The TV presenter Michael Barratt, finest identified for his work on BBC’s Nationwide, has died aged 94, his household have introduced.
A press release launched on Sunday by Barratt’s son Olly learn: “We’re very unhappy to report that our beautiful dad/husband/Mike/Michael Barratt died this morning.
“He spent his last days being cared for on the great Thames Hospice in Berkshire, surrounded by his household. A life lived to the total.”
Barratt, who was born in Leeds in 1928, was a Nationwide presenter from 1969 to 1977. The present affairs programme typically attracted an viewers of greater than 10 million viewers and ran till 1983, hosted after Barratt’s departure by the likes of Esther Rantzen, Valerie Singleton, Sue Lawley and David Dimbleby. The long-running Watchdog programme started life as a function on Nationwide.
Amongst these to pay tribute to Barratt was the broadcaster Simon McCoy. He wrote on Twitter: “Such unhappy information. The nicest of males who was excited by issues happening on this planet proper up till the tip.”
One other Twitter person mentioned: “A voice of my childhood who in some way made the information attention-grabbing to a younger little one of seven or 8. Nationwide was a superb programme brilliantly introduced.”
Referring to Barratt’s look as himself in a number of movies and TV sequence, a 3rd posted: “RIP Michael Barratt, journalist and broadcaster, gravelly-voiced presenter of Nationwide, and never averse to sending himself up within the likes of The Goodies, Smashie & Nicey, and The Magic Christian.”
Previous to his time on Nationwide, Barratt was a reporter on the BBC present affairs programme Midlands Right this moment. He went on to current Panorama and 24 Hours.
He additionally chaired Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Query Time from 1973 to 1977 and introduced Thames TV’s Reporting London and Songs of Reward, in addition to writing a number of books.
