George Lamb

George Martin Lamb (born 20 December 1979) is an English radio and television presenter, currently presenting Football Tonight on BT Sport. In 2012, Lamb presented the Channel 4 game show The Bank Job.

For other uses, see George Lamb (disambiguation).

George Lamb
Born	George Martin Lamb (1979-12-20) 20 December 1979 Hammersmith, West London, England
Education	St Christopher School, Letchworth Garden City
Occupation	Television and radio presenter
Years active	2007–2012, 2015–present

Education

Born in Hammersmith, West London,[1][2] Lamb was educated at St Christopher School, a boarding independent school in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire.

Career

Radio

Lamb's career peaked with presenting an eponymous daytime BBC Radio 6 Music show, for two years from October 2007 to November 2009,[3] before being moved the early weekend mornings for 6 months, then leaving 6 Music in May 2010.[4] His show mixed shock jock banter with his Ministry of Sound DJ co-host, Marc Hughes;.[5]

Lamb's last known radio work was a 2010 Starbucks-sponsored Spotify slot[6] and a brief stint at TalkSport.

Television

Lamb's television career started in 2007 when he replaced Alex Zane as the host of the second series of BBC reality show Celebrity Scissorhands and returned in 2008 for the third series. He has also presented The Restaurant, Road To V and Young Butcher of the Year, as parodied on Harry Hill's TV Burp, and also parodied by Ray Peacock and Ed Gamble on The Peacock and Gamble Podcast.[7]

Lamb was the presenter of Big Brother's Little Brother (or BBLB) from mid-2008, taking over from Dermot O'Leary who had presented BBLB since 2001. He first presented the show with co-host Zezi Ifore, though she was sacked halfway through the series, leaving Lamb the sole presenter. For the final series of BBLB in 2010, Emma Willis joined Lamb as co-presenter. Willis moved with Big Brother to Channel 5 when the rights were bought from Channel 4, however Lamb did not.

On 19 February 2010, he presented EastEnders Live: The Aftermath alongside Kirsten O'Brien, interviewing the cast and production team after the first live episode of EastEnders.

He took part in a reality TV show on ITV2 called The Parent Trip with his father, actor Larry Lamb. On 31 March 2011, he appeared in an episode of Celebrity Juice with his dad.

Lamb presented a programme on BBC Three exploring the world of legal party pills and herbal highs.[8]

Lamb also took part in Channel 4's game show The Million Pound Drop Live on 29 October 2010, alongside his father, Larry Lamb. They survived the final question with £50,000 for the charity Plan. In 2012, Lamb presented the Channel 4 game show The Bank Job.

In 2017, George presented In Solitary: The Anti-Social Experiment, a Channel 5 entertainment show that involves three members of the public being locked up in solitary confinement for 5 days. George hosts and also participates. In 2018, Lamb returned to present Celebs In Solitary, in which Anthea Turner, Professor Green, Eddie Hall, and Shazia Mirza attempt to spend five days in solitary confinement.[9]

Personal life

Lamb was born in West London to an English father, actor Larry Lamb, and a Scottish mother, Linda Martin from Dundee[10] and grew up in Fulham.[1] He has three sisters; Vanessa Clare Lamb born in 1969, Eloise Alexandra Lamb, born in 1998, and Eva-Mathilde Lamb, born in 2003.[11] He supports Dundee United[12] and Fulham.[13][14][15][16] Lamb is also known for his trademark grey hair.

In March 2010, he supported Global Cool by going on a flight-free holiday to Barcelona with his friend and fellow TV presenter Rick Edwards.[17]

BBC 6 Music controversies

Lamb's former 6 Music show proved controversial, being atypical of 6 Music – for example, its shock jock style encroached upon youth-oriented BBC Radio 1's daytime public service remit. It marked a significant diversion from 6 Music's principally novel, trans-era eclectic-musicologistic origins and tradition. This gambit proved controversial, driving an attrition of 6 Music's long time listeners, provoking rival petitioning websites: anti- GetLambOut.org.UK[18] and pro- KeepLambIn.co.UK.[19] Similarly, national media reviews were polarised.[20][21] Radio veteran Paul Gambaccini said Lamb's interview with Ray Davies of The Kinks was "worst interview in the history of broadcasting".[22]

In May 2008 Lamb was reprimanded for pledging his support on air for Boris Johnson in the London mayoral race.[23] In 2014, he criticised the BBC, claiming "You can't have opinions at the Beeb".[24]

References

1. Philby, Charlotte (23 January 2010). "My Secret Life: George Lamb, broadcaster, 30". The Independent. London.
2. http://search.findmypast.co.uk/results/world-records/england-and-wales-births-1837-2006?firstname=george%20m&lastname=lamb&eventyear=1979&eventyear_offset=1
3. Tryhorn, Chris (2 November 2009). "George Lamb to leave 6Music daytime slot". Guardian.co.UK. London: The Guardian.
4. Plunkett, John (24 May 2010). "George Lamb to leave BBC 6 Music". Guardian.co.UK. London: The Guardian.
5. "[Marc Hughes] biography". theDJlist.com. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
6. Plunkett, John (17 September 2010). "George Lamb to front Spotify show". Guardian.co.UK. London: The Guardian.
7. "Official Website". Peacock and Gamble. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
8. "BBC Three - Can I Get High Legally?". Bbc.co.uk. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2012.(subscription required)
9. Celebs in Solitary: Meltdown - Channel 5, Retrieved on October 23, 2018
10. Greenaway, Heather (17 January 2010). "Exclusive: George Lamb's pride as dad Larry stages major comeback". Retrieved 11 July 2016.
11. Barton, Laura (16 June 2008). "Is this really the most hated man on radio?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
12. "George Lamb". BBC Radio 6 Music. 11 November 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2008.
13. "George Lamb". BBC Radio 6 Music. 13 March 2009. Retrieved 13 March 2009.
14. "Big Brother". Channel 4. 10 September 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
15. "Fabulous - Fashion, beauty and lifestyle - The Sun". Retrieved 11 July 2016.
16. "Exclusive: George Lamb's pride as dad Larry stages major comeback". The Daily Record. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
17. "Rick and George's Traincation diary". Global Cool. UK: Global Cool Foundation. 29 March 2010. Archived from the original on 14 January 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
18. "Get George Lamb off 6 Music". GetLambOut.org.UK. Archived from the original on 16 May 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2013. Total Signatures to Date = 5448
19. "Keep George Lamb on 6 Music". KeepLambIn.co.UK. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2013. Total Signatures: 2186 Petition started 2:00 PM - 06/03/08
20. Lezard, Nicholas (6 April 2008). "Hark! Is that the sound of the nation switching off its sets?". The Independent. London. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
21. "Russell who? George Lamb is the future of radio". London: Independent.co.uk. 5 November 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
22. Plunkett, John (22 December 2008). "'I don't feel I have betrayed anyone'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
23. McNally, Paul (13 May 2008). "6Music's Lamb warned over Boris gaffe". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
24. Morgan, Ben (13 August 2014). "Opinions are banned at the BBC, says former 6 Music DJ George Lamb as he sets up his own Hackney-based radio station". Evening Standard. London. Retrieved 3 February 2016.

External links

• George Lamb on IMDb