James Whale, a British broadcaster with over 50 years of experience working in radio, television and podcasts has died from terminal cancer after recording his final podcast.
The 74-year-old was diagnosed with cancer in his kidney, spine, brain and lungs in February 2020, two decades after first beating the disease.
He has been living with the disease for five years and lost his fight with cancer today.
He recorded his final podcast episode of Tales of the Whales from a hospice with his wife, Nadine Lamont-Brown, posted on 25 July. In the episode titled “From Almost to Always”, he explained he was losing his voice and signed off with saying “Au revoir, not goodbye” to his listeners.
In his final weeks James spent time reminiscing with Nadine on the good times they have had, including holidays in Antigua and Cornwall.
He said he is thankful for all the wonderful messages he has received from people telling him how important he has been in their lives.
Who is James Whale?
James Whale has been a British broadcaster for over 50 years working in radio, television, podcasts and as an author.
In the 1980s he gained prominence as the host of The James Whale Radio Show on Radio Aire in Leeds. He hosted a night-time radio show on talkSPORT from 1995-2008, followed by stints on LBC 97.3 on the drivetime show and various BBC stations. He is currently the host of the Tales of the Whales podcast and a weekly radio show on talkRADIO.
James has been known as an outspoken presenter, unafraid to voice opinions which have often been received as controversial, resulting in him being suspended from TalkSPORT in 2012 after urging listeners to vote for Boris Johnson.
What is his illness?
Whale was diagnosed with terminal stage four cancer in his kidney, spine, brain and lungs in February 2020, two decades after first beating the disease.
In May he told listeners of his podcast Tales of the Whales that he had stopped treatment and was “at the end of [his] cancer journey”.
Speaking on his podcast, he admitted finding talking, breathing and hearing difficult.
Whale was first diagnosed with cancer in 2000 and his treatment required him to remove one of his kidneys.
What are his career highlights?
- The James Whale Radio Show – hosting the late-night radio show for over 40 years.
- The James Whale Show Podcast – the show was launched in 2013 and he has produced over 300 episodes.
- James Whale Unleashed – host of the show on TalkTV and TalkRADIO for over 13 years.
- During his time on the LBC 97.3 drivetime show, ratings increased by three-fold.
- Writing his autobiography Almost a Celebrity: A Lifetime of Night-time in 2010 exploring his career in broadcast.
- Starring on Celebrity Big Brother – James starred in series 18 of the show in 2016.
- James received the inaugural TRIC Recognition Award in 2023 for his contributions to the industry and an MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting and charity.
- He founded the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer in 2006 - now Kidney Cancer UK - the country’s leading charity focused on the disease. He has played a crucial role in raising awareness and funds for those in need.
What was the Boris Johnson controversy?
In 2012 James was suspended from TalkSPORT for urging listeners to vote for Boris Johnson in the London mayoral election.
His comments during a show on March 2012 sparked a number of complaints to the broadcasting watchdog Ofcom due to clear rules which forbid broadcasters from taking election bias.
James was suspended after having worked at the station since it was launched as Talk Radio in 1995.
He initially tried to pursue a legal case against TalkSPORT, but eventually withdrew the case.
