Voting Station

Alistair Cooke

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Commentator

The Resume

    (November 20, 1908-March 30, 2004)
    Born near Manchester, England
    Birth name was Alfred Cooke
    Resided in New York, New York
    Host of ‘Letter from America’ on BBC radio (1946-2004)
    Foreign Correspondent for the ‘Guardian (1947-1972)’
    Host of ‘Masterpiece Theatre’ on PBS (1971-1992)
    Knighted (1973)

Why he might be annoying:

    He hosted the stuffy PBS series ‘Masterpiece Theatre.’
    Britons assumed he was American, and Americans assumed he was British, but he was really a British-born American.
    He was a heavy smoker.
    He would often phone in newspaper stories at the last minute.
    He despised Ronald Reagan, and claimed that Bill Clinton cheated at golf.
    He published an article called ‘Harry S Truman: A Study in Failure’ the day before Truman was elected president in a landslide.
    Some say he continued to do his radio show too long.
    One critic wrote: ‘Sadly, age has taken now its toll, and Cooke is now well past his sell-by date.’

Why he might not be annoying:

    He did his radio show for 58 years, making it the longest-running series in broadcasting history.
    He continued working until just before his death.
    He won many broadcasting awards and prizes.
    He received a knighthood, but could not be called ‘Sir Alistair’ because he became an American citizen.
    He correctly predicted that paranoia about Communism would sweep the U.S. in the 1950’s.
    He was standing a few feet away from Robert Kennedy when he was shot.
    He was a talented pianist.
    He loved jazz and blues.
    He was parodied on ‘Saturday Night Live’ and ‘Sesame Street.’
    After his death, the funeral home secretly removed his legs and illegally sold them for medical transplants (reported February 24, 2006).

Credit: Wieland Kalligaro


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 17 Votes: 5.88% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 17 Votes: 35.29% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 21 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 15 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 33 Votes: 48.48% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 47 Votes: 38.30% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 40 Votes: 45.00% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 86 Votes: 45.35% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 146 Votes: 45.21% Annoying
    In 2005, Out of 43 Votes: 44.19% Annoying