We chat with Ross King MBE, US Correspondent for ITV Lorraine & Good Morning Britain, discussing his career & playing football!
Four-time news Emmy and Multi-Award winning, Los Angeles-based Ross King MBE is one of Britain’s most vibrant and versatile performers…
This week on The Entertainment Engine podcast we welcome Ross King MBE, US Correspondent for ITV Lorraine & Good Morning Britain, to the show.
The Four-time News Emmy and Multi-Award winning, Los Angeles-based Ross King MBE is one of Britain’s most vibrant and versatile performers, having worked stage, screen, TV, and radio.
His stage debut was at 5, his first radio broadcast at 15, and his television debut at 17!
In 2018 Ross received an MBE from Her Majesty The Queen for services to Broadcasting, the Arts, and Charity.
In 2020 Ross received the prestigious President’s Award from the Los Angeles British-American Business Council in recognition of his efforts and achievements on both sides of the Atlantic.
2021 saw King voice all the characters of the iconic Wombles in their first appearance in new CGI animation.
Ross can be seen daily in the UK and Europe on ITV’s top-rated morning shows Good Morning Britain & Lorraine as their US Correspondent.
He has covered the Oscars, Tonys, Emmys, Golden Globes, and the Grammys. In addition to all things Hollywood and Show Business, King also reports on harder news in the US, this has included terrorist attacks, mass shootings, wildfires, and hurricanes.
Ross has interviewed every major Hollywood star, plus US President Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
He can also be seen regularly on BBC’s “The Edit” and in Australia, on Channel 7’s News Show “The Latest”. “The Sunday Post” features his weekly column.
For US network television, Ross was a World Judge on CBS’s primetime network show, The World’s Best and he has hosted The Hollywood Christmas Parade & The Critics Choice Movie Awards Red Carpet.
Other Primetime TV specials include Will and Grace and CSI.
For six years, Scottish-born Ross was the Entertainment Anchor on Los Angeles’ KTLA/The CW Channel 5’s Prime News, winning four News Emmys and a Golden Mic award along the way.
Writing with Shari Low, under the name Shari King, he’s had two best-selling novels “Taking Hollywood” and “Breaking Hollywood” published by Macmillan.
He has also written for many TV Comedy Shows, Stage Plays and Films.
His relaxed and informal style has resulted in some of the best interviews with many of the world’s biggest stars, including;
Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas, Clint Eastwood, Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, John Travolta, Halle Berry,
Tom Hanks, Idris Elba, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Tom Cruise, every James Bond including fellow Scots Sean Connery and Gerard Butler, Take That, Miley Cyrus, and Justin Bieber.
His worldwide interviews were recognized with an award from the Variety Club of Great Britain.
Ross has performed in Las Vegas and at the World Famous Laugh Factory on Sunset Boulevard. He has also “sung and danced” with Diana Ross and screen legend, Donald O’Connor.
He can also be seen performing on various Cruise Ships including The Queen Mary 2, The MV Britannia, and many more.
Ross’s national TV career started after being chosen from thousands of hopefuls to host ITV’s Young Krypton. He has gone on to host 30 television series for the BBC, ITV, and SKY.
From game shows to Children’s TV, and documentaries to human-interest programs, Ross’ own shows have included: Holiday, The Ross King Show, Hot Chefs, The 8.15 from Manchester, King of the Road, Run the Gauntlet, and Quiz Night.
For five years he hosted the BBC’s live daily chat and entertainment show, Pebble Mill. His years on the show involved flying around the world filming in Europe, America, the Caribbean, and South Africa, as well as hosting TV specials from the Oscars and Cannes Film Festival.
Ross’s film credits include The Day After Tomorrow, Half Past Dead, Cruel Game, Do It For Uncle Manny, and Trust Me, playing US talk show host Ray Lungo.
He can also be seen in Young Hercules and Who’s Your Caddy, as himself, and voiced the role of Jenkin.
To listen to PART 1 of the conversation with Ross, click on the link below; Part 2 follows next week. So stay tuned!
Some things YOU didn’t know about Ross King!
He’s a failed footballer! He turned his back on a professional career with Partick Thistle because “I wasn’t very good”!
He’s one of the few people to have played Wembley three times. Twice scoring a goal and once supporting Bros.
Who could forget him and Pat Sharp rapping “Rapper’s Delight”…everybody!
He played at Wembley for Scotland in a 1–1 draw. He scored for Scotland after being chosen to play by Celtic and Scotland legend Danny McGrain.
Playing in a team with the likes of McCloy, McGrain, Buckley, Brownlie, Eddie and Frank Gray, Gemmill, Robertson, and Jordan against Neal, Mills, McDermott, Hughes, Coppell, Worthington, and Mortimer it was one of the best days of his life.
He’s also played at Hampden Park and the homes of Celtic, Rangers, Dundee and Dundee United, Dunfermline, Motherwell, Partick Thistle, St Mirren, East Stirling, Yoker Athletic ( It was a big Boys Brigade Cup Final!) Manchester United, Liverpool, Everton, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Fulham, and the Los Angeles Galaxy
He was the first person ever to play Wet Wet Wet’s first-ever demo on air. He played it on his “Through the Night Show” on Radio Clyde and the Wets later gave him his own Triple Platinum Disc of “Popped In Souled Out” which he proudly still has on his wall to this day.
On the West End stage, before leaving London, Ross played a leading role in Dick Whittington, London’s musical of the millennium at Sadlers Wells Theater.
The production was directed by Dame Gillian Lynne (Cats & Phantom of the Opera) and was nominated for a prestigious “Laurence Olivier Award”.
Ross also played Frank-n-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, and both starred in and hosted Night of Stars at London’s world-famous Palladium Theatre.
He created the role of Wallace in the musical, Summer Holiday from the World Premiere in Blackpool through the National Tour to London’s Apollo Theatre.
Other theatre credits include lead roles in Charley’s Aunt, Butterfly Children and have performed in many of the UK’s biggest Pantomimes.
It was great fun to speak with Ross, learning about his career and work across the entertainment industry with his funny sense of humor, keeping it real was really refreshing to see!
By Pete Moore
