Stuart Hall | |
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Hall in 2010
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Born |
James Stuart Hall 25 December 1929 Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England |
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Television presenter |
Spouse(s) | Hazel (m. 1958) |
Children | Nicholas (deceased) Daniel Francesca |
James Stuart Hall (born 25 December 1929) is a British former radio and television presenter. He presented regional news programmes for the BBC in North West England in the 1960s and 1970s, while becoming known nationally for presenting It's a Knockout and Jeux Sans Frontières. His later career mainly involved football reporting on BBC radio.
In December 2012 and January 2013, Hall was charged with multiple sexual offences across a twenty-year period. Although he initially denied any wrongdoing, he pleaded guilty in April 2013 to having indecently assaulted 13 girls, aged between 9 and 17 years old, between 1967 and 1986. The BBC terminated his contract and he was sentenced at Preston Crown Court to 15 months in prison. Following sentencing, the Attorney General's office received complaints that the sentence was unduly lenient; it was referred to the Court of Appeal for review and his sentence was increased to 30 months. In May 2014 he was found guilty on two further charges but cleared of others, and was sentenced to an additional 30 months in prison. He was released on licence in December 2015 after serving half his sentence.
Hall was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, the eldest son of baker James Stuart, and his Irish-born wife, Mary Hall (née Hennessey). He was brought up in Hyde, Cheshire, and Glossop, Derbyshire, attending the local grammar school where he stayed after school hours for voluntary extra English language tuition. He directed plays when at school, and chaired its debating society.
While studying at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology he was offered a contract with Crystal Palace F.C., but turned it down because of the low wages.