Matthew Wright

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Matthew Wright bigraphy, stories - English journalist and television presenter

Matthew Wright : biography

8 July 1965 –

Matthew Wright (born on 8 July 1965, Croydon, London) is an English television presenter and journalist. Formerly a writer for The Sun and a gossip columnist on The Daily Mirror, he has been the host of the topical discussion series The Wright Stuff on weekdays on Channel 5 since 2000. Wright is renowned for his outspoken opinions and he has been described by The Daily Express as "never far from controversy".

Opinions

Wright often implies a sense of rivalry with fellow TV presenter Jeremy Kyle and his eponymously named The Jeremy Kyle Show, which is broadcast on ITV1 at the same time as The Wright Stuff is broadcast on Channel Five. He has spoken negatively of the viewers of Kyle’s series, believing that they lack intelligence. Wright has said: "I’d say our show is about the normal world while he plumbs the depths of inbred, alkie, junkie wasters with rampant sex lives." In 2013, Wright further criticized Kyle, claiming: "It’s revolting. I have no respect for it. His old radio phone-in [on Capital FM] was inspiring and wonderful. Now his TV show is about humiliating failures for entertainment. It’s vile. I have no time to watch it. I have better things to do. He is a nice enough bloke but he has sold his soul."

Wright has been associated with a number of mainly left-wing political causes. He is a long-time supporter of nuclear disarmament in the United Kingdom and was involved in anti-nuclear marches in the early 1980s. In December 2010, while presenting his show, Wright criticised Tony Blair’s property ownership, stating that he "ended up with five houses as a result of the boom years of Labour. And when he was interviewed by Andrew Marr about the five houses, Tony offered the righteous, socialist excuse that he has to look after his children, of which I believe there are four. Four children, five houses. So it’s a little bit beyond a house per child."The Wright Stuff, 1 December 2010 In March 2011, Wright described Blair as a "good friend" of Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, presenting a photograph of Blair shaking Gaddafi’s hand, and criticised Blair for selling guns and crowd control weapons to Gaddafi for him to use against his own people.The Wright Stuff, 21 March 2011

Wright advocates higher taxes on the wealthy. In a June 2012 edition of his show, he said: "The most important thing we have to remember is that the very rich pay less tax. That’s the objective of the Government. The very rich were paying 50% tax, now it’s gone down to 45%. But we’ve got to remember the priority in this country is to ensure the rich get richer."The Wright Stuff, 4 June 2012

Wright has criticized senior UK politicians, such as Prime Minister David Cameron, for refusing to appear on The Wright Stuff, claiming this was a result of "backward-thinking politicians" who "only do business with ITV and the BBC."

Wright, who has no children, refers to parents as "breeders" and has criticized people who have more than two children, calling them irresponsible.The Wright Stuff, 17 May 2013

In June 2013, Wright criticized singer Beyoncé Knowles for performing in skimpy clothes at Chime For Change’s "The Sound Of Change Live" concert at London’s Twickenham Stadium. Wright, claiming that Beyoncé was dressing like a "slut", asked: "Why does empowering women always involve acting as a sex object for men? How does she demonstrate empowering women? She looks to me like a victim of a male-driven record business."The Wright Stuff, 3 June 2013

Early life and education

Wright started his career at 14 appearing in the Children’s Film Foundation production Big Wheels And Sailor (1979). He was educated at the voluntary-aided Roman Catholic boys’ John Fisher School in Purley, South London and was in the same class as the artist and sculptor Diarmuid Bryon O’Connor and DJ Gilles Peterson. Following school, Wright attended the University of Exeter, graduating in English and Drama.