Danny Baker

At 67 years old, Danny Baker has this physical status:

Danny Baker (born 22 June 1957) is an English comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ, and screenwriter.

He has largely worked for London's regional radio and television throughout his career. Baker was born in Deptford to a working-class family and raised in Bermondsey.

He wrote for punk zine Sniffin' Glue from 1977, and from there was recruited by the New Musical Express, where he worked as a writer, editor, and interviewer.

He began presenting the Twentieth Century Box on television in 1980 and covering the Six O'Clock Show in London.

He began broadcasting for BBC GLR in 1989 and joined the newly established BBC Radio 5.

He was suspended from the former in 1997 after being accused of inciting threatening conduct against a football referee.

He also started writing for television during the decade. Baker appeared on BBC London 94.9 from 2002 to 2012, and the channel's all-day breakfast show, the All Day Breakfast Show, was on display from 2002 to 2007.

He published a three-volume autobiography, which was used as the basis for the 2015 BBC sitcom Cradle to Grave.

The BBC fired Baker after he sent a tweet widely regarded as racist.

Early life

Fred "Spud" Baker, a dockworker, and Betty, a factory worker, were born in Deptford, south east London. He grew up in Bermondsey and attended Rotherhithe Primary School, but instead of enrolling in a grammar school, he transferred to the nearby West Greenwich Secondary Boys' School, Deptford. He was a truant from the age of 14 to the age of 16 when he could legally leave school. He began working in One Stop Records, a small but trendy record store in South Molton Street in London's West End. He had an older brother, Michael, who died at the age of 29.

Personal life

Bonne, Sonny, and Mancie are Baker's three children, who were born on March 7th, 1955. They live in Blackheath, south east London.

Baker announced on November 1st, 2010 that he had been diagnosed with cancer and that chemotherapy would begin in January. He declared that he had been given the all clear on June 14, 2011.

Baker was described by Janet Street-Porter as "over-hasty, excitable, [and] a blabbermouth," whose "motor mouth was legendary even back in the 1980s. His "pet obsessions" were "working class humour" and football, according to her.

Baker has been a lifelong fan of Millwall, F.C., his hometown football team.

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Career

Baker began writing for Sniffin' Glue, a punk fanzine that was established by his old schoolmate Mark Perry, in 1977, which culminated in an invite from the New Musical Express, which was later edited by Nick Logan. Baker began serving as the office receptionist, but by the time, he was publishing regular news and reviews before progressing to interviews. He often refers to these times in his radio shows, often quoting instances of his rock star interviewees' bizarre behavior.

Baker, a sports columnist for The Times in the late 1990s, was briefly a columnist for the early issues of film magazine Empire.

Baker began his television work in 1980 as the host of Twentieth Century Box, a series of regional documentaries in London based on aspects of youth culture, produced by Janet Street Porter. One version of the first series chronicled the burgeoning new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) scene, including an early TV appearance of Iron Maiden at The Marquee Club and interviews with "air guitarists." Early performances from Spandau Ballet and Depeche Mode were also included in other editions.

Baker's first mainstream break came as a roving reporter-presenter on the Michael Aspel LWT's regional newspaper The Six O'Clock Show, alongside former Mastermind champion and former London black cab driver Fred Housego. Paul Ross (brother of Jonathan Ross, whom Baker had as his best guy) was his researcher. Baker was caught on the Six O'clock Show having an altercation with a British Rail press officer during his time on the show. This clip is often revived for clip shows and can be seen on YouTube.

Baker appeared on LWT's regional broadcast during the 1980s and early 1990s, appearing on such shows as Six O'Clock Live, Danny Baker's Londoners, and The Game - a six-part series that included coverage of teams playing in the East London Sunday Football League's fourth division. The series was later released on DVD.

Baker began writing for television shows in 1992 after being asked to produce a piece for one of the first archive clip shows: TV Hell, a collection of the worst TV shows ever. Since then, he has hosted television shows such as Win, Lose or Draw, Pets Win Prizes, and TV Heroes, which was a collection of 10-minute tributes to some of Baker's entertainment heroes, including Fanny Cradock, Peter Glaze (from Crackerjack) and the Top of the Pops audience. Baker is seen on "Ooh What A Life" by the Gibson Brothers in 1979, captioned "Danny Baker's first TV appearance."

Danny Baker After All, which borrowed from Late Night with David Letterman, was also on display in a BBC Saturday night chat show, but his style and guests (Rick Wakeman of prog rock band Yes! was not as popular as it was expected) were not to attract the mainstream audience as the slot demanded. The Railtown Bottlers, a film critic, appeared in the show's house band.

He appeared in television advertisements for Daz washing powder and Mars bar confectionery later in the game. Baker parodied his Daz ads by starring on Me, You, and Him.

Baker began appearing on BBC Radio 5's 606 football-related phone-in show as well as the job of presenting Match of the Eighties, a six-part BBC series of football from 1980-81 and 1985/86 seasons.

Baker contributed to TFI Friday's show as well as providing information for hosts such as Angus Deayton and Jonathan Ross.

He made guest appearances on comedies like Have I Got News for You, Shooting Stars, and Room 101 in the late 1990s. He appeared in the media during this period as a result of nights out with colleagues Chris Evans and England footballer Paul Gascoigne. While preparing for tournaments, Gascoigne was being scrutinized for overinduration and socializing. Baker was left out of the 1998 World Cup squad, and he continued to Have I Got News For You to defend his friend and criticize the omission.

He appeared on The Terry and Gaby Show from 2003 to 2004 (where he burned his hand trying to do a trick with a microwave and a piece of soap) and has appeared on BBC Two quiz show QI, becoming the show's first ever winner. Baker appeared on End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones once more with Charles Shaar Murray, giving an audio commentary.

The Sitcom Showdown, a 2006 film starring archived television footage for BBC4, is one of the many recent television programs to be broadcast on BBC Gold, while BBC4's Barrington & Co.'s Rockin' Decades is one of BBC4's latest TV shows. Does The Apprentice also do Comic Relief In 2007, he did Comic Relief Does The Apprentice do Comic Relief. He appeared in The Rocky Horror Show as the narrator at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley and the New Wimbledon Theatre.

Baker was announced on Friday evening as part of BT Sport's football coverage in 2013. Danny Kelly appeared on BT Sport's football coverage in 2013. Chris Evans recruited Baker to write on Top Gear's 2016 series. He appeared on reality television show "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here" in November 2016. Baker was the first individual to be disqualified from the contest.

Baker began his radio career on BBC Radio London in 1989, hosting Weekend Breakfast from 6 to 9 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Chris Evans, a good friend of Baker, was the show's host. Baker switched to the 10 a.m. slot on Sundays after GLR moved to a more orthodox breakfast show at weekends.

Baker appeared on BBC Radio 5 in 1990, presenting Sportscall, a phone-in sports quiz show that airs every Saturday lunchtime.

He starred 606 from October 1991 to October 1992, and he appeared on Morning Edition from February 1992 to October 1993. Baker's obsession with unusual trivia was matched with 'grown-up' music on the program. Baker first met Danny Kelly and Allis Moss at Danny Kelly and Allis Moss. Mark Kermode's weekly film review, and on the first season of Baker's TV show 'The Railtown Bottlers', he'll appear with his band 'The Railtown Bottlers'.

Baker appeared on BBC Radio 1 in October 1993, becoming the first weekend mid-morning show from 10 am to 1 p.m. from Dave Lee Travis, who had resigned on air following the sackings initiated by Matthew Bannister and Trevor Dann in the early 1990s. However, he was not heard on Saturdays from 10 am to 12 noon, owing to poor ratings, ranging from November 1994 to 1994. On Sunday mornings, Simon Mayo took over.

Despite Baker's style causing a drop in listeners at Radio 1, his listeners plunged. However, the company's bossed in a few months. His Saturday show went from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., beginning in October 1995. In September 1996, he left the station. Danny Kelly, a BBC continuity announcer, was one of his co-hosts during this period.

Baker, Baker & Kelly Upfront, and others, who were still on BBC Radio 1, in 1996, Baker joined BBC Radio 5 Live to host a Sunday lunchtime show.

Baker, who left BBC Radio 1, returned to BBC Radio London to host a three-hour Sunday show from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The 'Baker and Kelly Upfront' exhibition has also returned, this time at lunchtime, while Baker 'The Baker Line', a Wednesday evening version of the 606 phone-in show, has opened.

Although the 'Baker and Kelly Upfront' was light-hearted, 'The Baker Line' was more 'Dark and emotional.' Baker was at his most outspoken, and he was suspended from BBC Radio 5 Live in early 1997 after station bosses suspected him of inciting threatening conduct during an outraged protest against a referee.

Baker joined Talk Radio to host a similar football phone call with Kelly from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. each Saturday. From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., a pre-match show was added. He engineered his own dismissal after a matter of weeks by refusing to center the show on football and instead opting to intersperse with his own music picks.

He joined Virgin Radio in early 1999, taking over from Jonathan Ross on Sundays from 10 am to 1 p.m.

Baker was asked by the BBC not long after and asked if he wanted to host a Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 2, which at the time was being hosted by Steve Wright. (Wright was being promoted to the station's Weekday Afternoon slot) Baker turned down the bid because "the time wasn't perfect," and Jonathan Ross was given the stage. Baker was also deputised on Virgin's Saturday lunchtime football show from 12 noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday's Virgin's Saturday lunchtime football show from 12 noon to 2 p.m., alongside Danny Kelly until he left the station in 2000.

Baker was a member of BBC London 94.9 from 8 to 11 a.m. on Saturday morning, from 8 to 11 a.m., during the 2001 broadcasting of a morning show. Just six months later, and with a new co-presenting team starring Amy Lamé, Mark O'Donnell, and David Kuo, he took over the breakfast show from 6 to 9 a.m. with a new theme tune in the form of Anthony Newley's "The Candy Man."

Baker won "Sony Radio DJ of the year" for the show, despite not attracting a large audience. However, the day after winning the award, he revealed that he would leave the show at the end of the month. The last show was on Friday, May 27, 2005. Baker returned to BBC London 94.9 on Monday, October 17th, 2005, after a sabbatical at home, where he appeared on weekday 3 to 5 p.m. show from Jono Coleman, who had joined former actor JoAnne Good.

His BBC London 94.9 shows tended to include off-the-wall phone calls and discussions with his on-air team, Amy Lamé and Baylen Leonard, often discussing music and entertainment nostalgia from the 1960s and 1970s. His interviews focused on off-beat trivia rather than the guests' latest or most popular music, and shows like Yes, Todd Rundgren, Steely Dan, Frank Zappa, and Captain Beefheart would be interspersed with some of the guests' new or well-known rock songs.

In November 2012, the service was axed as part of a department of layoffs. Baker said on air on the day that the show would be his last, referring to his BBC London employers as "pinheaded weasels" for the way in which they had cancelled the programme.

Baker hosted the All Day Breakfast Show from February 15th to September the same year, a podcast that could have a greater audience than BBC London's FM radio reception. Amy Lamé, Baylen Leonard, and David Kuo were among the first show participants, and comedian and actor Peter Kay appeared on the first show.

The show was also produced by and starring Danny Baker, Amy Lamé, Baylen Leonard, and David Kuo. It was in a similar way to Baker's radio show on BBC London 94.9, where the listeners and hosts exchanged amusing anecdotes interspersed with obscure recordings.

The All Day Breakfast Show In Color rebranded in September of this year, and the podcast was charged with a weekly subscription fee of £2. The full length podcast was only available via Wippit and edited highlights were included as a preview for iTunes.

After a week, the podcast went into hiatus, with several downloaders from Wippit being unable to access the website due to limitations on available bandwidth. There was no official announcement regarding the reason for the hiatus or that the podcast would return. However, after several weeks of silence, the All Day Breakfast Show has officially announced its return to the air on October 19th. No information was posted on the main website, but Danny Baker and Baylen Leonard, who were limited only to paid subscribers at the time, announced the revival of the show. They announced that starting from "next week," they will be broadcasting three times a week. They also implied (possibly only partially in danger) that as a result of BBC cuts, they might have decided to cancel their official BBC London show and shift to a "internet only" broadcast. A new version of the Candyman theme tune was also on display at the mini-show.

Danny wrote an open letter on Saturday, September 15, 2007, noting that "no more All Day Breakfast Shows nor Baker & Kelly's will be published." The company that has had a permanent and complete failure between the on-air team and the firm that have, with differing degrees of success, have made it available online."

On December 17, 2007, Wippit reported that the show's cancellation was due to "a breakdown in labor talks between our company and Danny Baker," the Baker "did not want to fulfill his agreed obligations regarding exclusivity," and Wippit denied the terms outlined by his agent. Wippit accepted 100% of the program's revenues and expressed no further involvement in the show, but Baker's agent refused this bid.

Baker announced on his BBC London radio show on May 21, 2008 that he would return to present BBC Radio 5 Live's 606 football phone-in for a short period this summer. In September 2008, he made a long-awaited return to 606 in September 2008, hosting a Tuesday night game from 2008-09 football season. Jonathan Ross had a brief stint with Zo Ball on Radio 2 on Saturday mornings after the BBC announced that he had been barred for three months. Baker's 606 Monday night show that he co-hosted with Issy Clarke, he co-hosted with Issy Clarke from September 2009 to a new Saturday morning slot, beginning in September 2009 on BBC 5 Live. After the summer break, Lynsey Hipgrave replaced Clarke as co-host in September 2010, the program returned in September 2010. The Saturday Morning show received critical acclaim for winning the Gold Sony Radio Personality of the Year award in 2011, 2012 and 2014, as well as the Gold Award for the Entertainment Show of the Year in 2013.

Baker co-hosted 35 episodes of Lineker & Baker, a podcast that was released between November 2018 and March 2020, including Gary Lineker, as "a regular show full of the intimate details of life in and around the game."

A chimpanzee dressed in clothes was seen on Twitter in May 2019. "Royal Baby Leaves Hospital" refers to Prince Harry's birth, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Duchess of Sussex. Baker, who was accused of disparaging the Duchess of Sussex's African-American roots with the tweet, had his backlash on social media. Baker took the picture off Twitter and apologized for making a "naive and tragic mistake" in his choice of image, but denied racist motives. He said that the pick of a chimpanzee "dressed as a Lord" was made "to lampoon aristo" for the chosen chimpanzee. Baker was fired by the BBC after he made a "significant error in decision" that went against the station's values. Baker expressed disappointment with the BBC's decision to fire him, receiving praise from several media personalities.

Louise Pepper co-hosted The Treehouse, a twice-weekly podcast launched in November 2019. The design is a recreation of recent non-football radio shows that are based on amusing reports from listeners, many of which relate to pop culture. The podcast has gone from August 2020 to Patreon's paid-only subscription service.

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