Ted
Moult | | Accidental
celebrity Ted Moult strikes a pose |
Twenty years ago Derbyshire
lost one of its most familiar faces.
Ted Moult started out as a farmer
but somehow found himself a household name.
In a world now obsessed with
fame and fortune, we reveal the real story behind the man who stumbled into stardom聟
and became Britain's best loved 'accidental celebrity'.
And we investigate
his tragic death 20 years ago this month.
The man behind the imageEdward
Walker Moult led two very different lives. He was first and foremost a
farmer who left school at 17 and by 22 had his first dairy farm on the outskirts
of Derby. Ted's showbiz career started by chance in the late 1950's and
he became an instant hit with the audience. But despite being no 'Brain
of Britain' and getting knocked out in the first round, Ted's quick wit and gift
of the gab had been noticed by 大象传媒 producers. By the mid 1960's Ted had
hit the big time and was now a household name. The quirky mixture of eccentric
farmer, razor sharp wit and comedy timing proved a hit with audiences. At
such an early time in broadcasting, many of Ted's first appearances were never
actually recorded and went out live. But throughout this period he travelled
the world with the 大象传媒. Britain's best loved farmer | | Big
moment - Ted Moult on TV's Countdown |
As Ted gradually became
Britain's best loved farmer, his TV appearances became more and more frequent.
One of his biggest moments came in 1982 when he helped launch Channel 4. By
1986 Ted had combined a 30 year career in show business with his life back on
the farm. But that summer his friends and family had noticed a change in
the man. This usually bright and cheerful chap had become worried and withdrawn.
His wife Maria told us, "he suddenly became massively depressed and
his judgement seemed to fail. "All his optimism seemed
to evaporate. It was almost as though a curtain fell over his life."
Nowadays
Ted would have been treated for severe clinical depression. But instead
his mental health worsened - on September 3rd 1986 he shot himself. Looking
back over Ted's life very few people can hope to achieve as much as he did. And
in his own words taken from his autobiography, "people who live a full life
are fortunate", and during his 60 years Ted managed to do just that. Links
relating to this story:The 大象传媒 is not responsible
for the content of external websites | 
听听Inside
Out - East Midlands: Monday September 25, 2006
