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John Hosken (Read 6712 times)
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John Hosken
Mar 23rd, 2016, 4:31am
 
John Hosken, for many years a Radio News correspondent, has died at the age of 78.  More to follow.   
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« Last Edit: Mar 25th, 2016, 10:20am by Administrator »  

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Re: John Hosken
Reply #1 - Mar 25th, 2016, 12:31pm
 
John Hosken died in hospital, after a short illness.  His funeral was held on Wednesday, March 23rd, 2016, in Southend-on-Sea.

He occupied, for many years the first office in the "Correspondents' Unit" on the third floor of Broadcasting House.  His friends and longest companions there were Chris Underwood (who died in 2012, see here) and Dominick Harrod (who died in 2013, see here).

John Hosken held several different correspondent posts, covering at various times Industry, Environment and Transport. His Cornish "burr" made him a distinctive broadcaster in much demand and he was chosen to commentate on numerous big, live occasions on Radio 4.

He also stood in for Jimmy Young when the Radio 2 presenter was away.

He was a talented mimic and did particularly good impressions of trade union leaders, like Joe Gormley.  

John was a convivial character and liked to have lunch in the Salad Bar in the Langham, where he was particularly fond of the corned beef salad, washed down with a glass of something appropriate.  Another of his habits was to puff away at a pipe while he wrote his scripts or entertained visitors to his office.

He leaves a wife, the former Bush House producer Gillian Gray, and three children from a previous marriage.
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Re: John Hosken
Reply #2 - Mar 25th, 2016, 12:35pm
 
John's son, the BBC journalist Andrew Hosken, has written this obituary of his father:

John Hosken, who has died aged 78, was an enormously versatile BBC correspondent and broadcaster who was as comfortable reporting ‘live’ on great State Occasions as he was reporting on the many industrial disputes of the 1970’s, or standing in for Jimmy Young on his eponymous Radio 2 programme.
 
Appointed in 1973 as the BBC’s Industrial Correspondent, Hosken was scarcely off the airwaves for the following troubled decade of strikes and mass picketing, including coal, steel and rail strikes and the so-called Winter of Discontent of 1978-1979.

He often stayed ahead of the competitive pack of industrial reporters thanks to his close contacts with trades union barons of the day, including Joe Gormley of the National Union of mineworkers and Ray Buckton, leader of ASLEF, the train drivers union.  At the same time, he was held in high respect by the heads of industry with whom he worked closely.
 
In 1983, Hosken became the Corporation’s Transport and Environment correspondent, a wide brief, which encompassed planes, trains and automobiles as well as local government.  At this stage, leftist opposition to government policies had transferred from the unions to local government and Hosken now reported on Margaret Thatcher’s running battles with the GLC of Ken Livingston over abolition as well as those with other left wing councils over rate-capping. Later Hosken reported on the ill-fated introduction of the Poll Tax, or “Community Charge” which became a contributory factor in the fall of Mrs Thatcher.
 
But John Hosken was probably most in his element as a commentator on great state events that included the State Opening of Parliament and, on three occasions, The Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph. In April 1987, he broadcast from the memorial service that was held at Canterbury Cathedral for the 193 victims of the Herald of Free Enterprise ferry disaster. He was also a commentator along the route taken by Charles and Diana for their wedding in 1981. Hosken always said a career highlight was being helicoptered into Baginton Airport on May 30th 1982 to commentate on the historic visit to Coventry by Pope Jean Paul II.
 
Hosken was a distinctive presence on the airwaves, in part thanks to a lilting Cornish accent. He was always proud of his Cornish ancestry and felt deeply honoured to be appointed a Bard of the Gorsedd Kernow, which exists to preserve the history and culture of Cornwall and promote its poetry, music and literature.

Hosken chose the Bardic name Temmik Galosek, which translates from Cornish to “The Mighty Atom”, a primary school nickname! His latest children’s book, ‘SOPHIE STORME’ is set in Cornwall and he travelled to Mexico and the USA for Cousin Jack, his 2-hour Radio 2 documentary on the Cornish diaspora.  Hosken was an active member of MENSA and a Freeman of the City London.
 
Clifford John Hosken was born in Truro on October 31st 1937 and educated at Truro School.  His mother Phyllis went blind when he was a toddler and the radio became a comforting presence. “We were always a radio family,” Hosken once said.  He was once deeply moved when a blind person he encountered in a pub recognised his voice.  He liked to think of all listeners as blind and wrote and broadcast accordingly, particularly when describing events during ‘live’ commentaries.
 
Following two years of National Service in the RAF, he resumed his reporter’s job on The West Briton in Truro. A framed first page of the Briton dated 18 JUNE 1813 took pride of place above his mantle piece. He moved on to the Western Morning News in Plymouth before going to Manchester where he later became Northern Industrial Correspondent of the Daily Herald, which subsequently became The Sun.

His BBC career started in 1966 when he was invited to present Voice of the North. Later, having moved to the  BBC in London, he presented programmes as diverse as ‘Newsdesk, Election Platform, International Assignment and met his childhood radio heroes for the Radio 4 documentary ‘Still A Special Agent’, the story of Dick Barton Special Agent.

On Radio 2, he on several occasions stood in for Jimmy Young in the absence of (the now) Sir “J.Y” and was invited to present several series of a show of his own, ‘Late Night Friday’.

After leaving the BBC Hosken enjoyed a successful freelance career.  The many ‘Omnibus’ documentaries he presented and produced after leaving the BBC staff reflected his wide range of interests:  the story of the invention of the jet engine, meeting its inventor Sir Frank Whittle for his final interview; the impact of the computer on the game of chess; and a behind-the-scenes look at the Bullfight, including a ‘live’ commentary on a bullfight in Seville. He also enjoyed writing fiction, and continued to run every day in the woods around his home.  

In 1978, he married the BBC producer, Gillian Gray. She survives him, as do his three children, Andrew, Petrie and James, from a previous marriage.
 
John Hosken was born on October 31st 1937 and died on March 12, 2016.


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