Magenta Devine
Born
Kim Taylor

(1957-11-04)4 November 1957[1]
Hemel Hempstead, England[1]
Died6 March 2019(2019-03-06) (aged 61)[1]
London, England
Occupation(s)Television presenter and journalist
Years active1986–2019
Notable credit(s)Network 7,
Rough Guide,
Reportage,
Young, Gifted and Broke[1][2]

Magenta Devine (born Kim Taylor;[3][4] 4 November 1957 – 6 March 2019)[1] was a British television presenter,[3] journalist[5] and music promoter[6] best known for presenting the travel programme Rough Guide and youth programme Reportage on BBC2 in the 1990s.[7][1] She later presented Young, Gifted and Broke for ITV.[2][1]

Career

Devine originally worked for Tony Brainsby, a publicist for Queen, Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake.[8] While still living with boyfriend (ex-Generation X bassist) Tony James, she became the music promoter for James's new band Sigue Sigue Sputnik.[9] She began her television career in 1986 as a presenter of BBC Wales's pop music show Juice.[10] Following her breakup with James, producer Janet Street-Porter booked Devine to be a presenter on Channel 4's youth programme Network 7.[1][9][11] She then moved after Street-Porter to BBC2 to present DEF II, of which Rough Guide was a feature before it became a separate programme.[1][9]

Devine appeared on Richard & Judy in 2004, and on Extreme Celebrity Detox in 2005.[5] Her voice-over work included advertisements for Peugeot, Motorola, Toyota, and Sea France.[12] In 2006, Devine fronted an Office of Fair Trading (OFT) campaign that urged consumers in the travel market to book with a member of Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).[13] In 2001, she narrated a BBC Four programme, The New Romantics – A Fine Romance, on the New Romantic movement.[2][14]

Apart from being a television presenter, she also was UN Goodwill Ambassador in 1998, and campaigned for women's rights.[5]

Later life and death

Devine sought treatment in the 1990s for heroin addiction and depression.[1][9] In 2003, she was declared bankrupt by London's High Court.[12]

Devine died on 6 March 2019, after a short illness for which she was undergoing treatment at a central London hospital. She was 61 years old.[9]

Television programmes

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Pollock, David. "Magenta Devine, TV presenter known for Network 7 and Rough Guide". The Herald. Glasgow: The Herald (Scotland) – Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Magenta De Vine – Filmography". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  3. ^ a b McFadyean, Melanie (17 October 1993). "How We Met: Magenta De Vine and David Okuefuna". The Independent. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  4. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (7 March 2019). "Magenta Devine obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e Mumford, Gwilym (6 March 2019). "Magenta Devine, presenter of Network 7 and Rough Guide, dies aged 61". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  6. ^ "'Aylesbury legend' Magenta Devine dies aged 61". BucksHerald.co.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Media hypocrites fuelled by cocaine". The Independent. 24 October 1998. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  8. ^ Stubbs, David (6 March 2019). "Magenta Devine: an 80s TV icon of effortless style and substance". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h "Magenta Devine, TV presenter, dies at 61". BBC News. BBC. 6 March 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Juice". TVCream.co.uk. TV Cream. 24 April 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Network 7". TVCream.co.uk. TV Cream. 20 September 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Rough times for TV's Magenta". Evening Standard. 27 November 2003. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  13. ^ a b "OFT launches ABTA consumer code of practice". TravelDailyNews.com. TravelDailyNews Media Network. 20 January 2006. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  14. ^ a b "BBC One – The New Romantics: A Fine Romance". BBC. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  15. ^ "TV presenter and former music publicist Magenta Devine has died, aged 61". NME. 6 March 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  16. ^ "Reportage". IMDb. Retrieved 21 October 2019.

External links

Authority control databases
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