Peter Levy (presenter)

Peter Levy

Peter Levy
Born 5 September 1955
Farnborough, Kent, England
Occupation Television and radio presenter
Children None
Website
BBC Presenter Profile

Peter Levy (born 5 September 1955) is a British actor, television and radio presenter.

Since 11 November 2002. he has been a regular weekday host of the BBC regional news programme Look North, broadcast from Hull to the East Riding of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, northwest Norfolk, west Suffolk, Rutland, east Leicestershire and northeast Nottinghamshire.

Early life

Levy was born in Farnborough, Kent, but attended a secondary modern school in Truro, Cornwall. He did not do well at school, and by his own admission passed few, if any, exams. Levy first came to Yorkshire in his late teens. He was an actor in his teenage years, when he essentially 'fled' home (and Cornwall) to live in London, having secured small roles in shows such as Dixon of Dock Green, Man About The House, Coronation Street and Z-Cars.[1] He admits he "could not believe his luck" at the time to be working with such attractive female actresses (such as Sally Thomsett) in Man About the House in the mid-1970s. He also appeared in a couple of Leeds pantomimes at this time in supporting roles. He also appeared in the sitcom Not in Front of the Children as Wendy Craig's oldest child, the only boy in the family.

Career

Radio

Although wanting to become an airline pilot when younger (he still enjoys flying), Levy was a disc jockey at Bradford's Pennine Radio (now The Pulse of West Yorkshire) from its launch in 1975 – having been hired by the then television journalist and later Member of Parliament Austin Mitchell. He became a presenter at Liverpool's Radio City in 1979, starting on the afternoon show before progressing to the 'drive time' slot.

Television

He moved to Leeds-based Radio Aire, and then, in January 1987, to the BBC, eventually having a lunchtime show at BBC Radio Leeds. At this time he started as a regular stand-in presenter for the Leeds edition of Look North, always doing the breakfast bulletins.

Look North was broadcast across the whole of the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire region at the time Levy started to work on it. He became the regular breakfast and lunchtime presenter of the programme in the mid-1990s. When the BBC split the region into two, Levy moved to present the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire edition from studios in Hull full-time from 11 November 2002.

Look North

Levy's on-screen rapport with weatherman Paul Hudson has made him a popular local figure. The duo visited shopping centres around the region and met the public as part of the 2006 Look North Sofa Tour, this was repeated in 2009. The pair have made public appearances as part of a campaign in the East Riding of Yorkshire's libraries concerning reading among the under 11s. Levy made reference to this campaign on his radio show saying he could not read properly until he was ten and this is why he is passionate about campaigns such as this.

Levy himself has become a minor cult figure in the local area due to his Look North connection. To some viewers, it is regarded as something of an achievement to have seen Levy, and many call in with reports of sightings, usually of a humorous nature.

He once controversially said live on air that the man who wrote the book Crap Towns (a book that had Hull as one of the "crappest") was an idiot and everyone who had been to Hull knew it was a "lovely city".

Radio Humberside

From 10 November 2008, he took over the Soapbox slot on BBC Radio Humberside from Blair Jacobs, with a programme from 12 – 2 p.m. called The Peter Levy Show.[2] At 1.55 p.m. each programme, he chatted to Paul Hudson.[3] The programme was also broadcast on BBC Radio Lincolnshire. The programme finished in August 2014.

Appearances

Levy has appeared in a Last of the Summer Wine episode called "The Man Who Invented Yorkshire Funny Stuff"[4] he is also mentioned in episode 6 of series 1 of The League of Gentlemen.[5] In 2012 Peter agreed in principle to make a cameo appearance in the upcoming British film Dead Lies.

In 2012 Levy opened the Beverley Food Festival along with the Mayor of Beverley, Margaret Pinder; he is a supporter of the Driffield Show and other country events.[6]

Personal life

Levy had a relationship with Malandra Burrows, the Emmerdale actress, for three years, albeit some time ago. He was then engaged to a doctor called Clare in Bradford, but the relationship ended after she moved to the Isle of Man. Despite popular rumour, often mentioned in jest, he has not had a relationship with the television celebrity Carol Vorderman. However, he was an acquaintance of Jenny Hill, who has now moved to Look North in Leeds.

He enjoys surfing and bodyboarding in his native Cornwall. Levy is Patron of the Kenneth Williams Appreciation Society; on one edition of Levy's radio show on Radio Humberside he explained his love of Williams' work and comic abilities.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/looknorthhull/peter.shtml
  2. ↑ The Peter Levy Show
  3. ↑ "Riding the (air) waves!". Hull Dail Mail. 29 January 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  4. ↑ IMDB listing,
  5. ↑ The League of Gentlemen episode list
  6. ↑ Beverley Food Festival Attracts Record Numbers

External links