Rippon, Angela

Angela was born in Plymouth. On leaving school at 17, she began her journalistic career in newspapers in Devon.

She began her distinguished broadcasting career at the age of 21, when she became a TV reporter/presenter with BBC Plymouth’s regional news programme Spotlight (5th September 1966 – 1969).

She was paid £6 10 shillings for a report on oyster beds being re-established on the River Temar (dividing line between Devon and Cornwall).

Angela also presented on BBC Bristol’s regional news programme Points West.

In 1970, Westward TV headhunted Angela to edit and present its new women’s interest programme, Open House. She also produced some children’s programming, including Young Eyes, which gave fellow Westward presenter David Rodgers his big break on TV.

Angela reported and presented Westward Diary and stayed with the company for four-and-a-half years, before moving on to pursue a high-profile national broadcasting career.

In 1973, Angela moved to London and joined BBC TV as a home reporter.

It is often misreported online and in the press that Rippon was the first female newsreader on national BBC Television. That was in fact Nan Winton in 1960.

Angela presented her first BBC TV national news bulletin on 23rd August 1974 on BBC Two’s News Extra. In 1975 she replaced David Holmes to become one of the programme’s regular presenters.

She first presented BBC One’s Nine o’Clock News on the 18th August 1975.

She also presented other BBC One news programmes:

• National News;
• Midday News;
• Evening News;
• weekend news bulletins.

And on BBC Two, she presented:

• News Review for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing;
• News on Two;
• News Night.

She presented the final (for now) two-presenter edition of BBC One’s Nine o’Clock News with Peter Woods on 5th March 1976.

In March 1976, she moved from the reporting staff to join the news presenting team on a permanent basis.

She remained for almost five years, and presented her final bulletin on 30th January 1981. She made no reference to it being her last appearance at the end of the bulletin.

She met HRH The Prince of Wales on the 3rd July 1979 when he visited BBC TV News to look round the TV Centre newsroom as part of the 25th anniversary of BBC TV News.

She presented This is Ceefax (BBC One, 15th July 1975), which showcased the BBC’s new text-based information service, developed by the BBC Research department at Kingswood Warren.

Who could ever forget that famous dancing sketch on The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show in 1976? Angela dazzled viewers with her dancing skills. She’s still asked about it by viewers and the press five decades on.

In 1977, she presented the Eurovision Song Contest from Wembley Conference Centre.

She was a presenter on BBC TV’s 1979 General Election.

On 29th July 1981 she co-presented the coverage of the wedding of The Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer.

Other programmes she presented during this period:

• Top Gear (BBC Two, 1977 – 1979);
• Country Game (BBC Two, 1979);
• In the Country (BBC Two, 1979 – 1982);
• Angela Rippon Reporting (BBC One, 1980);
• Antiques Roadshow (BBC One, 1980 – 1981);
• When Cornishman was King (BBC Two, 11th March 1981);
• Angela Rippon Meets (BBC One, 1981);
• Wildlife Talkabout (BBC Two, 1982).

She introduced the Royal Variety Performance (BBC One, 23rd November 1980), from the London Palladium, in honour of HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother’s 80th birthday year.

She co-presented The Society of West End Theatre Awards with Peter Barkworth, from the Cafe Royal, London (BBC One, 7th December 1981) and Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 1982 (BBC Two, 12th May 1982).

She narrated Children Who Crossed the Seven Seas (BBC Two, 1979) and Butterfly Post (BBC One, 10th May 1981).

She was a panellist on Call My Bluff (BBC Two, 1979) and Seeing Stars (BBC One, 1980) and appeared on the Royal Variety Performance (BBC One, 14th November 1982).

She returned to BBC South West, to present Country Scene (BBC One, 10th March – 14th April 1982) and Rippon at the Royal (BBC One, 7th May 1982).

In 1983, Angela helped set up TV-am, as one of the original ‘Famous Five’. However, she left with Anna Ford, after a bitter boardroom battle shortly after the company started broadcasting.

Angela worked for a while in America and returned to the UK to present a wide range of programmes, including quiz shows and holiday programmes:

• Masterteam (BBC One, 1985 – 1987);
• Come Dancing (BBC One, 1988 – 1991);
• Revival of What’s My Line? (ITV, 1989 – 1990);
• Matchpoint (BBC One, 1990);
• Reporter on Watchdog Healthcheck (BBC One, 1997 – 1998 and 2000).

Angela presented the BBC broadcast of the United Kingdom Ballroom Championships at the Bournemouth International Centre in 1991.

She was a stand-in newsreader on Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast (1994 – 1996) and presented on the digital ITV News Channel in 2003.

In 2005, Angela co-hosted a series of Sun, Sea and Bargain Spotting (BBC Two) and in April 2006, toured the UK as a cast member of the musical Anything Goes.

She presented the daytime programme Cash in the Attic (BBC One, 2007 – 2013). She also presented segments on The One Show (BBC One).

Since 2009, Angela has:

• co-presented the consumer show Rip-Off Britain (BBC One), alongside Gloria Hunniford and Jennie Bond (later replaced by Julia Sommerville);
• co-presented Holiday Hit Squad alongside Helen Skelton and Joe Crowley (BBC One, 2013 – 2014);
• co-presented Health: Truth or Scare (2017);
• co-presented How to Stay Young (BBC One, 2016 – 2017).

For ITV, Angela appeared on Dancing on Ice as a guest judge (2010) and as a contestant (2011).

She co-presented Amazing Greys, with Paddy McGuinness (2014).

She co-presented the breakfast show on GB News, alongside Eamonn Holmes, on 17th February 2022. She deputised for Alastair Stewart on Saturday 25th June 2022.

On 12th October 2024, BBC Four honoured the broadcasting icon on her 80th birthday, with a night of programmes celebrating her seven decade broadcasting career. It included Angela Rippon at the BBC, a documentary featuring highlights from her BBC career.

On radio, she presented on BBC Radio London (1978) and BBC Radio 2 (1977 – 1979; 1982 – 1997 and 2000 – 2001).

On BBC Radio 4, she presented:

• Start the Week (BBC Radio 4, 26th July 1976);
• Through My Window (1980);
• The Gaiety Girls (2004).

She was also a contributor on these long-running BBC Radio programmes:

• Midweek (1978 – 1979);
• The Gardening Quiz (1993);
• The News Quiz (1977 – 1979 and 1981).

She appeared as Penelope in The Archers (24th July 1980) and was the castaway on Desert Island Discs (BBC Radio 4, 16th January 1982).

From 1990 to 1994, she presented Angela Rippon’s Morning Report, a daily radio news programme on LBC Newstalk, and later Angela Rippon’s Drivetime.

On 5th May 2019, Angela joined fellow news presenters Sue Lawley, Jan Leeming and Julia Somerville on BBC Radio 4’s The Reunion, to discuss pioneering women newsreaders with presenter Sue MacGregor.

Angela has also written 14 books. In the early 1980s she wrote a series of children’s books about a character called “Victoria Plum”, published by Purnell and Sons.

In 1982, she wrote Mark Phillips: The Man and His Horses about the Princess Royal’s then husband.

She’s also written keep-fit guides for older people, including Stay Active, Stay Supple, Stay Healthy.

In June 2022, Angela took part in the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, representing the 1970s on a double decker bus, driving up The Mall before Buckingham Palace.

Angela was appointed OBE in the 2004 Birthday Honours List. She was upgraded to a CBE in the 2017 New Year’s Honours, for services to dementia care in her role as development lead with Dementia Friendly Communities.

 

Personal information

Clips of Angela on The TV Room

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Online presence

Acknowledgements