Quintin Jardine's blog

I’ve just been advised of the sad and untimely death of Clarissa Dickson-Wright. Some years ago, I  had the privilege of sharing a platform with her in the Brunton Hall, Musselburgh. She was a  warm, funny lady, with a wide experience of life, and she did not shy away from discussing any of it. At that time, she was at the height of her fame as one of television’s Two Fat Ladies, and selling hardback cookery books by the hundred thousand. In an age when cooking shows on telly are ten a penny, that one still stands out; more than that, its legacy continues. Without the precedent of Clarissa and her pal Jennifer, would we ever have seen The Hairy Bikers?

Our acquaintance was brief, but I’ll remember her for ever . . . not least because she was the only person I’ve ever known to have chosen Skinner’s Ordeal as in-flight entertainment, and kept on reading.