Frank Hall (broadcaster)
Frank Hall | |
---|---|
Born | Frank Hall 24 February 1921 |
Spouse | Aideen Hall |
Children | 5 with Aideen Kearney; 1 with Frankie Byrne |
Frank Hall (24 February 1921 – 21 September 1995)[1] was an Irish broadcaster, journalist, satirist and film censor. He is best remembered for his satirical revue programme Hall's Pictorial Weekly.
Early life
Born in
Television
After that, he moved to
Hall won two Jacob's Awards, in 1966 and 1975, for his work on Newsbeat and Hall's Pictorial Weekly respectively.
Film censor
In 1978, Hall was appointed Ireland's national film censor. During his period as censor he was known for his strict application of Irish censorship and his defence of family values. Among the films banned by him was Monty Python's Life of Brian, which he described as "offensive to Christians and to Jews as well, because it made them appear a terrible load of gobshites".[2]
Family controversy
Hall had a long running affair with the well known agony aunt, Frankie Byrne, with whom he had a daughter, who was given up for adoption shortly after her birth in 1956. In the 2006 RTE screening of Mint Production's documentary Dear Frankie, Frank was named as the father of Frankie's daughter though this was disputed at the time by Hall family members.[3] [4] In 2010, a play written by Niamh Gleeson, also entitled Dear Frankie, opened in the Liberty Hall theatre.[5] Later in 2012, it opened again in the Gaiety Theatre, going on to play in theatres across the country.
Death
Hall died of a heart attack in Dublin in 1995.[2] He is buried in Dardistown Cemetery in North Dublin.
References
- ^ Hall, Francis James (‘Frank’)
- ^ a b c d The Irish Times, "Broadcaster and satirist Frank Hall dies at 74", 22 September 1995
- ^ Nolan, Larissa (8 January 2006). "Family fury at RTÉ stars' love child claim". Irish Independent. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
- ^ True Lives - Dear Frankie - RTE 2006, archived from the original on 8 October 2020, retrieved 12 May 2021
- ^ "Dear Frankie". www.irishplayography.com. Retrieved 12 May 2021.