‘I turned off’ rage Dale Winton fans as the slam Channel 5 for ‘ruining’ presenter’s story with new documentary
DALE Winton fans raged, ‘I turned off’ as they slammed Channel 5 for ‘ruining’ the presenter’s story in a new documentary.
Channel 5‘s recent tribute to the late TV icon, The Dale Winton Story: One Of A Kind, has stirred up a storm of controversy among viewers.
Dale fronted the hit show Supermarket Sweep from 1993 to 2001.
In 2007, he presented In It to Win It from 2002 to 2016, and the 2008 series of Hole in the Wall.
Airing on Saturday night, the documentary aimed to celebrate the remarkable life and career of the beloved presenter, who passed away on April 18, 2018, at the age of 62 due to natural causes.
But instead of getting lots of praise, the documentary got a lot of criticism from upset viewers who thought the editing took away from Dale Winton’s story.
Many took to X/Twitter to express their frustration, with some going as far as to label the editing as ‘ridiculous’ and claiming that it ‘ruined the story.’
One viewer, who was clearly unimpressed with the documentary, wrote: “I was looking forward to watching the Dale Winton tribute, but the editing was so over-the-top that I had to turn it off!”
A second added: “Such a shame to see his story being overshadowed by unnecessary gimmicks.”
A third fumed: “@channel5_tv, congratulations for ruining the Dale Winton story… What’s with the stupid interference on the picture and zooming in on the pictures, ridiculous, spoilt a good show, had to turn it off… Sorry Dale…!”
Dale Winton's career highlights
Here we take a quick look at the much-loved late TV personality's showbiz history...
- Dale started DJing in 1972 at clubs in and around Richmond, London, where he met LBC radio presenter Steve Allen
- He got his big break on TV in 1986 presenting segments of the show Pet Watch
- In 1993, Dale started his most famous presenting role on Supermarket Sweep, which he hosted until the show’s 2007 reboot
- Between the years of 1995 and 1996, he presented BBC gameshow Pets Win Prizes
- The bubbly personality played a gameshow host in Danny Boyle’s 1996 cult classic movie Trainspotting
- In 1997, Dale presented the final of The Great British Song Contest
- He took over from Alan Freeman to present Pick of the Pops on BBC Radio 2 in 2000, which he fronted right up until 2010, when he was replaced by Tony Blackburn
- Dale fronted Channel 5’s Touch The Truck in 2001
- He hosted the National Lottery’s In It To Win it for 18 series between 2002 and 2016
- In 2008, Dale returned to the BBC to present gameshow Hole in the Wall
- He presented the one-off ITV special Dale’s Great Getaway in 2012
- As well as being the anchor on a host of gameshows, Dale also appeared in a number of beloved TV dramas, sitcoms and comedy shows, incliding Drop the Dead Donkey in 1996, The Lily Savage Show in 1997, Gimme Gimme Gimme in 1999, One Foot in the Grave in 2000, Absolutely Fabulous in 2001 and Come Fly with Me in 2011
One viewer griped that there were too many interviews with his pals and not enough focus on Dale himself.
She wrote: “I think there’s more features of Dale Winton in this book than there is on this show! Wheres the features of his face on this show rather than hear from his mates doing ‘interviews’.”
A fifth echoed: “I feel like this show should he called ‘dale winton’s friends’ because I’m not seeing as much content of him as I would love!!! How dare they @channel5_tv #dalewinton.”
The documentary aimed to honor Dale’s lively personality and lasting impact as a beloved TV and radio personality.
However, the heavy-handed editing seemed to have overshadowed the intended tribute, leaving many fans disappointed and disheartened.
But despite some negative feedback, others seemed to enjoy the documentary and praised it.
One wrote: “Well done Channel 5 for telling Dale’s story so beautifully!”
A second added: “Dale was a national treasure, he will always be remembered. Thank you Channel 5 for such a wonderful documentary.”
In Dale’s final TV interview in 2016 he revealed he was struggling to meet someone to spend his life with.
The star said: “Nobody wants a camp, over 60-year-old man. I can’t go on dating sites. I’m quite well known so the minute you see the picture it’s desperately unattractive to another gay man to find a guy in showbusiness on there.”
He added: “It’s time I went from troubled boys to nice guys”.
In 2018, he made a comeback to television with a new show on Channel 5 called Dale’s Florida Fly Drive, but he passed away before the entire series aired.
In April 2018, Dale Winton was found dead at his new home in North London – sparking false rumours that he had taken his life.
Confirming the news of his death, Dale’s long-time agent Jan Kennedy said: “It is with great sadness that we can confirm the passing of Dale Winton who died at home earlier today.
“While we know many will share this terrible loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this time of grief.”
A month later in May 2018, Dale’s close friend Gloria Hunniford revealed Dale died alone in his bed after suffering ill health and rubbished claims that the star had taken his life.
Gloria shared: “I just think it’s so sad when people say he took his own life. So many people have said, ‘It’s such a shame he committed suicide’.
“But he didn’t. He did not commit suicide and I’m keen to set the record straight.”