Richard Morecroft | |
---|---|
Born | Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England | 20 January 1956
Nationality | Australian |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1981−present |
Known for | Host of Behind the News ; the 7pm ABC News New South Wales bulletin; Letters and Numbers |
Richard Morecroft (born 20 January 1956) [1] is an English-born Australian radio announcer, TV newsreader and presenter, and conservationist. He presented the Adelaide News bulletin, before becoming the long-running host of the nightly bulletin of ABC News NSW from 1983 until 2002. [2] Between 2010 and 2012, he hosted the quiz show Letters and Numbers .
Morecroft was born in Market Harborough in the English Midlands. [3] [4] His father Peter and mother Phyll moved the family to Adelaide in 1966 for the benefit of his brother Andrew's respiratory problems; Peter set up a dentist's practice there. [3]
Morecroft studied English and Drama at the University of Adelaide with thoughts of becoming an actor or teacher. [3] He became involved in the university radio station and auditioned for the ABC before completing his degree. [3] He was hired as a radio announcer and later transferred to work in television, hosting the 7pm Adelaide bulletin for a couple of years before being approached to replace James Dibble who had presented the bulletin since it began in 1956. [3] [5] [6] [7]
He moved to Sydney in 1982 and took over the 7pm Sydney bulletin in July 1983, as well as presenting Behind the News. In 1985, he and Geraldine Doogue co-hosted "The National", the ABC's short-lived experiment with an hour-long nightly news service, combining news and current affairs, with Max Walsh and Richard Carlton as chief reporters. [3] Also during his time with the ABC, Morecroft participated with the ABC's Natural History Unit in the production of Raising Archie, about a flying fox which he raised and used to keep under the news desk while at work. [3] Morecroft presented the 7pm Sydney news bulletin until 2002, and also hosted election-night broadcasts and educational programs. [2] [3] [6] [7] He would always sign off by saying "And that's the news to this minute."
Morecroft became such a widely recognizable Australian newscaster that he appeared as himself in many Australian movies and television shows during and after his career. Including: Police Rescue (1991–1996), The Roly Poly Man (1993), Wildside (1997–1998) and Red Hill (2010).
He left the ABC in 2002, being replaced by Tony Eastley, and underwent a sea change, moving to a property near Jervis Bay with his partner, artist Alison Mackay. He said he was not retiring, but wanted to work in a different way. [3] [6] [8] [9] [10] [11]
Morecroft returned to the ABC to host Richard Morecroft Goes Wild in 2002, drawing on his passion for environmental issues. [2] [10] [12]
In 2010, it was announced that he would host Letters and Numbers on SBS Television, an Australian version of the French game show Des chiffres et des lettres , on which the British game show Countdown is based. [13] [14] The first program aired on 2 August 2010. [15] Morecroft was joined by crossword compiler David Astle and mathematician Lily Serna. [15]
Morecroft is a governor of the Taronga Foundation and a director of the Zoological Parks Board of New South Wales. [2] [3] He is a trustee of the World Wide Fund for Nature and is a patron of WIRES. [2]
His book 20 Years from the Waist Up was published in 2002. [2] [16]
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Before I answer that question, I just want to say, 'Happy Birthday!'.
This was when I was a child growing up in England.