Dennis Bardens (born 19 July 1911 in Midhurst, Sussex — 7 February 2004

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

) "played a brief, but crucial, role in broadcasting history" as the founder of the BBC television programme ''

Panorama A panorama (formed from Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film, seismic images, or 3D modeling. The word was originally coined in ...

'', a show which would later inspire the American television show ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...

''. Dennis Bardens was a freelance London journalist for most of his career.

Biography

According to his obituary Bardens journalistic career involved work at all the major London newspapers, and even a stint as a spy during World War II. In the words of The Guardian:

"Meanwhile, Bardens was proving himself as a journalist, working, during the 1930s, for the Sunday Chronicle, Sunday Express and Daily Mirror. In 1940, he became a distinguished reporter of the Blitz. After discharge from the Royal Artillery on medical grounds, he spent two years with the Ministry of Information, and was in charge of coordinating plans for newspaper services in Britain in the event of a German invasion. In 1943, he was transferred to liaison work with the Czechoslovak government in exile, which included, at the end of the war, secret service work in Czechoslovakia."

After the war Bardens published history and biography in addition to his occasional journalism. These include, the following, which is not an inclusive list. :Elizabeth Fry (1961) :Churchill in Parliament (1969) :Portrait of a statesman: the personal life story of Sir Anthony Eden (1955) :Lord Justice Birkett (1962) :Princess Margaret (1965) :A History of Barrow Hepburn & Gale (1947) Dennis Barden's books also demonstrate his interest in psychic phenomena, an interest he shared with his good friend,

Austin Osman Spare Austin Osman Spare (30 December 1886 – 15 May 1956) was an English artist and occultism, occultist who worked as both a draughtsman and a painter. Influenced by Symbolism (arts), symbolism and art nouveau his art was known for its clear use o ...

. Bardens wrote ''Ghosts and Hauntings'' 1965, Mysterious Worlds (1970) and ''Psychic Animals: An Investigation of Their Secret Powers'' (1990). Bardens was a member of

The Ghost Club The Ghost Club is a paranormal investigation and research organization, founded in London in 1862. It is believed to be the oldest such organization in the world, though its history has not been continuous. The club still investigates mainly gho ...

and Ghost Club Society, as well as

International Pen PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internationa ...

, the

Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. , it represents over 12,000 members and as ...

and the

National Union of Journalists The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Structure There i ...

. He married Marie Marks in 1936, and their only child

Peter Bardens Peter Bardens (19 June 1945 – 22 January 2002) was an English keyboardist and a founding member of the British progressive rock group Camel. He played keyboards, sang, and wrote songs with Andrew Latimer. During his career, Bardens worked alo ...

(1944–2002) became a rock keyboard musician.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bardens, Dennis 1911 births 2004 deaths British male journalists English writers on paranormal topics Parapsychologists People from Midhurst 20th-century British novelists British male novelists 20th-century English male writers