Remembering Frank Bough's work in the Royal Borough community

Frank Bough, a familiar figure in and around Maidenhead, has died at the age of 87, it was announced yesterday (Sunday).

Bough will be remembered mainly for his appearances on TV from the 1960s to the 1980s, when he presented popular shows Grandstand and Breakfast Time on the BBC. He also later fronted ITV's coverage of the Rugby World Cup.

His career was affected by tabloid scandals, leading him to be sacked from the BBC in 1988.

But many past and present journalists paying tribute remember Bough's natural presenting style and broadcasting talents.

A family friend told the BBC that Bough died last Wednesday (October 21) in a care home. A cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

He was a well-known face across Maidenhead, taking part in Michael Parkinson's annual celebrity cricket contests, and attending a sportsman's dinner of Maidenhead Rugby Club at Braywick in 1994.

An article in the Advertiser on June 3, 1988 (above) on Bough's friends rallying round in support of the TV presenter

Bough popped up in the community to show off his athletic prowess at a St Mary's School sports day with his son in 1973 - winning the father's race - and to open a new rehabilitation unit at St Marks Hospital in 1978.

He also featured in the Advertiser in June 1987 for judging and crowning the winners at the Holyport Village Fair, and again in December 1995 for opening a fundraising bazaar at St Joseph's Parish Centre in Maidenhead.

While back in 1992, Bough and wife Nesta were involved in a battle with South Bucks District Council which rejected the pair's attempts to build a new detached house next to their own home in Dorney Reach.

Bough also lived in Bray - and Holyport in his later years, when he faded away from the public spotlight.