Bouncing back!
The ups and downs of Noel Edmonds’ career…
In the 1990s, Noel Edmonds was the king of Saturday-night TV. His BBC1 show Noel’s House Party, which made a star of Mr Blobby, was the pinnacle. Now, a new documentary takes a look at the presenter’s career, from starting out in radio in the 1960s to hosting Top of the Pops and Multi-coloured Swap Shop in the 70s, and becoming a TV superstar in the 80s, 90s and beyond. Noel moved to prime-time TV with The Late Late Breakfast Show in 1982.
But, in 1986, when viewer Michael Lush died during a rehearsal for a bungee jump that was to feature on the show, it was cancelled.
NOEL EDMONDS: THE RISE & FALL OF MR SATURDAY NIGHT Saturday, 9pm, Channel 5 Factual
Noel’s career continued in the late 80s with game show Telly Addicts and
The Noel Edmonds Saturday Roadshow,
plus Noel’s House Party from 1991 to 1999. But after several failed personal ventures, including the Crinkley Bottom theme parks, and attempting to buy the BBC, his career waned.
Then, in 2005, he bounced back when he hosted C4’s Deal or No Deal, which was a hit. His recipe for success was simple… He explains, ‘If you hired Noel Edmonds to do something, by God, I worked hard at it.’