Clive James, writer, broadcaster and TV critic, dies aged 80

Clive James, writer, broadcaster and TV critic, dies aged 80

Nov 27 2019

Clive James, the broadcaster, poet and television critic, has died aged 80 after a long illness.

The Australian died at his home in Cambridge on Sunday, his agent confirmed. A private funeral attended by family and close friends took place in the chapel at Pembroke College, Cambridge, on Wednesday afternoon...

...He began writing criticism for literary magazines, before becoming the Observer’s television critic in 1972. There, his deadpan tone made for a markedly new approach to reviewing programmes; he later said he became unpopular in the office for laughing out loud at his own jokes while writing. At the same time, he developed a reputation as a poet, publishing satirical verse about politics and London’s literary landscape, and later as a memoirist, penning a series of autobiographies detailing his childhood in Australia and his move to England. His writing about television led to him stepping in front of the cameras in shows including ITV’s Clive James on Television.

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