Rantzen dies at 86
Dame Esther Rantzen died at the age of 86, after presenting BBC show That’s Life! for 21 years and launching the charity Childline. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the veteran broadcaster and campaigner had “changed countless lives”. Rantzen hosted and produced That’s Life! during its run from 1973 to 1994, and the show regularly attracted 20 million viewers for its mixture of serious consumer investigations and light-hearted items.
Rantzen launched Childline in 1986 and later launched Silver Line to help elderly people suffering from isolation and loneliness. Rantzen became a prominent campaigner for the legalisation of assisted dying, and she had been terminally ill with lung cancer.
Assisted dying plea
Rantzen revealed she had joined Dignitas, the Swiss assisted dying clinic, in December 2023, but she later said she had reached the point where she was “too physically fragile to make the journey”. Rantzen added that the law must “change and change quickly” as she renewed her plea ahead of the latest debate and vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which failed to pass through the Commons. Rantzen told the Press Association earlier this month that despite having “spent the money and made the plans” to go to Dignitas, she could not travel.
Rantzen had expressed her disappointment after MPs voted against a fresh attempt to introduce the legislation in September, and she said it was “deeply sad that it won’t come soon enough for many of the people who need it”. Rantzen also said, “I am sure a change in the law will come,” as she continued campaigning into her final months.
Tributes and legacy
Dame Esther’s family paid tribute in a statement announcing her death on Wednesday, describing her as the “most wonderful mother” and “cherished grandmother” whose compassion would live on through her charities. BBC director-general Matt Brittin called her a “legend of British broadcasting” and said her contribution to public life was “immeasurable”. Fellow broadcaster and money saving expert Martin Lewis called Rantzen an “inspiration” and a “pioneer” whose “impact and memory will long continue to shine”.
The family statement also said, “We hope the humour, ingenuity and audacity she brought to her work may continue to inspire you as it will do us.” Rantzen was made a dame in 2015 for her services to children and older people, and she had been married to documentary film-maker Desmond Wilcox from 1977 until he died in 2000.