Body snatchers steal dead Italian game show host

Police are investigating after the body of Italy's best-loved TV quiz show host was stolen from its tomb.

Detectives believe the thieves plan to ransom the remains of Mike Bongiorno, Italy's equivalent of Bruce Forsyth.

Credited with pioneering the quiz show format in the 1950s, Bongiorno died of a heart attack in Sept 2009 at the age of 85.

Thieves broke into his tomb in a cemetery on the shores of Lake Maggiore, north of Milan, and removed his coffin.

His eldest son, Michele, said his family were "shocked and horrified" by the discovery. "Words cannot describe how we feel," he said.

Former singer and television star, Iva Zanicchi, now an MEP, described the theft as "monstrous".

Instead of Bruce Forsyth's "Nice to see you, to see you - nice!", Bongiorno's trademark greeting was "Allegria!" (Happiness!)

Flanked by bikini-clad showgirls, he presented shows such as the Italian version of Wheel of Fortune and Beat the Clock.

Such was his standing that he was given a state funeral in Milan which was attended by thousands of mourners, including Silvio Berlusconi. ...

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