Alan Whicker CBE (1925 – 2013)

Where will the world be without Whicker’s World? The answer: “A hell of a lot poorer”. Born in Egypt, this “broadcasting genius” shot footage of the body of Benito Mussolini during the Second World War before beginning a career interviewing the likes of John Paul Getty, the Sultan of Brunei, ‘Papa Doc’ Duvalier and Peter Sellers. A jokey rap, delivered in his style and calld the Wikka Wrap, made the top 20 in 1981 and of an encounter with a television executive at an awards dinner once commented: “She was livid, and said, ‘You’re a fucking icon’ – which struck me as an excellent title for my next book”.