| Reginald Bosanquet | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 9, 1932 |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Known for | ITN news |
Reginald Bosanquet (9 August 1932 – 27 May 1984) was a British journalist, best known for presenting ITN news in the 1970s.
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He was the son of the cricketer Bernard Bosanquet, inventor of the "googly" and a cousin of the public relations executive Christopher Bosanquet. Bosanquet was also a great great grandson of Sir Nicolas Conyngham Tindal, Lord Chief Justice from 1829–1843.
He was educated at Winchester College and at New College, Oxford where he read History.
Bosanquet was on the staff of ITN from its earliest days, initially as a sub-editor. He later reported from many parts of the world and was the diplomatic correspondent for four years. He briefly became head anchor of ITN from 1974–1976, when Alastair Burnet left to join the BBC's Panorama programme.
His partnership with Anna Ford on ITN News was popular with viewers in the late 1970s, with Ford regarded as notably attractive and Bosanquet sometimes showing an obvious gallantry in his behaviour towards her. As Ford has since revealed, this could prove distressing: on one occasion Bosanquet, having somehow discovered the birth-date of Ford's mother, wished the woman a "happy birthday" at the end of the broadcast, unaware that she had died some time previously.
Although held in considerable affection by the public (he was commonly addressed by family, friends and the media as "Reggie"), Bosanquet was not without his critics as a newsreader. At times he could appear puzzled by unfamiliar foreign names and confused by news stories containing technical matters he did not understand. His trademark slurred delivery, said to be caused by epilepsy, also fed suspicions that he was a heavy drinker; stories also circulated that he wore a toupee.[1] Such rumours became raw material for wags and comedy writers: Bosanquet acquired such nicknames as "Reginald Beaujolais" and "Reginald Boozalot", and Richard Stilgoe could point out that an anagram of 'REGINALD BOSANQUET' was 'ITN SQUARE GONE BALD'.
Bosanquet was elected as Rector of the University of Glasgow from 1980 to 1984. He was a controversial choice. Shortly after his election he hit the headlines when he turned up at an official reception late and drunk, and insulted various guests, including the Lord Provost of Glasgow (and his eventual successor) Michael Kelly.
In 1980, Bosanquet "sang" on the disco single "Dance With Me". It was voted #1 in the Bottom 30 by listeners of British DJ Kenny Everett.[2]
Towards the end of his life, he presented a number of low-budget straight-to-video News of the World-style documentaries called Private Spy.
Bosanquet was married three times.
He had a grandson who went on to be the famous Fred Bosanquet, who taught at DGS.
He died from cancer aged 51.
Bosanquet's early and sudden retirement from newsreading in the autumn of 1979 was the inspiration for an affectionate song by the Not the Nine O'Clock News team. Broadcast in the sixth show of the first series (20 November 1979), 'Oh, Reginald!' portrayed Anna Ford (played by Pamela Stephenson) as having been secretly in love with her fellow newsreader, and saddened by his disappearance from the programme ("Oh Bosanquet, why did you go away? Oh, Bosanquet, why did you leave me this way?").
Bosanquet also made a cameo in Royal Episode 13 of Monty Python's Flying Circus.
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John L. Bell |
Rector of the University of Glasgow 1980–1984 |
Succeeded by Michael Kelly |