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| {{Short description|English television presenter (1933–2020)}}
| | #REDIRECT [[w:Frank Bough]] |
| {{Infobox person
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| | name = Frank Bough
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| | image = Frank Bough.jpg
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| | caption =
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| | birth_name = Francis Joseph Bough
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| | birth_date = {{birth date|1933|1|15|df=y}}
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| | birth_place = [[Fenton, Staffordshire|Fenton]], [[Stoke-on-Trent]], [[Staffordshire]], England
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| | death_date = {{death date and age|2020|10|21|1933|1|15|df=y}}<ref name="BBC News">{{cite news|title=Frank Bough: Former Grandstand presenter dies, aged 87|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54684374|work=BBC News|date=25 October 2020|access-date=25 October 2020}}</ref>
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| | death_place =
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| | education = [[The Marches School|Oswestry Boys' High School]]
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| | alma_mater = [[Merton College, Oxford]]
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| | spouse = {{marriage|Nesta Howells|1959}}
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| | children = 3
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| | known_for = ''[[Grandstand (BBC)|Grandstand]]'', ''[[Nationwide (TV programme)|Nationwide]]'', ''[[Breakfast Time (British TV programme)|Breakfast Time]]''
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| | occupation = [[Journalist]], [[news presenter|newsreader]], [[television presenter]], [[sports commentator]]
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| | years_active = 1959–1998
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| }}
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| '''Francis Joseph Bough''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ɒ|f}}; 15 January 1933 – 21 October 2020) was an English television presenter. He was best known as the former host of [[BBC]] sports and current affairs shows including ''[[Grandstand (BBC)|Grandstand]]'', ''[[Nationwide (TV programme)|Nationwide]]'' and ''[[Breakfast Time (British TV programme)|Breakfast Time]]'', which he launched alongside [[Selina Scott]] and [[Nick Ross]].
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| Over his broadcasting career, Bough became known for his smooth, relaxed and professional approach to live broadcasts, once being described as "the most unassailable performer on British television".<ref name="Desert Island Discs">{{cite web | url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009mlmn | title= Desert Island Discs - Frank Bough | work=BBC | date=1 May 1987 | access-date=24 August 2015}}</ref> In 1987, [[Michael Parkinson]] said, "If my life depended on the smooth handling of a TV show, Bough would be my first choice to be in charge."<ref name="Desert Island Discs"/> In 1988, Bough was sacked by the [[BBC]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Cozens |first=Claire |title=C4 film puts spotlight on BBC drugs scandals |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/jul/24/bbc.channel4 |access-date=9 February 2013 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=24 July 2003 |location=London}}</ref> following revelations that he had taken [[cocaine]] and used prostitutes. He later presented programmes on [[London Weekend Television]], [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]], [[Sky (UK and Ireland)|Sky TV]] and on [[LBC]] radio in London before his retirement in 1998.
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| ==Early life==
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| Francis Joseph Bough was born on 15 January 1933 in [[Fenton, Staffordshire|Fenton]], [[Stoke-on-Trent]], [[Staffordshire]]. He was educated at [[The Marches School|Oswestry Boys' High School]] (a Shropshire County Council secular grammar school) in [[Oswestry]], [[Shropshire]], after passing his [[eleven-plus]] exam, and at [[Merton College, Oxford]], where he studied shipping management.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Levens|editor-first=R.G.C.|title=Merton College Register 1900-1964|date=1964|publisher=Basil Blackwell|location=Oxford|page=432}}<br>- {{cite news|date=25 October 2020|title=Frank Bough, former Breakfast Time presenter dies aged 87|work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/10/25/frank-bough-former-breakfast-time-presenter-dies-aged-87/|access-date=28 October 2020 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> He played [[Association football|football]] for the university against [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]] and did his [[Conscription in the United Kingdom #After 1945|national service]] in the [[Royal Tank Regiment]].
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| ==Career==
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| ===BBC===
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| Bough joined the BBC as a presenter and reporter, presenting a new [[Newcastle upon Tyne]]-based show called ''Home at Six'', soon renamed ''North at Six'' and then in 1963 becoming ''[[BBC Look North (North East and Cumbria)|BBC Look North]]''. Between 1964 and 1968, he was the presenter of ''Sportsview'' and in 1964 became the presenter of the ''[[BBC Sports Personality of the Year|BBC Sports Review of the Year]]'', which he hosted for 18 years. Between 1968 and 1983, he was a regular host of the BBC's flagship Saturday afternoon sports programme, ''[[Grandstand (BBC)|Grandstand]]''.
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| Bough was one of the BBC's football commentators for the [[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966 World Cup]] in England and covered the match at [[Ayresome Park]] in [[Middlesbrough]] where North Korea defeated Italy 1–0,<ref>{{cite news |last=Taylor |first=Louise |title=How little stars from North Korea were taken to Middlesbrough's heart |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/jun/08/north-korea-world-cup-middlesbrough |access-date=9 February 2013 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=8 June 2010 |location=London}}</ref> in a game regarded as one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.<ref>{{cite news |last=Collett |first=Mike |title=World Cup's 10 biggest upsets |url=http://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/soccer/article511981.ece/World-Cups-10-biggest-upsets |work=Times Live |location=South Africa}}{{dead link|date=January 2023}}</ref> Bough went on to present the early evening magazine programme ''[[Nationwide (TV series)|Nationwide]]''. This made him one of the most familiar faces on British television throughout the 1970s. For ''Nationwide',' he covered the [[Watergate scandal]] that brought down [[Richard Nixon|President Nixon]] and, for both ''Nationwide'' and ''Breakfast Time'', he covered five UK general elections between 1974 and 1987 and four US presidential elections between 1972 and 1984.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}
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| In 1977, Bough was a guest on the ''[[Morecambe and Wise]]'' Christmas special, performing a song and dance routine in a sailor's outfit with other TV personalities, including the film critic [[Barry Norman]], the TV presenter [[Michael Aspel]] and the [[rugby league]] commentator [[Eddie Waring]]. The programme's 21.3 million viewers remain a British record. Bough later said that he had to give Waring dancing lessons before the sketch, which was based on a comic version of the song "[[There is Nothing Like a Dame]]" from the musical ''[[South Pacific (musical)|South Pacific]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/283992/ |title=Frank Bough is back for TV chat |work=The Daily Star |date=23 November 2012 |access-date=29 December 2012}}</ref>
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| Bough was the main presenter of the BBC's coverage of the [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978 World Cup finals]] in Argentina.
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| His prominence increased in January 1983 when he became the first presenter of the BBC's inaugural breakfast television programme, ''[[Breakfast Time (British TV programme)|Breakfast Time]]'' along with [[Selina Scott]] and [[Nick Ross]]. Bough was chosen by [[Ron Neil]] for his experience of presenting three hours of live television every week on ''Grandstand''. As fellow presenter Ross recounted:
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| <blockquote>None of us had remotely the experience of long, unscripted slabs of live TV that Frank had from his sports broadcasting. He brought a sense of serenity and reassurance. His unruffled composure made us feel this had all been done before, and on the first morning, as the last minutes ticked down to our opening transmission, when hearts were thumping and nerves were jangling, he clapped his hands and—addressing the producers and the technicians as much as Selina and me—gently and firmly said, "Calm down." We did.<ref>{{cite book |author=Jones, Ian |date=2003 |title=Morning Glory: A History of British Breakfast Television |publisher=Kelly Publications}}</ref></blockquote>
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| Scott later said that Bough would deliberately undermine her by interrupting mid-question and in other ways. When she attempted to complain she said that senior management simply was not interested. "They seemed to have no emotional intelligence, and they let men like Frank Bough roam the BBC without any check on them." She said that there was a very sexist atmosphere at the BBC, "this malevolence".<ref>{{Cite news |title='I did hate TV': Selina Scott on Trump, Prince Andrew, Frank Bough and the BBC |last=Hattenstone |first=Simon |work=The Guardian |date=4 January 2021 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/jan/04/i-did-hate-tv-selina-scott-on-trump-prince-andrew-frank-bough-and-the-bbc}}<br>- {{cite news|last=Scott|first=Selina|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/selina-scott-on-frank-bough-a-tv-legend-but-frankly-a-nightmare-to-work-with-dtzf6fncv|title=Frank Bough: a TV legend, but frankly a nightmare to work with|work=The Sunday Times|date=1 November 2020|access-date=4 January 2021 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The presenter [[Fern Britton]] found Bough equally difficult to work with. In her autobiography, published in 2008, she wrote early in their professional relationship, Bough asked her, "Well, young lady, I wonder how long it will be before I'm having an affair with you." He was dismissive of Britton at pre-programme briefings: "Oh, hers can wait. Now back to mine." Britton felt <!-- Britton's book: "too raw" -->too junior to be able to complain.<ref>{{cite book|last=Britton|first=Fern|url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Fern/G14fgIbRmWgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Fern+Britton%22+%22Frank+Bough%22+affair+long&pg=PP161|title=Fern|location=London|publisher=Michael Joseph|year=2008|page=161|isbn=9780141900377 |via=Google Books}}</ref>
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| Bough left breakfast television at the end of 1987 to concentrate on the ''[[Holiday (TV series)|Holiday]]'' programme where, having been a roving holidaymaker, he took over as the main presenter when [[Cliff Michelmore]] left the series in 1986.
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| In February 1989, Bough was hired by [[Sky News]] to present the ''Frank Bough Interview'' for [[Sky UK|Sky TV]] for two series. In September 1989, he also joined [[London Weekend Television]] where he fronted ''[[LWT News#Six O'Clock Live|Six O'Clock Live]]'' until it was axed in summer 1992. In between his news duties he presented [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]'s coverage of the 1991 [[1991 Rugby World Cup|Rugby World Cup]] tournament.
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| ===Sex and drugs scandal===
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| On 13 June 1988, Bough left the BBC for a rest<ref>{{cite news |title=Bough rests|date=14 June 1988 |work=The Times |location=London |page=3}}</ref> before being sacked, after the ''[[News of the World]]'' reported he had taken [[cocaine]] and worn [[lingerie]] at parties involving prostitutes.<ref>{{cite news|last=Platell|first=Amanda |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/node/156512|title=Watching brief - Amanda Platell won't have Angus Deayton home|work=New Statesman|date=28 October 2002|access-date=25 October 2020}}{{dead link|date=January 2023}}<br>- {{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/10/25/frank-bough-former-breakfast-time-presenter-dies-aged-87/|title=Frank Bough, former Breakfast Time presenter dies aged 87|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=25 October 2020|access-date=25 October 2020 |url-access=subscription}}<br>- {{cite news|last=Myler|first=Colin|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/colin-myler-sex-drugs-and-responsibilities-771524.html |title=Sex, drugs and responsibilities |work=The Independent |date=21 January 2008 |access-date=29 December 2012 |location=London}}</ref> The newspaper's former deputy editor, [[Paul Connew]], later said of the scandal, "It caused a sensation at the time, given Bough's public image as the squeaky clean front man of breakfast and sports television."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=28558§ioncode=1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421030105/http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=28558§ioncode=1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 April 2013 |title=Gerry Brown: News of the World investigative reporter |work=Press Gazette |date=26 January 2004 |access-date=29 December 2012 }}</ref>
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| [[Roy Greenslade]], professor of journalism at <!-- Only a constituent college of the University of London from 2016. -->[[City University London]], said that Bough made a "terrible mistake" by agreeing to speak to newspapers before publication of personal allegations, worsening the story.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.journalism.co.uk/news/uk-law-prevents-truth-telling-in-journalism-nick-davies-tells-parliamentary-committee-/s2/a534121/ |title=UK law prevents truth-telling in journalism, Nick Davies tells parliamentary committee |website=Journalism |author=Townend, Judith |date=21 April 2009 |access-date=29 December 2012}}</ref>
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| In August 1992, Bough was reported to have been involved in a dungeon orgy.<ref>{{cite news |work=Aberdeen Press and Journal |date=31 August 1992 |page=11 |title=I'll speak up on Orgy Story Says Bough}}<br>- ''Sandwell Evening Mail'', 31 August 1992, page 5<br>- {{cite news |work=Reading Evening Post' |date=2 September 1992 |page=3 |title=I am Feeling Exceedingly Stupid - Bough}}<br>- ''Fame, Set and Match - Breakfast TV and Beyond'', BBC2, 2002</ref> The press published photographs of him leaving the flat of a prostitute who specialised in [[sadomasochism]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26063499|title=Obituary: Frank Bough|work=BBC News|date=25 October 2020|access-date=25 October 2020}}</ref> Bough later spoke of his regret over his actions, saying his behaviour had been "exceedingly stupid".<ref name="BBC News" /> He said in a television interview, "Everybody, when they have difficulties with their marriage or sexuality, surely has the right to sort out these things in the privacy of their own home."<ref name="Indy19920902">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/bough-criticises-newspaper-expose-1548759.html|title=Bough criticises newspaper expose|work=The Independent|date=2 September 1992|access-date=25 October 2020}}</ref> His role as a rugby presenter ended after this second scandal.<ref name="BBC News" />
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| ===Late career===
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| In 1993, after his activities were regularly ridiculed in [[monologue]]s on ''[[Have I Got News for You]]'' by [[Angus Deayton]] (who himself was later dismissed from the show following cocaine and prostitute use), Bough agreed to appear as a guest on the programme. In the early 1990s, he was a presenter on [[LBC]] radio in London,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/dec/04/radio.broadcasting |title=LBC - from 1973 to today|newspaper=The Guardian |date= 4 December 2002|access-date=29 December 2012 |location=London}}</ref> staying on for the launch of [[London News Talk]] and moving to the News 97.3 service where he remained until 1996. He then presented ''Travel Live'' for the cable channel [[Travel Channel (International)|Travel]].
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| In 2009, he contributed to a programme looking back on ''Nationwide'', broadcast on [[BBC Four]].
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| ==Personal life and death==
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| Bough met Nesta Howells while he was completing his national service and they married after he left the army in 1959. They had three sons: David, Stephen and Andrew. Nesta stayed in the relationship after the exposés that affected Bough's later career.<ref name="Indy19920902" />
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| From 1994, he was a regular member of a [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]]-based choir, the Royal Free Singers. Bough had a liver transplant in 2001 after [[cancer]] was found, and later lived in retirement in [[Holyport]], [[Berkshire]].
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| A family friend said that Bough died on 21 October 2020, aged 87.<ref name="BBC News"/>
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| ==References==
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| {{Reflist}}
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| ==External links==
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| *[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/in_depth/2000/sports_personality/1021673.stm Frank Bough's career on the BBC website]
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| *{{IMDb name|0099271}}
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| {{DEFAULTSORT:Bough, Frank}}
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| [[Category:1933 births]]
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| [[Category:2020 deaths]]
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| [[Category:20th-century British Army personnel]]
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| [[Category:Alumni of Merton College, Oxford]]
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| [[Category:Association football commentators]]
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| [[Category:BBC sports presenters and reporters]]
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| [[Category:BBC television presenters]]
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| [[Category:English radio presenters]]
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| [[Category:English reporters and correspondents]]
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| [[Category:English sports broadcasters]]
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| [[Category:English television presenters]]
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| [[Category:Liver transplant recipients]]
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| [[Category:Olympic Games broadcasters]]
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| [[Category:People from Bray, Berkshire]]
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| [[Category:People from Fenton, Staffordshire]]
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| [[Category:Royal Tank Regiment soldiers]]
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| [[Category:Sex scandals]]
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| [[Category:English association football commentators]]
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