FOR nearly 40 years Richard Whiteley was part of the family. As a stalwart of Calendar from 1968, he was in our living rooms five nights a week.

Those who only know him as the bumbling host of Countdown, or the man in the outtakes shows on the end of a ferret, might be surprised to learn of his journalistic pedigree.

Whether interviewing prime ministers or delivering one of those groan-inducing puns before starting the Countdown clock, Richard endeared himself to a huge audience. Everyone from the Queen to the pupils at Wetwang Primary School was a fan.

Why? Because Richard Whiteley was unspun. He was not slick, but he was real. Here was a TV star who was the first to laugh at himself. It is hard to think of another. Teatimes will never be the same again.

Updated: 10:24 Monday, June 27, 2005