George Frew catches up with Richard Whiteley, the dependable TV icon who's so laid back he's almost horizontal!

Richard Whiteley

Things just tend to happen to Richard Whiteley and that's the way he prefers it. Not for him the hard-edged pursuit of fame and glory, the relentess climb up television's greasy pole.

He's been in the business too long and anyway, his career philosophy has always been que sera, sera.

That's why he's been at Yorkshire Television for 30-odd years, steadily building a fan base that includes students, pensioners and everyone else in between.

This was amply illustrated the other night, when a rich smorgasbord of the population turned up at Borders bookshop and cafe in Oxford to obtain signed copies of the first volume of his recollections, Himoff! The Memoirs of a TV Matinee Idle (sic).

"People had been saying for years that I should write a book," said the popular host of Countdown, the quiz show which regularly pulls in audiences of almost five million for Channel 4. "But I thought no-one would be interested." (Classic, self-deprecating Whiteley.)

"I had a very strong agent who set up a deal with a publisher and they said, 'Get on with it,' so I got my old Brother typewriter down from the attic and started hacking away with three fingers.

"It took me six months to write and it is NOT an autobiography - I had neither the energy or the willpower required to produce that, so instead, it's a memoir, stuff written off the top of my head, aspects of my life which are humorous. In some cases, very humorous."

And indeed, the book is said to be a great laugh, the sort of tome which would make a perfect Christmas present, according to its author, "for your granny or your auntie or the student in your life."

During his current promotional tour, Whiteley will visit no fewer than six universities and a fair few Women's Institutes. This is indicitive of the broad spectrum of his loyal fan base.

"I'm aware that I seem to appeal to both students and pensioners," he laughs. "And it's great because as some drop off the perch, we're still sucking in younger viewers for the show."

His approach to his working life differs greatly to that of his fellow Countdown presenter, the ubiquitous Carol Vorderman.

"Carol has always been successful and was always eager to do something else," admits Richard.

"She's so very competent, no question, and where I tend to just let things happen, she will go and get the work - I've always been more relaxed about it all. I've never been hungry enough. Carol and I are from different TV generations and whereas I've been happily with the same TV company for over 30 years, there's no such things as a job for life in television now."

At 55, Whiteley has a son, James, 12, from his first marriage which lasted a year. James lives with his mother in London. Richard also has a long-standing relationship with former Angels actress Kathryn Apanowicz, although the couple don't live together. Whiteley loves Yorkshire and would almost certainly enjoy a much higher profile if he was prepared to move to London from his chosen base in Leeds.

Like everyone else, he's had his share of personal sadness. His younger and only sister died of cancer two years ago and his book is dedicated to her. "No, the book isn't intensely personal," he says. "It's not my life and times. I'm saving all that for volume two," he laughs.

"It's not Home Thoughts, I didn't want to do that this time out. I dish the dirt all right but I dish it on myself. Everyone else comes out well - I'm the only one in it who comes out badly!

"It's a Christmas book, an easy read," he insists. "We're into reprint already, so that's good."

Meanwhile, the TV career continues. "This year was for the book but we're talking about doing another series of the chat show next year - I'm up for that."

The little spin involved here was that Richard didn't always know who his guests actually were, even when they sat down opposite him. This was memorably obvious when former EastEnders actress Patsy Palmer came on in the first series.

"I didn't recognise her - hadn't a clue. At first, I thought she was the Duchess of York and then I didn't know if Patsy Palmer was her real name or her character's name."

This sort of stuff is all part of Richard Whiteley's laid-back appeal. You could never imagine Parkinson not knowing who one of his guests was, but Whiteley gets away with it because, well, it suits him, somehow.

And that's why the unambitious, northern-based, Countdown King keeps rolling.

**From Oxford Mail Piazza, Saturday, October 28, 2000