John Paul Ross (born 31 December 1956) is an English television and radio presenter, journalist and media personality.
Growing up in outer east London, Ross was educated at Norlington School for Boys, and later read English at the University of Kent.
[citation needed] His first job as a TV presenter was on the current affairs show Eyewitness, which ran for two years and saw him filming in Sicily, the United States, Brazil and Russia.
In September of the same year, he teamed up with Sarah Greene to launch a Sky One afternoon chat show called 1 to 3, aimed primarily at women with a mix of movies, music, celebrities, topical information, lifestyle and entertainment.
[7] In January 1997, Ross presented the first episode of All Over the Shop, his celebrity-based panel game show based on consumer issues.
A critic on Gameshow.com gave All Over the Shop positive remarks by saying: "For an early morning slot, this was quite a perky little show, a fact that must have been recognised due to its spin-off programmes."
[10] In 1997 he presented his late night entertainment programme The Paul Ross Show, broadcast on ITV, which again saw a second series transmitted in 1998.
[citation needed] In 1999, Ross was again playing quizmaster when he presented the game shows Mind The Gap, transmitted on ITV,[11] Life's a Punt for LIVE TV, A Slice of the Action for Carlton Food Network,[12] and the celebrity quiz It's Anybody's Guess, which was commissioned for 40 episodes in the Carlton London region.
[citation needed] Ross was the first contestant to be eliminated on 2003's Comic Relief Does Fame Academy after his singing failed to impress the public voters.
[26] Ross appeared on a celebrity edition of Mastermind, choosing "The Life and Works of Ezra Pound" as his specialist subject.