Jeremy Beadle

Early career After his expulsion, he travelled and worked in Europe. He held many jobs, including photographer of topless models, though he subsequently maintained a connection with the publication in London. In 1972, North West Arts Association asked him to organise the Bickershaw Festival, During this period his talent for practical jokes became evident, although occasionally this rebounded on him, such as when colleagues left him naked in front of 400 women arriving for their shift. The success of this led to using the same format for Eureka, which told the background behind everyday inventions. He hosted a US game show pilot in 1985 called Family Follies, which did not make it to a full series.

Beadle then went on to become nationally famous as one of the presenters of LWT's Game for a Laugh, the first programme made by ITV to beat the BBC's shows in the Saturday night ratings battle. The format was briefly revived when GMTV replaced TV-am as the ITV breakfast franchise in 1993.

For more than two years Beadle wrote a daily cartoon series of Today's the Day for the Daily Express. Paul Donnelley, Andrew Rose and Matthew Spicer.

In 1995, Beadle wrote the foreword to Who Was Jack the Ripper?, a collection of theories and observations about the Victorian serial murderer, published by the veteran true crime book dealer Camille Woolf. It included contributions from experts such as Martin Fido, Colin Wilson, Donald Rumbelow, Colin Kendell and Richard Whittington-Egan. In his foreword, Beadle coined the collective noun to describe those interested in the subject "a speculation of Ripperologists".

General knowledge Renowned for his general knowledge, Beadle was host of Win Beadle's Money, based on the US format Win Ben Stein's Money. Beadle lost his money only eight times in 52 shows. He also wrote a quiz for The Independent every Saturday. He occasionally appeared as a panellist on Radio 4's Quote... Unquote and in dictionary corner for Channel 4's Countdown.

Beadle was also a winner on the game show 19 Keys, presented by Richard Bacon, defeating Nick Weir, Nicholas Parsons and fellow Game for a Laugh presenter Henry Kelly.

Charity work An estimate of Beadle's total charitable fund raising is around £100 million.

In the 2001 New Year Honours Beadle was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to charity. He was a keen supporter of the charity Children With Leukaemia, a disease he suffered from himself in 2005. He helped raise money for charities with Plastermind, his "outrageous quiz for those who don't like quizzes", as well as a school video venture called CamClass.

Beadle was a patron of The Philip Green Memorial Trust, and he hosted an annual quiz party to raise money for disadvantaged children. Beadle was also the patron of Reach, an organisation providing support and advice for children in the UK with hand or arm deficiencies, and their parents.

He was a Freemason, initiated in the Westminster City Council Lodge No. 2882, under the United Grand Lodge of England. Although he did not join until after his television heyday was over, he quickly became involved with all aspects of English Freemasonry, and particularly its charitable work, often using his celebrity status to assist in raising funds for Masonic charities.

Personal life, illness and death Beadle had Poland syndrome, which manifested itself as a disproportionately small right hand. In 2004, Beadle was diagnosed with kidney cancer and underwent a successful operation to remove it. In April 2005, a blood test during a routine post-operative medical check-up led to his being diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

On 25 January 2008, it was reported that Beadle had been admitted to The London Clinic and was subsequently placed in a critical care unit with pneumonia. He died there on 30 January 2008, aged 59. and the ashes were buried in a grave at Highgate Cemetery, the distinctive headstone reflecting his bibliophile inclination with a stack of sculpted stone tomes, with the inscription: Writer, Presenter, Curator of Oddities.

Tributes On 2 February 2008, ITV dedicated that day's episode of You've Been Framed to Beadle and promoted a tribute webpage to him over the show's credits. The channel's official tribute to Jeremy Beadle was broadcast on 4 February 2008 where various celebrity friends including Alan Sugar paid tribute.

A further tribute was aired on Friday 16 May, An Audience Without Jeremy Beadle, hosted by Chris Tarrant and with contributions from Alan Sugar, Henry Kelly, Ken Campbell and Anneka Rice.

His obituary in The Daily Telegraph claimed that he "was the most avidly watched presenter on television". On 15 August 2010 he was the subject of an ITV documentary, The Unforgettable Jeremy Beadle.

TV appearances April Fool (1980) (writer, with Clive Doig) Fun Factory (1980) The Deceivers (1981) Eureka (1981) Game for a Laugh (1981–85) Definition (1983–85) The Saturday Show (1983) TV-AM (1984) People Do the Funniest Things (1987) Beadle's About (1986–96) Chain Letters (1987) Beadle's Box of Tricks (1989) Born Lucky (1989) It's Beadle! (1990) You've Been Framed! (1990–97) Beadle's Daredevils (1993) GMTV (1993) A Fistful of Fingers (1994) Beadle's Hotshots (1994, 1996–97) Is This Your Life? (1995, lengthy interview with Andrew Neil for Channel 4, made by Open Media) Sooty and Co (1995) This Morning with Richard and Judy (1996) Win Beadle's Money (1999) Celebrity Sleepover (2001) Ant & Dec's Banged Up With Beadle (2002 – part of Saturday Night Takeaway) Comic Relief 2003: The Big Hair Do: University Challenge Celebrity Mastermind (2005, Winner. Specialist subject London Capital Murders 1900–1940) Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (2005) Partner Sir Alan Sugar The Trial of Jack the Ripper (2005) Winner Countdown (2006) The All Star Talent Show (2006) Get Me The Producer (2007) (He appeared in Episode 3 only) Dickinson's Real Deal (2008) (Beadle's last TV appearance)

Publications Books Today's the Day – A Chronicle of the Curious, a book of anniversaries (1979, US edition 1981) The Book of Outlawed Inventions (with Chris Winn) Beadle's About (with Robert Randell) How to Make Your Own Video Blockbuster (with Mark Leigh and Mike Lepine) Watch Out! My Autobiography (with Alec Lom) The Gossip's Guide to Madame Tussaud's (pulped because of unflattering comments about Kemal Atatürk) Firsts, Lasts & Onlys Crime (with Ian Harrison) (2007) Firsts, Lasts & Onlys Military (with Ian Harrison) (2007) Beadle's Miscellany (2007)

Videos The Best of Beadle's About You've Been Framed You've Been Framed Again Jeremy Beadle's Beginners Guide to Practical Joking The Story of Crime Bickershaw Festival 1972 Bickershaw Festival Volume 2

Magazine True Detective January 2008 (Guest Editor. First in 57 years)