Matthew Kelly: Difference between revisions

Kelly’s first major TV appearance came in the ITV sitcom ”[[Holding the Fort]]” (1980–82) and as a panellist in the game show ”[[Punchlines]]” (1981–84) hosted by [[Lennie Bennett]] on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] but he became famous as part of the original presenting team on ”[[Game for a Laugh]]” for the same producers and network. In 1983 he was the original presenter of Children’s ITV ([[CITV]]) when launched in January of the same year – and returned to the role sporadically over the next few years. He was the subject of an edition of ”[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]” in 1983 when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]] in London’s Trafalgar Square.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}} For the next 14 years his work centred on [[light entertainment]] shows such as ”Kelly’s Eye”{{cite web|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/255030 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531215309/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/255030 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-05-31 |title=Kelly’s Eye[20/07/1985] (1985) | BFI |publisher=Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk |date=2015-07-02 |access-date=2015-08-10}} (TVS sketch show 1985), ”[[You Bet!]]” ([[London Weekend Television|LWT]]/[[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]) (1991–95) and, most notably, ”[[Stars in Their Eyes]]” ([[Granada Television|Granada]]/[[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]), which he took over from [[Russ Abbot]], who was brought in as a temporary host after original presenter [[Leslie Crowther]] suffered serious head injuries in a car crash in October 1992. Abbot had only hosted one episode, an [[Elvis Presley]] special. However, it later became apparent that Crowther would not be able to return, as he retired in 1994, and then died two years later. Therefore, Kelly became the permanent host of the show until he left in March 2004.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3504640.stm |title=Street trio bid farewell to Kelly |publisher=BBC |work=BBC News |date=14 March 2004 |access-date=9 April 2014}} Simultaneously, he was narrator for the ITV series ”After They Were Famous” from 1999 to 2005. He continued to act occasionally, notably in the [[Channel 4]] comedy ”[[Relative Strangers (TV series)|Relative Strangers]]”, and in the theatre production of ”[[The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari]]”.{{cn|date=May 2023}}