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Henry Kelly
Patrick Henry Kelly (17 April 1946 – 25 February 2025), better known as Henry Kelly, was an Irish radio and television broadcaster and journalist who was based in the United Kingdom.
Kelly was born in Dublin on 17 April 1946 and grew up in Athlone, County Westmeath. He was educated at Belvedere College and University College Dublin. At the latter he was auditor of the Literary and Historical Society. Whilst at university he wrote theatre reviews for The Irish Times.
After graduating from University College Dublin with a degree in English in 1968, he became a journalist with The Irish Times, and was promoted to become Belfast-based Northern Editor in 1970, at the start of civil unrest and The Troubles in Northern Ireland, a post which he held for five years. During his time in Northern Ireland, he published the book How Stormont Fell (1972), which is still highly regarded in its field. In 1976, he left The Irish Times and moved to London to work as a reporter for the British Broadcasting Corporation on its Radio 4 The World Tonight programme.
In 1980, in a career change at the age of 34, Kelly abandoned print journalism and pursued a career in television, presenting light entertainment shows. Whilst at university, Kelly had been a friend of the family of Terry Wogan, and he was drawn to try to emulate Wogan's career path by the professional success Wogan was experiencing by the late 1970s with the BBC.
In 1981, Kelly secured a co-presenter slot on the United Kingdom's ITV television channel with the London Weekend Television prime-time light-entertainment show Game for a Laugh, which was a ratings success and made him a household name in the country.[citation needed] He remained with the show until 1983. In June 1983 Kelly joined TV-am, and co-hosted the Saturday edition of Good Morning Britain with Toni Arthur. He was also a regular stand-in presenter on the weekday programme and presented Summer Sunday. On Saturday 3 January 1987 he hosted RTE's Saturday Live. He left TV-am in 1987, and from 1987 to 1996 he presented Going for Gold, a lunchtime television quiz show on BBC1, with contestants from across Europe.
In 1988, he briefly returned to journalism and chaired After Dark, on 13 August, for the "Derry '68" episode. He had previously appeared on the programme discussing the activities of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association, which he had witnessed first-hand as a journalist in the early 1970s.[citation needed]
In 2000, he appeared as a quiz show host in the final two episodes of the Victoria Wood sitcom dinnerladies. Kelly had previously worked with Wood on her show Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV in the 1980s. He also appeared occasionally on Sky News television reviewing Sunday newspapers.[citation needed]
In 1992, Kelly was one of the launch presenters of Classic FM, initially presenting the weekday mid-morning show from 9 am to noon, then later 8 am to noon. He then moved on to the Breakfast Show, until he was replaced by Simon Bates in June 2003. He returned between 2006 and 2008 to present a three-hour show on Sunday mornings.
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Henry Kelly
Patrick Henry Kelly (17 April 1946 – 25 February 2025), better known as Henry Kelly, was an Irish radio and television broadcaster and journalist who was based in the United Kingdom.
Kelly was born in Dublin on 17 April 1946 and grew up in Athlone, County Westmeath. He was educated at Belvedere College and University College Dublin. At the latter he was auditor of the Literary and Historical Society. Whilst at university he wrote theatre reviews for The Irish Times.
After graduating from University College Dublin with a degree in English in 1968, he became a journalist with The Irish Times, and was promoted to become Belfast-based Northern Editor in 1970, at the start of civil unrest and The Troubles in Northern Ireland, a post which he held for five years. During his time in Northern Ireland, he published the book How Stormont Fell (1972), which is still highly regarded in its field. In 1976, he left The Irish Times and moved to London to work as a reporter for the British Broadcasting Corporation on its Radio 4 The World Tonight programme.
In 1980, in a career change at the age of 34, Kelly abandoned print journalism and pursued a career in television, presenting light entertainment shows. Whilst at university, Kelly had been a friend of the family of Terry Wogan, and he was drawn to try to emulate Wogan's career path by the professional success Wogan was experiencing by the late 1970s with the BBC.
In 1981, Kelly secured a co-presenter slot on the United Kingdom's ITV television channel with the London Weekend Television prime-time light-entertainment show Game for a Laugh, which was a ratings success and made him a household name in the country.[citation needed] He remained with the show until 1983. In June 1983 Kelly joined TV-am, and co-hosted the Saturday edition of Good Morning Britain with Toni Arthur. He was also a regular stand-in presenter on the weekday programme and presented Summer Sunday. On Saturday 3 January 1987 he hosted RTE's Saturday Live. He left TV-am in 1987, and from 1987 to 1996 he presented Going for Gold, a lunchtime television quiz show on BBC1, with contestants from across Europe.
In 1988, he briefly returned to journalism and chaired After Dark, on 13 August, for the "Derry '68" episode. He had previously appeared on the programme discussing the activities of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association, which he had witnessed first-hand as a journalist in the early 1970s.[citation needed]
In 2000, he appeared as a quiz show host in the final two episodes of the Victoria Wood sitcom dinnerladies. Kelly had previously worked with Wood on her show Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV in the 1980s. He also appeared occasionally on Sky News television reviewing Sunday newspapers.[citation needed]
In 1992, Kelly was one of the launch presenters of Classic FM, initially presenting the weekday mid-morning show from 9 am to noon, then later 8 am to noon. He then moved on to the Breakfast Show, until he was replaced by Simon Bates in June 2003. He returned between 2006 and 2008 to present a three-hour show on Sunday mornings.