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Johnny Vaughan

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Johnny Vaughan
Johnny Vaughan.
Born
Jonathan Randal Vaughan

(1966-07-16)16 July 1966(age 58)
Barnet,Greater London,England
Years active1993 – present
Known forThe Big Breakfast,
Capital Breakfastwith Johnny Vaughan
Spouse
Antonia Davies
​
​
(m.1999;div.2014)​
Partner(s)Vanessa Howard
(2017–present)
Children3

Jonathan Randal Vaughan(born 16 July 1966) is an English television and radio presenter and afilm critic.He was the main presenter ofCapital BreakfastalongsideLisa Snowdonon95.8 Capital FMbetween 2004 and 2011.

Vaughan currently presents theRadio Xdrivetime show, weekdays from 4pm to 7pm (commonly referred to on air asThe 4til7 Thang) andThe Kickaboutevery Saturday from 11am to 1pm. Vaughan also writes a weekly column inThe Sunnewspaper reviewing recent film releases.

Early life

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Vaughan was born inBarnet,Greater London, to an engineer father, Randal, and apsychotherapistmother, Fay.[1][2]

Education

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Vaughan went to St Andrew's Primary School inTotteridge,Barnetand private boarding schools, Bramcote School,Gamston,Nottinghamshire[citation needed]andUppingham School,Rutland.[3]During his school years he showed a talent for comedy,[1]playing the violin and singing.[4]

Early adult life and imprisonment

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On leaving school, Vaughan moved back to London and originally wanted to become a writer.[1]He ended up with a variety of jobs ranging from a grill chef to even starting his own business selling boxer shorts.[1][5]

In 1988, aged 21, Vaughan was arrested for trying to sell £15,000 ofcocaineto undercover police officers in a hotel on theM1 motorwaynearNorthampton.[6]After his initial success withMoviewatch,Vaughan said in interviews, including one withMayfairmagazine, that he had been incarcerated for the distribution of pornographic videotapes.[7]

Latterly, Vaughan recalled the event in an interview with theDaily Telegraph,

One night, an old schoolfriend, a student, called and asked him if he had any drug connections; the friend had met somebody who wanted to know. (The somebody, it turned out, was a drug dealer who had been arrested and was now working for the police.) No, said Vaughan, he didn't.

'The next day,' Vaughan says, 'I do bump into someone. He calls me and says, "Tell your friend it's all sorted." ' Vaughan arranged the meeting at a service station on the M1, and went there to introduce the protagonists. He was slammed against a wall by a policeman who asked him how old he was. When Vaughan said 21, the cop said, "You won't be seeing sunshine again until you're 36."[5]

He was given a four-year jail sentence for dealing cocaine, served atStocken Prisonin Rutland.[8]On release from prison, Vaughan started a job working as a journalist for thePeterborough Heraldnewspaper, reporting on legal cases in his column,Johnny Vaughan in the Courts.[6]

Early career

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His big break came in 1993 when he visited a friend's production company and through a chance meeting was offered a job withChannel 4.[9]He started his television career presenting the movie review showMoviewatch,as well as the music showNaked Cityand his own chat showHere's Johnny.[3]He also hosted a late night show,Fabulous,on the oldBBC Radio Fivein 1993.[10]

The Big Breakfast

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Main article:The Big Breakfast

Channel 4 producers decided he was a natural in front of the camera, and in light of ailing viewing figures he was chosen to frontThe Big Breakfastfrom 1997 until 2001, forming a successful partnership with former programmeweather girland actressDenise van Outenfrom 1998. Van Outen's cheeky"Essex girl"personality played off well against the quick wit of Vaughan, and together they recovered audience figures to record levels.[11]One feature of Vaughan's presentation was the way in which he frequently interacted with the various cameramen and technical people in the studio, turning some of them into popular characters in their own right. His ability to build a rapport with regulars from different walks of life such asTrevor Baylis,Mark BrightandDrusilla Beyfus,as well as the depth of knowledge he revealed in his Shed interviews, established him as something of a polymath. Also notable was that each programme finished with a zany situational competition in which Johnny revealed considerable talent as a character actor.[citation needed]In parallel withThe Big BreakfastVaughan presented another film show,The Johnny Vaughan Film Show.

Van Outen left to pursue her acting career at the end of 1998. The partnership with replacement modelKelly Brookfailed to reproduce the chemistry between Vaughan and Van Outen,[12]and audience figures "plummeted".[13]Brook was replaced byLiza Tarbuckand Van Outen returned again as main female presenter in 2000[14]but the show was unrevivable. Vaughan and Van Outen left the show in January 2001 after both their contracts had run out.[15]

Move to the BBC

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In 2001, the BBC reportedly paid Vaughan £2.5 million to leave Channel 4.[16]He transferred to theBBCto present a late-night talk show,Johnny Vaughan Tonightin the same vein of American shows byJohnny CarsonandJay Leno.Viewing figures were good (the show regularly received 2.5 – 3 million viewers a night) and commentators suggested that the format was best suited to the free-wheeling Vaughan. However, a highly promotedBBC Twositcom vehicle'Orrible,which Vaughan wrote and acted in, was poorly received by the critics. The show lost 40% of its audience over its first three episodes and was not renewed for a second series.[16]

In October 2003 he devised and produced and was the first presenter ofBBC Radio Five Live'sFighting Talk,a sport-related comedy show. Further television appearances ensued, when Vaughan tried a revival of his on screen relationship with Van Outen in 2004 in the BBC's Saturday night family showPassport to Paradise,which lasted for one series.[17]During this period at the BBC, Vaughan also co-hosted 12 episodes ofSuperstars (British TV programme),a revival of the hugely popular sports competition which ran on British TV from 1973 to 1985.

95.8 Capital FM

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Main article:Capital Breakfast (London)

On 2 April 2004, Vaughan moved to radio and returned to the "zoo" format, when he replacedChris Tarrantas the presenter ofCapital Breakfaston95.8 Capital FM,which saw the listening figures for his show drop from over 1.3 million to 980,000 listeners, according toRAJARstatistics.[18]

In January 2008, Vaughan was reunited with van Outen when she joined him on the breakfast show in a move to boost listening figures, but she left the show halfway through her contract in June 2008.[19]In August 2008, van Outen was replaced by modelLisa Snowdon.The show rose in the ratings, reclaiming the top spot of London's breakfast radio chart in October 2008,[20]with an average weekly audience of 862,000 listeners. In 2010–11, his breakfast show had regular audiences in excess of 1 million.[21]On 18 November 2011, Vaughan leftCapital Breakfast,and was replaced byDave Berry.

talkSPORT & Radio X

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In August 2013, it was announced Vaughan had signed fortalkSPORThosting a new show for Saturday morning from 11am to 1pm called the Warm Up alongside friends James Brown and Gavin Woods. The show looked ahead to the weekend's football action and went head to head with Vaughan's former show Fighting Talk on BBC Radio 5 Live. Alongside this role, he also covered for Colin Murray in his 10am – 1pm slot when he was unavailable.[22]His last show on talkSPORT was on 19 September 2015 leaving talkSPORT to host the new drivetime show from 4pm to 7pm as part of the new weekday daytime lineup onRadio X.[23]

Other work

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Vaughan wrote the UK's first "dope opera",Top Buzzer,which aired in 2004 onMTVand later onFive.Vaughan has also been heavily involved with telethon charity drives such asChildren in Need,Comic ReliefandSport Relief.In 2004 the BBC ran "a search to find the nation's best-loved sitcom" with a format that aped that of the100 Greatest Britons.One celebrity championed each of the top ten sitcoms, presenting an hour-long special on why their favourite was the best. Vaughan was the presenter of the segment on prison-based sitcomPorridge.

In 2005, Vaughan became the host of the American reality/game showMy Kind of TownonABC.The show was cancelled after four episodes. He was also featured in the 2005 filmDeuce Bigalow: European Gigolo,playing an awards ceremony host.

Vaughan presented the controversialhoax"reality"showSpace CadetsforChannel 4.In June 2006, Vaughan appeared as a guest onTV Heaven, Telly Hell.He was a team captain on theChannel 4comedy panel showBest of the Worstthat also features team captainDavid Mitchelland chairmanAlexander Armstrong.

In December 2006, Vaughan made a guest appearance on the BBC comedy panel gameQI(Series D, Episode 10, "Divination" ). Vaughan has his own television production company, "World's End".[3]In 2009, he presented a Premier League Football DVD titledJohnny Vaughan's Own Goals & Gaffs III.

In 2011, Vaughan appeared in the TV showMud MenonHistory Channel.Accompanied by Steve Brooker, he ventured out into the Thames shoreline in search of hidden artefacts and treasures.

During theLondon 2012 Olympics,Vaughan joined Absolute Radio to present the Olympic Drivetime show. As Absolute Radio was also the official station of the BT London Live concerts inHyde Park,which were also held during the Games, Vaughan also participated in the on-stage presenting of the acts and interviews with Team GB athletes and medalists.

Vaughan participated in a 2018 episode of quiz showPointless Celebrities,reaching the final round alongside fellow Radio X DJToby Tarrant.

In 2023 Vaughan reunited with his former colleagueDenise Van Outento present an episode ofSteph's Packed Lunch.

Personal life

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Vaughan married his long-term partner costume designer Antonia Davies in August 1999.[3]The couple met when he was working in a video store as a teenager.[24]Elvis Costelloperformed at their wedding. In 2003 they lived inWandsworth Common,South London.[1]Vaughan's father-in-law wasNick Davies,once foreign editor of theDaily Mirror.They had two children and a bulldog, and divorced in 2014.[25]

In March 1999, as a result of his experience of prison Catholic chaplains, Vaughan was received into theCatholic ChurchatWestminster Cathedral.[3]He is a supporter ofChelsea F.C.[9]

In July 2008, he shaved his head to raise money for theCapital Radiocharity, "Help a London Child", of which he is an ambassador.[26]

References

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  1. ^abcdeSummerskill, Ben (9 February 2003)."Here's Johnny".The Observer.Retrieved30 September2019.
  2. ^Cavendish, Lucy (31 January 2005)."Riding High on Planet Vaughan".Evening Standard.Archived fromthe originalon 4 April 2009.Retrieved30 September2019.
  3. ^abcde"The rise of Johnny come lately".BBC News.30 April 2001.Retrieved30 September2019.
  4. ^Burrell, Ian (13 April 2004)."Johnny Vaughan: Rise and shine time revisited".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 14 June 2022.Retrieved30 September2019.
  5. ^abLeith, William (8 March 2008)."Johnny Vaughan & Denise Van Outen: Big Mouths Strike Again".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved30 September2019.
  6. ^abMidgley, Dominic (13 November 2006)."Interview: Johnny Vaughan".The London Paper.Archived fromthe originalon 20 November 2007.Retrieved30 September2019.
  7. ^"Here's Johnny!",Mayfair,June 1994
  8. ^"Prison governor encourages convicts to busk as part of a" more caring regime "".Daily Mirror.3 November 2018.
  9. ^ab"Question Time: Johnny Vaughan".The Independent.3 November 2008.Archivedfrom the original on 14 June 2022.Retrieved30 September2019.
  10. ^"Radio 5 - 13 September 1993".BBC Genome.Retrieved30 September2019.
  11. ^"Any Dream Will Do – Denise Van Outen".BBC Entertainment.24 September 2014.Retrieved30 September2019.
  12. ^"Kelly quits Big Breakfast".BBC News.30 July 1999.Retrieved30 September2019.
  13. ^"Kelly Brook: Why I Want My Sex Scenes Cut Out".Daily Mirror.12 September 2005.Retrieved30 September2019.
  14. ^"Van Outen's Breakfast return".BBC News.4 August 2000.Retrieved30 September2019.
  15. ^"Breakfast over for Denise and Johnny".BBC News.12 January 2001.Retrieved30 September2019.
  16. ^abRobins, Jane (30 September 2001)."'Orrible Ratings for Johnny Vaughan ".The Independent.Archived fromthe originalon 5 April 2009.Retrieved30 September2019.
  17. ^"Johnny and Denise lose Passport".BBC News.30 November 2004.Retrieved30 September2019.
  18. ^"Ratings".Broadcast.Archived fromthe originalon 7 December 2004.Retrieved10 December2018.
  19. ^Plunkett, John (16 October 2008)."Johnny Vaughan Regains London Breakfast Radio Crown".The Guardian.Retrieved30 September2019.
  20. ^"Lisa Snowdon Gives Johnny Vaughan Radio Boost".The London Paper.16 October 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 6 April 2009.Retrieved30 September2019.
  21. ^Durrani, Arif (2 February 2012)."Rajar Q4 2011: Capital's Johnny Vaughan bows out as London's no 1".Campaign.Retrieved30 September2019.
  22. ^"Johnny Vaughan signs for talkSPORT"(Press release). TalkSPORT Radio. 14 August 2013.Retrieved15 September2015.
  23. ^Nissim, Mayer (7 September 2015)."Chris Moyles, Ricky Wilson, Johnny Vaughan & Vernon Kay join Radio X".Digital Spy.Retrieved15 September2015.
  24. ^"Riding high on Planet Vaughan".Evening Standard.31 January 2005.Retrieved22 January2020.
  25. ^"Johnny Vaughan and his wife split after 14 years following a string of rows".The Mirror.7 March 2015.
  26. ^sophieh (28 July 2008)."Johnny Vaughan Goes Bald For Help a London Child".Hairdressers Journal International.Retrieved30 September2019.
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