Richard and Judy
Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan are married co-stars of British daytime television programmes. They are widely known as simply Richard and Judy.
Since their marriage, their television appearances have been largely made as a couple, though each has had the occasional solo project.
Biography
Finnigan was born in Manchester on 16 May 1948. She studied English and drama at university, and was Anglia TV's first female reporter, joining the About Anglia news team in the mid-1970s.
Madeley was born in Romford on 13 May 1956. He began his media career in local newspapers in Essex. He was arrested on charges of shoplifting champagne from Tesco in 1990, but later acquitted. In February 2006 on Richard & Judy, while discussing the row over the Danish cartoons that have polarised Muslims the world over, Madeley declared himself to be a Christian. In July 2006 on Richard & Judy, while discussing the study of sperm and stem cells, Madeley declared that he has had a vasectomy.
They met in 1982 when they worked on separate programmes for Granada TV. At this time, they were both at the end of unhappy first marriages. The couple married in 1986. They have two children together - Jack (born 1986) and Chloe (born 1987) - and Finnigan has twin sons (born 1978) from her first marriage.
This Morning
Their most well-known show has undoubtedly been This Morning, which they hosted from its inception until 2001. The series, a mix of celebrity interviews, household tips, cookery and phone-ins lasted approximately two hours each weekday morning on ITV. This live show set the standard for daytime fare in British television throughout the 1990s. It first aired in October 1988 and was broadcast from the Albert Dock in Liverpool, although production moved to London in 1996. They were so closely associated with the show, that most people referred to it by their names, Richard and Judy, rather than This Morning.
In 2001, they quit This Morning, having been approached by Channel 4 to host a similar show, simply called Richard & Judy, shown for an hour in the early evenings. It has a slightly greater emphasis on interviews. As of 2006 this show is still being broadcast.
Other work
Whilst working on their daytime show, the pair have had time for other projects. Madeley, for example, presented several series of a TV version of the classic board game Cluedo, TV Game show Connections,the daytime quiz Runway as well as a series on the world's wildest weather.
Public Image
Whilst Madeley can be a rather pugnacious figure while conducting their interviews, his wife sports a more mumsy demeanour. In person, Madeley has a much deeper and more resonant voice than that which is transmitted. Presumably this change is effected by the sound man to create a friendlier and more approachable timbre.
Indeed much of their popularity stems from his frequent mentions of life at home, which Finnigan would much rather leave private. The tabloid newspapers were delighted, therefore that, when the pair received an award for Most Popular Daytime Programme at the 2000 National Television Awards, Finnigan's dress accidentally dropped down exposing a portion of her very practical bra to a television audience numbering in the millions. The embarrassment of the situation was compounded by the fact that the couple seemed to believe that the crowd was laughing and cheering for a rendition of Madeley's notorious Ali G impersonation rather than at Judy's open dress. Upon realisation of the actual situation, Madeley quickly ad-libbed: "And if we win next year, she'll show you the other one!"