Richard Coles

Richard Keith Robert Coles FRSA FKC born 26 March 1962 is an English writer radio presenter and Church of England priest He first came to prominence as the multiinstrumentalist who partnered Jimmy Somerville in the 1980s band the Communards They achieved three UK top10 hits including the No 1 record and bestselling single of 1986 a dance version of Dont Leave Me This Way Coles frequently appears on radio and television as well as in newspapers and from March 2011 until March 2023 was the cohost of BBC Radio 4s Saturday Live programme He is a regular contributor to the television shows QI Would I Lie to You and Have I Got News for You He is the chancellor of the University of Northampton a former honorary chaplain to the Worshipful Company of Leathersellers and a patron of social housing project Greatwell Homes in Wellingborough Coles was born in Northampton England His grandfather was a prosperous shoe manufacturer The company struggled under Coless father and the family lost much of its wealth He was educated at the independent Wellingborough School where he was a choirboy and at the South Warwickshire College of Further Education Department of Drama the Liberal Arts in StratforduponAvon He later attended Kings College London where he studied Theology from 1990 Coles was awarded an MA by research from the University of Leeds in 2005 for work on the Greek text of the Epistle to the Ephesians Coles learned to play the saxophone clarinet and keyboards and moved to London in 1980 where he played in theatre In 1983 he appeared with Jimmy Somerville in the Lesbian and Gay Youth Video Project film Framed Youth The Revenge of the Teenage Perverts which won the Grierson Award Coles joined Bronski Beat initially on saxophone in 1983 Somerville left Bronski Beat and in 1985 he and Coles formed the Communards who were together for just over three years and had three UK top 10 hits including the biggestselling single of 1986 a version of Dont Leave Me This Way which was at number one for four weeks The band split in 1988 and Somerville went solo Coles provided narration for the Style Councils film JerUSAlem in 1987 and also started a career as a writer particularly with the Times Literary Supplement and the Catholic Herald He took up religion in his late twenties after the best of times the worst of times pop success and the deaths of friends as a result of HIV From 1991 to 1994 he studied for a BA in theology at Kings College London While at university Coles became a Roman Catholic and remained so for the next ten years before returning to Anglicanism in 2001 Coles was selected for training for the priesthood in the Church of England and began his training at the College of the Resurrection Mirfield West Yorkshire in 2003 before being ordained in 2005 After ordination he was a curate at St Botolphs Church in Boston Lincolnshire and then at St Pauls Church Knightsbridge in London He has been chaplain of the Royal Academy of Music played Dr Frank N Furter in a local concert and conducted an atheist funeral for Mo Mowlam in 2005 Source Article Richard Coles from Wikipedia in English licensed under CCBYSA