Rochdale Literature and Ideas Festival: Bill Turnbull

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Rochdale Literature and Ideas Festival: Bill Turnbull

Television presenter and journalist Bill Turnbull packed out the Hollingworth Suite in Number One Riverside this evening (Sunday 26 October) as he gave a talk about his life in front of the camera as well as away from the camera for the Rochdale Literature and Ideas Festival.

Bill, who is well known for his time on BBC Breakfast as well as The One Show, Strictly Come Dancing, Children in Need, Celebrity Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and Doctor Who, is a bee-keeper in his spare time.

Speaking about his life as a bee-keeper Bill said: “Bees are fascinating creatures and should probably be running the planet. They are terrific at communication, they have a terrific sense of consciousness and have a terrific sense of community.”

Bill stumbled into bee-keeping after watching a local bee-keeper remove some bees from his garden. He then decided to sign up for lessons in bee-keeping after paying a visit to the vets with his chicken.

“My daughter saw a sign for bee-keeping lessons and told me it was a sign. I said no, it is the sign so if it wasn’t for the incident with my chicken then we all probably wouldn’t be sat here this evening,” added Bill.

The television presenter also spoke about his television career and told numerous stories from his life in front of the camera, including the times when things don’t quite go according to plan.

The packed audience clearly enjoyed themselves and laughter filled the room as Bill told many tales from his life.