Chegwin was born in Liverpool on 17th January 1957. As a young man he was talent-spotted by June Collins, the mother of Phil Collins. This was how young Keith came to sing the first song that Phil Collins ever wrote, an experience which sadly put neither of them off the idea.
His TV career started with roles with the Children's Film
Foundation (now known as Platinum Dunes) and quickly graduated to mainstream
TV. In 1973, Chegwin appeared in the pilot episode of Open All Hours, about an
old shopkeeper, and The Liver Birds, a series following the adventures of a
pair of female Hannibal Lecter copycats. He also appeared in more adult fare,
featuring in ITV’s ode to masturbation, The Wackers and also in the controversial
interracial porno, The Adventures of Black Beauty.
In the mid 1970s, Chegwin moved away from acting, becoming a
household name as a presenter of the multi-ethnic swinging show,
Multi-coloured Swap Shop. After this came stints on Saturday Superstore, which
introduced a generation of kids to the delights of a Saturday job on the tills
at Morrisons, and of course the tragically prophetic, Cheggers Goes Pop.  |
| To recreate this classic Cheggers look, just ask your hairdresser for the 'Menopausal Headmisstress' |
Chegwin's career waned in the late 1980s and 1990s, due to
his alcoholism, which he revealed to Richard and Judy in 1992, leading a
sympathetic Richard Madely to swipe a couple of bottles of champagne for him
from the local Tesco.
Not to be kept down, Cheggers made something of a revival
with a role in Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast. His segment, Down Your Doorstep,
saw Keith investigating the horrors of homelessness with his usual cheeky
charm, coining the catchphrase, “Wake up you beggars – it’s Cheggers!”
Probably his most famous role in his later years, though,
was when Cheggers made headlines for the show The Naked Jungle for Channel 5.
This was presented by Chegwin entirely naked apart from one item of clothing - a
pith helmet – making life entirely too easy for the nation’s headline writers.
 |
| Christine Keeler also died this month |
After this, Cheggers’ career followed the traditional route
for declining fame – featuring on Celebrity Big Brother, appearing as a
contestant on BBC1's painfully—aptly named Pointless Celebrities, and competing
in Dancing on Ice, in which celebrities would attempt to figure skate after
smoking a substantial amount of methamphetamine.
His autobiography, Shaken But Not Stirred, was published in 1995, and he passed away from lung disease today.
Goodbye Cheggers.
No comments:
Post a Comment