Dame Esther Rantzen spent much of her life speaking up for those whose voices were too easily ignored, from vulnerable children to lonely older people. Jenny Sanders reflects on the broadcaster’s remarkable legacy and asks whether her life should challenge Christians to take more seriously the biblical call to defend the weak and speak for the voiceless.
Esther Rantzen passed away last week at the age of 86. In May 2023, she announced she had stage four lung cancer. The note she left behind said: ‘All good things come to an end.’ She’d planned, and had paid for, a trip to Dignitas in Zurich to end her life on her own terms, but she left it too late, becoming too fragile to travel.
Broadcaster, journalist and champion of the unheard, Esther had a sparkling CV, starting as an assistant in the special effects department of the BBC and then as a researcher on Braden’s Week (1968–1972), a clear forerunner of That’s Life! (1973–1994). For 21 years, she anchored and presented the programme – a mixture of consumer advice, investigative journalism and a slew of campaigns that pioneered changes regarding safer surfaces in children’s playgrounds and compulsory seatbelts in the back of cars.
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Despite being offered the role of first female controller at the BBC by Michael Grade, Esther turned it down, preferring the immediacy and engagement of That’s Life!, which she was loath to give up. Her ‘vox pop’ interviews, asking unprimed members of the public on the street questions about contemporary issues, became a much-copied format and an effective vehicle for hearing from real people about the things that pleased, riled or concerned them.
She married fellow broadcaster and journalist Desmond Wilcox in 1977 and juggled motherhood with her career, becoming a role model for many women of the time, shattering those glass ceilings and making her mark in a career traditionally dominated by men.
Setting up Childline in 1986 became the hallmark of her life.
Setting up Childline in 1986 became the hallmark of her life. The charity began as a safe place for children to speak to someone if they were in danger or distress of any kind. Since launching 40 years ago, Childline has supported millions of children, often with in-depth counselling. On its inaugural night, 50,000 children jammed the phone lines with tales of bullying and abuse. It has become a lifeline for generations of vulnerable children who felt they had no voice.
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Similarly, Esther founded The Silver Line in 2012. The project later became a national service and now operates as part of Age UK, supporting older people, combating isolation and loneliness, as well as signposting community resources and specialised services.
You may remember her gamely joining in the second series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2004, partnering with Anton Du Beke, or appearing in I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in 2008, where she lasted 16 days.
More recently, Esther became a controversial figure through her advocacy for assisted dying.
More recently, Esther became a controversial figure through her advocacy for assisted dying. With vociferous advocates on both sides of the argument, Dignity in Dying was delighted to have Esther speak for them, while the proposed legislation also faced significant opposition from disability campaigners and others concerned about safeguards for vulnerable people.
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Esther declared herself an agnostic, despite embracing her Jewish culture, but never appeared to join the dots as far as embracing the reality of God, Jesus and living, relational faith. Many of the charitable causes she championed from a secular standpoint have their roots in biblical mandates, whether it’s to ‘relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow’ (Isaiah 1:17); ‘Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked’ (Psalm 82:3–4); or ‘Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy’ (Proverbs 31:8–9).
The New Testament repeats these themes (James 1:27; 1 Timothy 5:3) as instructions for the people of God. If nothing else, Esther Rantzen’s life should be a provocation for us to return to the clear instruction to both care for and give a voice to the voiceless.
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