Isobel Barnett
Encyclopedia
Lady Isobel Barnett was a British
radio
and television
personality, popular during the 1950s and 1960s.
Isobel Morag Marshall was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, the daughter of a doctor. She went to the independent Mount School
on Dalton Terrace (A59
) in York and, following in her father's footsteps, studied medicine at Glasgow University. She qualified as a doctor in 1940, and, the following year, married solicitor and company director Sir Geoffrey Barnett, who was knighted for political and public services to the city of Leicester
in 1953.
Lady Barnett gave up her medical career in 1948 and for the next twenty years was a Justice of the Peace
. In 1953 she arrived on BBC television as one of the original panel of What's My Line? which made her a household name. She continued to appear on the programme for ten years.
Elegant and witty, she was regarded by audiences as the epitome of the British aristocracy
(although her title actually came from the fact that her solicitor
husband had been knighted; she was not an aristocrat, nor had she married into the aristocracy). She also made regular appearances on the long-running (1948 to date) BBC radio series Any Questions?
, on the radio panel game Many a Slip
and on the women's discussion series The Petticoat Line. The crystal-clear voice and discreet and engaging smile also made Lady Barnett greatly in demand as an after-dinner speaker, a role into which she slipped confidently, always delivering a highly amusing and perfectly polished speech. In 1956, a reviewer predicted that an alien visiting from another planet could ask anyone between the ages of seven and 70 "What is 'What's my line'" and "Who is Isobel Barnett" and be confident of getting an answer.
When the more informal culture of the 1960s and 1970s brought an end to her television career, she descended into a reclusive and eccentric existence. In 1980, she was found guilty of shoplifting
, being fined £75 for stealing a can of tuna and a carton of cream worth 87p from her village grocer. This brought her briefly back into the public eye, and just four days later, she was found dead in the bath at her home in Cossington, Leicestershire
. The coroner returned a verdict of suicide. Kenneth Williams
commented in his diary that the prosecution was "so footling and unnecessary". The shopkeeper, Roger Fowkes said it was a "terrible tragedy" and he was "deeply shocked".
Her story was sensitively recounted by several of her friends and colleagues in a 1991 BBC Radio 4
documentary in the Radio Lives series, which confirmed that she gave no indication whatsoever to any of her friends that she was planning to take her own life, and that she kept up a facade of "business as usual".
Lady Isobel Barnett - whose autobiography, My Life Line, was published in 1956, had one son, Alastair (born 1944), with her husband. Sir Geoffrey died in 1970.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
personality, popular during the 1950s and 1960s.
Isobel Morag Marshall was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, the daughter of a doctor. She went to the independent Mount School
The Mount School, York
The Mount School is a Quaker independent day and boarding school in York, England, for girls aged 11–18. It was founded in 1831. Its preparatory school is called Tregelles, and it accepts only girls from 2012 onwards and has a nursery department. There are two or three forms in Year 7 to 11 and...
on Dalton Terrace (A59
A59 road
The A59 is a major road in the United Kingdom that runs from Liverpool in Merseyside, to York in North Yorkshire.-Merseyside:The A59 begins in the centre of Liverpool at the mouth of the Birkenhead Tunnel, and heads north out of the city, first as Scotland Road in Vauxhall, then Kirkdale Road,...
) in York and, following in her father's footsteps, studied medicine at Glasgow University. She qualified as a doctor in 1940, and, the following year, married solicitor and company director Sir Geoffrey Barnett, who was knighted for political and public services to the city of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
in 1953.
Lady Barnett gave up her medical career in 1948 and for the next twenty years was a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
. In 1953 she arrived on BBC television as one of the original panel of What's My Line? which made her a household name. She continued to appear on the programme for ten years.
Elegant and witty, she was regarded by audiences as the epitome of the British aristocracy
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
(although her title actually came from the fact that her solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
husband had been knighted; she was not an aristocrat, nor had she married into the aristocracy). She also made regular appearances on the long-running (1948 to date) BBC radio series Any Questions?
Any Questions?
Any Questions? is a topical debate radio programme in the United Kingdom.-Format:It is broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on Friday evenings and repeated on Saturday afternoons, when it is followed by a phone-in response programme, Any Answers?, previously a postal response slot...
, on the radio panel game Many a Slip
Many a Slip
Many a Slip was a BBC Radio 4 panel game created by Ian Messiter that ran from 1964 to 1979. It was chaired by Roy Plomley, with a musical mistakes round supplied by musician Steve Race....
and on the women's discussion series The Petticoat Line. The crystal-clear voice and discreet and engaging smile also made Lady Barnett greatly in demand as an after-dinner speaker, a role into which she slipped confidently, always delivering a highly amusing and perfectly polished speech. In 1956, a reviewer predicted that an alien visiting from another planet could ask anyone between the ages of seven and 70 "What is 'What's my line'" and "Who is Isobel Barnett" and be confident of getting an answer.
When the more informal culture of the 1960s and 1970s brought an end to her television career, she descended into a reclusive and eccentric existence. In 1980, she was found guilty of shoplifting
Shoplifting
Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....
, being fined £75 for stealing a can of tuna and a carton of cream worth 87p from her village grocer. This brought her briefly back into the public eye, and just four days later, she was found dead in the bath at her home in Cossington, Leicestershire
Cossington, Leicestershire
thumb|right|Cossington parish churchCossington is a village within the Soar Valley in Leicestershire. It lies between Sileby, Rothley, Ratcliffe-on-the-Wreake and Syston....
. The coroner returned a verdict of suicide. Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
commented in his diary that the prosecution was "so footling and unnecessary". The shopkeeper, Roger Fowkes said it was a "terrible tragedy" and he was "deeply shocked".
Her story was sensitively recounted by several of her friends and colleagues in a 1991 BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
documentary in the Radio Lives series, which confirmed that she gave no indication whatsoever to any of her friends that she was planning to take her own life, and that she kept up a facade of "business as usual".
Lady Isobel Barnett - whose autobiography, My Life Line, was published in 1956, had one son, Alastair (born 1944), with her husband. Sir Geoffrey died in 1970.