James Whale was buried with a volley of arrows over his grave in a ceremony attended by Reform leader Nigel Farage on Monday. 

James, who made a name for himself with his irreverent radio banter, died last month aged 74 following a long battle with cancer.

The iconic broadcaster enjoyed a career that stretched over sixty years. Nigel Farage, clad in a dark suit and black tie, attended the service with Lizzie Cundy.

Among the other notable figures at the farewell held at the stunning medieval St Nicolas Church in the charming Kent village of Sandway, near Maidstone, were TV host Eammon Holmes, singer Matt Goss, Jeremy Kyle, and comedian Bobby Davro.

The gathering also saw the presence of soul sensation Leee John from Imagination and acclaimed actor Christopher Biggins. Following the service, James’s family and widow, Nadine, invited attendees to pay tribute to the beloved star at his preferred local pub.

The funeral was so well attended outdoor seating with white wooden chairs was provided so mourners could watch proceedings on a live relay.

In his speech, son James junior said: ‘Dad had a kidney removed when he was first diagnosed and I visited him in hospital, and he only had strength to hold my hand, and I remember that moment like it was yesterday’.

‘Sitting with him as he recovered, I was amazed by his positive energy, and he later devoted himself to charity work. ‘he second time he was diagnosed I drove him up and down to London for appointments and we had only just lost my mother to cancer and here we were facing it again.’

He ended his tribute by saying:’I love you dad, thank you for all the good times. I will miss you so much.’

His widow Nadine also paid tribute and said: ‘I first met James seven years ago and although our time together was short it was truly wonderful despite his illness and it is testament to the fact it is possible to find true deep love late in life.

‘We laughed together a lot, cried, shared our hopes and fears and he instantly became my best friend – even though he could be annoying at times.’

‘James was a man who stirred emotions, controversial diplomatic but authentic, he said what he felt. He never made a fuss even towards the end. I am so proud to be us wife.’

She added: ‘James didn’t want a traditional wooden one, we discussed maybe a whicker one and in the end its a woven wool one.’

Then to laughter from the congregation she added:’I hope he isn’t cross with me as it’s environmentally friendly one.’

Nadine added that he would be ‘buried in the suit worn when he collected his MBE, head phones and an arrow’.

Breaking down she closed her tribute saying:’ There will never be a day when I don’t miss him I but look forward to the day when we see each other again.’ 

Bros singer Matt Goss then sang the Frank Sinatra hit In the Wee Small hours also known as Unforgettable changing the final lyric to add James’ name.

In his sermon James’ brother Keith told mourners how his sibling had asked him to lead the funeral and burial service for him.

Keith said: ‘You do realise that if you want all that then I will have to give a sermon. To which he replied ‘Well, I won’t be there,’ to laugher from these gathered.

‘He lived to broadcast , it energised him and when he went on the air , he looked so much better but the days afterwards he was drained.

‘He was so pleased that Talk Radio gave him the opportunity to work up until the end.’

Keith told the congregation that he had left school with just one CSE but despite that his ‘professional impact was enormous’ as he was later awarded an MBE for his work in radio.

Whale’s career included stints at the BBC, LBC and Talk Radio and he also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and he was first diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2000 and it returned in 2020.  

Former GOT star James Como gave a reading while George Michael’s ex backing singer Shirley Lewis also performed Hallelujah!.

The service ended with three arrows being fired over the coffin after it was lowered into the ground and traffic on a nearby road was held up to allow the unique tribute.

Proceedings were delayed by 15 minutes after musicians were held up in traffic and guests mingled inside the church and outside in the warm sunshine while the hearse carrying the coffin parked nearby.

As his woven wood coffin entered the church covered in pink, white and red roses Bros 1980s hit When Will I be Famous played out while his wife Nadine Lamont Brown followed behind.

Singer Leee John brought the 80-minute service to an end by singing Amazing Grace at the graveside with mourners joining in although Keith pointed out that he ‘didn’t sing as per the order of service’.

Leee joked: ‘But James will have heard us,’ as he led one more verse which ended with applause.

Mourners then moved onto a nearby hotel for a wake with Keith saying: ‘Thank you for coming James would have loved it,’ with the order of service saying:’I don’t want a sombre wake – I want an after party.’

The beloved radio presenter was first diagnosed with cancer in 2000, and doctors predicted he had three months to live before he underwent surgery to remove one of his kidneys. 

The operation proved to be successful and six years later he launched the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer, to fund research and raise awareness of the disease.

Tragically, his cancer returned in 2020 and it was revealed it had also spread to his spine, brain and lungs. 

 In 2021, James remarried – tying the knot with tax advisor Nadine Lamont Brown in a romantic ceremony at Tenterden Town Hall in Kent. 

He later credited his wife Nadine with giving him the strength to continue fighting cancer. 

Speaking in a joint interview with Nadine, he shared: ‘The reason I wanted to go to Dignitas was because I was thinking of others, not me.

‘I’m not scared of dying. I want to be buried in the churchyard at the top of the hill. It’s a great view.’

But James revealed he was ‘glad’ he didn’t make the decision to go because it has given him ‘two great years’ with his wife Nadine.

In a posthumous column for the Express, written in the weeks before his death, James shared a departing message for his fans as he reflected on his life and cancer battle.

The broadcaster, speaking from what he called ‘the great radio studio in the sky’, told how he felt it ‘necessary’ to express his final thoughts before his passing, joking that he ‘couldn’t be silenced in life’.

In his bittersweet message, he accepted his fate though admitted he didn’t want to die, going on to share his sorrow that he wouldn’t be able to enjoy once last festive season with his loved ones.

He penned: ‘It’s safe to say though that I won’t be around to celebrate Christmas and, while that makes me sadder than I can say – there have been plenty of tears – it’s the hand I’ve been dealt.’

Touching on the decline of his health, he went on: ‘The past few months have been hard. Up until earlier this year I was able to get to the Talk studios to do my weekly shows with almost no bother.’

James went on to say that while he had been juggling work with his various medical appointments, things eventually began to get more difficult, with the shock jock quipping: ‘It’s worn me out’.

He added that he’s made it this far with not only the help of the NHS, but also his wife of four years Nadine and his loved ones, while also noting that his interactions with listeners and readers have ‘kept me going’.

In his column, James also shared his curiosity about the future of politics including whether Reform UK wins the next general election, whether Keir Starmer will still be in office or if the Ukraine will finally be free from Russian warmongering.

Reflecting on his decades-long career, James said ‘It’s been a total blast. I’ve been lucky enough to work pretty solidly for more than 50 years in an industry I love – entertaining and outraging listeners and readers and viewers in equal measure and, hopefully, cutting through some of the cr*p!’