Forum for former BBC staff

Forum for former BBC staff
http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl >> Notices, obituaries and tributes >> Barrie Eccleston http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1555915187 Message started by Administrator on Apr 22^nd, 2019, 6:40am

Title: Barrie Eccleston
Post by Administrator on Apr 22^nd, 2019, 6:40am

One of the great characters of Midlands journalism, and one of its best-known voices, Barrie Eccleston, has died. He was 87.
A gifted reporter and broadcaster, Barrie was involved in the launch of two of the BBC’s local radio stations.
After working as an agency man with Caters in Birmingham and Raymonds in Derby and Stoke, Barrie moved to Leicester and Roly Orton’s agency after it got the contract to supply the news for the new BBC local radio station in 1967.
From there he joined the staff of the BBC as News Editor of Radio Derby, for its launch in 1971. It was timely, as Rolls Royce had just gone into bankruptcy and the station went on the air two months early to cover the news.
As well as running the news team, Barrie doubled as the football commentator and reporter, covering Derby County through the Brian Clough and Dave Mackay eras.
The club - and the town - had been starved of success for many years and Barrie became the voice of their resurgence, through two League championships and the revival of Rolls Royce.
His close friend, Norman Innes said: “Barrie was a journalist of the old school, who approached everything with zest and enthusiasm”.
As well as being a fine journalist, Barrie was also very good at most sports, playing cricket and golf into his old age.
He leaves a wife and two daughters.
The funeral will be at 1015 on Friday May 3, at Markeaton Crematorium in Derby, reception afterwards at Duffield Cricket Club.

Title: Re: Barrie Eccleston
Post by Paul.L on May 9^th, 2019, 9:34am

There was 'standing room only' at Barrie Eccleston's funeral at Markeaton Cemetery. Tributes were paid by former Radio Derby journalist Norman Inness; Stuart Webb - formerly of Derby County - and Barrie's daughters Sarah and Rachel.

Among those who travelled to the funeral were former Radio Derby newsmen Bob Eggington, Nigel Kay and Paul Leighton, all of who worked at the station in the seventies. All three ended up working with the BBC in London.
Bob Eggington is a former head of GNS - the radio General News Service. He also launched and ran BBC News Online; when Nigel Kay left the BBC he was Head of Journalism Development. He also presented political programmes on BBC 2 ; Paul Leighton worked as a Radio 4 staff announcer, before spending some 17 years as a newsreader on Radio 2. Also present was former Radio Derby staffer Richard Faulkner - now a TV cameraman in Nottingham.

Barrie was a great support and mentor to many who worked for him and will be valued & remembered with great appreciation by all of us.