‘That’s Life!’ star Chris Serle has died aged 81.
‘That’s Life!’ star Chris Serle has died aged 81
The passing of the former BBC radio and TV presenter, who rose to fame on the show alongside TV presenters including Dame Esther Rantzen, 84, was confirmed by his family on Monday (23.09.24) – sparking a flood of tributes from BBC figures and television hosts.
Bristol-born Chris was described by his loved ones in a tribute as a “familiar and cherished figure on British television screens throughout the 1970s and 1980s”.
Dame Esther said she was “very sad” to hear that he had died, adding in a statement: “He was as nice off camera as he was in the studio on camera – funny, clever, charming, a very versatile presenter.
“When I first met him he was a producer, but it was clear that he had all the attributes of the best reporters.
“Viewers and listeners of ‘That’s Life!’ and the many other radio and television programmes he presented will be equally sad.”
Actress Judy Matheson, 79, said online: “This is so sad. He was in my first theatre company, travelling all over US; when I first went to rehearse in Bristol he and his family put me up. He was such a terrific guy.”
She added in another caption on X alongside a photo of her smiling up at Chris: “Further to my last post, a memory with the brilliant Chris Serle, with me in my first job with the Bristol Old Vic, on our US tour in the ‘Garden of the Gods’ in Denver in 1967.
“He never seemed to age. We were both novices in professional theatre, but Chris became a polymath. R.I.P.”
The BBC News first reported Chris’ death, hailing him for his work on popular programmes throughout the 1970s and 1980s including ‘In at the Deep End’ and as the long-time host of ‘Points of View’.
He also chaired Radio 4’s ‘Pick of the Week’ between 1981 and 1988 and was the host of a long-running afternoon show on BBC Radio Bristol.
Chris is survived by his wife Ali and their three children, as well as two kids from a previous marriage.
The BBC reported: “His family said funeral and memorial service details are being arranged and will be shared in due course.”