Johnny Vaughan

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Johnny Vaughan (born July 16, 1966) is an English broadcaster and journalist . Vaughan has become well-known as a television and radio personality and has also built a reputation as a film critic. He is currently the presenter of the Capital Breakfast with Johnny Vaughan on London radio station Capital Radio and also writes a weekly column in The Sun newspaper reviewing recent film releases. He well noted for his ironic sense of humour which some have occasionally found offensive.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Career 1.2 Personal life 1.3 Other Notes 2 References 3 External links

[edit] Biography

Born Jonathan Randall Vaughan in Barnet, North London, he was educated privately at Uppingham School, Rutland. On leaving, Vaughan worked as a video-shop assistant.

In 1988, Vaughan was arrested for trying to sell £15,000 of cocaine to undercover policemen in Northampton. He was found guilty of being "concerned with the supply" of cocaine and sentenced to 4 years in prison, of which he served 2 years.^[1][2]

[edit] Career

On release from prison, Vaughan decided to turn his life around by developing a career in entertainment and media. His big break into television was on Channel 4 in 1993, when the public first saw his blend of quick-fire humour and impressions on the movie review show Moviewatch.

Channel 4 producers decided he was a natural in front of the camera, and in light of ailing viewing figures he was chosen to front The Big Breakfast from 1997 until 2001, forming a successful partnership with former program weather girl and actress Denise van Outen from 1998. Van Outen's cheeky Essex Girl personality and sexy clothing played off well against the quick wit of Vaughan, and together they recovered audience figures to record levels.^[3] One groundbreaking feature of Johnny's presentation was the way in which he frequently interacted with the various cameramen and technical people in the studio, turning some of them into popular characters in their own right. Also notable was that each programme finished with a zany situational competition in which Johnny revealed considerable talent as a character actor. In parallel with The Big Breakfast Vaughan presented another movie show, The Johnny Vaughan Film Show.

Van Outen left to pursue her acting career at the end of 1998, and the partnership with replacement glamour model Kelly Brook didn't work^{[citation needed]} and audience figures dropped quickly. A succession of co-hostesses were tried including Liza Tarbuck and Amanda Byram, but by the time Van Outen returned in 2000^[4] the show was unrevivable. Johnny and Denise left the show in January 2001^[5].

In 2001 he transferred to the BBC to present a late-night talk show, Johnny Vaughan Tonight in the same vein of American shows by Johnny Carson and Jay Leno. Viewing figures were good, and commentators suggested that the format was best suited to the free-wheeling Vaughan. A highly promoted BBC Two sitcom vehicle 'Orrible was poorly received by the critics, and - far from being the huge hit that was hoped - was not renewed for a second series or even repeated. It is now the single most expensive comedy series available for purchase on Amazon. In October 2003 he devised and produced and was the first presenter of BBC Radio Five Live's Fighting Talk, a sport related show comedy show currently presented by Colin Murray. Further television appearances ensued, when Vaughan tried a revival of his on screen relationship with Van Outen in 2004 in the BBC's Saturday night family show Passport to Paradise.^[6]

In April 2004 he moved to radio and returned to the "zoo" format, when he replaced Chris Tarrant as the presenter of the Capital 95.8 breakfast show, and has since seen the listening figures for his show drop from over 1.3 million to 980,000 listeners, according to official Rajar statistics.^[7] The show is now the third most popular in London, behind BBC Radio 4's Today programme and Radio 2's Wake Up To Wogan respectively.^[8]

Vaughan has also been heavily involved with telethon charity drives such as Children in Need, Comic Relief and Sport Relief. In 2004 the BBC ran "a search to find the nation's best-loved sitcom" with a format that aped that of the 100 Greatest Britons. One celebrity championed each of the top ten sitcoms, presenting an hour-long special on why their favourite was the best. Vaughan was the presenter of the segment on prison-based sitcom Porridge.

In 2005, Vaughan became the host of the American reality/game show My Kind of Town on ABC. The show was cancelled after four episodes. He was also featured in the 2005 film Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, playing an awards ceremony host.

Vaughan presented the controversial hoax "reality" show Space Cadets for Channel 4.

In June 2006, Vaughan appeared as a guest on TV Heaven, Telly Hell.

He was a team captain on the Channel 4 comedy panel show Best of the Worst that also features team captain David Mitchell (Peep Show), and chairman Alexander Armstrong. They and their guests celebrate the very best of the very bad, although the show appears not to have been renewed for a second series.

In December 2006, he made a guest appearance on the BBC comedy panel game QI (Series D, Episode 10, "Divination").

[edit] Personal life

He is married to Antonia Davies; they met while he was working in a video store at age 19. They have 2 children, Tabitha born 2000 and Rafferty born 2003.

Vaughan is a big fan of cars and currently owns a Maserati 3200 GT. An avid supporter of Chelsea FC, he traveled to Sweden to see Chelsea win the 1998 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final, and spent the next day broadcasting live on The Big Breakfast with images and details of the big moments in the match, with input from his friends.

He has had thinning hair for a number of years, and on the television show Best of the Worst expressed jealousy of those with "long fly away locks."

[edit] Other Notes

Johnny Vaughan has become part Cockney Ryhming Slang, to mean "porn".

e.g. "Lets go back to mine and put some Johnny Vaughan on"

[edit] References

• Vaughan's interview with Ian Burrell in The Independent, 13th April 2004

[edit] External links

• Johnny's homepage at capitalfm.com
• Johnny Vaughan at the Internet Movie Database
• Unofficial - The World of Johnny Vaughan

Preceded by First presenter

BBC Radio Five Live Fighting Talk Presenter 2003 - 2004

Succeeded by Christian O'Connell