The television presenter Keith Chegwin, who made his name presenting the popular children’s shows Cheggers Plays Pop and Saturday Superstore, has died aged 60.
He had a progressive lung condition and died at home surrounded by his family.
The family said in a statement: “We are heartbroken to share the news that Keith Chegwin sadly passed away following a long-term battle with a progressive lung condition, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which rapidly worsened towards the end of this year.”
Chegwin spent his final weeks at Severn Hospice, in Shrewsbury, and his family thanked the staff for their “kindness, support and care”.
Born in Liverpool, Chegwin began his acting career at the age of 10 and had roles in Roman Polanski’s 1971 film version of Macbeth, the 1973 movie The Optimists of Nine Elms, alongside Peter Sellers, and the pilot of the TV sitcom Open All Hours.
In the 1970s and 1980s he hosted shows including Cheggers Plays Pop, in which teams of children from rivals schools competed against each other; Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, one of the first TV shows to use phone-ins; and Saturday Superstore, which featured a children’s talent contest.
On Monday, fellow presenters and comedians expressed their sadness at his death. The DJ Tony Blackburn said he was “absolutely devastated” to hear the news. “He was one of the nicest people I have ever known and over the years we did shows together and became great friends.”
The former heavyweight boxing champion Frank Bruno tweeted: “Saddened to hear this, what a great guy. I worked with him a lot over the years, a great entertainer, you will be missed. RIP Keith Chegwin.”
Chegwin took a break from broadcasting in the late 1980s to deal with an alcohol problem, which he first spoke about publicly in 1992 in a tearful interview with Richard and Judy on ITV’s This Morning.
He returned to TV with the Big Breakfast, It’s a Knockout and Channel 5’s divisive gameshow Naked Jungle, which Chegwin presented naked and wearing a hat. He later regretted doing the show.
“It’s the worst career move I made in my entire life. If I could turn the clock back, I would,” he said in 2008. “When they phoned up and said they were doing this programme to celebrate naturism – everyone’s forgotten that bit – I thought it would be a laugh.”
In more recent projects, Chegwin often made fun of himself, appearing as himself in Ricky Gervais’s Extras and in the comedy horror film Kill Keith, in which both he and his fellow TV presenter Vanessa Feltz meet a grisly end.
He also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and for seven years ran his own bingo website, cheggersbingo.com.
Chegwin’s ex-wife Maggie Philbin said she had seen him two months ago when, despite being on portable oxygen to help him breathe, “he was still attempting to be life and soul of the party”.
“It is incredibly sad,” she said. “Keith was a one-off – full of life, generous and with a focus on things that mattered – his family.”
About 6,000 people a year are diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Around 85% of those diagnosed are over 70, and men are more at risk.
- This article was amended on 6 August 2018 to clarify that Multi-Coloured Swap Shop was not the first TV show to use phone-ins
