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Rick Edwards

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Rick Edwards
Born1979
NationalityBritish
Alma materPembroke College, Cambridge
Occupation(s)Television presenter, journalist, author, screenwriter
Years active1999–present
Height1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Spouse
​
(m. 2016)​
Children1

Richard Edwards is an English television presenter, journalist, and author.

Edwards presented T4 for four years, and has also presented Tool Academy, Freshly Squeezed, E4 Music, and much of Channel 4's 2012 Paralympics coverage. Edwards also hosts the "Fighting Talk" radio show on BBC Radio 5 Live. As a journalist, he has written for The Observer, the Evening Standard and HuffPost.[1] From 2017 to 2021, he presented the BBC quiz show Impossible, and since November 2021 he has co-hosted the BBC Radio 5 Live breakfast show (replacing Nicky Campbell), usually alongside Rachel Burden.

Early life

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Born in 1979, he went to Churchers College and then Portsmouth Grammar School[2] and later attended Pembroke College, Cambridge,[3] where he dated Elizabeth Day and he studied mathematics originally before changing to natural sciences after his first year.[4] He performed stand-up and sketch shows during his time at university.[5][6]

Career

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Edwards hosted a Saturday evening radio show on XFM entitled The Weekender for several years, hosting his last show on 10 January 2009. He also formed part of the BBC presenting team for their coverage of the Reading and Leeds Festival. In 2011, Edwards began hosting E4's Tool Academy, a reality TV show about fed-up girlfriends who have enrolled their underperforming other halves in a school in which "tools become men". During the 2012 Paralympics, Edwards formed part of the Channel 4 commentary team as well as co-presenting That Paralympic Show with Ade Adepitan.[7]

In 2013, Edwards began co-presenting political discussion show Free Speech for BBC Three alongside Tina Daheley. During the 2015 general election, they presented a series of Free Speech specials.[8]

As a writer, his original film Burger Van Champion was commissioned as part of C4's Coming Up strand in 2013 and was described by the Observer as "a remarkable debut" and by Time Out as "funny, touching [and] superbly written".

In July 2015, Edwards began presenting ITV2 panel show Safeword which returned for a second series in 2016.

Edwards currently hosts the podcast Science(ish) alongside Dr Michael Brooks, which delves into the science behind popular films. The series proved such a hit that the duo were commissioned by Atlantic to write a book of the same name, Science(ish): The Peculiar Science Behind The Movies, which was published in October 2017 and ranked number 1 in the Physics, Cosmology, and Humorous Essays Amazon charts for several weeks as well as achieving a position of 21 in the overall book charts. The podcast itself has topped the iTunes Science & Medicine chart.

In March 2016, Edwards landed the anchor role on Sky's DC Fancast alongside Bec Hill. He claims this is a true highlight of his career. In January 2017, Edwards began presenting !mpossible, a daytime BBC One quiz show which ran until April 2021.

From March 2019, Edwards costarred in History's miniseries River Hunters, alongside YouTuber and river-hunter Beau Ouimette.[9]

In September 2021 BBC Radio 5 Live announced that it had hired Edwards to host its new breakfast show alongside Rachel Burden. The new-look 5 Live Breakfast launch took place on 8 November 2021 following Nicky Campbell’s move to a slot later in the day.[10][11]

Personal life

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Edwards has said that he has a very poor sense of smell due to sniffing pure ammonia while in school.[12][13][14] Edwards supported green organisation Global Cool in 2010 as part of their Traincation campaign, along with his friend George Lamb.[15]

Edwards married EastEnders and Father Brown actress Emer Kenny in 2016.[16] Their son was born in January 2023.[17]

Filmography

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Television
Year Title Role Notes
2005–2006 E4 Music Presenter
2007 Fist of Zen Narrator
2007–2011 T4 Presenter
2008 Relentless Presenter 1 series
2008–2010 The Hollyoaks Music Show Presenter
2008–2012 T4 on the Beach Presenter
2009–2010 Freshly Squeezed Presenter 3 episodes
2010 The Real Hustle Himself
2010–2011 Stars and Strikes Presenter 4 episodes
2010–2012 That Paralympic Show Co-presenter
2011 Rick and Peter Rick One-off special
2011–2012 Tool Academy Presenter 3 series
2011–2017 Made in Chelsea Presenter Special episodes only
2012 Games On Writer Mini series
London 2012 Paralympics on Channel 4 Commentator
2013 Stalled Operator Voice only
Oscar Pistorius: What Really Happened? Presenter One-off documentary
The Cleveland Captives: What Really Happened? Presenter One-off documentary
The Horsemeat Banquet Presenter One-off documentary
Eye Spy Presenter 3 episodes
Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty Co-presenter
2013–2015 Free Speech Co-presenter with Tina Daheley
2014 City Limits Live Co-presenter with Kate Thornton One-off special
2015 Revolution Presents: Democracy Dealers Himself TV film
Chewing Gum Himself 1 episode
2015–2016 Safeword Presenter
2016 DC Fancast Anchor
Police Interceptors Presenter 3 episodes
FHM: The Last of the Lads' Mags Narrator
Celebrity Advice Bureau Himself 3 episodes
2016–2017 Debatable Panellist 8 episodes
Drunk History Various
2017, 2019 Richard Osman's House of Games Contestant Winner; both occasions
2017–2021 Impossible Presenter 8 series (regular)
2 series (celebrity)
2018 Fatberg Autopsy: Secrets of the Sewers Co-presenter
The Bermuda Triangle Enigma Co-presenter with Ortis Deley 3 part series
Child Genius Contestant Winner
2019 River Hunters Co-presenter with Beau Ouimette
Make or Break? Presenter Series 2
2020 The Chop: Britain's Top Woodworker' Judge
2021 The Scienc(ish) of Stranger Things' Co-presenter
2022 Susan's The Courtship Presenter
2022– Countdown Dictionary Corner guest

Bibliography

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  • Science(ish): The Peculiar Science Behind the Movies (2017, ISBN 978-1786492210)
  • None of the Above (2015, ISBN 978-1471149320)
  • Birds of pray (1998, ISBN 978-0953250400)

References

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  1. ^ "Rick Edwards". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Eminent Old Portmuthians | the Portsmouth Grammar School". Archived from the original on 22 March 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  3. ^ "Pembroke College, Cambridge v King's London". BBC Online. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Interview: Rick Edwards". Cherwell. 23 November 2008.
  5. ^ Dan Poole, "Interview: C4's ‘Freshly squeezed’ Rick Edwards", The Independent, 26 June 2008.
  6. ^ "The real world: Rick Edwards TV and radio presenter", The Independent, 28 May 2008.
  7. ^ "Channel 4 presenters: Rick Edwards". London 2012, C4 Paralympics.
  8. ^ "Free Speech returning to BBC Three". Digital Spy. 3 March 2015.
  9. ^ "History takes Rick Edwards and YouTube river hunter Beau Ouimette on mission to find underwater treasure". A&E Networks. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Rick Edwards joins Rachel Burden for BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast". 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  11. ^ Mornings on BBC Radio 5 Live are about to change
  12. ^ "A twinterview with Rick Edwards".
  13. ^ "Ich Bin Kentishtowner: Rick Edwards, Television Presenter", KentishTowner.
  14. ^ "Rick Edwards: I've lost my sense of smell", Now Daily, 12 April 2009.
  15. ^ "Rick and George's Traincation diary". Global Cool. UK: Global Cool Foundation. 29 March 2010. Archived from the original on 14 January 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  16. ^ "Ex-EastEnders star Emer Kenny marries presenter Rick Edwards". 1 June 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  17. ^ "EastEnders star Emer Kenny and Rick Edwards announce birth of baby boy". Digital Spy. 13 February 2023.
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