FRIENDS and family of broadcast legend James Whale have gathered to say their final goodbyes at a funeral he planned himself.
The service, led by James’ vicar brother, will be held at St Nicholas Church in Maidstone, Kent, this afternoon.
The broadcast legend was laid to rest today at a funeral he planned himself[/caption]
Nigel Farage and Lizzie Cundy are among the famous faces in attendance[/caption]
The funeral is being held today in Kent at the St. Nicholas Church in Grafty Green[/caption]
Nigel Farage, Christopher Biggins, Bobby Davro and Lizzie Cundy are among the famous faces in attendance for the emotional send-off.
The radio host, who starred on Celebrity Big Brother in 2016, died on August 4 following a long and brave battled with cancer.
His beloved wife Nadine said he passed away “with a smile on his face” surrounded by loved ones after moving into a hospice.
She led mourners at the church service which was packed out with friends and family of the late star who gathered to say their goodbyes.
After tributes from James’s relatives Peter and Adele, James and wife Nadine, Game of Thrones actor James Cosmo stood for the reading of Epistle, followed by Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat’s Gospel.
George Michael’s former backing singer Shirley Lewis performed Hallelujah! with husband Keith.
The traditional service’s sermon included prayers, the grace, commendation and a communal at the graveside followed by the burial.
Amazing Grace, sung by Leee John ended the church service with guests invited to remember James at his favourite local pub.
“Remember James in the way he wanted us to”, his family said.
“He said ‘I don’t want a sombre wake, I want an after party.”
Whale was first diagnosed with cancer back in 2000 and had to have one of his kidneys removed.
Then, in 2020, the TalkTV host revealed that the cancer had returned in his kidney, spine, brain and lungs.
Announcing the news of his death last month, a spokesman for his employer Talk said: “We are sad to announce that James Whale MBE died earlier today, aged 74, following a lengthy battle with cancer.
“As a broadcasting legend for over 50 years, James will be missed by so many at TALK and the wider News UK family.”
James began his 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.
The radio legend went on to become a household name, hosting programmes across ITV, Sky and the BBC, before moving to talkRADIO in 2016.
James launching ‘Britain’s Biggest Curry Party’ at Le Raj Restaurant, Surrey, in 2007[/caption]
James Whale after being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)[/caption]