Bill Grundy
| Bill Grundy | |
|---|---|
| Born |
William Grundy 18 May 1923 Manchester, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 9 February 1993 (aged 69) , England |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Broadcaster |
| Known for | Today interview with the Sex Pistols |
| Children | 6 |
William Grundy (18 May 1923 – 9 February 1993) was an English television presenter and host of Today, a regional news programme broadcast on Thames Television. In the latter role, he earned national infamy for his interview with the Sex Pistols in 1976 during which he contemptuously encouraged a barrage of profanity. The interview destroyed Grundy's career, elevated the Sex Pistols to notoriety, and signalled the arrival of mainstream punk rock.
The son of a factory owner, Bill Grundy was born in Manchester, Lancashire, in 1923 and educated at the University of Manchester, where he read geology. Grundy began his career as a geologist and as a part-time journalist. When Granada Television began broadcasting in 1956, Grundy auditioned for the post of newsreader, which at first he held in tandem with his geological work. He was the first television presenter to present the Beatles on Granada Television on 17 October 1962.
As well as writing a regular column for Punch magazine, Grundy appeared on several TV shows including People and Places, and played himself in the 1974 film version of Man About the House, but he is best remembered for hosting the Today show. In an early faux pas he filmed a report to camera on the Ilford North by-election and was deeply critical of the constituency. Unfortunately he was filming in Ilford South at the time.
Grundy was also the producer of The Flower of Gloster, a children's TV serial. The 1967 drama, about four youngsters who take a narrow boat from North Wales to London, was broadcast as 13 weekly episodes. 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.
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