Judith Chalmers

Last updated

Judith Chalmers

OBE
Born (1935-10-10) 10 October 1935 (age 88)
Gatley, Cheshire, England
OccupationTelevision presenter
Years active1948–present
Spouse Neil Durden-Smith (m. 1964–present)
Children2, including Mark Durden Smith

Judith Rosemary Locke Chalmers OBE (born 10 October 1935) [1] is a British television presenter who is best known for presenting the travel programme Wish You Were Here...? from 1974 to 2003. [2]

Contents

Early life

Chalmers was born in Gatley, Cheshire. [3] Her father was an architect and her mother a medical secretary. [4] She had a sister, Sandra Chalmers. Both sisters were educated at Withington Girls' School, an independent day school in Fallowfield near Withington, Manchester. [5]

Career

Chalmers began broadcasting for the BBC when she was only 13, after being selected for BBC Northern Children's Hour by producer Trevor Hill. [6] Her younger sister Sandra, who was later editor of Woman's Hour , also performed on Children's Hour. [7] Chalmers presented many programmes from Manchester, including Children's Television Club which later metamorphosed into Blue Peter based in London. [8] She spent some time at secretarial college in Manchester in the early 1950s. [9]

In the 1960s, Chalmers presented two major BBC radio programmes: Family Favourites and Woman's Hour . [10] [11] She also appeared as the original Susan in The Clitheroe Kid , and was a foil for Ken Dodd in his radio show. [12] [13] Chalmers presented ballroom dancing competition programme Come Dancing for the BBC from 1961 to 1965. [14]

During the 1970s, Chalmers regularly presented ITV's daytime magazine programme Good Afternoon and its successors, which included Afternoon Plus and A Plus. [15] She started presenting ITV's holiday programme Wish You Were Here? in 1974 and continued in this role until 2003, initially working alongside Chris Kelly, and later with John Carter. [16]

In the 1980s Chalmers was a regular host of the Miss World contest on ITV, also presenting the associated UK beauty pageants such as Miss United Kingdom and the British Beauty Championships. [17] Chalmers presented BBC Radio 2's mid-morning show from 1990 to 1992, taking over from Ken Bruce, who took over the show again following Chalmers's departure from the station in 1992. [18]

In 2001, Chalmers appeared on Lily Savage's Blankety Blank . [19] She took part in an episode of the BBC Two series Celebrity Antiques Road Trip , with her son Mark, in 2013. [20]

Her television appearances in later years have been limited to short spots on chat show programmes such as Good Morning Britain, Lorraine and Graham Norton's chat shows. [21] [22] [23] In 2017, Chalmers took part in Channel 5’s Celebrity Taste of Italy. [24]

Personal life

Chalmers has been married to sports commentator Neil Durden-Smith since 1964. [25] The couple live in north London and have two children, television presenter Mark and Emma. [26] [27] Chalmers has six grandchildren. [28]

She was awarded an OBE in 1994. [29]

Related Research Articles

Blankety Blank is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moira Stuart</span> British newsreader (born 1949)

Moira Clare Ruby Stuart, is a British presenter and broadcaster. She was the first female newsreader of Caribbean heritage to appear on British national television, having worked on BBC News since 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloria Hunniford</span> Northern Irish television presenter

Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford, OBE is a Northern Irish television and radio presenter, broadcaster and singer. She is known for presenting programmes on the BBC and ITV, such as Rip Off Britain, and her regular appearances as a panellist on Loose Women. She has been a regular reporter on This Morning and The One Show. She also had a singing career between the 1960s and 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Rippon</span> English television presenter (born 1944)

Angela May Rippon is an English television journalist, newsreader, writer and presenter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorraine Kelly</span> Scottish presenter and journalist

Lorraine Kelly is a Scottish television presenter, theatrical artist and journalist. She has presented various television shows for ITV, including Good Morning Britain (1988–1992), GMTV (1993–2010), This Morning, Daybreak (2012–2014), The Sun Military Awards (2016–present), STV Children's Appeal (2016–present), and her eponymous programme Lorraine (2010–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Vincent</span> Welsh actor and television presenter

Tim Vincent is a Welsh actor and television presenter. He appeared on the children's programme Blue Peter between 1993 and 1997 and has presented several Miss World contests. For several years, Vincent was based in the United States where he presented some mainstream shows such as Access Hollywood and Phenomenon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dermot O'Leary</span> English television presenter

Seán Dermot Fintan O'Leary is an English broadcaster. He presented the television talent show The X Factor on ITV from 2007 until its final series in 2018, with the exception of 2015. Since 2021, O'Leary has presented ITV's This Morning on Fridays, school holidays and bank holidays alongside Alison Hammond, a role expanded to the remainder of the week on a rotation with the departures of Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby in the summer and autumn of 2023.

Wish You Were Here...? is a British television series that was first broadcast on 7 January 1974 on ITV. It was a series of 30-minute shows about travel and holidays. The show was broadcast during peak viewing hours. The series was cancelled in 2003 after a reshuffling of the primetime Monday 7pm slot on ITV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradley Walsh</span> English actor, comedian, singer and television presenter

Bradley John Walsh is an English actor, television presenter, comedian, singer, and former professional footballer.

Sandra Dickinson is an American-British actress. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She has often played characters within the trope of a dumb blonde with a high-pitched voice.

June Konadu Sarpong is a British television presenter and executive. She was a panellist on ITV's Loose Women and is currently a panellist on the Sky News programme The Pledge. In November 2019, Sarpong was appointed as the BBC's first Director of Creative Diversity.

Peter Marshall is a British broadcaster. He was educated at St. Columb's College in Derry.

Sarah Louise Cawood is an English broadcaster, best known for presenting the BBC Children's Saturday morning show Live & Kicking.

Family Favourites was the successor to the wartime radio show Forces Favourites, broadcast at Sunday lunchtimes on the BBC Light Programme, later BBC Radio 2 from 1945 until 1980. From 1967 to 1972 it was also carried on BBC Radio 1. It was a request programme designed to link families at home in the UK with British Forces serving in West Germany or elsewhere overseas. The programme was a big success with listeners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eamonn Holmes</span> Northern Irish television presenter

Eamonn Holmes is a Northern Irish broadcaster and journalist. He co-presented the breakfast television show GMTV (1993–2005) for ITV, before presenting Sunrise (2005–2016) for Sky News. Holmes co-presented ITV's This Morning (2006–2021) with his wife Ruth Holmes on Fridays and during the school holidays. In January 2022, he joined GB News to present its breakfast programme alongside Isabel Webster. He has also presented How the Other Half Lives (2015–2019) and It's Not Me, It's You (2016) for Channel 5.

Mark Durden-Smith is an English television presenter best known for presenting ITV shows such as I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW! and This Morning Summer, Sky 1 shows such as The Match and Double or Nothing, and Channel 5's rugby union coverage.

Sarah Heaney is a former Scottish television presenter.

ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited is the national ITV breakfast television licensee, broadcasting in the United Kingdom. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc in November 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liz Bonnin</span> French-born Irish television presenter

Elizabeth Bonnin is an Irish science, wildlife and natural history presenter, who has worked on television in both Ireland and the United Kingdom. She presented morning show RI:SE and music show Top of the Pops in the early 2000s.

Sandra Locke "Sandy" Chalmers was a British radio producer and broadcaster, who was editor of Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4 in the 1980s.

References

  1. ↑ "FreeBMD Home Page". FreeBMD.com.
  2. ↑ "Judith Chalmers OBE | Travel Broadcaster | Gordon Poole Agency". Gordon Poole Agency Ltd. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  3. ↑ "Sandra Chalmers obituary". the Guardian. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  4. ↑ Sandra Chalmers Obituary in The Times p 56, 27 February 2015
  5. ↑ "In Memoriam: Sandra Locke Chalmers [Class of 1958]". Withington Girls' School. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  6. ↑ "Speaking to you at Home". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  7. ↑ Sue McGregor "Sandra Chalmers obituary", The Guardian, 9 February 2015
  8. ↑ "Speaking to you at Home". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  9. ↑ Miss Judith Chalmers, OBE Archived 3 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine , Debretts.com. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  10. ↑ "Family Favourites 1 August 1945". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  11. ↑ "Judith Chalmers OBE | Travel Broadcaster | Gordon Poole Agency". Gordon Poole Agency Ltd. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  12. ↑ "Clitheroe Kid". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  13. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 Extra - The Ken Dodd Show, From 20/10/1963". BBC. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  14. ↑ "Judith Chalmers OBE | Travel Broadcaster | Gordon Poole Agency". Gordon Poole Agency Ltd. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  15. ↑ Good Afternoon - Mary Berry Simnel Cake , retrieved 16 December 2021
  16. ↑ "Judith Chalmers OBE | Travel Broadcaster | Gordon Poole Agency". Gordon Poole Agency Ltd. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  17. ↑ Beautiesofuniverseandworld (29 July 2020). "Miss World 1985". MISS WORLD HISTORY. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  18. ↑ "Judith Chalmers OBE | Travel Broadcaster | Gordon Poole Agency". Gordon Poole Agency Ltd. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  19. ↑ Lily Savage's Blankety Blank. 18 February 2001. ITV. Repeated 25 August 2016 on Challenge TV.
  20. ↑ "TV presenter Judith Chalmers battles under the hammer at Stroud Auction Rooms", Stroud News & Journal, 15 July 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  21. ↑ Judith Chalmers on Benidorm | Good Morning Britain , retrieved 16 December 2021
  22. ↑ Judith Chalmers on the Joys of Travel | Lorraine , retrieved 16 December 2021
  23. ↑ "BBC Radio 2 - The Chris Evans Breakfast Show, Wednesday - Graham Norton sits in for Chris with special guest Judith Chalmers". BBC. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  24. ↑ "Judith Chalmers OBE | Travel Broadcaster | Gordon Poole Agency". Gordon Poole Agency Ltd. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  25. ↑ "Judith Chalmers". IMDb. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  26. ↑ "Judith Chalmers". IMDb. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  27. ↑ "Mark Durden-Smith". www.speakerscorner.co.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  28. ↑ "My Life In Travel: Judith Chalmers". The Independent. 18 September 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  29. ↑ "Judith Chalmers OBE | Travel Broadcaster | Gordon Poole Agency". Gordon Poole Agency Ltd. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
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.