Bob Holness
| Bob Holness | |
|---|---|
Holness in 1989
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| Born |
Robert Wentworth John Holness 12 November 1928 Vryheid, Natal, South Africa |
| Died | 6 January 2012 (aged 83) Pinner, Greater London, England |
| Cause of death | Vascular dementia |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Ashford Grammar School |
| Alma mater | Maidstone College of Art |
| Occupation | Television and radio presenter |
| Years active | 1955-2006 |
| Home town | Ashford, Kent, UK |
| Television |
Take a Letter, Blockbusters, Raise the Roof, Call My Bluff |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Rose Clifford (1955-2012; his death) |
| Children | Ros Carol Jon |
Robert Wentworth John "Bob" Holness (12 November 1928 – 6 January 2012) was an English radio and television presenter and occasional actor. He is best remembered as the presenter of the British version of Blockbusters.
Holness was born in Vryheid, Natal, South Africa. When he was seven, his family moved to the UK, initially to Herne Bay, Kent where his grandfather Nathaniel was brought up, then later to Ashford, Kent. After attending Ashford Grammar School (now The Norton Knatchbull School) and briefly Eastbourne College he went on to Maidstone College of Art (now the University for the Creative Arts). He then worked for a printing company before returning to South Africa. In 1955, he received his first job as a radio presenter. He married Mary Rose Clifford in 1955, whom he met in South Africa.
In 1956 he became the very first actor to portray James Bond in a radio production of Moonraker. The couple returned to the UK in 1961. His daughter, Ros, was a member of the band Toto Coelo.
Holness joined the BBC as a presenter on Late Night Extra, initially on the BBC Light Programme and later on Radio 1 and Radio 2, presenting alongside Terry Wogan, Michael Parkinson and Keith Fordyce. From 1971, the show was broadcast solely on Radio 2. Between 1975 and 1985, he was co-presenter with Douglas Cameron of the award-winning breakfast-time AM Programme on London's LBC radio station. He originally joined the station as an airborne traffic reporter, later progressing to reading networked news bulletins for IRN. He won the Variety Club Award for 'Joint Independent Radio Personality of the Year' in both 1979 and 1984.
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