Russell Harty

Russell Harty (born September 5, 1934, Blackburn, Lancashire, England—died June 8, 1988, Leeds) was a British writer and television personality who charmed audiences with his intelligence, wit, and audacity, particularly as an irreverent talk-show host with London Weekend Television (LWT; 1972–80) and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC; 1980–88).

Harty received a scholarship to the University of Oxford (B.A. 1957; M.A. 1961) and taught English at Giggleswick Boys School in North Yorkshire (1958–64) and at the City University of New York (1964–66). In 1967 he became a producer for BBC radio, and two years later he moved to television as producer of the LWT arts program Aquarius. After Russell Harty Plus debuted on LWT in 1972, Harty’s air of spontaneity, quirky interviewing style, and North Country speech patterns soon earned him a popular following. He moved to the BBC in 1980 and appeared in documentaries and specials as well as on his live talk show. In 1987 he took on the popular Radio 4 talk show Start the Week, interviewed celebrities for the BBC series Favourite Things, and wrote a witty anecdotal column, “Russell Harty’s Notebook,” for The Sunday Times. Mr. Harty’s Grand Tour, a humorous four-part tour of Europe, was broadcast on the BBC only a few weeks before his death.