Aled Jones

Aled Jones MBE
Jones in 2007
Born	(1970-12-29) 29 December 1970 (age 53) Bangor, Wales
Occupations	Singer television and radio presenter actor
Years active	1983–present
Employers	BBC ITV Classic FM
Television	Songs of Praise (since 2004) Cash in the Attic (2010–12) Escape to the Country (2009–13) Daybreak (2012–14) Weekend (2014–17) Too Much TV (2016) Going Back Giving Back (since 2016)
Spouse	Claire Fossett ​ (m. 2001)​
Children	2, including Emilia
Musical career
Genres	Classical crossover popera ) Christian music
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Labels	Universal Classics & Jazz
Musical artist

Aled Jones,

In September 2012, Jones joined ITV Breakfast where he presented Daybreak (2012–2014), alongside Lorraine Kelly and Kate Garraway.^[2] For the BBC, he has presented Songs of Praise (since 2004), Cash in the Attic (2010–2012), Escape to the Country (2009–2013), and Going Back Giving Back (since 2016).

Career

1970-1990

Jones was born in St. David's Hospital in

Jones' recording career was temporarily halted in the late 1980s. By then he had sung for Pope John Paul II, Queen Elizabeth II, and Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales in a private recital, as well as presenting numerous children's television programmes. He sang at the wedding of celebrities Bob Geldof and Paula Yates in 1986.^{[citation needed]} Jones also had the distinction of being the first artist to have two classical albums listed simultaneously in the popular music charts, and worked with Leonard Bernstein (Chichester Psalms).

Jones' first biography, Walking on Air, was published in 1986.^{[citation needed]}

1990s-present

In September 1990, Jones made his acting debut at the

Jones released two singles with Terry Wogan in aid of the Children in Need appeal.

From 3 July to 30 August 2008, Jones played the lead role of

On 11 October 2010, Jones was confirmed to take over as stand-in presenter of the early morning breakfast slot on BBC Radio 2 following the departure of Sarah Kennedy, a role he occasionally covered in the years leading up to her departure. Jones covered this slot for six weeks until the beginning of his UK tour.

Jones is mentoring Isabel Suckling, the youngest classical recording artist signed by Decca Records and first choirgirl to sign a record contract with a major music label. Suckling's debut album was strongly endorsed by Jones, who described it as "breathtaking" and it was released on 29 November 2010.^{[9][10][11][12]}

In 2011, Jones hosted the television and DVD series, Classical Destinations III, Aled Jones' Ultimate Travel Guide to Classical Music which was filmed on his travels in the UK, Europe, Scandinavia and Australia.

On 9 November 2018, Jones released In Harmony, a collaboration album with English tenor Russell Watson.^[13] They followed on 1 November 2019 with Back in Harmony, which debuted at number 1 on the UK Classical Albums chart.^[14]

On 4 November 2022, Jones and Watson released the album Christmas with Aled and Russell.^[15] The album debuted at number 1 on the Classical Artists Albums Chart^[16][17] and number 14 on the main albums chart.^[18] The album was preceded by two singles; the first, "A Spaceman Came Travelling", was released on 21 October 2022.^[19] The second single, "O Holy Night", was released on 4 November 2022.^[20] The duo toured the UK in November and December 2022.^[21][22]

Broadcasting

Radio

Jones is a presenter on

As a teenager Jones presented Chatterbox, a children's chat show made by HTV for ITV, in 1988.

Jones' appearance as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2004 brought him to the attention of a wider audience, leading to further tours and albums. It also led to increasing demands on him as a broadcaster.

Jones is one of the main presenters of

Since 2012, Jones has presented the annual Christmas Carols on ITV programme, which airs late on Christmas Eve. In 2015, he was a regular reporter for Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, broadcast on BBC Two.

Since February 2016, Jones has co-presented the daily magazine show Too Much TV, for BBC Two.^[27]

Since 2016, Jones has presented Going Back Giving Back, a daytime programme for BBC One.

Jones has been on the judging panel for the

In 2022, Jones appeared on the

In November 2017, Jones was being investigated by the BBC following allegations of inappropriate behaviour. In the interim, he had agreed to withdraw from programmes.[29] It was subsequently confirmed in January 2018 that the BBC had lifted the suspension and that he would resume presenting programmes.^[30]

Personal life

Jones met English

On 28 October 2009, Jones was presented with a BASCA Gold Badge Award in recognition of his unique contribution to music.[32]

Jones was appointed

On 14 February 2014, Jones was nominated as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music;^[36] he was presented with the fellowship on 3 July 2014.

Discography

Studio and live albums

Charted compilation albums

Charted singles

Talking books

• The Story of Classical Music (2004)
• Famous Composers (2005)
• The Story of Jesus (2006)

Videos

• Aled Jones – New Born King – A Festival Of Carols From London's Westminster Cathedral (1992)
• Voices From The Holy Land (1985)
• Aled Jones – Carols For Christmas

DVDs

• The Little Prince featuring Aled Jones (2004)
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Carols for Christmas (2004)
• Aled Jones – Christmas Carols (2008)

Filmography

Television

Film

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aled Jones.

• Aled Jones on Classic FM (Classic FM)
• Songs of Praise (BBC One)
• Aled Jones at
  IMDb
• On Play it Again