Philip Clive Roderick Tufnell (born 29 April 1966) is a former English international

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er and current television and radio personality. A slow

left-arm orthodox spin Left-arm orthodox spin, Left-arm off spin also known as slow left-arm orthodox spin bowling, is a type of Finger spin, left-arm finger spin bowling (cricket), bowling in the sport of cricket. Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left-arm bow ...

bowler, he played in 42

Test matches Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

and 20

One Day International A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...

s for the

England cricket team The England cricket team represents England and Wales in international cricket. Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club (the MCC) since 1903. Engla ...

, as well as playing for

Middlesex County Cricket Club Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Middlesex which has effectively been subsumed within the ceremonial ...

from 1986 to 2002. Tufnell took 121 Test match wickets. His Test average is 37.68 per wicket. Across all first-class cricket he took over 1,000 wickets at an average of 29.35. His cheerful personality and behaviour have made him a popular sports personality. Following his retirement from playing cricket in 2002, Tufnell has built on his popularity with several television appearances, including ''

They Think It's All Over "They think it's all over" is a quote from Kenneth Wolstenholme's BBC TV commentary in the closing moments of the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final, when England beat West Germany 4–2 after extra time to win the FIFA World Cup. In the final few second ...

'', '' Celebrity Deal Or No Deal'', ''

A Question of Sport ''Question of Sport'' (previously ''A Question of Sport'') is a British television sports quiz show produced and broadcast by the BBC. It is the "world's longest running TV sports quiz". Following a pilot episode in December 1968, broadcast onl ...

'', ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...

'', and winning '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' in 2003.

Early life

Tufnell was educated at

Highgate School Highgate School, formally Sir Roger Cholmeley's School at Highgate, is an English co-educational, fee-charging, independent day school, founded in 1565 in Highgate, London, England. It educates over 1,400 pupils in three sections – Highgate ...

where his cricketing prowess was recognised and he was appointed captain of the Junior School's First XI before reaching the top year. On leaving Highgate, he attended and played cricket for

Southgate School Southgate School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in the Oakwood area of London, England. The school is situated just east of the Cat Hill roundabout of the A111 and A110, between Cockfosters and Oakwood tube statio ...

. He then trained in

quantity surveying A quantity surveyor (QS) is a construction industry professional with expert knowledge on construction costs and contracts. Qualified professional quantity surveyors are known as Chartered Surveyors (Members and Fellows of RICS) in the UK and Cer ...

and was faced with the decision of whether to play cricket professionally or to work as a quantity surveyor. He chose to do the former.

Cricket career

As a slow

bowler, Tufnell played 42

and 20

s for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

between 1990 and 2001, and 316 first-class matches, mainly for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

. Tufnell occasionally produced remarkable performance, for example taking 11–93 against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

the Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...

in 1997 (for which he won the

Man of the Match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...

award after England won by 19 runs) and seven wickets in the match (6-25 in the first innings) against the West Indies at

in 1991,. He took his 121 Test wickets with a

bowling average In cricket, a player's bowling average is the number of runs they have conceded per wicket taken. The lower the bowling average is, the better the bowler is performing. It is one of a number of statistics used to compare bowlers, commonly use ...

of 37.68 across his whole Test career.

Mark Waugh Mark Edward Waugh (born 2 June 1965) is an Australian cricket commentator and former international cricketer, who represented Australia in Test matches from early 1991 to late 2002, after previously making his One Day International (ODI) debu ...

theorised that "if you attack him, he can go on the defensive, and it puts him off his game", although Waugh was Tufnell's most frequent test victim, being dismissed a total of seven times by him, three of them bowled. According to

Michael Parkinson Sir Michael Parkinson (born 28 March 1935) is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his television talk show '' Parkinson'' from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007, as well as other talk shows and programmes both in the U ...

, a British talk show host, "at the age of nine he was opening the bowling and the batting for his club's junior team". Parkinson also believes that his "ordinary fielding made him a luxury in the view of the ... (English cricket) management (circa August 1996)". He was not at all an accomplished or confident batsman, often appearing particularly nervous and awkward at Test level, where he became regarded as the ultimate 'rabbit' number 11, Tufnell's fielding improved during his career. He was nicknamed "The Cat" due to his propensity to be found sleeping in the corner of dressing room. He also acquired the nickname "Two Sugars" due to his well-known love of tea. According to England teammate

Mike Atherton Michael Andrew Atherton (born 23 March 1968) is a broadcaster, journalist and a former England international first-class cricketer. A right-handed opening batsman for Lancashire and England, and occasional leg-break bowler, he achieved the ca ...

, Tufnell smoked very heavily. During his career spanning 16 years with Middlesex, Tufnell took 1,057 first-class wickets in the English game at an average of 29.35. His autobiography ''What Now ?'' was published in 1999. Tufnell received an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

from

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries ...

on 20 July 2011 in recognition of his achievements in sport and the media.

Broadcasting career

Radio

Since 2003, Tufnell has appeared as a summariser on BBC Radio's ''

Test Match Special ''Test Match Special'' (also known as ''TMS'') is a British sports radio programme, originally, as its name implies, dealing exclusively with Test cricket matches, but currently covering any professional cricket. It broadcasts on BBC Radio 4 LW ( ...

''. He has also hosted ''The Phil Tufnell Cricket Show'' and ''Tuffers and Vaughan Cricket Show'' on BBC Radio 5.

Television

Tufnell retired from professional cricket before the 2003 season in order to participate in the second series of the reality television show '' I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'' which he won. Prior to this, he had appeared on

Lily Savage's Blankety Blank ''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps. The original series ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC1, hosted first by Terry Wogan from 1979 un ...

. He was a team captain on sports quiz show ''

'' until 2005. In 2004, he made two guest appearances on British soap opera ''

Family Affairs ''Family Affairs'' is a British soap opera that aired on Channel 5. It debuted on 30 March 1997, the day of the launch of said channel and was the first programme broadcast on the channel. It was screened as five thirty-minute episodes per w ...

'' and co-presented 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 ...

game show '' Simply the Best'' with

Kirsty Gallacher Kirsty Jane Gallacher (born 20 January 1976) is a Scottish television presenter and model. She began her career at Sky Sports News in 1998 and hosted '' Kirsty's Home Videos'', '' RI:SE'' and '' Simply the Best'' before returning to Sky Sports ...

. Tufnell was a team captain on the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

panel show ''

''. He also makes regular appearances as a reporter on the

magazine show ''

The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Ronan K ...

''. On 12 April 2008, Tufnell and his wife Dawn appeared on the

game show ''

All Star Mr & Mrs ''All Star Mr & Mrs'' is a British television show which first began airing on 12 April 2008 on ITV. It is a celebrity revival of the original '' Mr and Mrs'' that aired on ITV from 1968 to 1988 with two separate revivals in 1995–1996 and 19 ...

''. On 4 October and 1 November 2008, Tufnell appeared on the game show '' Hole in the Wall''. In 2009, Tufnell competed in the seventh series of the BBC's ''

'', partnering professional dancer

Katya Virshilas Katya Virshilas (born 10 September 1983) is a Lithuanian-Canadian dancer and actress. Early life Virshilas was born in Lithuania, to a Jewish family. She subsequently moved to Israel at age 6, and to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, at thi ...

. The couple were eliminated in the ninth week. On 7 October 2011, he appeared on the

panel show '' Would I Lie To You?'', where he claimed to have recurring dreams in which he is a potato, being chased by a pitchfork. On 19 November 2011, Tufnell appeared on a celebrity edition of

quiz show '' The Chase''. In 2012, he co-presented ''The Flowerpot Gang'' with

Anneka Rice Anne Lucinda Hartley Rice (born 4 October 1958), known professionally as Anneka Rice, is a Welsh-born television and radio presenter, broadcaster, journalist and painter. Early life and education Rice was born in Cowbridge, Glamorgan, Wales, ...

and

Joe Swift Joseph Samuel Swift (born 25 May 1965) is an English garden designer, journalist and television presenter. Television career Swift is a regular presenter and designer on the BBC's ''Gardeners' World'', co-presenter on the Royal Horticultural So ...

. During the week of 12 to 16 May 2014, Tufnell appeared on the daytime

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

game show ''

Draw It! ''Draw It!'' is a drawing game show that aired on Channel 4 from 5 May to 4 July 2014, hosted by Mel Giedroyc. It is loosely based on the popular mobile app, Draw Something. Format Each week, two well-known celebrities pair up with a different ...

'' On 1 February 2015, Tufnell competed in ''

Get Your Act Together ''Get Your Act Together'' was a British talent show that began airing on ITV on 18 January 2015, hosted by Stephen Mulhern. The show features celebrities learning various different acts, such as juggling, singing, impressions and escapology, and p ...

'' on

and '' The Jump'' on

. In December 2018, Tufnell joined Australia's

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

as a guest commentator for their coverage of the

BBL A barrel is one of several units of volume applied in various contexts; there are dry barrels, fluid barrels (such as the U.K. beer barrel and U.S. beer barrel), oil barrels, and so forth. For historical reasons the volumes of some barrel units ...

and Sri Lankan Test matches.

Books

Tufnell co-authored a humorous book, ''Phil Tufnell's' A To Z of Cricket'' with cricket journalist Adam Hathaway.

Personal life

He has been married three times, to Alison Squires (married 1986, divorced 1989), Lisa Bar (married 1994, divorced 1998), and Dawn Brown (married 2005). Tufnell's first marriage to Alison Squires ended in 1989. He has two daughters: one with ex-girlfriend Jane McElvoy, and one with former wife Lisa Bar. Tufnell's personal life hit the headlines in 1994 when he was fined £800 after admitting assaulting his former girlfriend McElvoy, after she ended their relationship. In 1997, while on a tour of New Zealand, reports emerged that he left a toilet cubicle trailing the scent of

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

but this time he was exonerated. During divorce proceedings, Bar produced court documents accusing Tufnell of causing her to endure 'anxiety, stress and an eating disorder'. She also claimed he had continually harassed her and abused her. He is now married to Dawn and has a step daughter. Tufnell is the president of a cricket charity – Cricket for Change. He is also an Ambassador of UK children's charity

The Children's Trust 'The Children's Trust'' is the UK's leading charity for children with brain injury. The Children's Trust runs a range of specialist care, education and therapy services for children and young people from across the UK, including the UK's larges ...

for children with brain injury and neurodisability. Tufnell is a fan of

Arsenal Football Club Arsenal Football Club, commonly referred to as Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, London, England. Arsenal plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The club has won 13 league titles (inclu ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tufnell, Phil 1966 births Living people People educated at Southgate School Cricketers at the 1992 Cricket World Cup Doping cases in cricket England One Day International cricketers England Test cricketers English cricketers of 1969 to 2000 English cricketers I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) winners Middlesex cricketers People educated at Highgate School Tufnell, Phill Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers