomless Riches: Or How I Went From Pop to Pulpit'' ( W&N, 2014, ) * ''Bringing in the Sheaves: Wheat and Chaff from My Years as a Priest'' (W&N, 2016, ) * ''Coles to Jerusalem: A Pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Reverend Richard Coles'' (

Pallas Athene Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress o ...

, 2016, ) * ''The Madness of Grief: A Memoir of Love and Loss'' (W&N, 2021, ). * ''The Rabbit Hole Book''. With: Charles Spencer & Cat Jarman. (Michael Joseph, 2024, ).

Fiction

Canon Clement Mysteries * ''Murder Before Evensong'' ( W&N, 2022) * ''A Death in the Parish'' (W&N, 2023) * ''Murder at the Monastery'' (W&N, 2024) * ''Murder Under the Mistletoe'' (W&N, 2024) * "A Death on Location" (W&N, 2025)

Honours

Scholastic

Chancellor, visitor, governor and fellowships

Honorary degrees

Memberships and fellowships

References

External links

*
Reverend Richard Coles interviewed
on ''Meet The Writers'',

Monocle 24 Monocle Radio (originally launched as ''Monocle 24'') is a mainly speech-based internet radio station, broadcasting from Monocle's headquarters at Midori House in London, England. On weekdays, the station produces three hours of live, current ...

with Georgina Godwin *
Richard Coles
at ''

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Coles, Richard 1962 births Living people People educated at Wellingborough School Alumni of the University of Leeds Alumni of King's College London Alumni of the College of the Resurrection 20th-century English LGBTQ people 20th-century English male musicians 21st-century British non-fiction writers 21st-century Church of England clergy 21st-century English LGBTQ people 21st-century English male writers 21st-century English memoirists BBC Radio 3 presenters BBC Radio 4 presenters Clergy from Northampton Converts to Anglicanism from Roman Catholicism Converts to Roman Catholicism from atheism or agnosticism Cozy mystery writers Detective fiction writers English autobiographers English crime fiction writers English gay musicians English gay writers English keyboardists English male journalists English mystery writers English pop musicians Fellows of King's College London Labour Party (UK) people LGBTQ Anglican clergy Musicians from Northampton People from Finedon The Communards members