Simon Rodway obituary
My friend Simon Rodway, who has died of cancer aged 65, was an advertising copywriter who changed direction in mid-life to become a tourist guide in London. Simon managed to combine a keen interest in...
View ArticlePeter Farquhar obituary
Few people taught by Peter Farquhar, as I was, would ever forget him. A powerful personality, who taught English for 34 years at Manchester grammar school and Stowe school in Buckinghamshire, Peter,...
View ArticleMartin Cox obituary
My friend and former colleague Martin Cox, who has died at the age of 74 while on holiday in Portugal, was a committed public service broadcaster who worked on Radio 4’s Today, PM and other programmes....
View ArticleJohn Parry obituary
My father, John Parry, who has died aged 92, was a missionary doctor who established Mbereshi hospital in what was then rural Northern Rhodesia, and guided it through that country’s transition from...
View ArticleJonah Lomu obituary
All Blacks wing who became one of the first worldwide stars of rugby unionEllis Park, Johannesburg, on 24 June 1995 was the setting for the most momentous rugby union match of all time: the World Cup...
View ArticleYolanda Sonnabend obituary
Stage designer and portrait painter, renowned for her work with the choreographer Kenneth MacMillanYolanda Sonnabend’s professional career as a stage designer was blessed with success from the outset....
View ArticleStephen Greif on Warren Mitchell: ‘He carried off every major theatre acting...
In 1975, Warren Mitchell and I, playing father and son, were rehearsing a scene from Moss, a BBC Play for Today, by Bernard Kops. During a black comedy moment, I had to mouth off in a horribly lairy...
View ArticleLauretta Ngcobo obituary
South African writer and activist whose work explored apartheid and the struggle of black womenLauretta Ngcobo, who has died aged 84, was a distinguished South African writer and activist. Her novels...
View ArticleRanjana Ash obituary
Literary critic who championed south Asian and African authorsRanjana Ash, who has died aged 90, was a leading advocate of south Asian literature. Her knowledge of the great writers of India was...
View ArticleStephen Hayward obituary
Stephen Hayward, who has died of a heart attack aged 61, founded the independent publisher Serif in 1992 and ran it from his east London home with great creative care. The book jackets, by Pentagram...
View ArticleJohn Roberts obituary
My father, John Roberts, who has died aged 74, worked in the probation service for most of his career and committed much of his life to the protection of people suffering from domestic violence.Born in...
View ArticleLetters: How Warren Mitchell lit up the BBC staff canteen
Giles Oakley writes: The staff canteen serving the BBC rehearsal rooms in Acton, west London, always afforded wonderful opportunities for producers like me to spot off-duty stars such as Sir John...
View ArticleJohn Peel obituary
Anthropologist and sociologist whose books explored the role of belief in the lives of the Yoruba people of south-western NigeriaJohn Peel, who has died aged 73, was a leading figure in the British...
View ArticleKeith Michell obituary
Actor and theatre director best known for his many portrayals of Henry VIIIRegally tall and strong-featured, the Australian-born actor Keith Michell, who has died aged 89, made his reputation in the...
View ArticleBen Kerwood obituary
My friend Ben Kerwood, who has died aged 77, taught history and was a housemaster for boarders at Lord Williams’s school in Thame, Oxfordshire, for many years; his head there described him as “a...
View ArticlePat Bearfield obituary
Our father, Pat Bearfield, who has died aged 88, was one of life’s quiet Samaritans. Catholicism was one of the pillars of his life, a concern for social justice was the other. As a young man he joined...
View ArticleJim Slater obituary
Financier who built a reputation for ruthless asset stripping as head of investment group Slater WalkerJim Slater, who has died aged 86, was so successful for a few years during the 1960s financial...
View ArticleThe Rev Gordon Barritt obituary
Methodist minister who as principal of National Children’s Home oversaw a period of radical changeDuring Gordon Barritt’s 16 years as head of National Children’s Home (now Action for Children) there...
View ArticlePeter Dimmock obituary
Television broadcaster and executive who directed BBC coverage of the Queen’s coronation in 1953In the emergent world of television in the 1940s and 50s, Peter Dimmock, who has died aged 94, took a...
View ArticleHazel Adair obituary
Writer of Crossroads and other television and radio soap operasHazel Adair, who has died aged 95, was a pioneer of soap opera on British television. She was the co-creator of Sixpenny Corner, Britain’s...
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