James Whale obituary: The broadcaster whose Yorkshire radio show became a national institution
The radio and TV personality James Whale, whose death at 74, after a long battle with kidney cancer, was announced this week, found national fame in the 1980s when the radio show he hosted from Leeds became a small screen institution.
For several years Yorkshire Television took its cameras to the studios of Radio Aire next door to simulcast Whale’s unscripted and sometimes unruly programme live to the nation.
With a regular slot around midnight on Fridays, he became one of the first stars of late night television.
It was the highlight of a 50-year career that saw him host shows at many of the nation’s best-known stations, from the BBC to LBC and TalkRadio. His boisterous style and personable nature made him an enduring favourite, although his views sometimes landed him in trouble.
Michael James Whale was born in Ewell, Surrey, on May 13 1951. He attended school in Epsom and as a teenager took up archery, becoming a Surrey junior champion.
He soon moved to King’s Cross in London where his parents ran a pub. He aspired to become an actor, but was dissuaded by his mother, and took a DJ training course before landing his first gig at The Bird’s Nest in Muswell Hill, north London.
His big break came in 1970 when he was hired as a launch DJ for Radio Topshop, the fashion chain’s in-house station. During the 1970s he hosted a show on Metro Radio before moving to BBC Radio Derby in 1980 for a morning phone-in.
Whale had become interested in American hosts like the ‘shock jock’ Howard Stern, and was influenced by their style. He refined that style when he moved to Radio Aire, and soon The James Whale Radio Show was being transmitted simultaneously on TV and the wireless.
The show eventually moved to London, where from 1995 to 2008, Whale hosted weekday nights on TalkSport. He was sacked from TalkSport in May 2008 after he called on listeners to vote for Boris Johnson.
He subsequently hosted the drivetime show on LBC, the breakfast show on BBC Essex and eventually moved to TalkRadio.
His first wife, Melinda (née Maxted), died of cancer in 2018. Four years ago, he married Nadine Talbot-Brown and she survives him, along with his two sons.