Esther Louise Rantzen CBE (born on 22 June 1940 (1940-06-22) (age 66)) is a British journalist and television presenter who is best known for her long stint in That's Life! and her anti paedophile activism activities as founder of the charity ChildLine. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... A television presenter is a British term for a person who introduces or hosts television programmes. ... Thats Life! was a television magazine-style series on BBC between 1973 and 1994, presented by Esther Rantzen throughout the entire run, with various changes of co-presenters. ... Anti-pedophile (or anti-paedophile) activism encompasses opposition to pedophiles, pro-pedophile activism, child pornography and child sexual abuse. ... ChildLine is a UK-based childrens helpline. ...

Biography

Born in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England, UK, Europe into a Jewish family, and educated at Somerville College, Oxford, Rantzen began her television career as a production assistant on the BBC Two documentary series Man Alive in the mid-1960s. Berkhamsted is a historic town of some 19,000 people. ... Hertfordshire (pronounced Hartfordshire and abbreviated as Herts) is an inland county in the United Kingdom and part of the East of England Government Office region. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the Queen England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2007 estimate 50... World map showing the location of Europe. ... Full name Somerville College Motto Donec rursus impleat orbem Named after Mary Somerville Previous Names Somerville Hall Established 1879 Sister College Girton College Principal Dame Fiona Caldicott JCR President Simon Bruegger MCR President Allen Middlebro Location Woodstock Road, Oxford Undergraduates 396 Graduates 88 Homepage Boat Club Somerville College is one... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Man Alive was a popular documentary and current affairs series that ran on BBC Television from 1965 to 1981. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...

In 1968, Rantzen became one of the onscreen researcher/presenters of Bernard Braden’s pro-consumer show Braden's Week. When Braden appeared in margarine advertisements, the BBC decided that this was inconsistent with his image as a consumer advocate and replaced Braden’s Week with the more populist That's Life!, presented by Esther Rantzen. The format was very similar, including a Fletcher (Cyril not Ronald) to read out amusing misprints. Braden's replacement by Rantzen was deeply resented by his wife Barbara Kelly, who spoke bitterly of it some thirty years later. Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... Bernard Braden was a Canadian, actor and comedian. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion. ... Cyril Fletcher (June 25, 1913 – January 2, 2005) was an English comedian. ... Barbara Kelly (5 October 1924 – 14 January 2007) was a Canadian-born English actress best remembered for her television roles opposite her husband Bernard Braden in the 1950s and 1960s and for many appearances as a panellist on Whats My Line. ...

Rantzen also developed the documentary series The Big Time in 1976, which launched the singing career of Sheena Easton. She also briefly hosted a junior version of That's Life in the 1980s. The Big Time was a British documentary and reality television series made by the BBC, which ran from 1976 to 1980. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the 1976 Gregorian calendar. ... Sheena Easton (born Sheena Shirley Orr on April 27, 1959, Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, Scotland) is a Scottish-American Grammy Award-winning pop singer and theatre & television actress. ... This article cites very few or no references or sources. ...

Rantzen devised a TV series called "Hearts of Gold" in 1988 celebrating people who have performed unsung acts of outstanding kindness or courage. The uplifting theme tune was composed by her friend Lynsey De Paul. Lynsey Rubin (born June 11, 1950 in London) is a songwriter and singer. ...

In the 1990s, Rantzen presented an audience discussion programme, Esther, on BBC2. For the band, see 1990s (band). ...

In 2004, Rantzen participated in the BBC One show Strictly Come Dancing (later exported to the USA as Dancing With The Stars). shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... BBC One is the primary television channel of the BBC, and the first in the United Kingdom. ... Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, shown on BBC One based on ballroom dancing. ... Countries with their own version Dancing with the Stars is the name for a number of international television series based on the format of the British series Strictly Come Dancing. ...

In 2006, Rantzen took part in the BBC Two programme Excuse my French and was selected to present a new consumer affairs show with former Watchdog presenter Lynn Faulds Wood, under the title Old Dogs New Tricks. ^[1] For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Excuse My French was a RDF language programme on the BBC where three celebrities with varying levels of French had one month to learn enough of the language to be able to carry out a task related to their area of expertise in French. ... Consumer protection is a form of government regulation which protects the interests of consumers. ... Watchdog is a BBC television series that investigates viewers reports of problematic experiences with traders, retailers, and other companies around the UK. It has had great success in changing the awareness consumers have of their purchasing rights and in changing policies of companies, closing businesses down and pushing for law... Lynn Faulds Wood (born 1950 in Loch Lomond, Arrochar, Strathclyde, Scotland, is a British television presenter. ...

Scandal and marriage

In 1970, Rantzen began an affair with Desmond Wilcox that caused a considerable scandal. Not only was Wilcox her Department Head (boss, essentially) but he was also married at the time to Esther's good friend Patsy. The BBC management solution was to move the entire production team on That's Life! out of Wilcox's department. What they didn't consider was that the new arrangement brought Esther and Patsy into daily contact. To say that Esther was unpopular with her peer group at that time would be an understatement. The furore died down somewhat when Esther and Desmond married in 1977. They had three children before Desmond died of an aneurysm in 2000.^[2] 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Desmond Wilcox (May 21, 1931 - September 6, 2000) was a British documentary maker at the BBC and ITV. He was producer of This Week, Man Alive, Thats Life!. // Wilcox ran away from home at age 16 to work as a deckhand in the merchant marine. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Post surgical photo of brain aneurysm survivor. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Honours

In 1991, Rantzen was created an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to broadcasting, and received honorary doctorates from Southampton Institute and the London South Bank University for the creation of Childline and her career as a broadcaster. She was raised to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) on 17 June 2006. Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... Southampton Institute is a University College of 11,000 students based in Southampton, United Kingdom. ... London South Bank University is a central London university with around 20,000 students and 1,700 staff in the London Borough of Southwark. ... June 17 is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Footnotes