Free Himoff! The Memoirs Of A TV Matinee Idle Fabricated By Richard Whiteley Displayed In Digital
It's the theme to the popular afternoon television quiz Countdowna programme that Whiteley has been presenting foryears.
As Whiteley reveals in his book Himoff!The Memoirs of a Matinee Idle, the tune was composed on the toilet, hence its "plippety plop nature".
The Himoff! The Memoirs of a TV Matinee Idle's title comes from something else that people forever come out with when they meet Whiteley: "Ooh look, it's himoff telly!" After almost two decades hosting Countdown on Channelandyears reading the news on Yorkshire TV, Whiteley reckons to have made over,television appearances.
More "mere musings" than an autobiography, Himoff! is a behindthescenes peek at a life spent in front of the lens.
For someone off the telly, Whiteley comes across as refreshingly downtoearth and his recollections are peppered with selfdeprecating anecdotes.
Such as the time he was due to unveil a plaque to mark the opening of a community centre, Chuffed to bits at the thought of his name being immortalised, Whiteley kept badgering the organisers to make sure they spell it correctly.
On the day of the unveiling an excited Whiteley pulled the cord, The velvet curtains parted to reveal the immortal words: "This extension was opened onth March", Other stories included in this enjoyable lightweight read recall Whiteley being attacked by a ferret, saved from an IRA bomb
by the offer of a glass of champagne, and almost being dumped from the programme that made him a household name.
Christopher Kelly