Roger Michael Royle (born 30 January 1939) is a British

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

priest and broadcaster. He is known for having presented the ''

Sunday Half Hour ''The Sunday Hour'' was a long-standing show broadcast on the BBC Light Programme and then BBC Radio 2 in the United Kingdom, broadcast for 78 years between 14 July 1940 and 28 January 2018. For most of its life it occupied a Sunday evening ...

'' programme 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. ...

for 17 years from 1990 to 2007.

Early life and education

Royle was born on 30 January 1939 in Cardiff, Wales. His father, Reginald, was vicar of St Saviour's church in Splott, Cardiff. His father died when Royle was 14 months old, and the family then moved to the Penylan area of the city. Royle was educated at Marlborough Road and Roath Park primary schools in Cardiff. He then continued his education in England, attending

St Edmund's School St Edmund's School Canterbury is an independent day and boarding school located in Canterbury, Kent, England and established in 1749. The extensive school grounds were acquired in 1855. The school currently caters for girls and boys aged 3–18, ...

, then an all-boys

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

in Canterbury, Kent, which was run by the

Clergy Orphan Corporation Clergy Support Trust is a charity which was formerly (between 2012 and 2019) known as Sons & Friends of the Clergy. The full official name of the charity is Governors of the Charity for Relief of the Poor Widows and Children of Clergymen. The pres ...

. He studied theology at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

, graduating with an Associateship of King's College (AKC) qualification (equivalent to an ordinary degree) in 1961. He then undertook a year of training at

St Boniface Missionary College, Warminster St Boniface College, Warminster, formerly St Boniface Missionary College, was an Anglican educational institution in the Wiltshire town of Warminster, England during the last third of the 19th century and the first two-thirds of the 20th. It was ...

, in preparation for ordination.

Ordained ministry

Royle was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1962 and as a priest in 1963. From 1962 to 1965, he served his curacy at St Mary's Church, Portsea, Portsmouth, in the Diocese of Portsmouth. Then, from 1965 to 1968, he served as senior curate at St Peter's Church, Morden, London, in the Diocese of Southwark. Following his curacies, he moved to Southwark Cathedral where he served as succentor for the next three years. In 1971, Royle moved to the Diocese of Oxford where he was appointed to his first incumbency. From 1971 to 1974, he served as

priest-in-charge A priest in charge or priest-in-charge (previously also curate-in-charge) in the Church of England is a priest in charge of a parish who is not its incumbent. Such priests are not legally responsible for the churches and glebe, but simply hold a ...

of St James the Less, Dorney, and warden of the Dorney Eton College Project. Between 1974 and 1979, he served as Conduct (IE the senior chaplain) of Eton College, an all-boys

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

near Windsor, Berkshire. After leaving Eton in 1979, Royle moved to London. There, he held a licence to officiate in the Diocese of Southwark from 1979 to 1990. He was chaplain to Lord Mayor Treloar College, a

special school Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

for disabled children and young people, between 1990 and 1992. During this appointment, he was also an honorary curate of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary,

Froyle Froyle is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 3.6 miles (5.8 km) northeast of Alton. The nearest railway station is 2 miles (3.3 km) east of the village, at Bentley. According to the ...

, in the Diocese of Winchester. From 1993 to 1999, he was an honorary canon and chaplain of Southwark Cathedral. He has held a permission to officiate in the Diocese of Southwark since 1999 and has been retired since 2004.

Media career

Royle has been a presenter on a number of television series: * ''Royle Progress'' for

Southern Television Southern Television was the ITV broadcasting licence holder for the South and South-East of England from 30 August 1958 to 31 December 1981. The company was launched as 'Southern Television Limited' and the title 'Southern Television' was con ...

* ''The Royle Line'' for Ulster Television * ''

Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns sung in churches of varying denominations from around the UK. The series was first broadcast in October 1961. On that occasion, the venue was the Ta ...

'' for BBC One. Royle's BBC career has also included presenting: * '' Good Morning Sunday'' * '' A Royle Tour'' * '' Stop the Week'' * ''

'' (from 1990 to 2007) He appeared on ''Pause for Thought'' on Terry Wogan's Radio 2 weekday show and writes a weekly column for '' Woman's Weekly''.

Retirement

On 4 March 2007, Royle said that he would be standing down from his longstanding position on Radio 2 presenting ''

'', despite this he continued appearances on ''Pause for Thought'' on occasional weekday mornings. He also continued to present his Christmas Day early morning show on Radio 2 until 2017. On 23 October 2014, Royle accepted the position of patron to mental health charity Being Alongside, formerly the Association for Pastoral Care in Mental Health (APCMH).

Honours

In 1992, Royle was awarded a

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

Master of Arts (MA) degree in recognition of his work in the media.

Published works

*''A Few Blocks from Broadway'' *''Royle Exchange'' *''To Have and To Hold'' *''Picking Up the Pieces'' – a book about Mother Teresa

References

''Pause for Thought'' contributors

Video clips

* about

Brinsworth House Brinsworth House is a residential and nursing retirement home for theatre and entertainment professionals in Staines Road, Twickenham, west London, England. The house is owned and run by the Royal Variety Charity and has 36 bedrooms, six living ...

, presented by Royle {{DEFAULTSORT:Royle, Roger 1939 births Living people Clergy from Cardiff British radio personalities British television presenters British radio DJs BBC Radio 2 presenters People educated at St Edmund's School Canterbury Alumni of King's College London 20th-century English Anglican priests 21st-century English Anglican priests Mass media people from Cardiff Holders of a Lambeth degree Associates of King's College