Richard Paul Bacon (born 30 November 1975) is an English television and radio presenter. He has worked as a reporter or presenter on numerous television shows, including Blue Peter, The Big Breakfast, on ITV's Good Morning Britain as a stand-in presenter, and on radio stations including Capital FM, Xfm London and BBC Radio Five Live. In 2016, Bacon became the presenter of The National Geographic Channel's reboot of its documentary/panel discussion TV series, Explorer. Early life and education Bacon grew up in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, and was educated at St Peter's Church of England Primary School on Bellamy Road, followed by two independent schools, also in Nottinghamshire: at Wellow House School, a preparatory school on Newark Road in the village of Wellow, and then at Worksop College, a boarding school on Windmill Lane in Worksop. He studied Business Studies with Electronics at Nottingham Trent University, but dropped out after a year. Life and career His first job in the media was as a reporter for BBC Radio Nottingham, notably on the programme The Beat. In February 1996, he joined L!VE TV as a reporter; this saw him being banned from the State Opening of Parliament, and having a beer thrown at him by Damon Albarn as he tried to interview him leaving a nightclub. Blue Peter Bacon's television break was as a presenter on the children's show Blue Peter, which he joined on 21 February 1997. He presented alongside Romana D'Annunzio, Katy Hill, Konnie Huq and Stuart Miles. On 19 October 1998, he was the programme's first-ever presenter to have his contract terminated in mid-season, after the tabloid newspaper News of the World published a report of Bacon taking cocaine. His tenure on the programme lasted just over 18 months. The then Head of BBC children's programmes Lorraine Heggessey went on air to explain Bacon's dismissal to CBBC viewers. Bacon was required to return his Blue Peter badge upon his dismissal. TV career since Blue Peter Bacon's television career survived the setback, and he has since presented such shows as The Big Breakfast, Top of the Pops, and reality TV shows Back To Reality and Castaway Exposed. In August 2005, the band The Magic Numbers walked out of Top of the Pops, after Bacon made a remark that was widely thought to be about the body shape of members of the band; during rehearsals he referred to the band as a