Dame Esther Rantzen dies at 86 as Britain remembers a broadcasting icon

Dame Esther Rantzen, the much-loved presenter, journalist and campaigner who founded Childline, has died aged 86.

The veteran broadcaster died on Wednesday, September 30, with the news confirmed by her family. She leaves behind a remarkable career spanning more than six decades, from groundbreaking television to some of Britain’s best-known charities.

A familiar face on British television

Rantzen became a household name as the presenter of That’s Life!, the BBC programme which combined consumer investigations, serious social issues and humour.

She presented the show for 21 years, from 1973 until 1994, with the programme regularly attracting audiences of between 15 and 20 million viewers at its height.

The programme was known for investigating viewers’ complaints and exposing problems affecting ordinary people, while its lighter features helped make Rantzen one of the most recognisable television personalities of her generation.

Among its most memorable moments came in 1988, when Rantzen introduced viewers to Nicholas Winton, who had helped rescue 669 children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia before the Second World War.

Her work also helped bring subjects including child abuse, addiction, mental health and stillbirth into mainstream television discussions at a time when many remained taboo.

The creation of Childline

Perhaps Rantzen’s most enduring legacy came from her work away from the television studio.

In 1986, she established Childline after an edition of That’s Life! examining child abuse prompted the BBC to open telephone lines for children and young people.

The response was overwhelming, revealing the scale of the need for a confidential service where children could speak about abuse, neglect and other problems.

Childline subsequently became one of Britain’s best-known children’s support services and merged with the NSPCC in 2006.

Rantzen later turned her attention to loneliness among older people, founding The Silver Line, a confidential telephone service for older people.

Her charity work was recognised with a damehood in 2015 for services to children and older people.

Her final campaign

In 2023, Rantzen revealed that she had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.

She subsequently became a prominent campaigner for a change in UK law surrounding assisted dying, drawing on her own experiences of living with terminal illness.

She had joined Dignitas in Switzerland and had previously intended to travel there, but in September 2026 said she had become too physically fragile to make the journey.

Her campaigning continued to attract attention during debates over assisted dying legislation, making the subject one of the defining issues of her final years.

Family pay tribute

Following her death, Rantzen’s three children, Miriam, Rebecca and Joshua, described their mother as the “most wonderful mother” and a “cherished grandmother” to her five grandchildren.

They said her legacy of compassion and understanding would live on through Childline and The Silver Line, adding that she had an “endless capacity for joy”.

They also remembered her humour, ingenuity and determination, and asked for privacy while the family grieves.

Tributes have since come from across broadcasting, politics and the charitable sector.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Rantzen had “changed countless lives”, while Childline director Shaun Friel described her as an inspirational individual who had changed the way society viewed children.

Her career ultimately stretched far beyond television. From confronting consumer problems on That’s Life! to giving vulnerable children a voice and challenging the way Britain approached loneliness and terminal illness, Rantzen remained a public figure closely associated with campaigning for people who felt unheard.