Dame Esther Rantzen, Childline Founder and Broadcaster, Dies at 86

Veteran broadcaster and campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen has died at the age of 86. She was known for presenting the BBC consumer affairs program "That's Life!" for 21 years and for founding the children's charity Childline.

Dame Esther died after a battle with terminal lung cancer. In December 2023, she had revealed she had joined Dignitas, the Swiss assisted dying clinic, but stated earlier this month that she had become too physically fragile to make the journey. She had renewed her plea for the law on assisted dying to change.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham called Dame Esther a campaigner who had "changed countless lives." He added that he would "always admire the characteristic courage and openness with which she spoke about her illness, making us all think about the difficult questions we face at the end of life."

"That's Life!" aired from 1973 to 1994 and regularly attracted 20 million viewers with its blend of consumer investigations and light-hearted segments. Notable items included campaigns for abused children, organ transplants, and consumer justice, as well as segments like "talking dogs" and "Jobsworth Awards."

One of the show's most-viewed episodes in 1988 featured Sir Nicholas Winton being introduced to Holocaust survivors he had rescued.

Dame Esther launched Childline in 1986, a service providing a confidential telephone number for children and young people to seek help. In 2013, she established the Silver Line charity to combat isolation and loneliness among the elderly. She was made a Dame in 2015 for her services to children and older people.

Born in 1937, Rantzen began her broadcasting career at BBC radio before moving into television as a researcher. She became a producer and director in 1968 and later worked as a researcher and reporter for the consumer program "Braden's Week."

Her career also included appearances on popular television shows such as "Strictly Come Dancing," "First Dates," and "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!"

Dame Esther was married to documentary film-maker Desmond Wilcox from 1977 until his death in 2000. They had three children.

Paying tribute, BBC director-general Matt Brittin described Dame Esther as a "legend of British broadcasting" whose contribution to public life was "immeasurable." He added that her "warmth, spirit and fight for justice and action that we saw on our screens continued long after the programme ended, with a lifetime of campaigning where she changed the lives of millions."

Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the NSPCC, which operates Childline, stated that Dame Esther had gone to "exceptional lengths to ensure children and young people across the UK had somewhere to turn when they were in need of help."

Bill Buckley, a former co-presenter on "That's Life!", told BBC Radio 4 that Dame Esther was tenacious, saying, "nothing would stop her" when it came to campaigning and that she "saw the light at the end of the tunnel and followed it doggedly."