Paul Coia

Paul Coia and his twin Gerard were born in 1955, and he had two younger siblings, Martin and Denise. Coia was educated at Merrylee Convent, John Ogilvie Hall and St Aloysius' College and then at the University of Glasgow and Paisley College of Technology (now University of the West of Scotland) to do a BSc degree course. His ambition was to become a dentist but it remained unrealised as his exam results were not to the level required.{{cite web|url=http://www.paulcoia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=19|title=Paulcoia|access-date=24 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611192308/http://www.paulcoia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=19|archive-date=11 June 2011|url-status=live}}

Coia instead moved into broadcasting where he started off as a hospital radio presenter in December 1976 and later gained a job as a disc jockey at Radio Clyde in June 1977. He started off presenting the weekend overnight slots, Friday into Saturday Morning, Saturday into Sunday Morning and Sunday into Monday Morning, followed by spells presenting weekend shows, such as the Saturday morning show Children's Choice. Coia returned to Radio Clyde as a relief cover presenter throughout the 1980s, 1990s and the 2000s.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/nov/21/smooth-radio-paul-coia|title=TV and radio presenter Paul Coia is to replace Martin Collins as the drivetime host of London's Smooth Radio|first=John|last=Plunkett|date=21 November 2008|work=The Guardian|access-date=24 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110172057/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/nov/21/smooth-radio-paul-coia|archive-date=10 January 2014|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/11910549.i-pushed-him-to-ask-girls-out-best-friends-paul-coia-paul-mcilvenny-a-lifelong-friendship-was-born-from-the-playground-banter-and-a-shared-love-of-music/|title='I pushed him to ask girls out' best friends paul coia & paul mcilvenny A lifelong friendship was born from the playground banter and a shared love of music|date=16 November 2002|work=The Herald|location=Glasgow}}{{cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/search/?query=radio%20clyde%20paul%20coia&p_province=gb-sct&dr_year=1976-1992&sort=paper-date-asc | title=Search }}{{Cite web |title=Results for 'paul coia' {{!}} Between 1st Jan 1977 and 31st Dec 1977 {{!}} British Newspaper Archive |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1977-01-01/1977-12-31?basicsearch=paul%20coia&somesearch=paul%20coia&exactsearch=false&retrievecountrycounts=false&sortorder=dayrecent |access-date=2024-02-15 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}

In 1979, Coia made his TV debut with a guest appearance on the long-running No. 1 kids programme in Scotland Glen Michael's Cartoon Cavalcade{{Citation |title=PAUL COIA interview // The first voice to be heard on Channel 4 // The Salt & Sauce Show | date=28 May 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COl636hxbhk |access-date=2024-02-15 |language=en}} then became a continuity announcer and newsreader for Scottish Television. After dropping his script and continuing by ad libbing, Coia was given his own summer series Hi Summer in 1980 followed his own chat show, Meet Paul Coia in 1981.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000578/19861118/081/0004 {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}

In 1982 he joined Channel 4 on its launch and was the first voice heard on air.{{cite news|url=https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle-2-15039/is-the-foreplay-over-1-1426628|title=Is the foreplay over?|website=The Scotsman}}{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/alex-dickson-9683b8tbt|title=Alex Dickson|date=16 April 2018|work=The Times|location=London}}{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/phil-redmond-the-lesbian-kiss-got-c4-most-attention-8229246.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/phil-redmond-the-lesbian-kiss-got-c4-most-attention-8229246.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Phil Redmond: 'The lesbian kiss got C4 most attention'|date=28 October 2012|work=The Independent}} Unusually for continuity of the time, Coia could also occasionally be seen in-vision, usually before closedown. Subsequently, he became a presenter of BBC1's daytime magazine programme, Pebble Mill at One. and BBC 2's 6:55 where he replaced Starsky and Hutch actor David Soul.

During 1987, Coia made his second chat show, this time for Grampian Television The Paul Coia Show which was broadcast also on Scottish Television, and he also made his first gameshow, Split Second.

In 1988 Coia became the host of the BBC gameshow Catchword.{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/a-question-of-thought-1573812.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/a-question-of-thought-1573812.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=A QUESTION OF THOUGHT|date=19 February 1995|website=The Independent}}

He stood in once with his wife Debbie Greenwood, a former Miss Great Britain winner, for Gloria Hunniford's afternoon chat show on Five. They presented the weekend breakfast show on LBC together for a year, Coia and Greenwood also sat in for Derek and Ellen Jameson on the late-night show on BBC Radio 2, and Coia (broadcasting solo) also deputised for Ken Bruce, Ed Stewart and other presenters on that station, and hosted the station's summer roadshows while also presenting on BBC One's The Holiday Show, Coia also sat in for Jimmy Mack on Clyde 2's drivetime show for a couple of weeks in September 1992.{{cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/search/?query=CLYDE%202%20PAUL%20COIA&p_province=gb-sct&ymd-start=1992-09-07&ymd-end=1992-09-18&sort=paper-date-asc | title=Search }} Coia also did cover work as a part-time presenter on BBC Radio Scotland throughout the 2000s.

In 2002, Coia created a quiz show for the BBC, The Enemy Within.{{cite web|url=http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/The_Enemy_Within|title=The Enemy Within – UKGameshows|access-date=24 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110319021747/http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/The_Enemy_Within|archive-date=19 March 2011|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/fame-and-fortune-broadcaster-airs-views-on-inheritance-g76fk2h0b05|title=Fame & Fortune: Broadcaster airs views on inheritance|date=27 October 2002|work=The Times|location=London}}

In 2005, Coia returned to Radio Clyde where he presented on the weekday lunchtime show from 12 – 3pm on Clyde 2, He covered for veteran presenter Bill Smith over the Easter period{{Cite web |url=http://www.clyde2.com/showdj.asp?DJID=26617 |title=Paul Coia: Monday – Friday: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM |website=Clyde 2 |access-date=10 April 2005 |archive-date=10 April 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050410024717/http://www.clyde2.com/showdj.asp?DJID=26617 |url-status=dead }} A year later, Coia presented on Saturday afternoons from 2–6pm, covering for Super Scoreboard whilst the football season was off for the summer time.{{Cite web |url=http://www.clyde2.com/showdj.asp?DJID=26617 |title=Paul Coia: Saturday: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM |website=Clyde 2 |access-date=15 June 2006 |archive-date=15 June 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615121551/http://clyde2.com/showdj.asp?DJID=26617 |url-status=dead }}

Coia was a continuity announcer and trail voiceover (all pre-recorded) for the now-defunct digital channel ABC1. He has also been heard on 102.2 Smooth Radio since February 2008. Coia took over the Drivetime show from December 2008 until the end of 2010 after Martin Collins left the station.{{cite web|url=http://www.smoothradiolondon.co.uk/presenters-shows/presenters-efqs/paul-coia/d1ezc4gq/|title=smoothradiolondon.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926030107/http://www.smoothradiolondon.co.uk/presenters-shows/presenters-efqs/paul-coia/d1ezc4gq/|archive-date=26 September 2008}} In April 2013 he became a Sunday morning presenter for BBC Radio Berkshire,{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p016bq1v|title=BBC Radio Berkshire – Paul Coia|publisher=BBC|access-date=24 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223064958/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p016bq1v|archive-date=23 December 2018|url-status=live}} discussing religious issues of the day and locality.

In 2017, he started to present BBC Radio London cover shows.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02ftwqq|title=BBC Radio London – Paul Coia|publisher=BBC|access-date=24 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408091435/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02ftwqq|archive-date=8 April 2015|url-status=live}}

On 2 November 2022, forty years to the day after he introduced the first programme to be broadcast on Channel 4, Coia once again provided the continuity announcement for that day's edition of Countdown.{{cite web |title=Paul Coia |url=https://twitter.com/paul_coia/status/1587737639272194049 |via=Twitter |access-date=3 November 2022}}{{Primary source inline|date=February 2024}}

Coia also works as a Presentation and Media coach and corporate speaker, hosting events and coaching executives in many countries. He occasionally presents on Radio Jackie.

Coia won the Radio Industry Club's Scottish Radio Presenter of the Year award, other awards include Radio Personality of the Year, the Golden Rose of Montreaux (Rose D’Or) TV Awards, runner up in the BBC's Gillards and a Webby award for corporate communication.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2018-09-01 |title=Coia, Paul |url=https://showreel.thetvroom.com/talent-profiles/2381/coia-paul/ |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=Showreel |language=en-GB}}

Coia lives in Kingston-upon-Thames, London with his wife, former Miss Great Britain and QVC presenter Debbie Greenwood.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/observer/screen/story/0,6903,356264,00.html|title=Andrew Collins tunes in to the world of cable, satellite and digital – Screen – The Observer|website=The Guardian}}{{Cite web |last1=Robertson |first1=Peter |last2=Edrich |first2=Patrick |date=2022-02-05 |title=Liverpool TV presenter thanks James Bond after freak accident at home |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpool-tv-presenter-debbie-greenwood-22997488 |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=Liverpool Echo |language=en}} They have two daughters. He has a twin brother Gerard, and a sister and brother, Denise and Martin, who are also twins.{{cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news-2-15012/tv-host-s-twin-put-on-sex-offenders-register-1-933600|title=TV host's twin put on sex offenders' register|website=The Scotsman}}

• Glen Michael's Cartoon Cavalcade (1979 Scottish TV)
• Hi Summer (1980 Scottish TV)
• Meet Paul Coia (1981 Scottish TV)
• Pebble Mill at One (1983–86)
• Six Fifty-five (1983)
• Zig Zag (BBC Schools programme) 1984–90
• Domesday Detectives (1986)
• The Paul Coia Show (Grampian TV. 1986–88)
• Split Second (1988)
• Catchword (1988–1995)
• Telethon '88, 90 & '92 – Host for Scotland.
• BBC Railwatch (1989) – Correspondent
• Rab C Nesbitt: "Holiday" (1990)
• Garden Party (1990–1991, BBC){{cite news|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/11926181.the-party-goes-on-for-bbc-television/|title=The party goes on for BBC television|website=The Herald|location=Glasgow}}
• Press Your Luck (1991–1992 HTV)
• Children in Need (1991–1992) – Host for Scotland.
• Spellbound (1994–1996, Sky One)
• Don't Drink the Water (1997)
• Heaven Knows (1997–98)
• Pull the Other One (1998)
• Flash in the Pan (1999)

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.paulcoia.com Official website]
• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p016bq1v Paul Coia] (BBC Radio Berkshire)
• [http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Paul_Coia Entry at UK Gameshows]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coia, Paul}}

Category:1955 births

Category:Living people

Category:Mass media people from Glasgow

Category:Scottish radio personalities

Category:Scottish people of Italian descent

Category:Scottish game show hosts

Category:Alumni of the University of Glasgow

Category:People educated at St Aloysius' College, Glasgow

Category:BBC Radio 2 presenters

Category:Alumni of the University of the West of Scotland

Category:BBC television presenters

Category:LBC radio presenters