Letter: Jack Gold’s early film Ninety Days deserves to be remembered
One of the most important early films directed by Jack Gold was Ninety Days, broadcast by the BBC in June 1966. It was based on the account by the anti-apartheid activist Ruth First of her detention...
View ArticlePeter Wescombe obituary
My grandfather Peter Wescombe, who has died aged 89, was 13 when the second world war was declared. During the next seven years, Long Tall Charlie or Lanky, as he was known during his teens, played...
View ArticleCharles Notcutt obituary
My father, Charles Notcutt, who has died aged 81, was an inspirational and popular leader of the horticultural community, serving on a number of its trade bodies and helping to promote education and...
View ArticleMartin West obituary
Scholar of ancient Greek poetryThe pre-eminent scholar of ancient Greek poetry Martin West, who has died aged 77, compared his work to a climbing-frame – something three-dimensional to move about in,...
View ArticleBrian Nisbet obituary
My friend Brian Nisbet, who has died aged 56 of the neurological disorder multiple system atrophy (MSA), was a careers adviser and a published poet.He was born in Haddington, East Lothian, to Joseph, a...
View ArticleRamesh Vyas obituary
Our father, Ramesh Vyas, who has died aged 82, was a gentle, modest man who had an unerring sense of justice; someone who took pleasure in quietly challenging whatever prevailing prejudices and...
View ArticleStephen Lewis obituary
Actor whose career was dominated by the role of Blakey in On the BusesStephen Lewis, who has died aged 88, spent much of his long career playing variations of the character of Inspector Cyril “Blakey”...
View ArticlePatricia Barrie obituary
My mother, Patricia Barrie, who has died aged 94, was a successful actor in her early 20s, before she gave up her career to raise a family.Paddy – as she was always known – fell in love with acting as...
View ArticlePatricia Cross obituary
The life of my grandmother, Patricia Cross, who has died aged 93, was profoundly affected by the second world war and the subsequent provision of healthcare, housing and education, from which her...
View ArticleKate Taylor obituary
My friend Kate Taylor, who has died aged 86, was a teacher and lecturer with a passion for the history of Wakefield, her home city, and especially its architectural heritage.Kate was one of three...
View ArticleJasmer Singh Rai obituary
My father, Jasmer Singh Rai, who has died aged 94, was a businessman who tackled racism and worked for employment rights.Son of Jaswant Singh and Tej Kaur, he was born in Moranwali, in the Punjab...
View ArticleSheila Hancock on Jack Gold: he was the director my husband John Thaw loved...
My husband John Thaw worked with many directors, some of whom cut their teeth working on the Sweeney, Kavanagh QC and Morse before going on to illustrious careers.Jack Gold was there at the start of...
View ArticleJohn Hull obituary
Theologian who wrote an important book on the experience of going blindJohn Hull, who has died aged 80, was a religious education writer, editor and researcher. After he became totally blind in 1980,...
View ArticleLetter: Mike Hall’s charisma and energy was a great help to homeless people
Mike Hall was a charismatic figure who had ambitious ideas on how to relieve the plight of homeless people. He played a major part – indeed for many years the major part – in the development of the...
View ArticleLetter: Stephen Lewis helped my electioneering by touring Hartlepool in a bus...
I was Labour’s candidate for Cleveland and Yorkshire North in the 1984 European elections. Stephen Lewis offered to help our campaign and it was decided to deploy him to Hartlepool. He toured the town,...
View ArticleLetter: ‘Paul Spencer’s anthropological perspective was an eye-opener’
In his obituary of Paul Spencer, Richard Waller talks of Paul’s nine years with the Tavistock Institute in the 1960s as a period in which he carried out “sociological research unrelated to his work in...
View ArticleLetter: Spencer Millham knew about the pain of institutional life
Nobody knew more about the pain of institutional life for young people than Spencer Millham, but he laced his observations with great humour. I recall him telling an audience that most murders take...
View ArticleGiuseppe Alessi obituary
When my father, Giuseppe Alessi, who has died aged 82, arrived in Accrington, Lancashire, from Sicily in 1961, he had already been in tailoring since the age of 10, making his own suits by the age of...
View ArticleNora Tomlinson obituary
My mother, Nora Tomlinson, who has died aged 77, was a lifelong educator of both herself and other people, and a passionate believer in fighting injustice and inequality.The only daughter of Edward...
View ArticleBob Johnston obituary
Record producer who played a significant role in the recording career of Bob DylanBob Dylan’s curious decision to begin To Be Alone With You, a track on the album Nashville Skyline (1968), with a...
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