Barry Norman has passed away

Sad news for a Saturday. Film critic Barry Norman has passed away at the age of 83. He died in his sleep on Friday night.

For many of us here in the UK he was the film critic we grew up with. Norman hosted BBC One’s Film… show between 1972 and 1998, as well as writing for the Daily Mail and the Guardian.

A statement from his daughters, Samantha and Emma, called him “remarkable” – “He had a great life, a wonderful marriage and an enviable career. He leaves behind a family who adore him and a great roster of friends who love him too. We will miss him more than we can say.”

His literary agent, Curtis Brown, described him as “the defining voice of film criticism and insightful interviewing of screen legends from both sides of the camera.”

I used to love watching the Film… shows when he was on it. I didn’t always agree with him, but always enjoyed hearing his thoughts.

Oh and he also had a family recipe for pickle that has been passed down through generations, and which was used as the recipe for his own brand of pickled onions, which went on sale in September 2007.

He also wrote an autobiography called And Why Not? and a memoir called See You In The Morning.

He was married to his late wife, author Diana Norman, for 54 years until she passed away in 2011 aged 77.

Jonathan Ross, who took over presenting Film… after Barry shared the following:

Very sad to hear that Barry Norman has left us. A great critic and a lovely, lovely man.

— Jonathan Ross (@wossy) July 1, 2017