Renowned Going For Gold presenter Henry Kelly has passed away at the age of 78, as confirmed by his family.
The Dublin-born writer and broadcaster peacefully passed away on Tuesday after a period of ill health.
«Henry will be deeply missed by his loved ones, including his partner Karolyn Shindler, their son Alexander, Henry’s daughter Siobhan, and her mother Marjorie,» they stated in a heartfelt message.
Kelly kickstarted his career in journalism in the 1960s in Dublin and later ventured into radio and TV presenting in the 1970s upon relocating to England.
During his time at University College Dublin, he wrote theatre reviews for The Irish Times and graduated with an English degree in 1968. He then became the newspaper’s northern editor, stationed in Belfast during the tumultuous 1970s, covering the peak of The Troubles.
Upon moving to London in 1976, Kelly joined the BBC Radio 4 current affairs program, The World Tonight, as a reporter and presenter. He later became a presenter on the ITV entertainment show, Game For A Laugh, in 1981, and subsequently hosted the popular BBC One game show Going For Gold for 10 seasons from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s.
The original show featured contestants from different countries competing for a cash prize by answering questions. The show’s theme tune was composed by the future multi-award-winning composer, Hans Zimmer.
The program was later revived by Channel 5, with participants exclusively from the UK and Ireland, and hosted by newsreader John Suchet.
Kelly (left), with Anneka Rice and Nick Owen at a BAFTA party to celebrate the 20th anniversary of TV-am in 2003. Pic: PA
Kelly also made appearances in the Victoria Wood sitcom Dinnerladies, had a stint on the morning program TV-am, and featured on the talk show After Dark.
As a founding presenter on Classic FM, he hosted a daily breakfast show from 1992 to 2003 and was honored with a Sony Radio Award in 1994 for being voted national broadcaster of the year.
Later in his radio career, Kelly hosted The Henry Kelly Show on LBC for a period and also presented on BBC Radio Berkshire from 2005 to 2015. Additionally, he authored books such as the 1972 piece «How Stormont Fell,» focusing on the events impacting the Northern Irish parliament, and co-wrote the 1990s collection «Classic FM Musical Anecdotes, Notes And Quotes» with John Foley.