Dame Esther Rantzen, broadcaster, campaigner and charity founder, dies aged 86
Broadcaster and charity founder Dame Esther Rantzen has died at the age of 86. Known for her long-running BBC show 'That's Life!', she also founded the charities Childline and The Silver Line and became a prominent advocate for assisted dying legislation.
Why it matters
Rantzen was a significant cultural figure in the UK whose charitable work fundamentally changed support systems for children and the elderly.
Rantzen with fellow That's Life! presenters Howard Leader, Kevin Devine, and Gavin Campbell in 1993
Dame Esther Rantzen presented the BBC show That's Life! for 21 years during its run from 1973 to 1994, a show that blended consumer rights investigations and entertainment.
She later went on to appear in Strictly Come Dancing, and was inducted into the Royal Television Society's hall of fame in 1997.
It was through her work on That's Life! that Rantzen founded Childline in 1986, a charity that offers a private and confidential helpline for children.
When they set up a helpline for an episode of the BBC television programme on child abuse, the presenter's team was inundated with calls.
Also covering this story
4 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
Dame Esther Rantzen: That's Life! presenter, Childline founder and campaigner for assisted dying
British broadcaster Esther Rantzen dies aged 86
From Childline to changing TV for ever: Esther Rantzen’s revolutionary life
Andy Burnham says Esther Rantzen 'changed countless lives' as tributes pour in after TV star's death
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