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Richard Keys

This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 5 November 2024.
This article is about the English sports presenter. For the American painter, see Richard Keyes.

Richard Keys (born 23 April 1957) is an English sports presenter who has worked for BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, Talksport, Al Jazeera, Fox Sports, ESPN Star Sports, BeIN Sports; and has presented many top-level football matches.[1]

Richard Keys
Keys in 2011
Born (1957-04-23) 23 April 1957 (age 67)
Coventry, Warwickshire, England
OccupationSports reporter
TelevisionTV-am
Sky Sports
talkSPORT
Al Jazeera
BeIN Sports
SpouseLucie Rose (2023-)
Websitewww.richardajkeys.com

Career

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His career started in London in 1976 when he began working for the Fleet Street Sports Agency Hayter's[2] until 1978, when he moved to Liverpool and worked at Radio City as a football commentator.

In 1982, he moved to Manchester to work at Piccadilly Radio as sports editor and football commentator. In 1984 Keys moved back to London, where he joined the ITV network as one of the main anchors of breakfast show TV-am.[3] While working at TV-am he also commentated on football matches for ITV and cycling for Channel 4, including two Tours de France.

Keys was one of the presenters for the Sports Channel on British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB) in spring 1990. When BSB merged with Sky in 1991, the channel was renamed Sky Sports. He presented TV-am for the last time on 28 December 1990 before leaving for Sky Sports. [citation needed]

He presented Sky Sports coverage[4] of Premier League football since the league's inception in 1992. He was the presenter of the flagship Super Sunday and also presented Sky's Monday Night Football, which coincided with Sky gaining rights for the UEFA Champions League. Later he fronted all of Sky Sports' Champions League coverage.

In 2008, Keys also presented the UEFA Euro 2008 for Al Jazeera Sports.[citation needed]

Departure from Sky Sports

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In January 2011, Keys left Sky Sports after making derogatory comments about female assistant referee Sian Massey. His off-air comments about Massey and the fitness of women to officiate at football matches were recorded and leaked. Further clips were leaked showing co-presenter Andy Gray and Keys behaving in a sexist manner.[5]

Keys apologised and said: "Prehistoric banter isn't acceptable in the modern world. I accept that. We failed to change when the world has changed."[5]

Keys later joined talkSPORT radio,[6] where he presented on Saturday evenings. Later in 2011, Keys returned to television broadcasting launching the boxing channel BoxNation[7] with boxing promoter Frank Warren.

Al Jazeera, beIN Sports and Talksport

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In June 2013, Al Jazeera agreed a contract with Keys and Andy Gray. They present English and European football coverage from Doha, Qatar, including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and FA Cup.

Coverage started for the 2013–14 season while they continued to present their TalkSport show from Qatar.

Keys and Gray are the mainstays of the football coverage on BeIN Sports channels, which broadcasts all 380 Premier League games per season.[8]

Since 2013, Keys has maintained a blog[9] on his personal website that is often referenced in sports media.[10][11]

Personal life

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From the age of four, Richard Keys had a passion for football, ever since his father took him to watch Coventry City play Swansea Town in the old Third Division. He was educated at the now-defunct Whitley Abbey Comprehensive School, where he was head boy.[12]

Richard Keys married his first wife Julia in 1982 and they had two children together. Julia filed for divorce in 2016 due to Richard Keys's alleged infidelity.[13]

In November 2000, Keys was heard to make a racially motivated comment about footballer David Johnson while broadcasting live on a Sky test channel. While discussing Johnson's potential eligibility to play for the Scotland national team with pundits Ray Wilkins and Graeme Souness, Keys referred to Johnson as a "choco jocko". The incident was brought to the public eye in February 2011, following Keys' departure from Sky for various other inappropriate remarks.[14]

In June 2023, Keys married Lucie Rose,[15] a lawyer 32 years his junior. It has been alleged that Lucie was his daughter's best friend, but he has denied this.[15][16]

Awards

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In 2002, Keys received an honorary doctorate from Coventry University for outstanding services to sports broadcasting.[17][18]

In 2012, Keys and Andy Gray received the best sports programme prize for their talkSPORT show at the Sony Radio Academy Awards.[19]

Charity work

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Keys and Geoff Shreeves have helped to raise money for Nordoff-Robbins (A musical charity for Children with Autism).[20][21]

Keys is a patron of the Willow Foundation, a charity for people with special needs, founded by the former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson in memory of his late daughter.[22]

References

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  1. ^ "Andy Gray and Richard Keys Added to Fox Soccer Channel World Cup Coverage | World Soccer Talk". Epltalk.com. 10 January 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  2. ^ "Hayters Teamwork". Hayters.com. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  3. ^ "Presenter Profiles". TV-am. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  4. ^ "Richard Keys". Metro. UK. 27 October 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  5. ^ a b Gibson, Owen (26 January 2011). "Richard Keys resigns from Sky Sports after sexism storm". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Richard Keys". talkSPORT. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  7. ^ "Richard Keys returns to TV with BoxNation | touchline.tv". Archived from the original on 3 December 2012.
  8. ^ "Richard Keys: Andy Gray and I were 'set-up' before Sky Sports departure". Pundit Arena. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Blog". www.richardajkeys.com. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  10. ^ Davies, Callum (13 August 2024). "Richard Keys outlines the one thing that could finally relegate Everton this season". Everton News. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  11. ^ Wilks, Mitchell (8 November 2023). "Send help - we've found ourselves agreeing with Richard Keys' blog and we're scared". Planet Football. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  12. ^ "About Richard - Richard Keys - Richard Keys Personal Website". Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  13. ^ Sawer, Patrick (28 January 2017). "Richard Keys' wife brands ex-Sky presenter a 'pathological liar' amid claims of continued affair with younger woman". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Richard Keys accused of making racist comments towards black footballer ahead of TalkSport debut". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 14 February 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  15. ^ a b O'Connor, Roisin (28 June 2023). "Sports presenter Richard Keys, 66, 'marries daughter's ex-best friend', 35". The Independent. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  16. ^ Bannerman, Lucy (28 June 2023). "Richard Keys denies new wife was his daughter's best friend". The Times. Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  17. ^ "Honorary Doctorates". www.coventry.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  18. ^ "An honour for Richard". Coventry Live. 13 November 2002. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  19. ^ "Andy Gray and Richard Keys win Sony Radio Academy Award for best sports programme". Mirror. 14 May 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  20. ^ "About FE | Money Raised". Football Extravaganza. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  21. ^ "FE Dinner 2012 Premier League at 20 – Images | John Marshall (JM Enternational)". Marshall.photoshelter.com. 12 April 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  22. ^ "Richard Keys". Willowfoundation.org.uk. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
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