Richard & Judy
British chat show hosted by married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan.
Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, a married couple, hosted the British chat show *Richard & Judy*. It first aired on Channel 4 from 26 November 2001 until 22 August 2008, then moved to the digital channel Watch, where it ran from 7 October 2008 to 1 July 2009.
**2001–08: Channel 4** The programme began on Channel 4 on 26 November 2001, broadcasting weekdays from 5pm to 6pm with scheduled breaks. From 2006 to 2008, it shared this slot with *The Paul O'Grady Show*, which launched in March 2006. During those years, *Richard & Judy* occupied the 5pm–6pm period for three-month stretches (January to March and June to August), while O'Grady's show took over the other three-month blocks (March to June and September to December). On 15 August 2008, Madeley announced that the following week would be the show's last on Channel 4; the final broadcast aired on 22 August.
**2008–09: Watch** After leaving Channel 4, the producers signed a £2 million deal with UKTV's Watch channel. Madeley and Finnigan renamed the programme *Richard & Judy's New Position*, launching on 7 October 2008. They described it as "a high octane prime time show," with Madeley noting they were impressed by UKTV's team and that the proposal offered flexibility in their personal lives. The popular Book Club segment continued from the Channel 4 era. The Watch version featured a sofa area for interviews and a bar where guests and crew gathered. Each week, a celebrity barman appeared; comedian Rufus Hound, a frequent guest on the Channel 4 series, took the role in the first episode. The premiere drew about 200,000 viewers (including those on Watch+1), while the second episode, in an 8pm slot, attracted 53,000. Watch representatives said they were satisfied, but ratings fell steadily, hitting a low of 11,000 viewers. After a Christmas break, the show returned on 13 January 2009 in a 6pm slot, dropping "New Position" from its title to become *Richard & Judy* again. By April 2009, ratings had slumped, and in May an agreement ended the show six months early. From 8 June, it was reduced to a single weekly episode on Wednesdays at 4pm, with the final broadcast on 1 July 2009.
**You Say We Pay** "You Say We Pay" was a daily competition where a home viewer described images on a screen behind the presenters (who could not see them), and Madeley and Finnigan had to identify the objects without using their ordin
- field
- Television chat show
- nationality
- British
- known_for
- Richard & Judy Book Club, phone-in competition scandal
- channel_4_run
- 26 November 2001 – 22 August 2008
- watch_run
- 7 October 2008 – 1 July 2009
Lore & Background
Richard & Judy started on Channel 4 on 26 November 2001, airing weekdays from 5pm to 6pm. Between 2006 and 2008, it shared the timeslot with The Paul O'Grady Show, alternating three-month blocks. The final Channel 4 broadcast was on 22 August 2008. The show then moved to digital channel Watch under the title Richard & Judy's New Position, with a £2 million deal. The Watch version featured a sofa area, a bar area, and a celebrity barman; comedian Rufus Hound served in the first week. Ratings fell from 200,000 viewers for the first episode to a low of 11,000. After a Christmas break, the show returned on 13 January 2009 in a 6pm slot, dropping 'New Position' from its title. By April 2009, ratings had slumped, and the show was terminated six months early, with the final episode on 1 July 2009.
Reader's Guide
Richard & Judy's significance lies in its popular Book Club, launched in 2004, which had a massive effect on book sales, similar to Oprah's Book Club in the USA. The segment featured ten books annually and a public-voted Book of the Year Award at the British Book Awards. The show also launched a Children's Book Club in 2007 and a New Writers Book Club in 2008. The show's legacy is also marked by a phone-in competition controversy: in February 2007, leaked emails suggested viewers were invited to call even after winners were chosen. This led to ICSTIS and Ofcom fines of £150,000 and £1 million respectively against Channel 4, with no evidence that Madeley or Finnigan knew of the scandal. The show was the first in a series of British programmes involved in the greater phone-in scandal.
Did You Know?
- The show's 'You Say We Pay' competition involved viewers describing images that the presenters could not see.
- MP George Galloway entered 'You Say We Pay' in January 2006 while a Celebrity Big Brother contestant.
- The Watch version employed a celebrity barman each week; Rufus Hound was the first.
- The show's final episode on Watch aired on 1 July 2009, six months early due to low ratings.
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