Roger Climpson | |
---|---|
Born | Peterborough, England | 18 October 1931
Nationality | British Australian |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1951–1998, 2015 (mainstream TV and radio), Christian radio 1998–2004 |
Known for |
Roger Climpson OAM (born 18 October 1931) is an English-born Australian retired media personality who served a lengthy career in both radio and television, as a journalist and reporter, announcer, newsreader, weather presenter and host. He started his career as an actor in radio, but also appeared in theatre and television productions, post his mainstream media career, he went into christian broadcasting.
Climpson is best known for his time as news presenter with both the Nine Network and Seven Network for Seven News in the 1980s and 1990s and for his hosting duties on shows such as the local version of This Is Your Life and true-crime series Australia's Most Wanted .
Climpson was born on 18 October 1931, [1] in Peterborough, England. The son of a butcher, he aimed to become a pilot in the Royal Air Force, until a rugby union accident at the age of 14 punctured his lung, leading him to take up acting instead of flying. He emigrated to Australia in 1949, and met his future wife Claire at a Christmas party in 1952. [2]
Climpson started his career locally in theatre radio appearing in numerous radio series including Caltex theatre, The General Motors Hour, When a Girl Marries and Life Can Be Beautiful and Portia Faces Life as well as narrator of Tarzan Kingdom of the Apes, he also appeared in numerous theatre plays at the ABC
Climpson had guest roles in early television serials like Homicide and You Can't See Round Corners. [3]
He began his television career from its inception in 1956, working at Channel Nine as an announcer, weatherman and newsreader. He got the job at Nine after asking his friend Brian Henderson to have a word with the head of the network, Bruce Gyngell. During his time at Nine, he hosted two programs of his own: Rendezvous with Roger and The House and Garden Show . [2]
He left Channel Nine in 1965 after chairman Sir Frank Packer refused to grant him a five-pound pay rise. [4] He returned to acting in plays such as The Big Killing (1965) in which Filmink described him as "having the time of his life". [5]
Climpson found himself briefly unemployed and worked at his father's butcher shop, until he was asked to fill a temporary newsreader role at Channel Seven – where he stayed for fifteen years.
In 1977 Climpson presented the afternoon shift on Sydneys 2GB
In 1977, he began hosting This Is Your Life until returning to newsreading in 1978. In 1982, Climpson retired from television work, but returned to the station in 1989 as anchor of Sydney's Seven News , until a diagnosis of prostate cancer in November 1994 forced his temporary retirement. [2] Ann Sanders replaced him the following year.
In 1997, he was host of Australia's Most Wanted , which lasted until 1998 when he retired from television. although post-retirement briefly returned to host to a TV documentary in 2015.
Climpson has been heavily involved in Christian radio broadcasting from 1995 and 2004 and served as chairman of the Christian Broadcasting Association Ltd. licensee of Sydney Christian radio station Hope 103.2
On Australia Day 2004 he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). [6]
Title |
Caltex Theatre |
The General Motors Hour |
When a Girl Marries |
Portia Faces Life |
Life Can Be Beautiful |
2GB Afternoon Shift (1977) |
Host and chairman at Hope 103.2 (1995 - 2004) |
Selected credits
Title | Year | Notes |
Rope (TV movie) | 1957 | Mr Blackface |
Rendezvous with Roger Climpson (TV series) | 1959 | Himself |
Teenage Mailbag | 1960 | Himself as Host |
The Year in Review (TV movie documentary) | 1961 | Himself as Host |
The Splendour and the Peaks (documentary short) | 1962 | Himself as Narrator (voice) |
The Story of Port Augusta (documentary) | 1963 | Himself as Narrator and Commentator |
The City of Adelaide (documentary) | 1965 | Himself – Commentator (voice) |
The Big Killing (TV movie) [5] | 1965 | Peter Ashbury |
Twelve Night (TV movie) | 1966 | Orsino |
Homicide (TV series) | 1967 | 2 roles Edwin Blake Al Taylor |
Sydney Tonight | 1968–1969 | Himself as Host |
Dangerous Reef (documentary short) | 1969 | Himself |
Celebrity Tattle Tales | 1980 | Himself |
This is Your Life (TV series) | 1975–1980 | Himself as Host |
Australia's Most Wanted (TV series) | 1998 | Host |
Australia the Story Of Us (TV series documentary) | 2015 | Host |
Program Title | Years | Network |
---|---|---|
Nine News (as news anchor, announcer, weatherman) | 1957–1965 | Nine Network |
Seven News (stint 1) main news presenter | 1965–1980 | Seven Network |
Seven Nightly News (stint 2) (5.00pm bulletin) | 1989–1994 | Seven Network |
Brian Weir Henderson was a New Zealand-born Australian radio and television personality and pioneer known for his association with the Nine Network as a television news anchor in Sydney, as well as a variety show presenter and host of music program Bandstand, the local version of the US music program American Bandstand.
Jonathan "Jono" Henry Coleman was an English-born television presenter, radio announcer, writer, comedian, and advertorial spokesperson. He was known for his career in his native country and Australia.
Bruce Mansfield was an Australian television/radio personality and narrator.
Sandy Roberts is an Australian veteran sports presenter and commentator formerly working on television for Fox Sports Australia and radio with Crocmedia. He was a long-time personality of the Seven Network for four decades, notably part of the Seven Sport Olympics coverage as a host for more than 20 years.
Bruce Laurence Webster was an Australian broadcaster and politician. He worked for the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) from 1947, joining as a messenger boy, then becoming an announcer and newsreader. He was the member for Pittwater, in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 8 February 1975 until 21 July 1978.
George Jack Donikian is an Australian former radio and television news presenter/personality. He has worked at the SBS as well as the Nine Network and Ten Network.
Ian Charles "Roscoe" Ross was an Australian television news presenter for Seven News in Sydney and for Nine News.
Ken Sutcliffe is an Australian retired sporting journalist and radio and television personality, known for his association with the Nine Network.
Peter Donald Beauchamp HitchenerOAM is an Australian television presenter with a 50-year career with the Nine Network and 58 years of news broadcasting experience. Hitchener is currently weekend presenter of Nine News Melbourne. He was chief news presenter of Nine News Melbourne from 1998 until 2023.
Sir Eric Herbert Pearce, OBE was an English-born broadcaster and television pioneer in Australia.
Ross Symonds is an Australian former media personality, news presenter and reporter, radio and television personality and spokesman, best known for his association with the ABC starting in the early 1960s and subsequently the Seven Network in Sydney from the 1980s until the early 2000s. After leaving his media career he worked in real estate and advertising.
Brian Norman Naylor was an Australian television broadcaster and presenter, best known for his longstanding stint as chief news presenter at Seven Network (HSV-7) from 1970 to 1978 and for Nine Network (GTV-9) from 1978 to 1998 and his sign-off line, "May your news be good news, and good-night."
Philip Stuart Brady is an Australian media personality, radio and television identity and voiceover artist born and raised in Kew, Victoria. Apart from a brief period in the 1970s when he worked for a Victorian travel agent, Brady has been employed in the media all his adult life. In 2018, he celebrated 60 years in the industry.
This Is Your Life is an Australian television documentary and reality show, based on the American show of the same name, which was created, produced and originally hosted by Ralph Edwards, in which the presenter surprises celebrity guests with a show documenting their lives, with audience participation from their friends and family.
Vincent Smith was an Australian journalist and broadcaster.
Roundabout is a television movie, or rather a live television play, which aired on Australian television in 1957. Broadcast 4 January 1957 on ABC station ABV-2, it is notable as the first example of television drama produced in Melbourne.
"The Big Killing" is a 1965 Australian television film which aired on ABC. A murder drama aired in a 70-minute time-slot, it was produced in ABC's Sydney studios. Producer was James Upshaw, whose previous works had included variety series The Lorrae Desmond Show.
Brian John Cahill MBE was an Australian radio and television presenter, newsreader and politician who worked first in radio, and then in television from 1959 until 1982. In 1983, Cahill was elected to the Parliament of Queensland, as the member for Aspley, Brisbane until 1986. Following this, he returned to his first profession, teaching, and continued a lifelong commitment to musical theatre. In 1984, with wife Denise, he formed the Queensland Musical Theatre, of which he was President and (often) a lead performer in its productions.
Philip James Sherry was a New Zealand broadcaster and local-body politician. He served as a newsreader for various radio and television stations between 1960 and 1990, including as one of three presenters selected to read the NZBC Network News when it began in November 1969 and presenting the first 3 National News bulletin on 27 November 1989. He later served as a local-body politician in Auckland and the Bay of Plenty.
Katrina Lee is an Australian executive director and former television news presenter.