Peter Murray James, OBE (born 19 September 1925), known professionally as Pete Murray, is a British radio and television presenter and actor. He is known for his career with the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
Radio 1 Radio 1 or Radio One most commonly refers to:
*BBC Radio 1, a music radio station from the BBC
** BBC Radio 1Xtra, a digital radio station broadcasting black music
*CBC Radio One, a talk radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporatio ...
, Radio 2 and Radio 4. In the 1950s, Murray became one of Britain's first
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
television presenters, hosting the
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
programme ''
Six-Five Special
''Six-Five Special'' is a British television programme launched in February 1957 when both television and rock and roll were in their infancy in Britain.
Description
''Six-Five Special'' was the BBC's first attempt at a rock-and-roll programme. ...
'' (1957–1958) and appearing as a regular panellist on ''
Juke Box Jury
''Juke Box Jury'' was a music panel show which ran on BBC Television between 1 June 1959 and 27 December 1967. The programme was based on the American show '' Jukebox Jury'', itself an offshoot of a long-running radio series. The American serie ...
'' (1959–1967). He was a recurring presence in the BBC's coverage of the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
. Murray returned to broadcasting for a
Boom Radio
Boom Radio (also Boom Radio UK) is an independent, commercial, national radio station in the United Kingdom. Owned by Boom Radio Ltd, the station is aimed at baby boomers, the generation of people born between 1946 and 1964, and is the first rad ...
special in December 2021, over 70 years after his career began. He continues to present at Boom.
Career
Murray first joined the English service of
Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg).
The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...
in 1949 or 1950 as one of its resident announcers in the Grand Duchy, and remained there until 1956. Back in London, and now calling himself "Pete" rather than "Peter", he continued to be heard frequently on Radio Luxembourg for many years, introducing recorded sponsored programmes. He also presented popular music on the
BBC Light Programme
The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 1. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the ...
, particularly in the programme ''Pete Murray's Party'' from 1958 to 1961 and co-hosted one of
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...
's earliest pop music programmes, the
skiffle
Skiffle is a genre of folk music with influences from American folk music, blues, country, bluegrass, and jazz, generally performed with a mixture of manufactured and homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a form in the United State ...
-based ''
Six-Five Special
''Six-Five Special'' is a British television programme launched in February 1957 when both television and rock and roll were in their infancy in Britain.
Description
''Six-Five Special'' was the BBC's first attempt at a rock-and-roll programme. ...
'' (1957–1958); other regular presenters were
Jo Douglas
Josephine Douglas (6 October 1926 – 12 July 1988) was a British actress and TV and film producer. Her original name was Jo Doll (née Reckitt). She played a pioneering role as a woman in television production at a time when it was dominated by ...
and
Freddie Mills
Frederick Percival Mills (26 June 1919 – 25 July 1965) was an English boxer, and the world light heavyweight champion from 1948 to 1950. Mills was tall and did not have a sophisticated boxing style; he relied on two-fisted aggression, relen ...
. He was a regular panellist on the same channel's ''
Juke Box Jury
''Juke Box Jury'' was a music panel show which ran on BBC Television between 1 June 1959 and 27 December 1967. The programme was based on the American show '' Jukebox Jury'', itself an offshoot of a long-running radio series. The American serie ...
'' (1959–1967). He was the "guest DJ" on several editions of ABC-TV's '' Thank Your Lucky Stars'' (1961–1966) and he later hosted ''
Come Dancing
''Come Dancing'' is a British ballroom dancing competition show that ran on and off on the BBC from 1949 to 1998. Unlike its follow-up show, ''Strictly Come Dancing'', contestants were not celebrities.
The show was created by Eric Morley, the ...
''. He was among the first regular presenters of ''
Top of the Pops
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
'' when it began in January 1964. In 1961, he co-starred with
Dora Bryan
Dora May Broadbent, (7 February 1923 – 23 July 2014), known as Dora Bryan, was a British actress of stage, film and television.''Happily Ever After''.
During the early 1960s, Murray co-hosted the ''
New Musical Express
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' Poll Winners' Concert, annually held at Empire Pool, Wembley, with acts such as
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
,
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...
and
the Shadows
The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...
the Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
and many others. These were shown on television. In September 1968, he stood in for
Alan Freeman
Alan Leslie Freeman, MBE (6 July 1927 – 27 November 2006), nicknamed "Fluff", was an Australian-born British disc jockey and radio personality in the United Kingdom for 40 years, best known for presenting '' Pick of the Pops'' from 1961 to ...
on ''
Pick of the Pops
''Pick of the Pops'' is a long-running BBC Radio programme originally based on the Top 20 from the UK Singles Chart and first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme on 4 October 1955. It transferred to BBC Radio 1 (simulcast on BBC Radio 2) from 19 ...
'', while Freeman was in New York. Murray linked up with him for a look at the American pop scene during the two shows that he did.
Murray hosted the UK heat of the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
in
1959
Events January
* January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
and provided the British commentary for the contest itself on both radio and television in
1959
Events January
* January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
until
1961
Events January
* January 3
** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015).
** Aero Flight 311 ...
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
until 1973 for radio, and television commentary for the 1975 and 1977 contest. He was an occasional compère of variety shows at the
London Palladium
The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...
.
Murray was one of the original
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
disc-jockeys when the station started in 1967. By 1969, he was one of the mainstays of
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. ...
, where for over ten years he anchored the two-hour magazine show ''Open House'' five days a week, heard by 5.5 million listeners. One
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...
he pretended that the show was being televised. In 1973 and 1976, he was voted BBC Radio Personality of the Year. In 1974, he was featured on the
Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer (informally known as ELP) were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitar, producer) and Carl Palmer (drums, percuss ...
live album ' Welcome Back, My Friends, to the Show That Never Ends ~ Ladies and Gentlemen' as the master of ceremonies, at the beginning of the album.
In 1980, Radio 2 moved Murray from weekday to weekend programming. In 1981, he began a move into more serious, speech-only radio with a stint as presenter of ''Midweek'' on
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
. In 1984, he started afresh as a presenter for
LBC
LBC (originally the London Broadcasting Company) is a British phone-in and talk radio station owned and operated by Global and based in its headquarters in London. It was the UK's first licensed commercial radio station, and began to broadca ...
, a local talk radio station in London. He later won the
Variety Club of Great Britain
Variety, the Children's Charity is a charitable organization founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1927.
History
On October 10, 1927, a group of eleven men involved in show business set up a social club which they named the "Variety Club". On ...
award for his show. He introduced his last programme there on 22 December 2002 and has not broadcast regularly since. In August 2008 he returned as a presenter on an Internet-only station, UK Light Radio.
Murray also worked as an actor. He attended the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...
and is a RADA Gold Medallist. On the London stage he starred in the musical ''Scapa!'' (1962). During the 1960s, he starred in the
British sitcom
A British sitcom or a Britcom is a situational comedy programme produced for British television.
Most British sitcoms are recorded on studio sets, while some have an element of location filming. A handful are made almost exclusively on location ...
Dora Bryan
Dora May Broadbent, (7 February 1923 – 23 July 2014), known as Dora Bryan, was a British actress of stage, film and television.Bernard Bresslaw and
Irene Handl
Irene Handl (27 December 1901 – 29 November 1987) was a British author and character actress who appeared in more than 100 British films.
Life
Irene Handl was born in Maida Vale, London, the younger of two daughters of an Austria-born father ...
. He had roles in several films including '' Caravan'' (1946)'', ''
Hungry Hill
Hungry Hill or Knockday ( ga, Cnoc Daod) is the highest of the Caha Mountains on the Beara Peninsula in Munster, Ireland.
Etymology
The first part of the Irish name ''Cnoc Daod'' means "hill". The second part may be a dialectal variant of ...
'' (1947),
My Brother Jonathan
''My Brother Jonathan'' is a 1948 British drama film directed by Harold French and starring Michael Denison, Dulcie Gray, Ronald Howard and Beatrice Campbell. It is adapted from the 1930 novel '' My Brother Jonathan'' by Francis Brett Young, ...
'' (1948), ''
Portrait from Life
''Portrait from Life'' (also known as ''Lost Daughter'', and in the U.S. as ''The Girl in the Painting'') is a 1948 British drama film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Mai Zetterling, Robert Beatty and Guy Rolfe.
Plot
A British Army offi ...
'' (1948), ''
Escort for Hire
''Escort for Hire'' is a low budget 1960 British thriller film. It starred June Thorburn, Pete Murray, Noel Trevarthen, Jan Holden and Peter Butterworth.
Plot
Unemployed actor Steve gets a job with Miss Kennedy's agency as an escort-bodyguard, b ...
'' (1960), ''
A Taste of Money
''A Taste of Money'' is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Max Varnel and starring Jean Cadell, Dick Emery and Pete Murray. It was produced by the Danzigers.
Premise
An elderly spinster who works as a cashier for an insurance company plot ...
'' (1960), ''
Design for Loving
''Design for Loving'' is a 1962 British comedy film directed by Godfrey Grayson and starring June Thorburn, Pete Murray and Soraya Rafat. Its plot concerns a beatnik who becomes a top fashion model. It is also known by the alternative title ''F ...
'' (1962), ''
The Cool Mikado
''The Cool Mikado'' is a British musical film released in 1963, directed by Michael Winner (who makes a short appearance as an airline passenger à la Hitchcock near the start of the film), and produced by Harold Baim, with music arranged by Mar ...
'' (1962), ''
Simon, Simon
''Simon, Simon'' is a 1970 Sound effect comedy short film directed by Graham Stark and starring Graham Stark, Norman Rossington, John Junkin, and Julia Foster.
Synopsis
Two handymen (Graham Stark and John Junkin) cause chaos on a new crane w ...
'' (1970) and ''
Cool It Carol!
''Cool it Carol!'' is a 1970 British sex comedy-drama film directed and produced by Pete Walker, starring Robin Askwith and Janet Lynn. It was released in the US as ''Dirtiest Girl I Ever Met''.
Plot
The cautionary tale of Joe and Carol, a ...
'' (1970), and played Philippe in "My Friend the Inspector", a 1961 episode of
BBC TV
BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 19 ...
's ''
Maigret
Jules Maigret (), or simply Maigret, is a fictional French police detective, a '' commissaire'' ("commissioner") of the Paris ''Brigade Criminelle'' ('' Direction Régionale de la Police Judiciaire de Paris:36, Quai des Orfèvres''), created b ...
''. He appeared as himself in several productions including the 1962 British musical comedy ''
It's Trad, Dad!
''It's Trad, Dad!'' (1962), known in the U.S. as ''Ring-A-Ding Rhythm'', is a British musical comedy featuring performances by a variety of Dixieland jazz bands and rock-and-roll singers. The film was one of the first produced by Amicus Produc ...
'' alongside fellow BBC
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
s Alan Freeman and David Jacobs and in "The Writer", an episode of ATV's ''
Hancock Hancock may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Hancock, Iowa
* Hancock, Maine
* Hancock, Maryland
* Hancock, Massachusetts
* Hancock, Michigan
* Hancock, Minnesota
* Hancock, Missouri
* Hancock, New Hampshire
** Hancock (CDP), New Hampshir ...
'' (1963).
Murray also appeared in pantomime, and guested on many radio and TV panel games. In 1984 and 1985, he was a team captain on the
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
panel game ''Vintage Quiz''. In 2015, he appeared as a guest on a chat show on
Big Centre TV
Local TV Birmingham (typeset as LOCAL TV Birmingham) is a British local television station, serving Birmingham, the Black Country, Wolverhampton and Solihull in the West Midlands of England.
The station is owned and operated by Local Televisi ...
hosted by his former radio colleague David Hamilton. Murray returned to radio to host a special show for
Boom Radio
Boom Radio (also Boom Radio UK) is an independent, commercial, national radio station in the United Kingdom. Owned by Boom Radio Ltd, the station is aimed at baby boomers, the generation of people born between 1946 and 1964, and is the first rad ...
on Boxing Day 2021. In 2022, he appeared in the Channel 5 documentary ''TOTP: Secrets & Scandals''. He will return to Boom Radio on Boxing Day 2022 for another show, this time alongside his friend and former colleague David Hamilton.
Personal life
Murray married his first wife, Germain, in
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
, in 1952, but they divorced. He was in a relationship with
Valerie Singleton
Valerie Singleton (born 9 April 1937) is an English television and radio presenter best known as a regular presenter of the popular children's series ''Blue Peter'' from 1962 to 1972. She also presented the BBC Radio 4 '' PM'' programme for t ...
, before marrying Patricia Crabbe, a former
barrister
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...
. He once broke down on live television after his son, Michael Murray James, who had been a pupil at
Wycliffe College
Wycliffe College () is an evangelical graduate school of theology at the University of Toronto. Founded in 1877 as an evangelical seminary in the Anglican tradition, Wycliffe College today attracts students from many Christian denominations from ...
, also an actor, committed
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
at the age of 27, and afterwards he gave talks on coping with family tragedy.
He is a lifelong
teetotaller
Teetotalism is the practice or promotion of total personal abstinence from the psychoactive drug alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler or teetotaller, or is ...
. In 1983, he appeared as a guest newspaper reviewer on the
BBC TV
BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 19 ...
's early-morning magazine show '' Breakfast Time''. During an outburst, he told viewers how to vote at the upcoming election, saying that "a vote for Labour is a vote for communism. May God have mercy on your soul if you don't vote Conservative". At the end of 1983, the BBC cancelled his radio shows, describing his style of broadcasting as too old-fashioned."Pete Murray is dropped from BBC shows", ''The Times'' (London), 18 October 1983.
Publications
* (With Jeremy Hornsby) ''One Day I'll Forget My Trousers'' (autobiography), London, 1975.