Lancashire radio favourite dies after lengthy cancer battle - tributes to CBB and Talk Sport star James Whale
Tributes have been paid to former Red Rose Radio favourite James Whale, who has died aged 74 following a long battle with stage four kidney cancer.
The broadcaster pioneered the late-night radio phone-in during the 1970s, rising to fame with The James Whale Radio Show, which was simulcast on Radio Aire and Red Rose Radio in the late 80’s. On the show, he was known for disagreeing with callers, often arguing with them and cutting them off.
He died years after first being diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2000. He had one kidney removed and later revealed in 2020 that the disease had spread to his kidney, spine, brain and lungs.
During his final Tales of the Whale podcast, made with his wife Nadine Lamont-Brown, Whale said: “Thank you for being a listener. I hope it helps in some way and who knows what’s next, so I can only say au revoir.”
Speaking to the Daily Express, for which he is a columnist, he said: “I won’t go back to the hospital," James told the Express. "I want to die somewhere peaceful and tranquil and this is the place for me. There’s no better. I’m lucky to be here.”
Following his death, his colleague and friend Mike Graham delivered an emotional tribute live on air, saying: “James began his remarkable career in the early 1970s when he pioneered a new kind of radio in Britain, the late-night shock jock phone-in. By the late 1980s, the James Whale radio show had become a cultural phenomenon, broadcasting every weekend on ITV. He attracted millions of viewers, making him a household name."
Graham added: “James would go on to host a variety of programmes for ITV, Sky and the BBC before finding a new audience for talk radio, all the while continuing to make headlines during his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother.
“In 2006, after surviving kidney cancer, James launched Kidney Cancer UK, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds. In 2024, James was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours, recognising his extraordinary contribution to broadcast and charity.
“James Whale broke the rules, he shaped the airwaves and did it all on his own terms. For millions, James wasn’t just a broadcaster. He was a companion, a provocateur and a good friend that we’ll all never forget. God bless you, James. We’ll miss you.”
Fellow TalkTV presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer also paid tribute, writing on X: “So sad that my amazing, wonderful @TalkTV colleague James Whale has died. He was a legend both on air and off air. It was a pleasure and an honour to know him. Sending Nadine and his family all my love xxxx.”
Charity work
In 2006, he launched the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer to fund research and raise awareness of the disease. The fund became Kidney Cancer UK in 2016 . In recognition of his work in broadcasting and charity, Whale was awarded an MBE in 2023.