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Frank Bough

Frank Bough

Acting

Biography

Frank Bough became known as one of the BBC's most accomplished presenters, equally able to cover sport, entertainment and politics. He was educated at Oswestry Boys' School and Merton College, Oxford. He undertook national service in the Royal Tank Regiment. He was encouraged to become a broadcaster by Gerald Sinstadt, Bough joined the BBC's regional news in Newcastle and within a couple of years had moved down to London, first making his name on national television as a BBC sports commentator. He became a stalwart presenter on BBC television from the 1960s until the 1980s, hosting many of the corporation's most popular shows, including Grandstand (1958), Nationwide (1969) and Breakfast Time (1983). In 1988 he was exposed by a UK tabloid newspaper as a cocaine user who enjoyed cross-dressing, sadomasochism and brothels. He expressed regrets about his lifestyle in subsequent interviews and his wife Nesta remained supportive, but these revelations caused considerable embarrassment and ended his long career at the BBC.

Known For

Nationwide
5.3

Nationwide was a BBC News and current affairs television programme which ran from 9 September 1969 to 5 August 1983. It was broadcast on BBC One each weekday following the early evening news. It followed a magazine format, combining political analysis and discussion with consumer affairs, light entertainment and sports reporting. It began on 9 September 1969, running between Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6.00pm, before being extended to five days a week in 1972. From 1976 until 1981 the start time was 5:55pm. The final edition was broadcast on 5 August 1983, and the following October it was replaced by Sixty Minutes. The long-running Watchdog programme began as a Nationwide feature. The light entertainment was quite similar in tone to That's Life!. Eccentric stories featured skateboarding ducks and men who claimed that they could walk on egg shells.. Richard Stilgoe performed topical songs.

Nationwide

1969Series
Grandstand
8.3

Grandstand was a British television sport programme. Broadcast between 1958 and 2007, it was one of the BBC's longest running sports shows, alongside BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Its first presenter was Peter Dimmock. There were only four main presenters of the programme during its long history: David Coleman, Frank Bough, Des Lynam, and Steve Rider. Changes in the structure of the programme during its last few years, however, meant it did not have a regular main presenter during this time. Among the more occasional hosts were Alan Weeks, David Icke, Clare Balding, Hazel Irvine, Bob Wilson, David Vine, Barry Davies, Dougie Donnelly, Harry Carpenter, Harry Gration, John Inverdale, Tony Gubba, Helen Rollason, Ray Stubbs and Sue Barker. The last editions of Grandstand were broadcast over the weekend of 27–28 January 2007.

Grandstand

1958Series