Jonathan Ross
Born	Jonathan Stephen Ross 17 November 1960 (1960-11-17) (age 47) Camden, Southall Ealing Hospital, UK
Nationality	British
Occupation	Television/Radio presenter , Film critic
Spouse	Jane Goldman (1988 - present)

Jonathan Stephen Ross OBE^[1] (born 17 November 1960 in London, England) is a triple BAFTA-winning British film critic and presenter of radio and television. Events 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Camden Town is the district of London, England around Camden High Street, in the London Borough of Camden. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A presenter, or host (sometimes hostess, in feminine form is a Person or Organization responsible for running an event Film review redirects here for the similar sounding Film revue please visit Revue#Film revues. Jane Lauretta Goldman (born 11 June 1970 in Hammersmith, London) is an English writer and presenter of Jane Goldman Investigates The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Events 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA is a British charity that hosts annual awards shows for film television television craft video games and forms of animation The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Film review redirects here for the similar sounding Film revue please visit Revue#Film revues. A presenter, or host (sometimes hostess, in feminine form is a Person or Organization responsible for running an event Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic

Personal life

Ross was educated at Norlington School for Boys, along with his brother Paul Ross, the Southampton College of Art and gained a BA (Hons) in Modern European History at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University of London, in 1981. Norlington School For Boys is a single-sex school located in the borough of Waltham Forest in East London England. Paul Simon Ross (born April, 1956) is an English Journalist, television editor and media personality Southampton Solent University is a University of 17000 students based in Southampton, United Kingdom. The UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies ( SSEES) is the largest national centre in the UK for the study of Central, Eastern The University of London is a university based primarily in London, England, UK. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 He later married author/journalist/broadcaster Jane Goldman, ten years his junior, in 1988, when Goldman was just 18. Jane Lauretta Goldman (born 11 June 1970 in Hammersmith, London) is an English writer and presenter of Jane Goldman Investigates Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) They have since had three children: Betty Kitten (named after Bettie Page), Harvey Kirby (named after Jack Kirby, a comic book creator whom Ross especially admires) and Honey Kinny. Bettie Mae Page (born Betty Mae Page April 22 1923 in Nashville Tennessee) is a former American model who became famous in the 1950s for Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg, August 28, 1917 &ndash February 6, 1994) was an American Comic book The family lives in Hampstead, London, United Kingdom. Hampstead is an area of London, England, located north-west of Charing Cross. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

Ross is known for owning exotic pets. He is a big fan of David Bowie, British punk rock, Star Trek, Doctor Who and comic books. David Bowie (ˈboʊiː born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 is an English Musician, actor producer, and arranger. Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Ross has even co-owned a comic shop in London with Paul Gambaccini. Paul Matthew Gambaccini (born April 2, 1949, New York) ( Nicknamed 'The Professor of Pop' is a radio and television presenter in the United He was also the visual inspiration for the main character in the comic book Saviour. Ross is also greatly interested in Japan, presenting a BBC TV series on many different aspects of Japanese culture, Japanorama, now in its third series. Japanorama is a series of documentaries presented by Jonathan Ross, exploring various facets of popular culture and trends of modern-day Japan

He is a friend of comedian Ricky Gervais and bought him a kitten after Gervais's previous cat, Colin, had died. Ricky Dene Gervais (dʒɜːˈveɪz born 25 June 1961 is an English Actor, Comedian, Writer, director, Producer and former The cat's name is Ollie and was presented to him on an episode of Ross's talk show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross^[2]. He was one of the special celebrity guests in the final episode of Gervais's second season of Extras, in which Gervais's character, Andy Millman, and Ross were shown to be the best of friends after a fictional appearance on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross ^[3]. Extras is a British television sitcom about extras working on Film sets and in Theatre. Friday Night with Jonathan Ross is a Chat show presented by Jonathan Ross.

Broadcast career

Ross began his career as a researcher on the Channel 4 show Loose Talk. Channel 4 is a public-service Television and Radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom centred around a television channel of the same name which began Loose Talk was a Chat show broadcast on Channel 4 in 1983. Presented by Ian Hislop and Steve Taylor Loose Talk was After leaving this, he worked on various other shows before beginning another research job on "Soul Train", which became Solid Soul. On that programme, he met fellow researcher Alan Marke, and the two devised what would prove to be a breakthrough hit for Ross in 1987, The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross.

The pair based their concept on the successful American show Late Night with David Letterman, and formed a new production company called Channel X, to produce a pilot. Late Night with David Letterman was a nightly hour-long comedy Talk show on NBC hosted by David Letterman. A television pilot is a test episode of an intended Television series. Ross was not originally slated as the show's host, but with little time to find one Jonathan Ross stepped in and made his television debut at the show in January 1987^[4]

While the series was initially a co-production with Colin Calendar, ownership transferred to Marke and Ross, meaning that the latter retained a great deal of control as well as being presenter ^[5]. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) The show proved popular for both Ross and for Channel 4, making him one of the major personalities on the channel.

A year later, his documentary series The Incredibly Strange Film Show introduced many to the works of cult film-makers like Sam Raimi and Jackie Chan. Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality A cult film is a Film that has acquired a highly devoted but relatively small group of fans. Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi (born October 23, 1959) is an American Film director, producer, Actor and Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE (born Chan Kong Sang, 陳港生 on 7 April 1954 is an Actor, action choreographer, Film director

In 1989, he co-presented the biennial BBC charity telethon Comic Relief, the same year he launched One Hour with Jonathan Ross a short lived chat show on Channel 4, most notable for the game show segment Knock down ginger which introduced comedians such as Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer, Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson to television. Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character or scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work often to relieve tension Vic Reeves (b 24 January 1959 as James "Jim" Roderick Moir) is an English Comedian, best known for his Double act with Bob Mortimer Robert "Bob" Renwick Mortimer (born 23 May, 1959 in Middlesbrough, England) is a British Comedian and Actor Paul Whitehouse (born 17 May 1958 is a British Comedian and actor Charles Murray Higson (born 3 July 1958) more commonly known as Charlie Higson, is an English Actor and Comedian.

In 1991, he presented the annual British Comedy Awards on ITV. The British Comedy Awards is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent He has presented the event each year since, and still does to this day. In 1992 he presented an interview with Madonna about her Erotica album and Sex Book promotion. Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie (born August 16 1958 known as Madonna, is an American Erotica is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on October 20, 1992 by Maverick Records Sex is a highly-designed Coffee table book written by Madonna with photographs by Steven Meisel and Film frames taken from film

In 1993, he was the narrator for FIA Formula 1 1993 Season Review video.

Ross has appeared in numerous television entertainment programmes on several channels throughout the 1990s and 2000s. The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999 He was a regular panellist on the sports quiz They Think It's All Over, and hosted the panel game It's Only TV. They Think It's All Over was a British Comedy Panel game with a sporting theme produced by TalkbackTHAMES and shown on BBC One A panel game is a Game show, particularly popular in the United Kingdom, in which a panel of celebrities compete — either in teams or individually . . But I Like It. Other projects include the BBC joke-quiz Gagtag, the Channel 4 variety show Saturday Zoo, new-acts showcase The Big Big Talent Show, and the ITV programme Fantastic Facts.

In 1995 he left Channel X, despite its profitable nature. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 He was quoted in a 1998 article as stating:

In 1996 he was the original choice to host TFI Friday, although the job later went to Chris Evans. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) TFI Friday was a Light entertainment show produced by Ginger Productions, and hosted by Chris Evans and broadcast on Fridays at 6pm on

He took over presenting of the Film... programme in 1999, the BBC's long-running cinema review series, after Barry Norman left the show. Film is a weekly film review show on BBC television The first series was broadcast in 1972 (BBC South East only under Barry Leslie Norman, CBE (born August 21, 1933 in London) is an English Film critic and television presenter Ross himself has made a number of cameo appearances in films, playing himself in the Spice Girls' film Spiceworld (1997) and voicing the character of Doris in the UK version of Shrek 2 (2004) ). The Spice Girls are a BRIT Award -winning English pop Girl group formed in 1994 Shrek 2, released in the United States on 19 May 2004, is the 2004 Academy Award nominated Sequel to the He also played himself in Only Fools And Horses, presenting Goldrush, a fictional television quiz on which the main character, Del-boy, was a contestant. Only Fools and Horses is a British Television sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan, and made and broadcast by the BBC } Derek Edward Trotter (born July 12, 1948 in Deptford) more commonly known as "Del Boy", is the fictional lead character in the popular In 2001 he voiced characters in two episodes of the animated comedy series Rex the Runt. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Rex the Runt is an animated ( Claymation) Television show produced by Aardman Animations for BBC Bristol in association with In the 30 October episode of Film 2006, Ross also claimed that he had appeared as an extra in the 1981 movie 'The Rise and Fall of Idi Amin', as an Israeli soldier raiding Entebbe airport. Events 637 - Antioch surrenders to the Muslim forces under Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of Iron bridge.

He began presenting a Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 2 in 1999, and he continues to do so. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) He has also presented radio shows for BBC Radio 1 and Virgin Radio (having previously worked on Richard Branson's earlier venture, Radio Radio), as well as the now-defunct commercial radio network service The Superstation, where his producer was Chris Evans. Virgin Radio is a brand owned by the Virgin Group used by a number of different radio stations worldwide under licence from Virgin Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950 is an English Business magnate, best known for his Virgin brand of over 360 companies For the category of United States television broadcasters see Superstation. Chris Evans (born Christopher Evans, 1 April 1966 Warrington, England) is an English radio / Television presenter and

On November 2, 2001, Ross began presenting his chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Friday Night with Jonathan Ross is a Chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. The show continues to be one of the most popular shows on the BBC.

In 2005, Ross anchored the BBC television coverage of the Live 8 concerts. Live 8 was a string of Benefit concerts that took place on 2 July, 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. Later that year he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals' personal bravery achievement or service to the United Kingdom. He celebrated the news by playing "God Save the Queen" by The Sex Pistols (which was banned by the BBC when released in 1977) on his BBC Radio 2 Saturday morning show. " God Save the Queen " was the second single released by the Punk rock band Sex Pistols. The Sex Pistols are an English Punk rock band that formed in London in 1975 On June 21, 2006 Ross was made a Fellow of University College London, his alma mater. Events 524 - Godomar, King of the Burgundians defeats the Franks at the Battle of Vézeronce. University College London ( UCL) is a multi-faculty university institution based in the United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London

In early 2006, Ross announced that after eight years he was quitting his regular panellist seat on the sport/comedy quiz show They Think It's All Over, stating:

However, after Ross's departure, only two more episodes of the show were made before it was cancelled.

In January 2006 he presented Jonathan Ross' Asian Invasion, broadcast on BBC Four. BBC Four is a BBC Television channel available to digital television ( Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable) viewers in the The three-part documentary followed Ross as he explored the film industry in Japan, Hong Kong and Korea, interviewing directors and showcasing clips. A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a Film. A media clip is a short segment of media either an Audio clip or a Video clip. His interest in Asian culture and his self confessed love for anime and video games led him to making three series of BBC Three show Japanorama, as well as producing another series for the same channel called Adam and Joe Go Tokyo, starring Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish. (anime in Japanese, BBC Three is a television channel from the BBC broadcasting via Digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms Japanorama is a series of documentaries presented by Jonathan Ross, exploring various facets of popular culture and trends of modern-day Japan Adam And Joe Go Tokyo was a series of eight episodes created for the BBC 's then fledgling channel BBC Three (also airing in full on BBC One Adam Offord Buxton (born 7 June 1969 is an English Comedian, who together with his comedy partner Joe Cornish wrote and presented the Channel 4 Joe Cornish (born Joseph Murray Cornish 20 December 1968) is an English Comedian who along with his long-time comedy partner He produced the latter programme through his own production company Hot Sauce.

Ross was the subject of controversy in June 2006 when Conservative party leader David Cameron appeared on the show. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966 is a British Politician and the current leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of Her Majesty's Ross began a line of questioning relating to ex-Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher culminating in the question did you or did you not have a wank thinking of Margaret Thatcher? Ross was defended by the BBC publicly but repeat showings of the interview have been banned. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. This article is about the government position For other uses see Prime Minister (disambiguation. Margaret Hilda Thatcher Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925 Masturbation refers to Sexual stimulation especially of one's own genitals ( self masturbation) and often to the point of Orgasm, which ^[7]

On June 25, 2006, he performed at the Children's Party At The Palace for Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday and later in August 2006 Ross was enlisted to ask the first question since the transition from beta for the Yahoo Answers in UK and Ireland. Events 524 - Battle of Vézeronce, the Franks defeat the Burgundians Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Children's Party at the Palace was an event held at Buckingham Palace Garden on 25 June 2006 in honour of the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II August 2006 was a month with thirty-one days On August 10, an alleged plot to detonate ten Airliners over the Atlantic Ocean was revealed to The answer can be seen here. On March 16, 2007, Ross hosted Comic Relief 2007 alongside Fearne Cotton and Lenny Henry. Events 597 BC - Babylonians capture Jerusalem, replace Jehoiachin with Zedekiah as king Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character or scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work often to relieve tension Fearne Cotton (born 3 September 1981 is an English Presenter known for presenting a number of popular TV programmes such as Top of the Pops Lenworth George Henry CBE, (born 29 August 1958 is a British Writer, Comedian and Actor. On 7 July 2007 Ross presented at the Live Earth concert. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007 Live Earth is an annual event developed to to combat climate change.

Starting on September 10 2007 he presented the BBC Four series Comics Britannia, about the history of the British comic. Comics Britannia is a three part documentary series from BBC Four which started on September 10, 2007. A British comic is a periodical published in the United Kingdom that contains comic strips This forms the core of a Comics Britannia season, which also includes another documentary by Ross called In Search of Steve Ditko. In Search of Steve Ditko is a BBC Four documentary It was first shown on Sunday 16 September 2007. ^[8]

BBC contract

In April 2006, Ross, along with other BBC personalities, had details of his fees leaked to the tabloid press. ^[9] It was claimed at the time by a then unidentified BBC mole, that Ross earned £530,000 (equivalent to £10,000 per show) per year for hosting his Radio 2 show. ^[10] This was a controversial revelation. For some, the BBC was abusing its dominant position over commercial rivals in paying popular personalities such high fees, and for others debasing its public service remit. In the United Kingdom the term " Public service broadcasting " (PSB refers to broadcasting intended for the public benefit rather than for purely commercial While refusing to comment specifically on the leak in line with the BBC policy on the matter, Ross did hint during his radio show that the figure was exaggerated; in addition to this, any pay highlighted as being 'his' would actually be split between himself and his producer/co-presenter on the show, Andy Davies. Andy Davies (born 10 August 1965) is a Radio producer most notably of the popular BBC Radio 2 show presented by Jonathan Ross, of

The following June, a bidding war was sparked between BBC and ITV for his services. Although ITV were unsuccessful in poaching Ross, it is believed that their bid was higher than the BBC during negotiations. Had the ITV move come off, it would have meant that the network would have poached two of chat's biggest names from the BBC with Michael Parkinson and Jonathan Ross. Sir Michael Parkinson, CBE (born March 28 1935) is an English broadcaster and Journalist. Ross became the highest paid television personality in Britain, when a new BBC contract secured his services until 2010, for a reported £18 million (£4. 5 million/year). ^[11]

On 5 December 2007, Ross joked at the British Comedy Awards that his salary meant that he was "worth 1,000 BBC journalists". The British Comedy Awards is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year His quip came shortly after the BBC had announced plans for more than 2,000 jobs cuts, and was condemned as "obscene" by the general secretary of the National Union of Journalists. Template talkInfobox Union for usage -->The National Union of Journalists ( NUJ) is a Trade union for ^[12]

In May 2008 Ross won the Sony Gold Award "Music Radio Personality of the Year". ^[13]

Further reading

• Jonathan Ross: The Biography, Neil Simpson, John Blake Publishing Ltd (31 Jul 2007), ISBN 184454432X

Footnotes

External links

• Jonathan Ross at the Internet Movie Database
• Friday Night with Jonathan Ross at TV.com
• Jonathan Ross on BBC Radio 2
• Interactive video talk by Jonathan Ross on Ealing studios for the British Film Institute