Obituaries occupy a unique and special place in several national newspapers – some readers admit that they turn to that page avidly before reading anything else.
Since 1977 Hugo Vickers has written numerous obituaries, mostly anonymously, in papers such as The Times and the Daily Telegraph. He has also written under his own name in The Independent, where he was the first to present a whole page by one hand for Rex Harrison in 1990, and two pages for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 2002.
In this lively talk Hugo reveals how these are done, explaining the subtle codes used – ‘His business ethics did not always adhere to the high standards demanded by the City of London’ – and highlighting some of the pitfalls and crises that can occur in the production of these mini-biographies.
Speaker: Hugo Vickers
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Additional Information: Includes full afternoon tea and glass of champagne