Vernon Kay

Vernon Charles Kay (born 28 April 1974)[2] is an English broadcaster and former model. He presented Channel 4's T4 (2000–2005) and has presented various television shows for ITV, including All Star Family Fortunes (2006–2015), Just the Two of Us (2006–2007), Beat the Star (2008–2009), The Whole 19 Yards (2010), Splash! (2013–2014), and 1000 Heartbeats (2015–2016).[3]

Vernon Kay
Kay in 2007
Born
Vernon Charles Kay

(1974-04-28) 28 April 1974
Bolton, Greater Manchester, England
Alma materManchester Metropolitan University
Occupation
  • Broadcaster
Years active1995–present
Employers
TelevisionT4 (2000–2005)
All Star Family Fortunes (2006–2015)
Beat the Star (2008–2009)
The Whole 19 Yards (2010)
Splash! (2013–2014)
1000 Heartbeats (2015–2016)
Spouse
​
(m. 2003)​
Children2[1]

Kay presented his own BBC Radio 1 show between 2004 and 2012, and presented his own show on Radio X between 2015 and 2017. Since the start of the 2018–2019 season, he has been the main presenter for the live coverage of Formula E for English speaking territories/platforms around the world. In 2023, Kay was announced as the new mid-morning host on BBC Radio 2 from May 2023, taking over the slot from Ken Bruce.

In 2020, Kay appeared on the twentieth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, finishing in third place.

Early life

Vernon Charles Kay was born on 28 April 1974 and was brought up in Bolton, Greater Manchester, the elder son of Norman, a lorry driver, and Gladys; he has a younger brother, Stephen, a primary school teacher.[4] He attended St Joseph's RC High School in Horwich, near Bolton and then spent two years at St John Rigby College, Gathurst Road, Orrell.[5] He then graduated in environmental science at Manchester Metropolitan University. [6]

Vernon supports his hometown's football club Bolton Wanderers.[7][4]

Career

Modelling

While Vernon was working in a DIY shop as a cutter of wooden panels and in his own words "living for the weekend", he was persuaded to attend the BBC Clothes Show Live where he was scouted by a modelling agency after being convinced to do a catwalk by a friend.[8]

Television

Kay was able to use his success in modelling to launch a television career with co-hosting roles on teen-targeted entertainment shows T4 on Channel 4 and The Mag on Channel 5. Following this, Kay presented the summer CBBC weekend morning show Fully Booked (called FBI, Fully Booked Interactive) in 2000, as well as TOTP+ Plus and TOTP@Play. In 2003 he co-hosted the Channel 4 game show Boys and Girls, which was cancelled after one series. The following year Kay hosted the third series of Celebrities Under Pressure on ITV.

From 2006, Kay presented primetime game show All Star Family Fortunes. In June 2015, it was announced that ITV was to rest the show until 2017, but it did not return.[9] In 2007, he presented Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon, after replacing Ant & Dec, who hosted the first series.

From 2008 until 2009, Kay presented two series of Beat the Star, a programme for ITV.[10] The first series averaged 4.05 million viewers and the second averaged 3.46 million.

On 17 April 2010, Kay began co-presenting a game show for ITV called The Whole 19 Yards with Caroline Flack which lasted for eight episodes and was made at Pinewood Studios. The series averaged 4.1 million viewers. In 2010, Kay was the co-host of Skating with the Stars, a six-part series which was broadcast in the United States.

In 2011, Kay was originally going to present ITV game show Sing If You Can with Stacey Solomon but, after filming the pilot episode, he felt that it would be better hosted by a comedian and was replaced by Keith Lemon.[11]

In December 2011, Kay presented the Christmas Channel 4 show Home For the Holidays. In the summer of 2012, Kay presented ITV three episode mini-series Let's Get Gold, however the show received poor viewing figures and was axed.

In 2013 and 2014, Kay, Gabby Logan and Tom Daley co-presented the ITV diving show Splash! The programme was axed after two series.[12]

In 2013, after Channel 4 regained the NFL rights from the BBC, Kay was announced as a presenter of The American Football Show, airing on Saturday mornings.[13][14]

Since 2014, Kay has guest presented five episodes of The One Show. In 2015, Vernon began presenting daytime quiz show, 1000 Heartbeats for ITV. The show returned for a second run in November 2015.[15] In 2016, Kay presented Drive, a five-part entertainment show for ITV.[16] He made regular appearances in the second series of The Keith Lemon Sketch Show on ITV2.

In July 2017, Kay co-presented The Hero Challenge with Kirsty Gallacher on Sky Sports.[17]

Kay hosted the non-broadcast pilot for a revival of Play Your Cards Right, a game show formerly hosted by Bruce Forsyth, but was not commissioned for a series. In September 2015, he hosted a pilot for a new ITV game show Home Win, made at Fountain Studios in Wembley.[18]

In November 2017, it was announced that Kay would host Channel 5's coverage of the 2017–18 Formula E motor racing season.[19] He co-presents the FIA's coverage of the 2018–19 season.

In November 2020, it was announced that Kay would be taking part in the twentieth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here.[20] Kay reached the final and finished in third place on 4 December 2020.[21]

It was announced in March 2021 that Kay would host the British version of new gameshow Game of Talents.[22] In March 2022, Kay was a last-minute replacement for Joel Dommett as co-host of Red Nose Day's The Great Comic Relief Prizeathon.[23]

Radio

In January 2004, Kay joined BBC Radio 1 and presented an entertainment show every Sunday. In April 2004, he was given the 10 am – 1 pm weekend slot, which was previously hosted by Colin Murray and Edith Bowman and previously broadcast on both Saturdays and Sundays on the popular radio network. From October 2007 Dick and Dom took over Sunday mornings; Kay's show then ran between 10 am to 1 pm on Saturday. In 2008, he was one of a team of DJs who filled in for Edith Bowman while she was on maternity leave, along with Fearne Cotton and Nihal.

On 11 February 2009, it was announced that Kay would fill in for Chris Moyles while he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief, an act he repeated on 13 July 2009 when Moyles took a day off. He also filled-in for Pete Tong's Essential Selection on Radio 1 on 10 April 2008. That same year, Kay filled in again for Chris Moyles from 10 August to 15 August when he was on holiday. From 30 November 2009 Kay, again, covered for Chris Moyles on breakfast for a whole week as Moyles, Aled Haydn Jones and Fearne Cotton were away in Uganda handing out malaria nets and seeing how the money raised from the Mount Kilimanjaro climb for Comic Relief was being spent.

On 9 November 2012, it was announced that Kay would leave BBC Radio 1 to spend more time with his family. He presented his final show on 22 December and was replaced by Matt Edmondson.[24]

Three years after his departure from Radio 1, Kay returned to radio on the newly launched Radio X network. In September 2015, Kay began presenting the weekday morning show from 10 am to 1 pm.[25] He left the station on Friday 17 March 2017.

Kay returned to BBC Radio after nine years away, to cover for Rylan Clark on his BBC Radio 2 show Rylan On Saturday on 6 and 13 February 2021 and again on the 12 and 26 June as well as 3 July. He stood in for Steve Wright on Steve Wright in the Afternoon during the week of the 24–28 May 2021. Kay stood in for Dermot O'Leary on 21 August 2021.[26] He was scheduled to fill in for Wright again from 26 August to 1 September 2021 but only presented on the 26 and 27 August before he began isolating after testing positive for COVID-19 and was replaced by Gethin Jones. He sat in again from 13–15 October 2021 and from 25 November - 1 December 2021 whilst Wright had an illness. From March 2022, Kay became the regular cover for Zoe Ball on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show.

On 24 February 2023, Kay was announced as the new host of BBC Radio 2's mid-morning show from May, replacing Ken Bruce.[27] Kay began his show on 15 May 2023.

Film

Kay has made a number of cameos, appearing in Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Keith Lemon: The Film (2012). He also made an uncredited appearance as a feasting hall guest in Hercules (2014).

Personal life

On 12 September 2003, Kay married Tess Daly at St Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Horwich, in Bolton.[28][29] Together, they have two daughters, born in 2004[30] and 2009. In 2010, Kay was forced to apologise to his wife after it was revealed in the British press that he had been sending sexually explicit text and social media messages to model Rhian Sugden every day for four months. Later on, he admitted to sending similar messages to "four or five" other women at the same time. [31]

Kay received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bolton on 9 July 2009 for services to entertainment.[32]

Kay is a passionate supporter of Bolton Wanderers F.C. He is also a fan of American football, joining the Manchester Allstars at the age of 13 and reuniting the team in 2011 for a one-off match against the Birmingham Lions.[33] In 2011, he signed for the London Warriors, for whom he plays in the BAFANL Premier South division as a defensive back.[34]

Kay enjoys flying model aircraft and drones.[35]

Filmography
Television
Year Title Channel Role Notes
1995 Hollyoaks Channel 4 Extra First episode
1998–1999 The Mag Channel 5 Co-Presenter
2000 Fully Booked BBC One Co-Presenter 1 series (FBi)
Top of the Pops Plus BBC Two Co-Presenter
Top of the Pops @ Play UK Play Co-Presenter
2000–2005 T4 Channel 4 Co-Presenter
2003 Boys and Girls Co-Presenter 1 series
2004 HeadJam BBC Three Presenter 1 series
Celebrities Under Pressure ITV Presenter 1 series
2005 Hit Me, Baby, One More Time Presenter 1 series (UK), 1 series (U.S.)
The Record of the Year Presenter
2006–2015 All Star Family Fortunes Presenter 12 series
2006, 2007, 2013 The Paul O'Grady Show Channel 4 / ITV Guest Presenter 3 episodes
2007 Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon ITV Presenter 1 series
2008–2009 Beat the Star Presenter 2 series
2010 The Whole 19 Yards Presenter 1 series
Skating with the Stars ABC Co-Presenter
2011 Home For the Holidays Channel 4 Presenter 1 series
Million Dollar Mind Game ABC Presenter 1 series
2012 Let's Get Gold ITV Presenter 1 series
2013–2014 Splash! Co-Presenter 2 series
2013–2015 The American Football Show Channel 4 Presenter
2014, 2016 The One Show BBC One Guest co-presenter 4 episodes
2015–2016 1000 Heartbeats ITV Presenter 2 series
2016 The Keith Lemon Sketch Show Himself Series regular
Drive Presenter 1 series
Walliams & Friend BBC One Presenter, Celebrity Slammer 3 episodes
2017 The Hero Challenge Sky Sports Co-presenter
2017—2018 Formula E Channel 5 Presenter
2018—2023 Formula E YouTube, other streaming platforms Presenter
2020 I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! ITV Contestant Series 20
2021 Game of Talents Presenter
2021— Loose Women Guest Anchor Loose Men special, 2 episodes
2022 Rock Profile BBC One Presenter Red Nose Day special
The Great Comic Relief Prizeathon Presenter Co-presenter; with AJ Odudu
Guest appearances
Radio
Year Station Role Notes
2004–2012[39] BBC Radio 1 Presenter Saturdays, 10 am – 1 pm
2015–2017 Radio X Presenter Weekdays, 10 am – 1 pm
2023- BBC Radio 2 Presenter Weekdays, 9.30 am – 12 pm
Film
Year Title Role
2012 Keith Lemon: The Film Himself
2014 Hercules Feasting hall guest (uncredited)

References
  1. "Vernon Kay background". Officialvernonkay.com. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  2. "Tess Daly: Strictly host shares rare insight into special day with husband Vernon Kay". 29 April 2020. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  3. Fulton, Rick (21 March 2015). "Do you remember Vernon Kay when he starred in kids' TV show FBI?". Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  4. Relative values: Vernon Kay and his mother, Gladys The Sunday Times, 12 April 2009 (archived at the Wayback Machine)
  5. "Vernon's romantic proposal to Tess". The Bolton News. Newsquest Media Group. 6 January 2003. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2008.
  6. "A happy homecoming for graduate Vernon Kay". The Bolton News. Newsquest Media Group. 10 July 2009. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  7. Web links Archived 29 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Official Vernon Kay. Retrieved on 3 December 2011.
  8. "Vernon Kay became a star thanks to drunken afternoon at The Clothes Show roadshow". mirror.co.uk. 29 March 2020. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  9. Ryan Love (9 June 2015). ""Our survey says... bye" – ITV plans to rest Vernon Kay's All Star Family Fortunes". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  10. "Beat the Star to return". broadcastnow.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  11. "Keith Lemon replaces Kay on 'Sing If You Can'". digitalspy.com. 30 March 2011. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  12. "ITV's Splash! gets the axe after two series – Splash! – TellyMix". tellymix.co.uk. 25 June 2014. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  13. "Channel 4 announces NFL presenting team". Sport on the Box. 6 September 2013. Archived from the original on 5 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  14. "The American Football Show". Channel 4. Archived from the original on 7 August 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  15. "ITV Daytime commissions 1000 Heartbeats | presscentre". Itv.com. 8 July 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  16. "Drive". ITV Press Centre. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  17. "British Masters: Kirsty Gallacher faces Vernon Kay in Shot Centre". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  18. "Lost in TV – HOME WIN with VERNON KAY". lostintv.com. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  19. "Vernon Kay to host Channel 5 Formula E coverage". 15 November 2017. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  20. "I'm A Celebrity: Mo Farah, Shane Richie and Victoria Derbyshire sign up". BBC News. 9 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  21. "I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! crowns its 2020 winner". BBC News. 4 December 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  22. "Vernon Kay to host new ITV show Game of Talents". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  23. "Joel Dommett replaced by Vernon Kay as Comic Relief host due to COVID-19". Radio Times. 17 March 2022. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  24. Ben Cooper, Controller, BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra (1 January 1970). "Media Centre – Radio 1 announces changes to its weekend schedule". BBC. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. "Vernon Kay joins Radio X". itv.com/news. ITV. Archived from the original on 14 October 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  26. "BBC Radio 2 - Steve Wright in the Afternoon, Vernon Kay sits in". BBC. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  27. "BBC Radio 2 Springs into action". BBC Media Centre. 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  28. Lloyd, Albertina. "Vernon Kay calls Jack Black a 'pig-faced c**k in rant about interviewing actor as young TV presenter". money.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  29. "THE sun shone, the bride wore white ... and so did the groom". The Bolton News. Newsquest Media Group. 13 September 2003. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 2 February 2008.
  30. BBC. "BBC – Radio 1 – Vernon Kay – Biography". BBC UK. Archived from the original on 26 April 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  31. The Express (9 February 2010). "Kay-admits-racy-texts-to-model". London.
  32. "A happy homecoming for graduate Vernon Kay". The Bolton News. Newsquest Media Group. 10 July 2009. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  33. Akbor, Ruhubia (16 February 2011). "TV star Vernon Kay joins American Football team for last game". Oldham Advertiser. M.E.N. Media. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  34. "2011 Roster". londonwarriorsafc.co.uk. London Warriors AFC. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  35. "Drive presenter Vernon Kay Tess Daly nickname regrets weakness". The Express. Express Group. 26 April 2016. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  36. "Through The Keyhole". ITV Press Centre. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  37. "Celebrity Squares". ITV Press Centre. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  38. "Celebrity Catchphrase". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  39. Cairns, Dan (11 September 2012). "Vernon Kay and Reggie Yates to leave Radio 1 – BBC Newsbeat". bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
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