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Harry Gration

Harry John Gration MBE DL (22 October 1950 – 24 June 2022)[2] was an English journalist and broadcaster. He was one of the main anchors for the BBC Yorkshire regional magazine programme Look North. He was often referred to as Mr. Yorkshire by the media.[3][4]

Harry Gration
MBE DL
Gration making final adjustments before going on air, 2012
Born
Harry John Gration[1]

(1950-10-22)22 October 1950
Bradford, England
Died24 June 2022(2022-06-24) (aged 71)
Years active1978-2022
Known forTelevision presenter, journalist
Spouses
  • Hilary Gardner
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1974, divorced)​
    [1]
  • Rowena Cluness
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1984, divorced)​
    [1]
  • Helen Chene
    ​
    (m. 2001)​
    [1]
Children6

Early life

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Born in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, to Nina (nee Smith) and Morris Gration, Gration was raised in a back-to-back house in the city.[5][1] His father was a chemist who was a manager at a Boots store in the city and promotion took the family first to Leeds, then York.[6][1] Gration was educated at Leeds Grammar School and at St Peter's School in York,[7][1] and after leaving education, he initially spent five years as a history teacher and eventually, a head of history at The Rodillian Academy,[8] a school in Lofthouse, near Leeds.[6]

Career

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Whilst still teaching, Gration became a sports commentator on rugby league games which led to a three-month contract with the BBC. He then ended up resigning from his teaching post and went into broadcasting full-time when he joined BBC Radio Leeds in 1978.[9][10]

Gration started presenting Look North in 1982.[11] By 2018, Gration had been broadcasting with the BBC for 40 years,[12] although he had a spell at BBC South Today where he co-presented with Sally Taylor between 1995 and 1999.[6] He presented alongside Judith Stamper,[10] Clare Frisby, Christa Ackroyd, and his last co-anchor was Amy Garcia.[13]

He appeared on Top Gear in 2010. While supposedly reporting from Braithwell, Jeremy Clarkson crashes a Reliant Robin in the background.[14]

Gration was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting.[15][16]

Gration regularly appeared in the annual Christmas pantomime at the York Theatre Royal in a filmed segment with its main star and writer, Berwick Kaler.[17] In the 2016 production of Cinderella, Gration appeared in women's underwear.[18]

On 13 October 2020, Gration announced his retirement from the BBC.[19] His final appearance as lead presenter on Look North was 21 October 2020, the day before his 70th birthday.[20]

Public office

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In December 2009, Gration followed in the footsteps of his Look North colleague and Mayor of Wetwang, Paul Hudson, when he was declared honorary Mayor of Burn.[21] In June 2018, Gration performed the wedding ceremony between Keeley Donovan and Johnny I'Anson in Knaresborough; Donovan is a Look North weather presenter and reporter and I'Anson also broadcasts for the BBC.[22]

He was a Deputy Lieutenant of North Yorkshire.[23]

Personal life

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Gration was married three times and had six children.[9][24] His first two marriages, to Hilary Gardner (m.1974) and Rowena Cluness (m.1984), ended in divorce. He married his third wife, Helen Chene, in 2001.[1] Gration died suddenly after collapsing on 24 June 2022 at the age of 71.[25][26] It was later revealed that he was diagnosed with cancer, but this was unrelated to his death.[27]

A memorial service was held for Gration on 1 August 2022, which is Yorkshire Day, at York Minster. It was attended by Geoff Boycott, Dickie Bird and former Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Hayward, Anthony (26 June 2022). "Harry Gration obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Harry Gration obituary". The Times. 27 June 2022. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Cricket legends join family at service for 'Mr Yorkshire' Harry Gration". The Independent. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Harry Gration funeral: Inside York Minster as family, friends and colleagues say goodbye to 'Mr Yorkshire'". Yorkshire Post. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Look North's Gration to get MBE". BBC News. 15 June 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  6. ^ a b c "Love affair turned sour on Harry". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 26 January 1999. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  7. ^ "My Yorkshire: Harry Gration on his favourite people and places". The Yorkshire Post. 17 February 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  8. ^ "Honorary Fellow Harry Gration". Bradford College. 16 February 2016. Archived from the original on 5 June 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  9. ^ a b Dawson, Jayne (8 October 2014). "Harry Gration: I still love my job on Look North". The Yorkshire Post. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  10. ^ a b Hetherington, Alastair (1989). News in the regions : Plymouth Sound to Moray Firth. London: Macmillan. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-333-48232-2.
  11. ^ Dacey, Ruth (14 October 2020). "Harry Gration full interview - Why I decided to step down from BBC Look North hot seat". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  12. ^ Hirst, Andrew (19 March 2018). "Find out what Harry Gration's best memory from 40 years of broadcasting is". Huddersfield Examiner. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  13. ^ "Amy Garcia to join Harry Gration on BBC Look North sofa". Echo. 25 October 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  14. ^ "Rolling a Reliant Robin – Top Gear – BBC – YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  15. ^ "No. 60534". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 2013. p. 18.
  16. ^ "Video: I shed a few tears says TV veteran Harry Gration". Yorkshire Post. 14 June 2013.
  17. ^ "Harry Gration and Berwick Kaler shoot Theatre Royal pantomime film in York". The Argus. 18 November 2009. Archived from the original on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  18. ^ Hickling, Alfred (13 December 2016). "Cinderella review – a Christmas miracle in York". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  19. ^ Dacey, Ruth (13 October 2020). "Harry Gration, the veteran presenter of regional news programme Look North is to retire amid local news cutbacks". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  20. ^ "Harry Gration: Tributes pour in for Ex-BBC Look North presenter". BBC News. 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  21. ^ "Burn elect Harry Gration and Hilda Ogden as its honorary mayor and mayoress". York Press. 7 December 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
  22. ^ Riley, Anna (25 June 2018). "Keeley Donovan shares details of 'wonderful' festival-themed wedding". Hull Daily Mail. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  23. ^ "North Yorkshire Lieutenancy". North Yorkshire Lieutenancy. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  24. ^ Gordon, Maxine (17 November 2017). "From the news to nurseries: Helen Gration talks about giving up a career in telly for a life with tiny tots". York Press. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  25. ^ "Harry Gration: Ex-BBC Look North presenter dies, aged 71". BBC News. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  26. ^ Port, Samuel; Updated (1 August 2022). "Emotional photos from Harry Gration's funeral as hundreds gather to say goodbye". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  27. ^ "BBC Harry Gration's wife says he was suffering from cancer as she pays tribute". 28 July 2022.
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