Bradley Walsh Biography
Bradley Walsh is an English actor, television presenter, comedian, and singer, as well as his previous career as a professional footballer. In the realm of acting, Walsh has portrayed characters such as Danny Baldwin in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, DS Ronnie Brooks in the procedural series Law & Order: UK, and Graham O’Brien in the BBC One sci-fi series Doctor Who. Additionally, he has been the host of various television game shows, including Wheel of Fortune, The Chase, Odd One In, Keep It in the Family, Cash Trapped, and Blankety Blank.
Bradley Walsh Age| Birthday
How old is Walsh? He is around 63 years old as of 2024. He was born on June 4, 1960, in Watford, England.
Bradley Walsh Education
Walsh attended Francis Combe School in Garston, where he was voted most likely to become a TV host
Bradley Walsh Height|Weight
He stands on an average height of 5 feet 7 inches and weighs around 70kgs.
Bradley Walsh Family
Walsh was born in Watford, his parents are Margaret who is Scottish and Daniel who is English. He was brought up in Leavesden and has a sister named Kerri.
Bradley Walsh Wife|Married
Walsh is in a happy marriage with his wife Donna Derby who is a dancer. They tied the knot in 1997.
Bradley Walsh Children| kids
Walsh and his wife Donna Derby are blessed with one son named Barney, with whom Walsh appeared in the travel series Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad. In addition, he also has a daughter born in 1982 from a previous relationship.
Bradley Walsh Career
Walsh initiated his acting career with a minor part in the Channel 4 series Lock, Stock…. His early roles encompassed characters like Dave Dodds in the 2001 Channel 4 TV film Mike Bassett: England Manager and a regular role in the short-lived British soap opera Night and Day on ITV in 2002, spanning 52 episodes. While participating in the West End production of Les Miserables in 2003, Walsh also took on a small role in an episode of the spin-off series M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team.
Walsh debuted in Coronation Street as the factory boss Danny Baldwin, originally intended to be named Vic until Walsh requested the change to honor his late father. However, he voluntarily exited the show in December 2006. After his departure, Walsh appeared in the TV drama Torn in October 2007 and took on distinctive roles in the Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures in 2008.
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Walsh commenced his stint in the ITV crime drama Law & Order: UK as DS Ronnie Brooks, portraying a recovering alcoholic with over two decades of police service. His tenure extended until 2014, after which he decided to take a hiatus. During this break, Walsh engaged in various drama projects under development by ITV. His diverse career continued with the BBC One comedy series SunTrap, where he played the role of Brutus alongside Kayvan Novak and Keith Allen. The show premiered on May 27, 2015.
Walsh expanded his repertoire when the BBC announced his casting as Graham O’Brien, a companion in the eleventh series of Doctor Who in October 2017. He reprised the role in the twelfth series in 2020 and bid farewell in the 2021 New Year’s Day special, Revolution of the Daleks, while also making an appearance in the 2022 special, The Power of the Doctor. In December 2020, it was revealed that Walsh had been selected for the role of Pop Larkin in The Larkins, a six-part adaptation of The Darling Buds of May.” His appearances on “The Larkins” commenced in October 2021.
Football career
Walsh commenced his footballing endeavors at Wormley Rovers during his youth. By late 1979, at 18 years old, he transitioned to a professional football career with Brentford. Despite not securing a spot in the first team, Walsh consistently featured in the reserves. During his time at Brentford, he also had a loan stint at Barnet, participating in five Southern Football League matches during the 1979–80 season. Additionally, Walsh played for Tring Town, Boreham Wood, and Chalfont St Peter. Unfortunately, his football journey was cut short at the age of 22 in 1982 due to ankle fractures.
In his involvement with Soccer Aid, a charitable football match pitting England against The Rest of the World, comprising celebrities and football legends, Walsh played a pivotal role. He contributed to England’s victories in the 2006 event as a player and in the 2012 and 2016 events as a coach. Notably, Walsh continued his association with Soccer Aid by participating in an episode in June 2022.
Singing Career
Walsh sought singing advice from fellow game show host Alexander Armstrong, resulting in the release of his inaugural album, Chasing Dreams, in November. This album, featuring covers of jazz standards like That’s Life and Mr. Bojangles, alongside an original song titled Chasing Dreams achieved notable success by reaching the 10th position on the UK Albums Chart. Additionally, it emerged as the top-selling debut album by a British artist in 2016, with a total of 111,650 copies sold. Walsh followed up with a second album named When You’re Smiling, a year later. This album comprised additional covers of traditional pop songs, as well as one original track, and attained the 11th position on the charts.
Presenting
On September 9, 2007, Walsh took on the role of host for the 50 Greatest Stars Polls countdown on ITV, where viewers voted for their favorite celebrities. Later that year, on December 29, 2007, he hosted the countdown for the No. 1 Soap Fan on ITV. In August 2008, Walsh headlined his own ITV series titled My Little Soldier, featuring young contestants undertaking grown-up things like solo train travel. From November to December 2008, Walsh hosted another ITV game show called Spin Star.
Walsh assumed the role of presenter for the ITV game show The Chase and its celebrity editions, which gained popularity, consistently outperforming the rival BBC quiz show Pointless. The format involves contestants facing off against the Chaser in general knowledge quiz rounds, with celebrity versions also hosted by Walsh. He presented a pilot for an American version of The Chase in 2012, but the hosting role was ultimately given to Brooke Burns.
Between 2010 and 2011, Walsh hosted the Saturday panel show Odd One In with regular panellists Peter Andre and Jason Manford. Since 2012, Walsh has been the host of the Crime Thriller Awards on ITV3 and also hosted the Crime Thriller Club on ITV3 in 2013. Additionally, Walsh narrated a one-off documentary for ITV called The Circus. In August 2014, he hosted the ITV series Come on Down! The Game Show Story, reflecting on the history of British game shows. Starting from October 26, 2014, Walsh hosted the first series of “Keep It in the Family,” returning for a second series in 2015.
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In 2014, Walsh presented an episode of Sunday Night at the Palladium and returned to present another episode in 2015. In 2016, he presented eight episodes of “Tonight at the London Palladium,” a spin-off from the Sunday night series, with a second series airing in April 2017. On December 26, 2014, Walsh hosted an entertainment special called A Christmas Cracker, filmed at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. In May 2016, Walsh guest-presented an episode of “The One Show” with Alex Jones. In the same year, Walsh began hosting Cash Trapped, a daytime game show for ITV, with second and third series airing in 2017 and 2019, respectively.
Walsh guest-hosted five episodes of The Nightly Show on ITV, airing from April 3 to 7. On May 1, 2019, it was announced that Walsh would host a new late-night talk show on ITV titled Bradley Walsh’s Late Night Guestlist. The pilot episode, featuring guests Holly Willoughby, Maya Jama, and Piers Morgan, aired on May 11, 2019, but a full series was not commissioned. In 2020, Walsh was announced as the host of a one-off festive revival of the game show Blankety Blank for the BBC, which was later commissioned for a full series, and Walsh has been presenting the show since. In May 2023, the BBC announced that Walsh and his son Barney would co-present the reboot of Gladiators.
Television Career
Walsh held various jobs, including a three-month stint as a bluecoat at Pontins in Morecambe. In October 1982, while trying his hand as a newcomer comedian, he secured the second position in a talent contest at the Rolls-Royce Sports and Social Club in his hometown of Leavesden. Subsequently, ITV noticed Walsh’s talent and offered him the role of presenter on their new game show, Midas Touch. In 1997, Walsh was approached to host the British version of the popular US game show Wheel of Fortune, taking over from long-time presenter Nicky Campbell, who had been on the show for more than eight years. However, Walsh’s tenure on Wheel of Fortune lasted only a year, as he decided to shift his focus to acting. Additionally, he made an appearance on Lily Savage’s Blankety Blank.
More Works
- In 1997, Walsh was featured in the Royal Gala commemorating 21 years of the Prince’s Trust.
- In 2005, Walsh became one of the subjects of an undercover operation in Series 5 of Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, concluding with him angrily leaving the scene.
- In 2007, Walsh participated in Northern Rock’s All Star Golf Tournament on ITV, where his team, Team Europe, emerged victorious. Walsh mentioned that he had been playing golf since the age of twenty.
- In August 2008, Walsh made an appearance on the talent show “Maestro” on BBC Two, securing the sixth position.
- From 2015 onwards, Walsh served as a team captain on the sports-based panel show Play to the Whistle, hosted by Holly Willoughby. The first series, comprising seven episodes, commenced in April 2015, followed by the second series in April 2016 and a third in 2017.
- Since 2019, Walsh has been featured in the ITV travel series Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad, alongside his son Barney.
- In 2020, Walsh became the first-ever double undercover victim in Series 16 of Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.
- In May 2022, Walsh made an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, revealing his favorite records, books, and luxury items as “Always and Forever” by Heatwave, “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas, and a set of golf clubs and balls, respectively.
Films and Television Shows
Films
- Mike Bassett: England Manager
- The Glow
- Coronation Street: Pantomime
- To Each His Own Cinema
- Imagine Africa
- Mike Bassett: Interim Manager
- The Lights
Television Shows
- Midas Touch
- Wheel of Fortune
- Lock, Stock…
- The Thing About Vince…
- Hotel!
- Night and Day
- Reps
- M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team
- The Basil Brush Show
- Murder City
- Coronation Street
- Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway
- Torn
- Beat the Chasers
- Blankety Blank
- Bradley Walsh’s How To Win A Gameshow
- The Larkins
- Bradley Walsh: The Laugh’s on Me
- Bradley Walsh: My Comedy Heroes
- The Royal Variety Performance
- Gladiators
Bradley Walsh Salary|Net Worth
Walsh has an estimated salary ranging between $70,000 – $125,000 and has an estimated net worth of $1 Million -$5 Million which he earns from his career.
Frequently asked questions about Walsh
Who is Walsh?
Bradley Walsh is an English actor, television presenter, comedian, and singer, as well as his previous career as a professional footballer. In the realm of acting, Walsh has portrayed characters such as Danny Baldwin in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, DS Ronnie Brooks in the procedural series Law & Order: UK, and Graham O’Brien in the BBC One sci-fi series Doctor Who. Additionally, he has been the host of various television game shows, including Wheel of Fortune, The Chase, Odd One In, Keep It in the Family, Cash Trapped, and Blankety Blank.
Is Walsh Married?
Walsh is in a happy marriage with his wife Donna Derby who is a dancer. They tied the knot in 1997.
Where does Walsh Live?
This information is under review and will be available soon.
