Frank Bough, the original presenter of BBC Breakfast Time who was sacked after a cocaine and prostitution scandal, died in October 2020 at the age of 87. His cause of death remains unknown.
Career at the BBC
Bough joined the BBC as a reporter in 1962 and became one of the broadcaster's most recognisable faces from the 1960s to 1980s. He fronted popular shows including Breakfast Time, which launched on BBC One in 1983 as Britain's first national breakfast television show. Bough was the main presenter alongside Selina Scott.
TV legend Michael Parkinson once said: "If my life depended on the smooth handling of a TV show, Bough would be my first choice to be in charge."
The Scandal
In 1988, the News of the World reported that Bough had taken cocaine and engaged with prostitutes at parties. The tabloid also claimed he frequently visited brothels, shattering his clean-cut family image.
Reflecting on the scandal, Bough said: "I'm not a wicked man, nor do I mean any harm or evil to people. I've made mistakes, but everyone's entitled to do that. No one suffered but my wife, my family and myself. It was a brief but appalling period in my life. Don't condemn my entire career for a brief episode I regret."
Wife's Support
Throughout the scandal, Bough's wife, Welsh physiotherapist Nesta Howells, stood by him and condemned the press. She said: "Everybody has a sex life and a sexuality and that should generally stay within the confines of the family. These newspapers are dismantling and destroying institutions and people and for what?"
Howells, who married Bough in 1959 and had three sons with him, admitted she contemplated leaving him but said: "We have been together a long time. We have brought up a family. We have still got a lot going for us. I do feel betrayed by it, but I do not feel that it is anything personal to do with me."
Further Embarrassment
In 1992, Bough faced more tabloid trouble after being photographed leaving the flat of a sex worker who specialised in sadomasochism. Reports claimed he spent 50 minutes in a so-called "torture chamber" containing a slave cage and school canes. Appearing on TV with his wife the next day, Bough said: "I am feeling exceedingly stupid. I bitterly regret many of the things in my life, and if only I could undo them I would."
Later Life and Death
After being sacked from the BBC, Bough continued working in the 1990s, fronting ITV's coverage of the 1991 Rugby World Cup and presenting on LBC Radio. He retired from broadcasting in 1998. In 2001, he underwent a liver transplant after a tumour was discovered and made a full recovery. Bough spent his final days in a care home and died in October 2020 at age 87.
