‘COUNTDOWN’S RICHARD WHITELEY WAS MI5 SPY’
Star blames host for getting him jailed over union strikes
RICKY Tomlinson claims Countdown’s Richard Whiteley was a spook.
Believing he was in on a 70s MI5 plot to jail him for strikes, he said: “He was in the security services.”
RICHARD Whiteley is best remembered as the jovial host of Countdown, but Ricky Tomlinson has claimed there was a darker side to the popular presenter.
The Royle Family actor has accused the late broadcaster of being an MI5 spy who helped put him and other striking workers behind bars in the 70s.
And he said had he known of his alleged involvement in the plot when he appeared on Countdown he would have throttled him.
Whiteley fronted a documentary called Red Under The Bed that showed unions in a bad light and was screened as the jury in Ricky’s trial was out deliberating. The presenter’s partner Kathryn Apanowicz laughed off suggestions he was a spy as “nonsense”.
But Ricky claimed: “Richard was a member of the security services, people didn’t know that, obviously. The security services paid to have the programme made, so they had to use someone of their own ilk to be the chairperson. It was common knowledge. “The security services use media people as part of the intelligence services. I must have done Countdown four or five times. “I didn’t know at the time. I wish I had known, I’d have strangled him. “There’s all sorts of people involved. It was a carve-up right from the go.” Ricky, 77, claims he has leaked, confidential documents that link then-PM Ted Heath and politician Woodrow Wyatt to the documentary, which he believes swayed the jury into convicting him of conspiracy to intimidate, unlawful assembly and affray. He added: “We’ve only just scratched the surface.” But asked where the papers came from, he added: “I can’t reveal my sources, we’d be hung, drawn ANGER Ricky found papers and quartered. People would lose their jobs.” Ricky took part in a 12-week building workers’ walkout in 1972, demanding better wages and safety regimes. Months after the dispute ended, he was one of 24 strikers held over picketline clashes. Six went on trial the following year at Shrewsbury crown court and he was jailed for two years, serving 16 months.
Ricky believes the documentary prompted two jurors to change their original verdicts to guilty.
The hour-long film was followed by a 30-minute studio discussion, chaired by Whiteley. But radio presenter Kathryn– Richard’s partner from 1994 until his death at the age of 61 – branded the claims a “load of tripe”.
She added: “He couldn’t even keep a secret, how would he be good in MI5?
“I knew everything about Richard and this is nonsense. He could hardly work his mobile phone, never mind gadgets,
Nonsense. He couldn’t even keep a secret, how would be good in MI5 KATHRYN APANOWICZ WHITELEY’S PARTNER
he’d have been hopeless. I’m slightly annoyed because it’s easy to cast aspersions on somebody who has died, because you can’t libel the dead. It’s nice that Ricky is managing to get a lot of publicity from somebody who can’t defend himself.”
But she insisted Richard had a sense of humour and would be “looking down, laughing his head off” at the claims.
Kathryn added: “A friend said, ‘Did you realise you were a spy’s moll?’ Maybe I could have a new career? Please tell Daniel Craig I’m available.” Ricky has for many years been trying to clear the names of the strikers, known as the Shrewsbury 24. In 2002, it was revealed MI5 had been monitoring him.
Ricky said he plans to reveal the small amount of documents he has. He added: “There will be a few more things coming to light in the next few weeks.”