Edinburgh’s cultural life is full of talented people who attract much attention to their activities. Each appearance of the natives of Edinburgh on screens or radio becomes something incredible. These people, regardless of what they do, are fully involved in their work and arouse interest in it in others. Learn more at edinburghski.
Nicholas Andrew Argyll Campbell is one of Scotland’s best-known TV and radio presenters. His personality is so interesting and multifaceted that it deserves a separate article.
Starting point
Nicholas was born in Portobello, Edinburgh, on April 10, 1961.
The interesting fate of the child was predetermined from his first days. He is the fruit of a secret affair between Stella Lackey and Eugene Hughes.
Almost immediately after birth, little Nicholas was abandoned and later adopted by Sheila (psychiatric social worker) and Frank (publisher of maps).
The boy’s educational path began at the Edinburgh Academy. Later, he became a student at the University of Aberdeen.
Work on radio
While studying at the university, young Nicholas began his career on the radio. Then he started working at Northsound Radio and was mostly engaged in advertising and jingles.
In 1983, Campbell became the host of his own show The World of Opera.
Later, new events began to happen in Nicholas’s radio career. In particular, he started hosting the Breakfast Show and later got a chance to work on the Saturday Afternoon Show.
After that, Campbell started to host the Weekend Breakfast Show.
As a result of such active work, Nicholas took his career to a new level.
He received a job offer from Doreen Davis, a Head of Music at BBC Radio 1.
Thus, in 1987, Nicholas started working at the British national radio station.
His first project at the new workplace was the late-night show. At the end of 1988, he began hosting Into the Night. There, besides various music, listeners enjoyed long interviews with interesting guests.
After a short forced break in his career, Campbell became the host of the weekday Drivetime show in 1994.
1997 was marked by a new stage in Nicholas’ radio career. Then he became a presenter of BBC Radio 5 Live. This radio station specialises in broadcasting news, sports and interviews.
From 2004 to 2011, Campbell hosted a morning show with Shelagh Fogarty. After that, Nicholas began to host the hour-long programme Your Call.
TV
Speaking about Nicholas’ biography, it would be fair to note that despite a rather tight work schedule on the radio, he also managed to realise himself on TV.
He first appeared on screens in 1986. Then Campbell began working on the Music Box TV channel.
The first project that made Nicholas famous as a TV presenter was The Video Jukebox on Grampian TV.
After that, there were many other projects, introducing Campbell as a TV presenter.
Those were You’d Better Believe It (1990, Grampian TV), Wheel of Fortune (1988-1996, ITV), Goal (1992, Sky TV), The Big Race (1993, ITV), Nicky Campbell Show (1995), Central Weekend (1990-2001), Watchdog (2001), Now You’re Talking (2004) and The Last Word (2005).
Among Nicholas’ TV projects, it would be appropriate to single out the Long Lost Family show. Without any exaggeration, this programme can be called one of the most heartfelt shows on the ITV channel. Its numerous experts helped people find their long-lost relatives. Moreover, its presenters Nicholas Campbell and Davina McCall played a huge role in this process. They were very supportive of the guests and helped them cope with their emotions.
In 2014, Campbell’s other project, Wanted: A Family of my Own, became a great sensation. It was dedicated to dispelling myths about the complexity of the adoption process. The viewers could get acquainted with the lives of several families at different stages of the adoption process.
Author
Interestingly, Nicholas was very related to the topic of adoption. In addition to being adopted, he repeatedly encountered this topic in adulthood.
The mentioned projects prove that.
However, in addition to TV programmes, in 2004, Nicholas published his first book called Blue-Eyed Son: The Story of an Adoption. There, he shared his story of searching for his biological parents and described meetings with them.
Of course, all of this is closely intertwined with Campbell’s personal experiences and emotions. Therefore, the book turned out to be very intimate and moving.
In 2021, Nicholas released his second book, One of the Family: Why A Dog Called Maxwell Changed My Life. That time, the man decided to broach the subject of his difficult relationship with his biological mother, as well as guilty feelings towards his adoptive parents. This work is also distinguished by Campbell’s deeply personal experiences and, of course, is full of love, tenderness and hope.
Nicholas Campbell is a true testament to how talented and multi-faceted the Edinburgh natives are. After all, the city’s creative atmosphere allowed its residents to open up in various fields. Thus, Nicholas Campbell managed to achieve great success and recognition.