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Alan Whicker

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The Resume

    (August 2, 1925-July 12, 2013)
    Born in Cairo, Egypt
    British broadcast journalist
    International reporter for the BBC's 'Tonight' (1957-59)
    Hosted 'Whicker's World' (1959-90)
    Named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to broadcasting (2005)

Why he might be annoying:

    He noted, 'You can ask the rudest, most personal questions if you smile.'
    He said the best view the camera had of him was the back of his neck.
    He was parodied by Monty Python and Benny Hill.
    He declined to star in the BBC travel series 'Around the World in 80 Days.'
    When Michael Palin, who landed the gig, asked him why he turned it down, he replied that he wanted to see who the producers would go to when they were 'scraping the bottom of the barrel.'
    He appeared in commercials for American Express, Barclaycard and travelocity.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He served with the British Army's Film and Photo Unit during WWII.
    He was a newspaper correspondent during the Korean War, and was mistakenly reported dead when a plane similar to his was shot down. (He responded to the report by sending his paper a telegram reading, 'Unkilled, uninjured, onpressing.')
    He traveled up to 100,000 miles a year for 'Whicker's World.'
    He was known for his ability to get interview subjects to reveal themselves, often without the interviewee realizing it.
    He was the first inductee into the Royal Television Society's Hall of Fame (1993).
    Asked what six items he would bring with him to a desert island, he replied 'Two blondes, two brunettes and two redheads.'
    In a poll by the J. Walter Thompson ad agency, he was named 'most envied man in Britain.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 8 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 91.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 17 Votes: 58.82% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 72 Votes: 63.89% Annoying