Bill Grundy

William Grundy (18 May 1923 – 9 February 1993) was an English journalist and broadcaster. As the host of Today, a regional magazine programme on Thames Television in London, he gained national attention for an interview with the Sex Pistols in 1976, during which the band swore and traded insults with him on live television. The interview effectively destroyed Grundy's career, elevated the Sex Pistols to notoriety, and signalled the arrival of mainstream punk rock.

Biography The son of a foreman at Gorton Locomotive Works (Gorton Tank), Grundy was born in Manchester in 1923 and educated at the University of Manchester, where he read geology.

He began his career as a geologist and as a part-time journalist. When Granada Television began broadcasting in May 1956, Grundy auditioned for the post of newsreader, which at first he held in tandem with his geological work. During his time at Granada, he established himself as a reporter and presenter for the station's regional programming, including People and Places, Northern Newscast, Scene at 6:30 and Granada in the North, alongside such contemporaries as Gay Byrne, Chris Kelly, Michael Parkinson, Mike Scott and Brian Trueman.

On the night of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Grundy anchored a late-night news special for the Granada region, alongside Mike Scott, who broke the story on Scene at 6:30 that evening. He also fronted Granada's coverage of elections, the main political party conferences and the Trades Union Congress.

Grundy was also a producer at Granada, working on the long-running history series All Our Yesterdays and early editions of the current affairs programme World in Action.

In 1967, he produced a children's drama series, The Flower of Gloster (1967). The serial, about four youngsters who take a narrow boat from North Wales to London, was broadcast as a 13-part weekly series. Based on a 1911 book of the same name by E. Temple Thurston, it was Granada TV's first venture into colour. Grundy also wrote a book of the same name, basically an updated version of Thurston's original.

As well as writing a regular column for Punch magazine, Grundy played himself in the 1974 film version of Man About the House, and hosted the Today show in London, after moving from Granada to Thames. In 1975, he presented an educational programme called The Land for Independent Television's schools and colleges programming.

The Today incident Background Queen were booked for the Today show of 1 December 1976, but they cancelled their appearance at the last minute due to vocalist Freddie Mercury needing emergency dental surgery. They were replaced by the punk band the Sex Pistols, appearing at short notice accompanied by their entourage. The show was broadcast live and uncensored on weekdays in the early evening, a time when spoken obscenities were forbidden.

The interview

The interview began with Grundy introducing the band, stating "they are as drunk as I am", although Grundy later denied being intoxicated during the interview to the press.

The interview resumed following a playing of the music video for the song "Anarchy in the U.K.". Grundy was dismissive towards the band, speaking to viewers instead of directly to them and referring to them as "that group" in his challenging of what he felt was hypocrisy over the philosophy of punk. Initially, he received mocking but relatively innocuous responses from bassist Glen Matlock. In a 2008 poll conducted by FremantleMedia, at this point Thames' parent company, the Today show interview was the most requested TV clip ever.

Post-Today The broadcast harmed Grundy's television career. By 1979, he was presenting a book review programme, A Better Read, broadcast on Sunday mornings.

His slot on What the Papers Say in the early 1980s was his last on network television, although he continued to present on BBC North West on such regional shows as Sweet and Sour and The Lancashire Lads into the mid-1980s. He also appeared as an interviewer in ITV's adaptation of A Kind of Loving in 1982 and worked on school programmes for Granada, including a stint presenting Politics - What's It All About?.

In July 1986, Grundy was lead compere for the Festival of the Tenth Summer at the newly opened Greater Manchester Exhibition Centre (GMEX), a week-long celebration of the anniversary of the Sex Pistols' performance at the Lesser Free Trade Hall. Grundy was chosen for the role by organiser Tony Wilson, in a nod to the 'Today incident' and Grundy's association with the Sex Pistols.

Grundy died of a heart attack at a nursing home in Stockport, on 9 February 1993, aged 69.

He had four sons and two daughters.