Downton Abbey star Peter Egan was among those paying tribute to Henry Kelly on Wednesday after it was revealed the presenter has pᴀssed away. 

The Irish radio and television presenter died at the age of 78, following ‘a period of ill health’, his family announced.

Taking to X/Twitter, Egan penned: ‘Very sad to see this news. Henry was a delightful man and a terrific presenter. I liked him very much.’ 

Comedian Mark Dolan also expressed his sadness as he shared a sweet childhood memory with the Going For Gold host. 

He penned: ‘The amazing Henry Kelly has died. I met him as a child, when I got my first glimpse of live radio, whilst he was at LBC in Gough Square.

‘He was generous, funny, clever and wise. And very strict about how his Guinness was poured! RIP total legend.’

Tributes have poured in for the ‘delightful’ Going For Gold presenter  Henry Kelly after his family revealed on Wednesday that he pᴀssed away aged 78 (pictured in 2013) 

Downton Abbey star Peter Egan was among those paying tribute (pictured in 2016) 

Taking to X/ Twitter , Egan penned: ‘Very sad to see this news. Henry was a delightful man and a terrific presenter. I liked him very much’

Radio 4 presenter Russell Davies shared: ‘RIP Henry Kelly, always ready with a reminder that he was 12 days younger than I. A remarkably fluent chap.’ 

Kelly’s former colleague Tim Dellor posted: ‘Very sad to hear the news about Henry Kelly. It was a joy working with him for 10 years on the radio. 

‘The very best story teller, and could talk about anything with humour and knowledge. Such good company at so many events.’

Broadcaster India Willoughby penned: ‘Sorry to hear about tv legend Henry Kelly, of Going For Gold fame, part of my tv youth. 

‘We had the same local for a while – The King William, in Hampstead. Nice guy. Good craic! Love to all his family and friends.’ 

Julia Hartley-Brewer also expressed her upset, writing: ‘Such sad news. Henry Kelly was a total professional and a lovely man.’ 

Kelly famously hosted a radio show on Classic FM in the Nineties and the station paid tribute publicly. 

They shared: ‘Thank you, Henry, for sharing your love of music with us all.’ 

Kelly was also revered by members of the public, who wrote: ‘Ah RIP Henry Kelly. Loved Going For Gold on the the BBC whenever I wanted a sick day from school. Prime lunch time TV viewing’;

‘RIP Henry Kelly. You didn’t just go for gold, you were gold.’; ‘RIP Henry Kelly You got the gold alright. Thank you’;

‘Really sad to hear of the pᴀssing of Henry Kelly. Going For Gold was iconic student TV and Game For A Laugh was great fun. But he was much more than that. A very accomplished radio broadcaster on LBC and others also.’; 

‘Sad news about tv presenter Henry Kelly In the late 1970s he was an outstanding BBC World Tonight presenter – During that time he did a brilliant interview with Menachem Begin’. 

Stars and former colleagues took to X/Twitter to share their tributes to the iconic presenter. Kelly was also revered by members of the public, who shared their memories

Kelly began his career as a hard news journalist with the Irish Times, resulting in him covering The Troubles in 1970s Northern Ireland, but a decade later he decided to pursue a completely different path in light entertainment – having been keen to emulate the success of family friend Terry Wogan. 

The always-smiling host will be best remembered as a household name for presenting such shows as Going For Gold and Game For A Laugh. 

Kelly’s family said he ‘died peacefully’ on Tuesday ‘after a period of ill health’.

Their statement said: ‘Henry will be sorely missed by his friends and family, including his partner Karolyn Shindler, their son Alexander, Henry’s daughter Siobhan and her mother Marjorie.’

Kelly, born on 17 April 1946 in Athlone, County Westmeath in Ireland, into a family of five children, showed a prowess in his youth for writing and became interested in pursuing a career as a news reporter. 

He enrolled at University College Dublin, during which he wrote theatre reviews for The Irish Times.

After graduating with a degree in English in 1968, he was taken on as a fledgling journalist with the paper and within two years had been promoted to Belfast-based Northern Editor.

It was while in this role that he began covering The Troubles, also known as the Northern Ireland conflict, and the civil unrest that ensued during this time. 

The presenter, pictured in 2016, will be best remembered as a household name for presenting such shows as Going For Gold and Game For A Laugh

In 1972, he authored a book, How Stormant Fell, which is still regarded highly by historians as a portrayal of political events between 1968 and 1972. 

He went on to cover the Middle East and the civil war in Lebanon. 

Kelly also visited Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam during his time as a journalist.

Four years later, Kelly moved to the BBC to work on Radio 4’s The World Tonight programme.

He seemed set on a path to covering news, but at the age of 34 decided on a career change in television light entertainment.

While at university, Kelly had befriended the family of BBC host Terry Wogan and was keen to emulate his success as a household name. 

HIs chance came in 1981, when he was chosen as a co-presenter on London Weekend Television’s primetime show, Game For A Laugh. 

The role, which he stayed in until 1983, sH๏τ him to success and secured Kelly as a firm household favourite, alongside co-hosts Sarah Kennedy, Matthew Kelly (who was not a relation) and Jeremy Beadle.

Featuring a variety of practical jokes, contestants were subjected to the Dunk Tunk, where they would be lowered into a tank of water and a Pie Chair, where they would be pied in the face when answering a question wrong. 

The show became so popular that it effectively killed the BBC’s Saturday night flagship show, The Generation Game. 

Kelly pictured with his partner, Karolyn Shindler in 1996. The couple lived in north London

In June that year, he became the host of TV-AM, and presented the Saturday edition of Good Morning Britain with Toni Arthur.

After leaving the show in 1987, Kelly was given a ‘golden’ opportunity – as the host of a new BBC1 quiz show – Going For Gold.

Aired just after the lunchtime showing of Neighbours, Going For Gold became a huge daytime hit with a cult following and featured a memorable theme tune by future award-winning composer Hans Zimmer.

Today, Zimmer is best known for his work on scoring box office hit films, including No Time To Die, The Lion King, Gladiator, The Dark Knight and Black Hawk Down, but to name a few.

Despite his rocketing success however, Zimmer does not shy away from acknowledging his earlier work. 

Speaking to The Guardian in 2014, he said: ‘I’m not ashamed of it! It paid the rent and opened up all sorts of doors. I will admit to it: we all have to have our guilty little somethings!’ 

Going For Gold was unique in that it featured contestants from across Europe competing against one another to win a prize.

Kelly’s natural humour and flair for presenting made him an instant household name. 

He went on to host BBC 1 game show Going For Gold for 10 seasons from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s.

It was shortly revived by Channel 5 with newsreader John Suchet at the helm during the 2000s, with the European contestants absent from the revival. 

As a presenter, Henry Kelly was as adept behind the mic as he was in front of the cameras 

On the way to success: Kelly with Game For a Laugh co-hosts Matthew Kelly Sarah Kennedy and Jeremy Beadle

Kelly also appeared in comedy show Dinnerladies, had a stint on morning programme TV-am, and talk show After Dark. 

Like his icon Wogan, he was as comfortable on the mic in a radio station, as he was in front of cameras.

During the late 80s, he hosted a range of shows on talk radio station LBC and in 1992 was a founding presenter on Classic FM’s breakfast show, attracting nearly 3.5 million listeners.

He continued on the show until 2003, returning in 2006 to host on Sunday mornings. 

In 1994 Kelly was voted national broadcaster of the year in the Sony Radio Awards.

His later radio career saw him work at local station BBC Radio Berkshire between 2005 and 2015.

In 2022, Kelly along with RTE and TV3 current affairs presenter Vincent Browne was asked by a Belfast coroner to give evidence at the inquest of barman John Moran, who was killed in a loyalist bomb attack in 1972.

A hearing, at Belfast Coroner’s Court, heard that Kelly’s partner had indicated he has no recollection of the incident and is unable to ᴀssist.

Last year, the court said it had been unable to conclude the inquest by a ᴅᴇᴀᴅline.

Away from his public life, Kelly was a lover of classical music, fine food, golf, cricket and horse racing.

He married his childhood sweetheart, Marjorie, and the couple had a daughter, barrister Siobhan Kelly, during their 20-year relationship. 

Kelly also had a son, Alexander, with his partner, historian and former BBC producer Karolyn Shindler, with whom he lived in Hampstead, north London.