Chris Serle
{{Short description|British television presenter (1943–2024)}}
{{For|the British educationalist|Chris Searle}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Chris Serle
| image = Chris Serle 2012 (cropped-J1).jpg
| alt =
| caption = Serle in 2012
| height = {{height|ft=6|in=5}}{{Cite web |last=Serle |first=Chris |date= |title=Chris Serle |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1183179/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=IMDB.com |language=en}}
| birth_name = Christopher Richard Serle
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1943|07|13|df=y}}
| birth_place = Bristol, England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2024|09|16|1943|07|13|df=y}}
| alma_mater = Trinity College, Dublin
| occupation = {{hlist|Television presenter|actor}}
| spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|Anna Southall|1983|2003|end = divorced}}|Ali Fraser}}
| children = 5
}}
Christopher Richard Serle (13 July 1943 – 16 September 2024) was a British television presenter, reporter, and actor, best known for being a presenter on That's Life!
Early life and career
Serle was born in Henleaze, Bristol, on 13 July 1943.{{cite news|url = https://www.thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/chris-serle-obituary-thats-life-co-host-and-tv-presenter-qzp679bwc|title = Chris Serle obituary: That's Life! co-host and TV presenter|newspaper = The Times|date = 24 September 2024|accessdate = 24 September 2024|url-access = subscription}} He was educated at Clifton College and Trinity College, Dublin, where he studied modern languages. He appeared as a foil for Irish comedian Dave Allen in his series Dave Allen at Large in 1971, but gained greater UK public recognition as one of the presenters on the TV series That's Life!.{{cite book
|last= Stevens
|first= Christopher
|title= Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams
|publisher= John Murray
|year= 2010
|isbn = 978-1-84854-195-5
|page=403
}}{{Cite web |last=Doherty |first=Aileen |date=February 6, 1981 |title=It's a Full Life (Ealing Gazette) |url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/827699775 |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} He later presented a series in which he, and fellow former That's Life! presenter Paul Heiney, were pitched into professional situations with no prior knowledge in In at the Deep End.
In the 1980s, he presented Windmill in which clips from the BBC archives on particular themes were shown (so called as the then base for BBC archives was in Windmill Road, Brentford). He also presented the viewer-response show Points of View, The Computer Programme,{{cite news | url=http://www.drobe.co.uk/article.php?id=1781 | title=25th anniversary of BBC Micro TV series | work=Drobe | date=13 January 2007 | access-date=23 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609041144/http://www.drobe.co.uk/article.php?id=1781 |archive-date=9 June 2011 |url-status=dead}} and Monkey Business. On radio, he was the regular host of Pick of the Week between 1991 and 1998, and a frequent guest presenter until 2006. He was also the interviewer and host of the BBC series Greek Language and People with Katia Dandoulaki. From 2005 he served as the honorary president of the Bristol Hospital Broadcasting Service, a registered charity which provides a radio service to the hospitals of Bristol.{{Cite web |last= |date= |title=BHBS Members |url=http://bhbsradio.com/members/ |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=Bristol Hospital Broadcasting Service |language=en-US}}
Serle featured on an episode of the BBC game show, The Adventure Game, with Sandra Dickinson and Adam Tandy on 16 February 1984. He also presented BBC Radio Bristol's The Afternoon Show for several years.{{Cite web |title=Chris Serle |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1183179/ |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=IMDb}}
Serle also presented the first series of the ITV gameshow Runway (1987).{{Cite web|url=http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Runway|title=Runway - UKGameshows|website=Ukgameshows.com|access-date=24 September 2024}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/14395261.memories-of-early-tv-quiz-shows/|title=Memories of early TV quiz shows|date=31 March 2016|newspaper=The Bolton News|access-date=24 September 2024}}
Personal life and death
In 1983, Serle married Anna Southall, a member of the Cadbury family; they had two children and divorced in 2003. He then married television producer Ali Fraser, and they had three children.{{cite news|url = https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y32z6wyg3o|title = Ex-BBC TV and radio presenter Chris Serle dies|date = 23 September 2024|access-date = 23 September 2024|work = BBC News}} He was president of the Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum.{{Cite web|url=https://atwellwilson.org.uk/|title=Atwell Wilson Motor Museum|website=Atwellwilson.org.uk|access-date=23 September 2024}}
Serle died from a stroke on 16 September 2024, at the age of 81.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|1183179}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110718183402/http://www.debretts.co.uk/people/biographies/browse/s/9127/Christopher%20Richard%20(Chris)+SERLE.aspx Chris Serle, Esq's Biography]. Debrett's. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110706085148/http://www.travelchanneltv.asia/ourpresenters-view.asp?name=Chris%20Serle&ID=17 Meet our Presenters: Chris Serle]. Travel Channel. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
{{BBC Computer Literacy Project}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2024}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Serle, Chris}}
Category:British television presenters
Category:Television personalities from Bristol