It’s been 15 long years since ‘Richard and Judy’ debuted in the teatime slot on Channel 4, having conquered daytime TV already with their unique double-act.
It’s been a poorer TV landscape without their on-screen chemistry, bickering, palpable mutual affection that kept viewers hooked through 13 years of ‘This Morning’, but time’s moved on.
Judy’s had enough of the telly scene, making it clear in interviews she prefers now to stay at home and write her books. Meanwhile, Richard continues to be in demand, presenting one-off TV documentaries, turning up often on Radio 2, and taking his own turn at penning fiction, with three books to his name.
Because he makes it appear so effortless, it is tempting to take Mr Madeley’s talents for granted. Fortunately, he enjoys his own devoted following, and one tireless fan has gone to the trouble of collating a whole stunning catalogue of Richard’s best ever quotes.
So with a huge doffed cap to Happy Fingers Productions, and an urging that you read the entire collection here, without further ado, we bring you the very best of Richard Madeley, the top ten lines from the man with the bon mot for every occasion.
10.After a man breaks down crying after meeting the paramedics who saved his life in a motorbike accident
“Stop crying! This is supposed to make you happy! Anyway after the break, the biggest dog in the UK. And he really is big. Don’t miss it”
9.To Eddie Grant
“I hope when I’m reincarnated I come back black because you age better”
8.To one of the Birmingham 6
‘What do you notice most that has changed during your 18 years in jail?
Cars have five gears now, for example.”
7.When interviewing someone who had an obsessive crush on a celebrity
“So, Jane, when did you first realise that you were quite clearly mad?”
6.When interviewing Primordial Dwarves
“Do you find that people patronize you? That means that they talk down to you”
5. The first question to man giving his first TV appearance after being wrongly imprisoned for years
“So, did you do it?”
4.“So he suffers for us. He bears our pain in the most public way possible. He serves a timeless human need, one that goes back long before the time of Christ. Perhaps this has always been PAUL GASCOIGNE’S destiny”
3.After giving out the phone-in competition number
“A numerically satisfying number there.”
2.When talking to Bill Clinton about his affair with Monica Lewinsky
“I know what it’s like to be wronged by the press. I was once accused of shoplifting. Unlike you though, I knew I was innocent”.
1.“There’s not many better things than seeing an older woman skipping”
Respect.