Barry Norman
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Barry Leslie Norman (21 August 1933 – 30 June 2017) was a British
film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, magazines and other popular mass-media outl ...
, television presenter and journalist. He presented the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's cinema review programme, '' Film...'', from 1972 to 1998.


Early life

Born at St Thomas’s Hospital, London, on 21 August 1933, Norman was the eldest of three children of film director Leslie Norman, and Elizabeth Norman (née Crafford).'' Who's Who 2013'' He was brother of script editor and director
Valerie Norman Valerie may refer to: People *Saint Valerie (disambiguation), a number of saints went by the name Valerie *Valerie (given name), a feminine given name Songs *"Valerie", a 1981 song by Quarterflash, from ''Quarterflash'' *"Valerie", a 1982 son ...
(making him the former brother-in-law of Bernard Williams). Norman was educated at a state primary school and then at
Hurstpierpoint College (''Blessed are the pure in heart'') , established = , closed = , type = Public SchoolIndependent School , religious_affiliation = Church of England , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Dominic M ...
in
West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ...
– at the time, the college did not admit the sons of tradespeople and there was a lengthy debate as to whether his father's occupation as a
film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly involves the use of digital technology. The film ed ...
was a trade or not. At age 12 he went to Highgate School, then an all-boys independent school in North London from January 1946 until July 1951. He did not go to university, opting instead to study shipping management at Islington Technical College.


Career

Norman began his career in journalism with the West London newspaper ''The Kensington News''. He later spent a period in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
working for '' The Star'' in
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...
, then moving to
Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...
, Rhodesia (now known as
Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...
,
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...
) where he wrote for '' The Rhodesia Herald''. In Africa he developed a hostility to the effects of
apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
. When he returned to the UK, he became a gossip columnist for the '' Daily Sketch'', and then show business editor of the '' Daily Mail'' until March 1971, when he was made redundant when the two papers merged. Subsequently, he wrote a column for ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...
'' and each Wednesday for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', also contributing leader columns to the newspaper. He was one of the collaborators with Wally Fawkes on the long-running cartoon strip '' Flook''. He contributed a column to the '' Radio Times'' for many years, and wrote several novels. He presented
BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
's '' Film...'' programme from 1972, becoming the sole presenter the following year. The theme can be heard briefly on Judith Durham's "I wish i knew" 1970 from Gift of Song album. Norman's involvement was interrupted in 1982 by a brief spell presenting '' Omnibus''. After returning to the ''Film'' series in 1983, Norman became increasingly irritated by the BBC's reluctance to screen it at a regular time, and in 1998 finally accepted an offer to work for BSkyB, where he remained for three years. Jonathan Ross took his place as the BBC programme's presenter. In a 2013 article for the ''Radio Times'', Norman listed what he considered to be the 49 best British films of all time. The list included '' The Cruel Sea'' (1953), ''
Chariots of Fire ''Chariots of Fire'' is a 1981 British historical sports drama film directed by Hugh Hudson, written by Colin Welland and produced by David Puttnam. It is based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell ...
'' (1981) and ''
Skyfall ''Skyfall'' is a 2012 spy film and the twenty-third in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. The film is the third to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond and features Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the vill ...
'' (2012). Norman explained: "In most cases the criteria I used was whether these films were going to last; whether new generations of cinema goers would want to watch them in 20 years time ..Most are quite old films, but they all appeal to this generation of film-goers as much as they did when they were first made." Norman wrote and presented a number of documentary series for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
and ITV, including '' Hollywood Greats'' (1977–1983), ''Barry Norman's Guide to American Soaps'' (1985), ''Talking Pictures'' (1987) and ''Soaps Down Under'' in 1991. In 1982 Norman presented Omnibus. Norman was, together with Elton Welsby, the main
anchorman A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet ...
for
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
's coverage of the
1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
in
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
. Norman presented part of
Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...
in 1990 and 1991. He was for some years a regular radio broadcaster on
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
. In 1974, he presented ''
Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...
'', and was the first chairman of ''
The News Quiz ''The News Quiz'' is a British topical panel game broadcast on BBC Radio 4. History ''The News Quiz'' was first broadcast in 1977 with Barry Norman as chairman. Subsequently, it was chaired by Barry Took from 1979 to 1981, Simon Hoggart f ...
''. He was the original presenter of the BBC Radio 4 transport and travel show ''Going Places'' and of its sister travel magazine, '' Breakaway''. Other shows included ''The Chip Shop'', an early 1980s series dedicated to the emerging home computer industry. In 1996, he presented an interview series for BBC Radio 5 Live. He was associated with the phrase "and why not?", which was often attributed to that of his puppet likeness on the satirical ITV show '' Spitting Image''. Norman explained to ''
Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' magazine in 2014, however, that it had originated from a
Rory Bremner Roderick Keith Ogilvy "Rory" Bremner,"Rory Bremner". '' Who Do You Think You Are?''. Wall to Wall for BBC One. 2 February 2009. No. 1, series 6. (born 6 April 1961) is a Scottish impressionist and comedian, noted for his work in political sati ...
sketch show on Channel 4. Norman later adopted the phrase himself, and it is the title of his 2003 autobiography. In 2008, Norman launched a brand of
pickled onion Pickled onions are a food item consisting of onions (cultivars of '' Allium cepa'') pickled in a solution of vinegar and salt, often with other preservatives and flavourings.Diana Narracott on 12 October 1957; the couple lived in
Datchworth Datchworth is a village and civil parish between the towns of Hertford, Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City in the county of Hertfordshire, England. Sited on the Roman road from St Albans to Puckeridge, the village has examples of Saxon clearings in ...
, Hertfordshire, for many years, and both of their daughters (Samantha and Emma) were born there. Diana Norman died on 27 January 2011 at the age of 77. Norman's 2013 book ''See You in the Morning'' was written as a celebration of their life together. Norman had a passion for
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
and wrote a book on the subject. He was a member of the MCC and enjoyed spending time at Lord's watching cricket.


Politics

He was a supporter of the Liberal Democrats, having been a supporter of the Labour Party until the formation of the Social Democratic Party in 1981. He named
Shirley Williams Shirley Vivian Teresa Brittain Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby, (' Catlin; 27 July 1930 – 12 April 2021) was a British politician and academic. Originally a Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP), she served in the Labour cabinet from ...
as the politician he most admired.


Death

Barry Norman died in his sleep, aged 83, on 30 June 2017, at the Lister Hospital in Stevenage having been afflicted with lung cancer in his later years. He was buried in the graveyard of All Saints' Church, in
Datchworth Datchworth is a village and civil parish between the towns of Hertford, Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City in the county of Hertfordshire, England. Sited on the Roman road from St Albans to Puckeridge, the village has examples of Saxon clearings in ...
, Hertfordshire. A memorial service was held at St Paul's, Covent Garden in April 2018.


Tributes

Writing in ''The Guardian'', journalist Dennis Barker and film critic Derek Malcolm said that Norman "perfected a flair for talking beguilingly about cinema to a mass television audience but in a way that did not make true aficionados wince. As the presenter and critic of BBC TV’s original ''Film 72'' through to ''Film 98'', he was knowledgeable without affectation, and he did not seem overawed by the industry's leading lights." Chief ''Guardian'' film critic
Peter Bradshaw Peter Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire''. Early life and education Bradshaw was educated at Haberdasher ...
wrote that Norman's "enthusiasm and love for film always shone through" and he was "an accessible, unpretentious surveyor of cinema". Mark Kermode wrote that "watching Barry Norman review films was a pleasure, an education, and an inspiration. Wit, knowledge and wry enthusiasm. He was the Master", and Jonathan Ross, who replaced him as presenter of the BBC's ''Film...'' series, described him as "a great critic and a lovely, lovely man".


Awards and honours

* BAFTA's Richard Dimbleby Award, 1981. * Magazine Columnist of the Year, 1991. * Commander of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(CBE), 1998.


Bibliography

* ''The Bumper Book of Cricket'', (2009). * ''100 Best Films of the Century'', (1992). *''The Bird Dog Tape'', (1992). * ''The Mickey Mouse affair'', (1996). * ''And Why Not?: Memoirs of a Film Lover'' (2003). * ''See You in the Morning'' (2013). Doubleday, *


References


External links

*
Clive Conway Celebrity Productions page on Barry Norman

A delightful and intelligent critic: Barry Norman obituary
at ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''
Barry Norman's final column, 21 July 2017
for '' Radio Times'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Barry 1933 births 2017 deaths BBC newsreaders and journalists Daily Mail journalists Deaths from lung cancer English film critics English television presenters The Guardian journalists People educated at Highgate School English writers Liberal Democrats (UK) people Labour Party (UK) people The Observer people British comics writers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Hurstpierpoint College