Fred Talbot

Template:Short description {{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Frederick Wilson Talbot<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> (born 17 December 1949) is a British former television presenter. He grew up in north west England.

Early life and teaching

Born in Edinburgh,<ref name="BBC31456840">Template:Cite news</ref> Talbot grew up in north west England, where he attended North Cestrian Grammar School in Altrincham, Cheshire. In 1964 he was a founding member of the Altrincham and District Astronomical Society, with which he co-discovered a meteor shower, the June Lyrids in June 1966.<ref>Article on the June Lyrids from meteroshowersonline.com. Meteorshowersonline.com (15 June 1966). Retrieved on 27 August 2011.</ref>

After teacher training in Gateshead in the late 1960s,<ref name=GuardConvict/> he was employed to teach biology at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys<ref name="mmu">Template:Citation</ref> until May 1984, when his schooling career came to "an abrupt end" following an indecent proposal he made to two pupils at his home.<ref name=BBC31456840/><ref name=GuardConvict/><ref name=Telg11405385/>

Media career

The 'weather map' at Liverpool Docks that Talbot used as a weather presenter on This Morning

Talbot began working for Granada Television in 1982, with The Final Frontier, an educational science series networked on ITV as part of their children's programming strand.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1984, he began presenting for the regional news programme Granada Reports in North West England.<ref name="ITV">Meet the Team ITV Granada Reports </ref> He continued as a regular reporter for Granada Reports and became a weatherman for the ITV's This Morning in October 1988.<ref name="ITV"/>

Until production of This Morning was moved from the Albert Dock, Liverpool, to London, Talbot presented weather reports from a large floating map of the UK and Ireland in the dock. He was required to jump across a gap to go back and forth between Britain and the island of Ireland. Crowds often gathered to watch his leap. On one occasion in 2004, a diver swam near the map to distract Talbot and on another a streaker swam naked up to the map and jumped on.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Talbot also presented several regional feature series for ITV Granada, including Locks and Quays<ref name="bfi">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Wainwright Country<ref>The Wainwright Society website Template:Webarchive</ref> before returning to weather presenting with Granada Reports in February 2009. He also contributed to the CITV science series Prove It! and guest presented weather forecasts for the ITV Breakfast programme Daybreak.

Indecent assault convictions

In December 2012, Greater Manchester Police carried out a search of Talbot's home in Bowdon, when allegations first emerged of abuse at Altrincham Grammar School between the early 1970s and early 1980s. A day before the search, Talbot posted on his Twitter account that he was on a holiday cruise in the Atlantic Ocean.<ref name="BBC-20807922">Template:Cite news</ref>

He did not return to his role at ITV Granada upon his return to the UK, but he was not suspended.

In April 2013, police arrested Talbot,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> who refused to answer interview questions about allegations by men who claimed they had been abused as children.<ref name=SkyConvict/> Following a re-arrest in December 2013,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> he was charged with ten historical sexual offences,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> followed by an eleventh charge for a further sexual assault in June 2014.<ref>Former weather presenter Fred Talbot charged with further sexual assault The Guardian, 13 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.</ref>

His trial began in January 2015,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> accused of abusing four former pupils at Altrincham Grammar School and a fifth schoolboy from the Newcastle area, during an annual holiday in the 1970s.<ref name=BBC31456840/><ref name=GuardConvict/><ref name=Telg11405385/> He was defended by Suzanne Goddard QC.<ref name="BBC-31351537">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Witnesses included Stone Roses lead singer Ian Brown, a former pupil of Talbot's at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, who swore under oath that Talbot showed his class gay pornographic films.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Evidence was also provided by Talbot's extensive diaries, which noted his sexual activity.<ref name=Telg11405385/> On 13 February 2015, a jury at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester found Talbot guilty of indecent assault against two teenage boys at the school,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and acquitted him of eight further charges. Immediately remanded in custody bearing in mind Talbot's "abuse of trust", sentencing was adjourned until 13 March 2015.<ref name="BBC31456840"/><ref name=GuardConvict>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Telg11405385>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=SkyConvict>Template:Cite news</ref> With reporting restrictions lifted, it was noted that a number of similar complaints against Talbot had since been passed by police to the procurator fiscal about alleged offences said to have been committed in Scotland.<ref name=BBC31456840/><ref name=GuardConvict/><ref name=Telg11405385/> During the trial, Talbot said he knew at fourteen that he was homosexual.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

At Minshull Street Crown Court on 13 March 2015, Judge Timothy Mort sentenced Talbot to five years in prison. Talbot was told that he would serve at least two-and-a-half years in prison before being considered for release on licence.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Talbot appeared in a Scottish court on 11 March 2016, where he faced ten fresh charges of indecent assault dating from 1968 to 1981 and two charges of breach of the peace. He did not enter a plea during the hearing.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In May 2017, Talbot was convicted of seven charges of indecent assault against boys that took place on trips to Scotland while he was a teacher at Altrincham Grammar.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 15 June 2017, he was sentenced to four years' imprisonment at Lanark Sheriff Court, to run from 14 August, after he had served half of his existing sentence for indecent assault.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite news</ref> On 29 November 2017, Talbot was jailed for eight months for a further sexual assault, this time of a male over the age of 16, having admitted the offence at a previous hearing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Talbot was released from prison in December 2019.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Awards

In 1998, Talbot was named Weatherman of the Year at the Annual International Weather Festival in Paris.<ref name="arenaentertainments1">Fred Talbot – After Dinner Speaker Template:Webarchive. Arena Entertainments. Retrieved on 27 August 2011.</ref>

In 2007, Talbot was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Science by Manchester Metropolitan University in recognition of bringing to a mass audience a better understanding of scientific and environmental issues.<ref name="mmu"/>

External links

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