‘The reason I wanted to get into TV’: producers remember Esther Rantzen

Top producers who worked on That’s Life earlier in their career have reflected on the impact of “trailblazing” late presenter and campaigner Esther Rantzen. 

Rantzen, who has died aged 86, spent two decades presenting the BBC1 magazine format before going on to helm her own chat show, Esther. BBC leaders Matt Brittin and Kate Phillips led earlier tributes.   

Speaking to Broadcast, the creative director of Shift the Thrift indie One Tribe TV, Owen Gay, said Rantzen had been “the reason I wanted to get into TV”. 

“That’s Life! was appointment viewing for a ten-year-old me when I dreamed of making shows, not just watching them,” he said.  

“I joined it as a green AP in 1989 and the lessons I learnt shaped my entire career.” 

The founder and chief creative officer of Casualty 24/7 indie Crackit Productions, Elaine Hackett, also landed her first TV role thanks to Rantzen.  

“I’d been one of the youngest editors in BBC network radio but kept getting rejected for TV jobs despite working for free across a number of series in my spare time,” Hackett explained.  

“Esther offered me a job as an AP on the last series of That’s Life! She knew that if I could tell stories without pictures, I would be able to tell stories with them.” 

Hackett, who went on to work on the Esther chat show, recalls Rantzen’s “fierce and funny” personality which made her believe “anything was possible in the media for a working-class kid”.   

“She wanted to give Oprah a run for her money, and she absolutely did,” she said. 

“Working with Esther, I was threatened by dodgy builders, sent undercover into a psychiatric hospital where male rapists on remand were attacking female abuse patients and followed many stories where small people took on corporate giants and won. 

“She led the way when it came to raising issues that people really cared about, righting wrongs and giving a voice to those that often wouldn’t be heard.” 

Quiet kindness and exacting standards

Gay reflected on Rantzen “exacting” style, revealing she “didn’t suffer fools”.  

“Unlike me at the time, she could immediately get to the heart of a story and express it succinctly and compellingly. And she succeeded, I hope, in rubbing off on me at least a little of the compassion she felt for the audience.” 

This sense of compassion was evidenced by Rantzen secretly orchestrating Gay’s transfer from That’s Life to Watchdog when his contract was up.   

“I only found this out latterly. Truly kind people don’t need you to know their kindness… I must have done a small something to impress her. To this day, that means the world,” he said.  

He also credits Rantzen with “leading the charge” to champion “impactful” female presenters and producers across the BBC’s topical features department.

She helped build a pathway for the likes of her exec producer Bryher Scudamore and her cousin Sarah Caplin, who went on to become editor of Watchdog and hired Anne Robinson as presenter. 

Steve Havers, co-founders of Chateau DIY indie Spark Media Partners, also owes his career break to Rantzen, landing a job as a runner on her unsung heroes format Hearts of Gold in 1993.   

“We were slightly awestruck by Esther. She was completely in control. She wasn’t a shouter and didn’t need to be. Everyone knew she had incredibly high standards, was meticulous about the smallest details and commanded enormous respect,” he said.  

Havers went on to join the final series of That’s Life, working alongside Kate Phillips, opening letters from viewers.  

“Esther was on the board that interviewed me because she understood that the viewers’ postbag was the lifeblood of the programme. That was also when I realised quite how famous she was. We received letters addressed simply to “’er with the big teeth, London” - and somehow they reached us.” 

He highlighted her “incredible clarity of thought” and ability to quickly identify the most important parts of stories.  

“She gave me my start in an industry that became my life and taught me lessons I still carry more than 30 years later.” 

Loyalty and emotional intelligence

Arrow Media chief executive Tom Brisley, who spent three years on That’s Life as a film director, also reflected on Rantzen’s storytelling capabilities.  

“Watching her in action in the cutting room was a masterclass,” he said.  

“Seeing her interview someone taught me when not to ask another question but to pause, knowing the next thing an interviewee said would be best ‘bite’.” 

He also mirrored his management style on how she operating, saying the way she made a team feel like a family is “the blueprint” for how he runs productions and his own company. 

“For someone so high powered in the business, Esther was always approachable. Even with her hectic schedule producing, writing and presenting That’s Life! she made time for everyone. She represented what you can achieve if you passionately believe in what you’re doing.” 

Gay revealed that Rantzen had been active on the ‘That’s Lifers’ WhatsApp group unitl a couple of days before her death, sharing a “coded goodbye and a thank you for all the fun we had shared”. 

Havers suggested the loyalty she inspired is perhaps her greatest testament. He added: “The outpouring of affection and respect on that group over the past few days says a great deal about what she meant to the people who worked with her. That was one hell of a life.”