Who is TV presenter James Richardson?

JAMES RICHARDSON is a familiar face on our screens, best known for presenting shows on everything from Football to strongmen.

But who is he? Here’s all you need to know about the legendary sports commentator.

James Richardson presents the World’s Strongest Man competition on Channel 5.

Who is James Richardson? 

James Richardson is a sports television presenter and journalist born in Bristol on May 29, 1966. 

Richardson has been on our screens since 1992, starting with a ten-year run as the presenter of Channel 4’s Football Italia programme, which was cult viewing for football fans until 2002.

Football Italia centred on live coverage of Serie A, Italy’s top football division. 

Richardson won fans and supporters thanks to his original reporting style, and sense of humour. 

A multilinguist — Richardson speaks Italian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese — Richardson was well positioned for the presenting role. 

The show was filmed in Italy and often featured Richardson simply sitting in a cafe with a coffee and a brioche, taking viewers through the Italian newspaper sports pages. 

Richardson is also known to be a fan of the Italian team A.S. Roma. 

In 2002, Football Italia’s viewing figures dropped, and it moved from Channel 4 to other channels — Richardson went with it, but ultimately left the show altogether in 2006. 

What TV shows does he present?

After leaving Football Italia, Richardson soon moved to The Guardian Football Weekly podcast, where he stayed until 2017.

Leaving The Guardian, Richardson set up podcasts from The Athletic, The Totally Football Show, and Golazzo: The Totally Italian Football Show.  

Richardson also hosts TNT Sport’s The UEFA Champions League Goals Show, alongside James Horncastle, Raphael Honigstein, and Julien Laurens. 

He presents Channel 5’s World Strongest Man programme and has worked with the Premier League presenting their Fantasy Premier League content. 

Does James Richardson present World’s Strongest Man? 

Richardson has presented the World’s Strongest Man competition, broadcast on Channel Five, since 2011. 

He presents the show, alongside Michelle Ackerley, and 2017 winner Eddie Hall.

The World’s Strongest Man has been a festive television fixture since 1977. 

The World’s Strongest Man competition is broadcast throughout December, and the final is on January 1, 2024 at 7 pm. 

In 2021, Tom Stoltman became the first Scot to win the competition, before winning again in 2022.

What is James Richardson’s net worth? 

Richardson’s net worth is estimated to be between £100,000 and £1 million. 

But details on his sports presenting salary and official net worth have yet to be confirmed. 

Thanks to his successful presenting career, Richardson has had the opportunity to travel widely — but details on his lifestyle are also kept private. 

Is he married?

Richardson keeps his private light private and tends to keep out of the public eye. 

As a result, very little is known about his relationship status, or whether he is married. 

He is active on Twitter but sticks to posting almost exclusively sports and work updates. 

On Instagram Richardson has a little over 5,000 followers, and sometimes posts snaps from his travels. 

It is not thought that he has children. 

Richardson once revealed that he first found himself in Italy because his girlfriend at the time was Italian — this is where he picked up the language, too.