Chris Tarrant | |
|---|---|
 Tarrant doing stand-up comedy in 2009 | |
| Born | Christopher John Tarrant 10 October 1946 |
| Education | King's School, Worcester |
| Alma mater | University of Birmingham |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1972–present |
| Known for | Tiswas Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways |
| Spouses |
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| Partner | Jane Bird (2008–present) |
| Children | 4, including Toby |
Christopher John Tarrant, OBE (born 10 October 1946)[1] is an English broadcaster, television personality, former radio DJ and stand up comedian. He is best known for presenting the ITV children's television show Tiswas from 1974 to 1981, and the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? from its inception in 1998 until 2014.
Tarrant's career began in 1972, when he was hired by the television broadcaster, ATV. He presented ATV Today, a current affairs programme serving the Midlands area of England, until 1982. Tarrant rose to prominence after becoming a co-host on Tiswas, the children's television show broadcast on a Saturday morning from 1974 to 1981. Tarrant was a member of the Four Bucketeers group, whose single "Bucket Of Water Song" reached No. 26 in the UK Singles Chart in 1980. In January 1982, along with Bob Carolgees, John Gorman, Randolph Sutherland and Lenny Henry, Tarrant launched a late-night show, O.T.T. ("Over the Top"), thought of as an "adult" version of Tiswas, which despite being short-lived, was very popular amongst adults. His co-host Sally James presented the concurrent and final series of Tiswas alone.
Tarrant was a Capital Radio host from 1984 to 2004, presenting the early-morning show Capital Breakfast. The show was highly popular, increasing Capital Radio's audience share in London. Tarrant presented the ITV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? from 1998 to 2014, while also providing some audio recordings for some console games, and a tabletop game made by Tiger Electronics based on the show. He recorded a total of 592 episodes across 30 series, in which a total of five contestants won the cash prize of £1 million. In 2012, Tarrant began a travel documentary series, Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways, with locations including the Congo-Ocean Railway, the Ghan across Australia and the Konkan Railway in India.
Tarrant's other television credits include Tarrant on TV, a programme which shows clips featuring a number of unusual television programmes from around the world, and Tarrant Lets the Kids Loose, a programme which gives three- to six-year-olds the chance to fulfil their greatest ambitions in the adult world. He also hosted several other game shows including It's Not What You Know and The Colour of Money. Tarrant received an OBE in 2004 for his charity work, in particular his campaigning on behalf of disadvantaged children.
- ^ Ross, Deborah (8 January 2001). "Chris Tarrant: Confident?". The Independent. London. Retrieved 29 April 2010.[dead link]