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'''Timmy Mallett''' (born [[18 October]], [[1955]] , [[Cheshire]], [[England]]) is a former [[England|English]] [[children's television series|children's TV]] presenter and broadcaster who achieved [[Cult following|cult]] status in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] during the [[1980s]] on [[TV-am]]. |
'''Timmy Mallett''' (born [[18 October]], [[1955]] , [[Cheshire]], [[England]]) is a former [[England|English]] [[children's television series|children's TV]] presenter and broadcaster who achieved [[Cult following|cult]] status in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] during the [[1980s]] on [[TV-am]]. |
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Mallett is most notable for his striking visual style, involving loud shirts, comedy glasses and the giant pink foam [[mallet]], labeled ''Mallett's Mallet'' that he carried with him, sometimes bonking children on their heads with it, as well as his 'utterly brilliant!' and 'bleurgh!' [[catchphrase]]s. |
Mallett is most notable for his striking visual style, involving loud shirts, comedy glasses and the giant pink foam [[mallet]], labeled ''Mallett's Mallet'' that he carried with him, sometimes bonking children on their heads with it, as well as his 'utterly brilliant!' and 'bleurgh!' [[catchphrase]]s. Timmy just isn't funny at all. |
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The son of a [[vicar]] from [[Hyde, Greater Manchester|Hyde]] in [[Greater Manchester]], he attended [[Hyde Grammar School]]. His media career started while he was a student at the [[University of Warwick]], where he worked for the [[student radio]] station, [[Radio Warwick]]. After graduating with a degree in History, he started work straight after his graduation day at [[BBC Radio Oxford]]. He later moved to [[Manchester]]'s [[Piccadilly Radio]] where his energetic style won him many fans and [[Sony Awards]]. The program he hosted at Piccadilly was ''[[Timmy on the Tranny]]'', [[Chris Evans]] as his radio persona [[Nobby Nolevel]] was a regular on the programme. This led to Mallett presenting the Manchester based [[BBC2]] youth music show ''Oxford Road Show'' for a year in 1984. |
The son of a [[vicar]] from [[Hyde, Greater Manchester|Hyde]] in [[Greater Manchester]], he attended [[Hyde Grammar School]]. His media career started while he was a student at the [[University of Warwick]], where he worked for the [[student radio]] station, [[Radio Warwick]]. After graduating with a degree in History, he started work straight after his graduation day at [[BBC Radio Oxford]]. He later moved to [[Manchester]]'s [[Piccadilly Radio]] where his energetic style won him many fans and [[Sony Awards]]. The program he hosted at Piccadilly was ''[[Timmy on the Tranny]]'', [[Chris Evans]] as his radio persona [[Nobby Nolevel]] was a regular on the programme. This led to Mallett presenting the Manchester based [[BBC2]] youth music show ''Oxford Road Show'' for a year in 1984. |
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Revision as of 18:14, 9 March 2007
Timmy Mallett (born 18 October, 1955 , Cheshire, England) is a former English children's TV presenter and broadcaster who achieved cult status in the UK during the 1980s on TV-am.
Mallett is most notable for his striking visual style, involving loud shirts, comedy glasses and the giant pink foam mallet, labeled Mallett's Mallet that he carried with him, sometimes bonking children on their heads with it, as well as his 'utterly brilliant!' and 'bleurgh!' catchphrases. Timmy just isn't funny at all.
The son of a vicar from Hyde in Greater Manchester, he attended Hyde Grammar School. His media career started while he was a student at the University of Warwick, where he worked for the student radio station, Radio Warwick. After graduating with a degree in History, he started work straight after his graduation day at BBC Radio Oxford. He later moved to Manchester's Piccadilly Radio where his energetic style won him many fans and Sony Awards. The program he hosted at Piccadilly was Timmy on the Tranny, Chris Evans as his radio persona Nobby Nolevel was a regular on the programme. This led to Mallett presenting the Manchester based BBC2 youth music show Oxford Road Show for a year in 1984.
It was in television that he was to see his biggest success. In 1984 he became a presenter of Wide Awake Club, a new Saturday morning children's programme on ITV's breakfast station, TV-am. Mallett's personality came to dominate the show to such an extent that when TV-am found itself lacking a school holidays programme after the sale of Roland Rat to the BBC, he was offered the chance to present the replacement solo. The replacement, a spin-off of Wide Awake Club, was called Wacaday (based on the addition of 'aday' to the initials 'WAC' for Wide Awake Club) and began broadcasting in 1985.
Wacaday was even more successful than its parent. The programme was characterised by games such as Mallett's Mallet, a word association game where contestants were hit over the head by his famed mallet for getting answers wrong. In later years, a talking mini version of the mallet called Pinky Punky was introduced and soon became one of Mallett's established sidekicks along with Magic, his pet cockatiel (the name Pinky Punky was chosen after Timmy asked viewers to write in with their ideas for a name).
At the height of his fame, Mallett was so successful that there was an official magazine called The Utterly Brilliant Timmy Mallett devoted to him. Mallett formed the band Bombalurina, along with female vocalists / dancers Dawn and Annie, and released the single Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. The song, produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, entered the UK charts at number 23, rose to 13 the next week, then to 3 and finally to number 1 on August 19 1990, where it stayed for three weeks. More than 1,000,000 copies of the single were sold in the UK before it went on to be a hit in over a dozen more countries. More singles in a similar vein (covers of novelty records) followed, as well as an album, Huggin' an' a Kissin'.
Another memorable moment occurred when Mallett met the then-Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher - and hit her over the head with his giant mallet.
Wacaday ended in 1992 when TV-am lost its licence. Since then Mallett has made limited TV appearances, preferring to concentrate on his behind-the-camera career centred around his production company, Brilliant TV.
Timmy is currently to be heard as the voice of Smelly Beep in the new pre-school sitcom - The Beeps - on Channel 5.
As well as his broadcasting work, Mallett tours many students' unions, and clubs, performing his own show. He also regularly performs in panto.
Mallett returned to the limelight at the end of 2001 when he rescued a woman who had fallen into freezing waters at a marina in Hartlepool,
Timmy Mallett is an accomplished artist in acrylics and watercolour and exhibits regularly. In 2002, for the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II, he completed a series of 50 portraits of people from around Cookham in Berkshire where he lives, including Lorraine Kelly, Sir Clive Woodward, Ulrika Jonsson, Jim Rosenthal, Wendy Craig, Stanley Spencer's grandson John. Timmy was a trialist on The Match in 2006. Mallett is also a supporter of Oxford United and regularly attends matches there. He is a patron of Prime Minister Gladstone's St Deiniol's Library in Hawarden, North Wales and supported the campaign to re-route the AWPR in Aberdeen and protect the Camphill movement community at Newton Dee.
Television programmes
- Oxford Road Show (1984)
- Wide Awake Club (1984-1990)
- Wacaday (1985-1992)
- Utterly Brilliant (1989-1991)
- Around the World in 80 Seconds (1993-1994)
- Way to Go (1996-1997)
- Timmy Towers (1997-2002)