Richard "Dick" McCourt (born 12 August 1976 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England) is an English actor and presenter of radio and television, best known as one half of the comic duo Dick and Dom, with the other being Dominic Wood. McCourt is the godfather of Wood's two sons, Tommy and Sam. His older brother is fellow TV presenter James McCourt. He hosted CBBC on BBC One from 1996 and presented with Dominic Wood to form Dick and Dom from 2002-present
Education
McCourt was educated at Tapton School, a state comprehensive in Sheffield. At Norton College, building on his experience as a volunteer at Sheffield's hospital radio station, he studied audio, video and print media, receiving the BTEC National Diploma in media production in 1994.
Radio presenter
Richard has presented or featured on several radio stations in his home town of Sheffield:
- Chrystal Radio and Television
- Meadowhall Radio
- Hallam FM
- BBC Radio 1's Sunday morning 10am-1pm show, co-hosting with Dominic Wood, from October 2007 to September 2008.
Television presenter
McCourt is best known for co-presenting, with Dominic Wood, Dick and Dom in da Bungalow. The show ran, on various channels, from 2002 to 2006 and was famous for its zany games, often played in public places. In 2005, McCourt and Wood brought their Dick and Dom personas to Ask the Family on BBC2. Their transformation of that show, which had previously been aimed more toward adults, was not well received by the viewing public, and the show was cancelled after only a few months. From 2007 to 2009 McCourt and Wood hosted the daytime version of Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old? on Sky One.
McCourt's other television credits include:
- Work at a hospital's television station
- A live children's programme for Meadowhall Television
- In-vision continuity presentation at CBBC
- BBC's Holidays on two
- On Safari on CITV
- Celebrate the Sound of Music
He was a contestant on BBC's Hard Spell and The Weakest Link quiz shows but failed to win either.
Actor
On stage, McCourt has appeared in many pantomimes, including:
- Aladdin at the Empire Theatre in Sunderland (1999/2000)
- Cinderella at the Derngate Theatre, Northampton (2000â€"2001)
- Aladdin at the Theatre Royal, Bath (2001/2002)
- Dick Whittington at the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield (2002/2003)
In 2011, McCourt and Wood appeared in Horrid Henry: The Movie, playing 2 Cool 4 School presenters.
Charity work
In 2008, McCourt received the Association of Colleges Gold Award, in recognition of his success in media. The award cited his work advising students interested in media careers, and supporting Action for Children, Alzheimer’s Society, Children in Need, and other charities. In September 2010, he ran in Bupa's Great North Run and Great Yorkshire Run to raise funds for Alzheimer's Society.
Personal life
In October 2008 McCourt was filmed outside a nightclub in Manchester telling people that while he took drugs in the past, his doctor warned him of the dangerous effects of further usage because of a heart condition he suffers from, the drugs he used to take were not fit for human consumption, doctors may say their main use is to put down horses. The video of the incident was published on several websites, and the transcript in many newspapers and magazines. He's also a big fan of his home town club Sheffield Wednesday
Notes and references
External links
- UKGameshows.com: Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow
- Dick and Dom in da Bungalow on Internet Movie Database
- Dick and Dom's Radio 1 webpage
- Saturday Mornings