Radio legend James Whale has been awarded an MBE in the King’s New Year Honours List for his outstanding contribution to broadcasting.

The broadcasting powerhouse and pioneer, who has been a staple of the airwaves for 50 years, was praised for his radio, television and charity work. 

A celebration of his life and career, A Lifetime Of Night-Time: The James Whale Story will air at 10pm on Saturday 30 December on TalkTV and TalkRadio.

James began his career with Metro Radio in 1974 where he pioneered the concept of the late night radio phone-in. Fifty years on, James can still be seen hosting the phone-in, every Saturday night on TalkTV and TalkRadio.

In 1988, after gaining a loyal legion of listeners who loved his unique acerbic and incisive style, The James Whale Radio Show was simulcast live on television every Friday night on ITV, pulling in over one million viewers.

James went on to host Whale On, Dial Midnight and Central Weekend Live for ITV, Talk About for BBC One, and more recently appeared on Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother. His autobiography, A Lifetime Of Night-Time was published in 2008.

After battling kidney cancer in 2000, James launched the charity, Kidney Cancer UK, to increase knowledge and awareness, funding research into the causes, prevention and treatment of the disease. Kidney Cancer UK has raised over £4 million to support kidney cancer patients.

In 2020, James revealed the disease had returned and spread to his spine, brain and lungs, and has shared his ongoing cancer battle candidly with listeners and viewers over the past few years. 

Richard Wallace, Head of TalkTV, said: “There are legends - and then there's James Whale. This award is a fitting acknowledgment of a maverick talent who has entertained TV and radio audiences with inimitable style for more than 50 years.”

Dennie Morris, Director of Audio, News Broadcasting, added, “James is not only a giant of radio and television, but one of the loveliest men I’ve ever met. His contribution to the industry and to charity over the years has been remarkable. I can think of no one more deserving of this honour.”

Earlier this year, James was awarded the first ever TRIC Recognition Award for his 50 years in broadcasting, with his “true grit and determination to entertain and inform the nation every week”, not least in the face of his illness. 

Watch A Lifetime Of Night-Time: The James Whale Story, tonight at 10pm on TalkTV, available on Freeview 237, Sky 522 and Virgin Media 606. 

Also available on DAB, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung TV Plus, YouTube, talk.tv and TalkTV iOS and Android apps.