Christopher Richard Serle (13 July 1943 – 16 September 2024) was a British television presenter, reporter, and actor, best known for being a presenter on That's Life!
Chris Serle | |
|---|---|
 Serle in 2012 | |
| Born | Christopher Richard Serle 13 July 1943 Bristol, England |
| Died | 16 September 2024 (aged 81) |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Dublin |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 5 |
Early life and career
editSerle was born in Henleaze, Bristol, on 13 July 1943.[1] He was educated at Clifton College and Trinity College, Dublin, where he studied modern languages.[1] He appeared as a foil for Irish comedian Dave Allen in his series Dave Allen at Large in 1971, but gained greater UK public recognition as one of the presenters on the TV series That's Life!.[2][3] He later presented a series in which he, and fellow former That's Life! presenter Paul Heiney, were pitched into professional situations with no prior knowledge in In at the Deep End.[4]
In the 1980s, he presented Windmill in which clips from the BBC archives on particular themes were shown (so called as the then base for BBC archives was in Windmill Road, Brentford). He also presented the viewer-response show Points of View, The Computer Programme,[5] and Monkey Business. On radio, he was the regular host of Pick of the Week between 1991 and 1998,[4] and a frequent guest presenter until 2006. He was also the interviewer and host of the BBC series Greek Language and People with Katia Dandoulaki. From 2005 he served as the honorary president of the Bristol Hospital Broadcasting Service, a registered charity which provides a radio service to the hospitals of Bristol.[6]
Serle featured on an episode of the BBC game show, The Adventure Game, with Sandra Dickinson and Adam Tandy on 16 February 1984. He also presented BBC Radio Bristol's The Afternoon Show for several years.[7]
Serle also presented the first series of the ITV gameshow Runway (1987).[8][9]
Personal life and death
editIn 1983, Serle married Anna Southall, a member of the Cadbury family; they had two children and divorced in 2003.[1] He then married television producer Ali Fraser, and they had three children.[1][4] He was president of the Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum.[10]
Serle died from a stroke on 16 September 2024, at the age of 81.[1][4]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Chris Serle obituary: That's Life! co-host and TV presenter". The Times. 24 September 2024. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ Stevens, Christopher (2010). Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams. John Murray. p. 403. ISBN 978-1-84854-195-5.
- ^ Doherty, Aileen (6 February 1981). "It's a Full Life (Ealing Gazette)". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Ex-BBC TV and radio presenter Chris Serle dies". BBC News. 23 September 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ "25th anniversary of BBC Micro TV series". Drobe. 13 January 2007. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ "BHBS Members". Bristol Hospital Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "Chris Serle". IMDb. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "Runway - UKGameshows". Ukgameshows.com. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ "Memories of early TV quiz shows". The Bolton News. 31 March 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ "Atwell Wilson Motor Museum". Atwellwilson.org.uk. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
External links
edit- Chris Serle at IMDb
- Chris Serle, Esq's Biography. Debrett's. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- Meet our Presenters: Chris Serle. Travel Channel. Retrieved 2011-03-10.