That was the life that was

Ned Sherrin dies

Ned Sherrin, the mastermind responsible for bringing Sixties satire boom to TV, has died at the aged of 76.

The veteran broadcaster, host of Radio 4's Loose Ends programme, died in his Chelsea home on Monday afternoon, surrounded by his friends.

Radio 4 controller Mark Damazer said that Sherrin had brought ‘a fabulous cocktail of wit, zest, curiosity and mischief’ to the airwaves.

‘He was a natural broadcaster and got the best out of others,’ he said. ‘He sparkled and made us all laugh.’

BBC director general Mark Thompson added: ‘Ned was a trailblazer who paved the way for the sophisticated modern comedy satire shows that are so much loved by audiences today.

‘The entertainment industry owes Ned Sherrin a huge debt and he will be remembered with enormous affection and gratitude by the BBC and by countless millions of viewers and listeners.’

Sherrin created the BBC first satire show, That Was The Week That Was, in 1962, revolutionising television and comedy. He had been the producer of the daily news magazine show Tonight when he began thinking of a topical comedy programme for Saturday nights, just as Peter Cook started The Establishment club.

TW3, as it became affectionately known, starred David Frost, Millicent Martin, Willie Rushdon, Roy Kinnear and Lance Percival, and had a vast team of writers, from Bill Oddie to Dennis Potter, John Cleese to Roald Dahl.

Sherrin left the BBC in 1966 to produce films, including The Virgin Soldiers, Frankie Howerd’s Up Pompeii and Rentadick, written anonymously by John Cleese and Graham Chapman.

He produced and directed numerous shows London's West End, and was always ready with a theatrical anecdote to share with listeners of Loose Ends, which he fronted for two decades.

He also wrote two volumes of autobiography, several books of quotations and anecdotes, as well as some fiction. He was awarded a CBE in the 1997 New Year's Honours list.

He stopped presenting Loose Ends, which always gave a platform to comedy performers, at the beginning of the year after complaining of voice strain. It was confirmed in April that he had throat cancer.

Here is Sherrin hosting a 1979 American satire show called We Interrupt This Week: