John Leslie (TV presenter)

Last updated

John Leslie
Born
John Leslie Stott

(1965-02-22) 22 February 1965 (age 59)
Edinburgh, Scotland
Other namesJohn Leslie Stott
OccupationTelevision presenter
Years active1987–2003; 2012–present
Known for Blue Peter
Wheel of Fortune
This Morning

John Leslie (born John Leslie Stott; 22 February 1965) [1] is a Scottish former television and radio presenter. Debuting on the Music Box channel in 1987, he later presented BBC One's Blue Peter , and ITV's This Morning and the gameshow Wheel of Fortune . [2] He was also the studio host for the first series of the UK version of Survivor .

Contents

Early life and career

John Leslie Stott was born in Edinburgh, [3] the brother of Grant Stott. [4] He attended Liberton High School and James Gillespie's High School. Leslie spent his early years in the church choir, studied music on leaving school, and worked as a DJ in Copenhagen. Prior to his television career he worked as a DJ in nightclubs in Edinburgh [5] and Newcastle, becoming resident DJ at the Blu Bambu club.

His first television work was on Yorkshire Television, when he hosted Music Box's all-night music show, Formula One which was the English language version of the German TV music show which was shown on Super Channel and in some ITV regions in 1987 and 1988 where he would link music performances from the German original from a UK studio, in 1989.

Personal life

Leslie had a widely publicised relationship with nurse Abi Titmuss, who became a star in her own right when a video Leslie filmed of her having sex with another woman was leaked. [5]

Leslie is also known for his affinity for football. He played in goal for the Scottish team in the Celebrity World Cup Soccer Six tournament, which took place on 14 May 2006 at St Andrew's, the home of Birmingham City. He is a supporter of Hibernian. [6]

Leslie now works in property development and lives with his girlfriend Kate Moore. [7]

Television

Blue Peter

On 20 April 1989, Leslie became Blue Peter 's first Scottish presenter, and also the tallest at 1.93 m (6' 4"). [8] He was the second Blue Peter presenter to take part in the London Marathon, following Peter Duncan. He finished in four hours, thirty-six minutes.

On his last show he was set John's Final Challenge which involved abseiling down BBC Television Centre, completing a velcro and wheelbarrow obstacle course, then trampolining and conducting an orchestra in the studio. Leslie presented Blue Peter with Caron Keating, Yvette Fielding, Diane-Louise Jordan, Anthea Turner and Tim Vincent. [8]

Wheel of Fortune

Leslie succeeded Bradley Walsh as the main presenter of the British version of Wheel of Fortune . He was succeeded in 2001 by Paul Hendy. That year, he turned up on Lily Savage's Blankety Blank . [9]

This Morning

From series 11 in 1999 Leslie, alongside Fern Britton, was a regular presenter of the Friday edition.[ citation needed ] When Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan departed the show in 2001, they were replaced by Coleen Nolan and Twiggy, with Britton and Leslie remaining on Fridays. [10] [11] However, Nolan and Twiggy proved less popular with viewers, [12] so Britton and Leslie took on the full job of presenting the show, bringing the ratings back up to around one million. In 2002, after allegations of sexual offences were made in the press against Leslie, he was dismissed from the programme and replaced by Phillip Schofield from Mondays to Thursdays and by Eamonn Holmes on Fridays (with Ruth Langsford). [13]

Music and radio

In December 2003, Leslie appeared in the music video for the Christmas single "Proper Crimbo", released by Bo' Selecta! creator Leigh Francis, alongside Matthew Wright in a spoof of their presumed rivalry.

In November 2012, John Leslie began to present Friday's Drivetime show on 98.8 Castle FM, hoping to revive his career as a radio DJ. In March 2013, Leslie was among the Castle FM presenters who walked out in a disagreement with their management, only to be locked out when they tried to return. By the end of the year, the radio station had become automated, with no presenters. [14]

On 28 March 2014, it was announced that Leslie would begin presenting his own Saturday (10:00 to 14:00) radio show across the Scottish Bauer Radio AM network, debuting the following day. [15]

Sexual assault allegations

In October 2002, Ulrika Jonsson had written in her autobiography, Honest, that "an acquaintance" had raped her when she was 19. Amid media speculation, television presenter Matthew Wright mistakenly named Leslie as the alleged predator on The Wright Stuff . [16] [17] Jonsson has never said whether the correct person was named, [18] [19] and Leslie was never charged for offences against Jonsson. [20] Wright has since apologised to Leslie and said he named him in error. [16] Despite this, the story was widely covered in the tabloids. [16]

Other women made accusations of indecent assault against Leslie, and he was arrested in December 2002 on one count of rape and two concerning indecent assault, being then released on bail after being interviewed by the police. [21] He was charged in June 2003 with assaulting a woman twice between 25 and 28 May 1997. [22] The prosecution dropped the charges against Leslie at Southwark Crown Court on 31 July 2003 after new information from the alleged victim. [23] On the court steps after the end of the hearing, Leslie said that he had "been to hell and back" and that he had "maintained [his] innocence throughout". [23]

In July 2018, Leslie was cleared of assaulting a woman at a nightclub in June 2017 after a two-day trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. [24] Leslie announced that he was going to make a complaint against Police Scotland.

In June 2019, Leslie was charged with sexually assaulting a then 30-year-old woman in Westminster during December 2008. [2] [25] [26] That August, Leslie pleaded not guilty at Southwark Crown Court and he was released on bail. [27] [28] He was cleared of this charge by a jury on 19 October 2020. Judge Deborah Taylor subsequently told him: "You, for the second time, leave this court without a stain on your character and I hope it will be the last time you have to attend." [29]

Filmography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Charles</span> English actor, comedian and DJ (born 1964)

Craig Joseph Charles is an English actor, comedian, DJ, and television and radio presenter. He is best known for his roles as Dave Lister in the science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf and Lloyd Mullaney in the soap opera Coronation Street (2005–2015). He presented the gladiator-style game show Robot Wars from 1998 to 2004, and narrated the comedy endurance show Takeshi's Castle. As a DJ, he appears on BBC Radio 6 Music.

Valerie Singleton 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 ten years as well as a series of radio and television programmes on financial and business issues including BBC's The Money Programme from 1980 to 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuart Hall (presenter)</span> English media personality

James Stuart Hall Jr. is an English former media personality and convicted sex offender. He presented regional news programmes for the BBC in North West England in the 1960s and 1970s, while becoming known nationally for presenting the game show It's a Knockout. Hall's later career mainly involved football reporting on BBC Radio. In June 2013, he was convicted of multiple sexual offences against children, effectively ending his media and broadcasting career.

Eva Ulrika Jonsson is a Swedish-British television presenter and model. She became known as a TV-am weather presenter, and moved on to present the ITV show Gladiators, and later featured as a team captain on the BBC Two show Shooting Stars.

Christopher David Denning was an English radio presenter and sex offender. His career effectively ended when he was convicted of sexual offences in 1974. He was imprisoned several times in the United Kingdom, Czechia and Slovakia between 1985 and his death in custody in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Sharp</span> English broadcaster (born 1961)

Patrick Sharpin, known professionally as Pat Sharp, is an English radio presenter, television presenter and DJ. He worked on the children's ITV programme Fun House, was one of the Sky Channel's VJs and presented the Coca-Cola Eurochart Top 50 and Nescafé UK Top 50.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Lee Travis</span> English radio and television presenter (born 1945)

David Patrick Griffin, known professionally as Dave Lee Travis, is an English former disc jockey, and former television presenter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicky Campbell</span> British television and radio personality (born 1961)

Nicholas Andrew Argyll Campbell OBE is a Scottish broadcaster and journalist. He has worked in television and radio since 1981 and as a network presenter with BBC Radio since 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillip Schofield</span> English television personality (born 1962)

Phillip Bryan Schofield is an English former television presenter, known for presenting a wide range of high-profile programmes for the BBC and ITV from 1982 to 2023; presenting BBC programmes from 1985 to 1993 and 2001 to 2006 and ITV programmes from 1993 to 2023.

Frederick Wilson Talbot is a British former television presenter. He grew up in north west England.

Gordon Henry Burns is a retired Northern Irish journalist and broadcaster. He was the host of The Krypton Factor for its original 18-year run (1977–1995) and was the chief anchorman for the BBC regional news programme North West Tonight from January 1997 to October 2011. In November 2011, he moved back to Belfast where he was born.

Lesley Judd is an English former television presenter and dancer, best known as a long-serving host of the BBC children's programme Blue Peter (1972–1979).

<i>This Morning</i> (TV programme) British daytime television programme

This Morning is a British daytime magazine programme that is broadcast on ITV. It debuted on 3 October 1988 and is broadcast live every weekday from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm across the United Kingdom, and in Ireland by Virgin Media One. The programme features a variety of news, as well as show business, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, home and garden, food, tech, live phone-ins, and competitions.

Angellica Bell is a British television and radio presenter, best known for her presenting on CBBC between 2000 and 2006. She is also known for providing occasional cover on The One Show and for co-presenting The Martin Lewis Money Show. Bell won the 2017 series of Celebrity MasterChef.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Fox (broadcaster)</span> English radio DJ and TV presenter

Neil Andrew Howe Fox is an English radio DJ and television presenter, known for many years as Dr Fox before he became "Foxy" in the 2000s, then simply as Neil Fox, M.D. before reemerging as "Dr Fox" in 2020 to host the UDJ "Heritage Chart" countdown.

Alexander Matthew Wright is an English television presenter and former tabloid journalist. He worked as a journalist for The Sun and was a showbusiness gossip columnist for The Daily Mirror before launching a television career. He hosted the Channel 5 topical debate show The Wright Stuff from 2000 to 2018. Wright occasionally appears on This Morning discussing current affairs.

Takin' Over the Asylum is a six-part BBC Scotland television drama about a hospital radio station in a Glasgow psychiatric hospital. The show was written by Donna Franceschild, produced by Chris Parr and directed by David Blair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Stott</span> Scottish football commentator

Grant Stott is a Scottish broadcaster, radio DJ, television presenter, Scottish cultural commentator, master of ceremonies, events host, actor, and part-time pantomime villain from Edinburgh. He formerly worked as a DJ on Edinburgh radio station Forth 1 until January 2017. He then joined BBC Radio Scotland and now appears on the television soap opera River City. Stott is the brother of television presenter John Leslie.

Peter Rowell is an English former radio and television presenter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Yewtree</span> British police investigation against Jimmy Savile

Operation Yewtree was a British police investigation into sexual abuse allegations, predominantly the abuse of children, against the English media personality Jimmy Savile and others. The investigation, led by the Metropolitan Police (Met), started in October 2012. After a period of assessment, it became a full criminal investigation, involving inquiries into living people, notably other celebrities, as well as Savile, who had died the previous year.

References

  1. ↑ Lindsay, Jessica (12 July 2019). "John Leslie age, net worth, girlfriends and TV shows". Metro. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  2. 1 2 "John Leslie charged with sexual offence". BBC News. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  3. ↑ McGrath, Nick (4 October 2015). "John Leslie: 'I went from £350,000 a year to nothing overnight'". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  4. ↑ "John Leslie and Grant Stott in radio rivalry" – Edinburgh Evening News , 7 January 2015
  5. 1 2 Storr, Will (23 February 2006). "John Leslie: 'My behaviour was at times inappropriate'". The Independent . London. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2006.
  6. ↑ Beckham Backs Hibs Star Retrieved 26 June 2008
  7. ↑ "What is John Leslie doing now? | NationalWorld".
  8. 1 2 "Blue Peter – John Leslie profile". BBC. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
  9. ↑ Lily Savage's Blankety Blank . 25 March 2001. ITV.
  10. ↑ "Twiggy and Coleen Nolan join This Morning". broadcastnow.co.uk.
  11. ↑ "Twiggy to front This Morning". Digital Spy. 16 August 2001.
  12. ↑ Jessica Hodgson (2 October 2001). "ITV axes Twiggy". The Guardian.
  13. ↑ Leonard, Tom (31 October 2002). "John Leslie is sacked by ITV". The Daily Telegraph.
  14. ↑ "John Leslie among Castle FM radio hosts locked out" – The Scotsman, 25 March 2013
  15. ↑ "John Leslie Gets Regular Show With Bauer" – RadioToday.co.uk
  16. 1 2 3 Davies, Caroline (19 October 2020). "From TV star to tabloid target: how allegations took toll on John Leslie". The Guardian . Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  17. ↑ "John Leslie named as mystery man in Ulrika rape claim". The Herald. Glasgow. 24 October 2002. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  18. ↑ "Leslie parents hit out at Ulrika Jonsson". Yorkshire Post. 3 August 2003. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  19. ↑ Jeffries, Stuart (27 August 2011). "Ulrika Jonsson: 'I'm a walking dichotomy'" . Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  20. ↑ O’Leary, David; Pooran, Neil (23 November 2012). "John Leslie hails Edinburgh ahead of first ever show as radio DJ". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  21. ↑ Seenan, Gerard (6 December 2002). "TV presenter John Leslie arrested on rape and indecent assault claims". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  22. ↑ "Sex charges for British TV host". CNN. 18 June 2003. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  23. 1 2 "Leslie sex charges dropped". BBC News. 31 July 2003. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  24. ↑ "John Leslie to make complaint against Police Scotland". STV . Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  25. ↑ "John Leslie Charged With Sexual Assault of Woman in Nightclub". HuffPost. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  26. ↑ "Former Blue Peter presenter John Leslie charged with sexual assault". The Guardian. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  27. ↑ "Ex-Blue Peter host John Leslie denies sexual assault". BBC News. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  28. ↑ "John Leslie appears in court accused of sexual assault". The Guardian Newspaper. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  29. ↑ "John Leslie cleared of sexually assaulting a woman at a Christmas party". Sky News. 19 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.