Who is Michael Aspel? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

British Celebrities Born In January

Also Known As: Michael Terence Aspel

Age: 91 Years, 91 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Ann Reed (m. 1962 - div. 1967), Dian Sessions (m. 1957 - div. 1961), Elizabeth Power (m. 1977 - Sep. 1994)

children: Daniel Aspel, Edward Aspel, Greg Aspel, Jane Aspel, Patrick Aspel, Richard Aspel

Partner: Irene Clarke (1994–present)

Born Country: England

Journalists TV Presenters

City: London, England

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Childhood & Early Life

Michael Aspel was born on 12th January 1933, in Battersea, London in the UK. He was evacuated from the area, during the Second World War, and had to spend around five years in Chard, Somerset.

He studied at Emanuel School, after he passed his eleven-plus. From 1951 to 1953, he had served as a conscript of the National Service, in the ranks of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps.

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Career

Michael Aspel did various odd jobs before he became a newsreader for the BBC in 1957. He also started appearing in a BBC Children’s Hour serial titled ‘Counterspy’, which was produced by BBC Wales. Within a short time, he also became one of the regular newsreaders appearing on BBC National television. The others were Richard Baker,Robert Dougall, and Corbet Woodall.

Soon he started presenting several other programs for the BBC, some of them include ‘Come Dancing’, ‘Crackerjack’, ‘Ask Aspel’, and the ‘Miss World’ beauty contest. He was also the narrator of ‘The War Game’, a nuclear war drama documentary which was produced by BBC. The film won an Oscar, in the ‘Best Documentary Feature’ category.

He continued appearing in many other shows such as the ‘Kenny Everett radio show’, ‘The Goodies’, Morecambe and Wise’, and ‘Give Us a Clue’. During the early 1990s, he also presented two documentaries on BBC2. They were ‘Caught in the Draft’, which was a look back at the compulsory national service, and ‘Nobody Cried When the Trains Pulled Out’, a documentary which focused on the evacuation of children from several British cities during the Second World War.

Aspel also became popular for hosting the chat show ‘Aspel & Company’, which ran in the 1980s and 1990s, on ITV. The show attracted several high-profile guests including Margaret Thatcher, who was then Prime Minister, as well as others such as George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, it gained controversy as few celebrities promoted their business venture on the show, after which Aspel vowed that he would never host a chat show again.

He also became known for hosting the British biographical documentary show ‘This is Your Life’. It was based on an American show of the same name. He also hosted ‘Strange but True?’ a British paranormal documentary show, that aired on ITV for four seasons, between 1993 and 1997.

In 1997, he started presenting a new version of the ITV gameshow ‘Blockbuster’, for the BBC. From 2000 to 2008, he hosted the popular British TV program ‘Antiques Roadshow’. In 2006, he was also seen in the UK tour of the musical ‘The Rocky Horror Show’.

Major Works

One of Michael Aspel’s early works is the British children’s TV show ‘Crackerjack’, which aired on the BBC Television Service. He was the host of the show from 1968 to 1974. The show was cancelled in 1984, along with many other TV shows. However, years later, on 17th January 2020, it started airing again on CBBC.

Another one of Michael Aspel’s important works is the British Paranormal documentary TV show ‘Strange but True?’, that aired on ITV between 1993 and 1997. The show focused on several unexplained activities such as ghosts, vampires and near-death experiences. Paranormal researcher Jenny Randles was the consultant for the show.

He was also the host of the British TV program ‘Antiques Roadshow’. The show featured antiques appraisers who travel to different places of the United Kingdom in order to appraise antiques that were brought in by the local people. Michael Aspel served as the host of the show from 2000 to 2008. The show has gained huge popularity and adaptations of it have been created in several other countries.

Family & Personal Life

Michael Aspel is married to Elizabeth Power. They tied the knot in 1977. However, the couple is known to have been separated since 1994. They have two children (twins).

He was previously married to two women, Ann Reed, with whom he had two children, and Dian Sessions, with whom he also had two children.

He is a supporter of Cancer Research UK, a charity organization. He is vice-president of ‘The Children’s Trust’, a charity in the UK for children with brain injuries. He is also a president of the Young People’s Trust for the Environment.

Michael Aspel Biography