Raymond Baxter
Encyclopedia
Raymond Frederic Baxter, OBE
(25 January 1922 – 15 September 2006) was a British television presenter and writer. He is best known for being the first presenter of Tomorrow's World
, continuing for 12 years, from 1965 to 1977. He also gave radio commentary at the coronation
of Queen Elizabeth II, the funerals of King George VI
, Winston Churchill
and Lord Mountbatten of Burma
, and the first flight of Concorde
.
in Essex
. His father was a science teacher. He was educated at Ilford County High School
, a grammar school
for boys, from which he was expelled after being caught smoking. He did not go on to a college or university.
and trained as a fighter
pilot in Canada. He first flew Supermarine Spitfire
s with No. 65 Squadron RAF
in Britain, based in Scotland. He joined No. 93 Squadron RAF
, flying over Sicily
in 1943, where he was mentioned in despatches. He returned to England in 1944 as an instructor and was later a flight commander, returning to active service with No. 602 Squadron RAF
in September 1944. On 18 March 1945, he took part in a daring daylight raid on the Shell-Mex
building in The Hague
, which was then the German headquarters for V1 and V2 attacks on southern England. The commander of the raid, Max Sutherland, received a bar to his DFC
and the other four pilots, including Baxter, were mentioned in dispatches.
In an interview about his wartime career, Baxter described once flying over a V-2 rocket
site during a launch, and his wingman firing on the missile: "I dread to think what would have happened if he'd hit the thing!"
He later flew North American Mustang
and Douglas Dakota aircraft for a year, then worked in Forces Broadcasting from 1945 to 1949, based in Cairo
and then Hamburg
, becoming its deputy director. He was demobbed in 1946 as a flight lieutenant
.
in 1952 and Sir Winston Churchill
in 1965, the former commentary given while suspended from the ceiling of Westminster Abbey
. He also reported at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, reporting from Trafalgar Square
.
Baxter was an accomplished rally
driver and competed in the Monte Carlo Rally
twelve times, six of them as a member of the BMC
Works Team. He also competed in numerous Alpine, Tulip
and RAC Rallies, notably satirised in the character Roland Thraxter in Peter Ustinov
's Grand Prix du Rock. He was a crew member in the New Zealand Air Race in 1953, in a BEA
Vickers Viscount
.
Having a distinctive voice, he frequently commentated on motoring and aviation events. He was the BBC's motoring correspondent from 1950 to 1966, including at least twenty Formula One
races, the Le Mans
24-hour race, and the Monte Carlo Rally
. To parody this, he was invited onto I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue
to commentate on sessions of Mornington Crescent
. From 1967 to 1968 he was briefly Director of Motoring Publicity for the British Motor Corporation
, while still presenting for the BBC. Following BMC's takeover by Leyland Motors
it was decided to dispense with Baxter's services in this post, and he returned to work full time for the BBC. He presented the BBC's coverage of Farnborough Airshows from 1950 to 1986. He reported on the first flight of Concorde
and was the first reporter to broadcast from an aeroplane, ocean liner and underwater. For thirty years he was the regular commentator at the Royal British Legion's annual Festival of Remembrance at the Albert Hall
and at the Royal Tournament
. He presented the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in 1960, deputising for an indisposed Richard Dimbleby
.
He presented the science series Eye on Research from 1959 to 1963, and was the first (and initially sole) host of the long-running popular science show Tomorrow's World
for 12 years from July 1965, reaching an audience of up to 10 million viewers. He was the presenter of the first live transatlantic broadcast from the US via Telstar
, the first live telecast from Australia in November 1966, and interviewed South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard
by telephone in 1967, within hours of the completion of the world's first heart transplant operation. Baxter also undertook commercial commissions. He was the presenter for the launch of Gillette's G2 Razors held at the Heathrow Hotel, London, in 1973. He left the Tomorrow's World programme in 1977, after disagreements with its new editor, Michael Blakstad, who described Baxter as a "dinosaur".
He was invited to present the first Raymond Baxter Award for Science Communication in July 2000. He was surprised to find that he was the first recipient.
His death was announced on 15 September 2006, after he died at the age of 84 at the Royal Berkshire Hospital
in Reading
, close to his home in Henley-on-Thames
. In a statement his family said: "He had a love of innovation and challenge both professionally and personally."
from 1979 to 1997, and Vice-President from 1987 to 1997. He became a Life Vice-President in 1997.
He was a founder member of the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships - he owned one of the small vessels that evactuated British troops from the beaches - and its Honorary Admiral from 1982, and Honorary Chairman of the Royal Aeronautical Society
from 1991. He was on the Council of the Air League
from 1980 to 1985.
He was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of London
in 1978 and awarded the OBE
in 2003.
He married his American wife, Sylvia Kathryn Johnson, in 1945. They had a son, Graham, and a daughter, Jenny. Jenny is a fencing coach and former international competitor of some renown.
His wife Sylvia died in 1996.
He was the uncle of the American minimalist artist, Carl Andre
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(25 January 1922 – 15 September 2006) was a British television presenter and writer. He is best known for being the first presenter of Tomorrow's World
Tomorrow's World
Tomorrow's World was a long-running BBC television series, showcasing new developments in the world of science and technology. First aired on 7 July 1965 on BBC1, it ran for 38 years until it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003.- Content :...
, continuing for 12 years, from 1965 to 1977. He also gave radio commentary at the coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
of Queen Elizabeth II, the funerals of King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and Lord Mountbatten of Burma
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, and the first flight of Concorde
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
.
Early life
Baxter was born in IlfordIlford
Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. His father was a science teacher. He was educated at Ilford County High School
Ilford County High School
Ilford County High School is a selective boys' secondary grammar school and a specialist science college in the Barkingside area of the London Borough of Redbridge.ICHS is a four-form entry school, each form comprising up to 30 pupils...
, a grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
for boys, from which he was expelled after being caught smoking. He did not go on to a college or university.
Life and career
Baxter worked for a brief period at the Metropolitan Water Board. In August 1940, during the Second World War, he joined the Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and trained as a fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
pilot in Canada. He first flew Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
s with No. 65 Squadron RAF
No. 65 Squadron RAF
No. 65 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force.-World War I:The squadron was first formed at Wyton on 1 August 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps with a core provided from the training ground at Norwich. By the end of World War I, it had claimed over 200 victories...
in Britain, based in Scotland. He joined No. 93 Squadron RAF
No. 93 Squadron RAF
No. 93 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force during World War II. It operated Turbinlite-equipped Bostons from RAF Burtonwood, making night attacks and towing aerial mine charges with steel cables....
, flying over Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
in 1943, where he was mentioned in despatches. He returned to England in 1944 as an instructor and was later a flight commander, returning to active service with No. 602 Squadron RAF
No. 602 Squadron RAF
No 602 Squadron is a Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadron. Originally formed in 1925 as a light bomber squadron, its role changed in 1938 to army co-operation and in 1939 to that of a fighter squadron....
in September 1944. On 18 March 1945, he took part in a daring daylight raid on the Shell-Mex
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
building in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, which was then the German headquarters for V1 and V2 attacks on southern England. The commander of the raid, Max Sutherland, received a bar to his DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
and the other four pilots, including Baxter, were mentioned in dispatches.
In an interview about his wartime career, Baxter described once flying over a V-2 rocket
V-2 rocket
The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
site during a launch, and his wingman firing on the missile: "I dread to think what would have happened if he'd hit the thing!"
He later flew North American Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
and Douglas Dakota aircraft for a year, then worked in Forces Broadcasting from 1945 to 1949, based in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and then Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, becoming its deputy director. He was demobbed in 1946 as a flight lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
.
BBC career
Baxter joined the BBC in 1950. He provided radio commentary on the funerals of King George VIGeorge VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
in 1952 and Sir Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
in 1965, the former commentary given while suspended from the ceiling of Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. He also reported at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, reporting from Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
.
Baxter was an accomplished rally
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
driver and competed in the Monte Carlo Rally
Monte Carlo Rally
The Monte Carlo Rally or Rally Monte Carlo is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco which also organises the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique. The rally takes place along the French Riviera in the Principality of Monaco and...
twelve times, six of them as a member of the BMC
BMC
-In business and organizations:* Beard Miller Company, a US public accounting firm* BioMed Central, a UK-based scientific publisher* BMC , a Turkish vehicle manufacturer...
Works Team. He also competed in numerous Alpine, Tulip
Tulip Rally
The Tulip Rally , first held in 1949, is the oldest Dutch rally competition.The teams are divided into three classes: Tour, Sport and Expert. The Expert Class is for the navigators which in the past 2–6 years in the Top-20 of the Sport class have ended, or the previous years in the Top-20 of the...
and RAC Rallies, notably satirised in the character Roland Thraxter in Peter Ustinov
Peter Ustinov
Peter Alexander Ustinov CBE was an English actor, writer and dramatist. He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, author, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter...
's Grand Prix du Rock. He was a crew member in the New Zealand Air Race in 1953, in a BEA
Bea
- Aviation :*British European Airways*Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile, the French agency responsible for investigating aviation accidents- People :* Augustin Bea , a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church...
Vickers Viscount
Vickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
.
Having a distinctive voice, he frequently commentated on motoring and aviation events. He was the BBC's motoring correspondent from 1950 to 1966, including at least twenty Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
races, the Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
24-hour race, and the Monte Carlo Rally
Monte Carlo Rally
The Monte Carlo Rally or Rally Monte Carlo is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco which also organises the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique. The rally takes place along the French Riviera in the Principality of Monaco and...
. To parody this, he was invited onto I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, sometimes abbreviated to ISIHAC or Clue, is a BBC radio comedy panel game broadcast since 11 April 1972 at the rate of one or two series each year , transmitted on BBC Radio 4, with occasional repeats on BBC Radio 4 Extra and the BBC's World Service...
to commentate on sessions of Mornington Crescent
Mornington Crescent (game)
Mornington Crescent is a spoof game, featured in the BBC Radio 4 comedy panel show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, which satirises complicated strategy games....
. From 1967 to 1968 he was briefly Director of Motoring Publicity for the British Motor Corporation
British Motor Corporation
The British Motor Corporation, or commonly known as BMC was a vehicle manufacturer from United Kingdom, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952...
, while still presenting for the BBC. Following BMC's takeover by Leyland Motors
Leyland Motors Ltd
Leyland Motors Limited was a British vehicle manufacturer of lorries, buses and trolleybuses. It gave its name to the British Leyland Motor Corporation formed when it merged with British Motor Holdings, later to become British Leyland after being nationalised...
it was decided to dispense with Baxter's services in this post, and he returned to work full time for the BBC. He presented the BBC's coverage of Farnborough Airshows from 1950 to 1986. He reported on the first flight of Concorde
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
and was the first reporter to broadcast from an aeroplane, ocean liner and underwater. For thirty years he was the regular commentator at the Royal British Legion's annual Festival of Remembrance at the Albert Hall
Albert Hall
Albert P. Hall is an American actor.Born in Brighton, Alabama, Hall graduated from the Columbia University School of the Arts in 1971. That same year he appeared Off-Broadway in The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel and on Broadway in the Melvin Van Peebles musical Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death...
and at the Royal Tournament
Royal Tournament
The Royal Tournament was the World's largest military tattoo and pageant, held by the British Armed Forces annually between 1880 and 1999. The venue was originally the Royal Agricultural Hall and latterly the Earls Court Exhibition Centre...
. He presented the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in 1960, deputising for an indisposed Richard Dimbleby
Richard Dimbleby
Richard Dimbleby CBE was an English journalist and broadcaster widely acknowledged as one of the greatest figures in British broadcasting history.-Early life:...
.
He presented the science series Eye on Research from 1959 to 1963, and was the first (and initially sole) host of the long-running popular science show Tomorrow's World
Tomorrow's World
Tomorrow's World was a long-running BBC television series, showcasing new developments in the world of science and technology. First aired on 7 July 1965 on BBC1, it ran for 38 years until it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003.- Content :...
for 12 years from July 1965, reaching an audience of up to 10 million viewers. He was the presenter of the first live transatlantic broadcast from the US via Telstar
Telstar
Telstar is the name of various communications satellites, including the first such satellite to relay television signals.The first two Telstar satellites were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 was launched on top of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962...
, the first live telecast from Australia in November 1966, and interviewed South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard
Christiaan Barnard
Christiaan Neethling Barnard was a South African cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first successful human-to-human heart transplant.- Early life :...
by telephone in 1967, within hours of the completion of the world's first heart transplant operation. Baxter also undertook commercial commissions. He was the presenter for the launch of Gillette's G2 Razors held at the Heathrow Hotel, London, in 1973. He left the Tomorrow's World programme in 1977, after disagreements with its new editor, Michael Blakstad, who described Baxter as a "dinosaur".
He was invited to present the first Raymond Baxter Award for Science Communication in July 2000. He was surprised to find that he was the first recipient.
His death was announced on 15 September 2006, after he died at the age of 84 at the Royal Berkshire Hospital
Royal Berkshire Hospital
The Royal Berkshire Hospital is a National Health Service hospital in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It provides acute hospital services to the residents of the western and central portions of Berkshire, and is managed by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.The...
in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, close to his home in Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead...
. In a statement his family said: "He had a love of innovation and challenge both professionally and personally."
Other activities
Raymond Baxter was a member of the Committee of Management of the Royal National Lifeboat InstitutionRoyal National Lifeboat Institution
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as on selected inland waterways....
from 1979 to 1997, and Vice-President from 1987 to 1997. He became a Life Vice-President in 1997.
He was a founder member of the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships - he owned one of the small vessels that evactuated British troops from the beaches - and its Honorary Admiral from 1982, and Honorary Chairman of the Royal Aeronautical Society
Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a multidisciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community.-Function:...
from 1991. He was on the Council of the Air League
Air League
For the Air League , see Australian Air LeagueThe Air League is an aviation society in the United Kingdom, founded in 1909.The aims and mission of the Air League are to promote the cause of British aviation by:...
from 1980 to 1985.
He was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
in 1978 and awarded the OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 2003.
He married his American wife, Sylvia Kathryn Johnson, in 1945. They had a son, Graham, and a daughter, Jenny. Jenny is a fencing coach and former international competitor of some renown.
His wife Sylvia died in 1996.
He was the uncle of the American minimalist artist, Carl Andre
Carl Andre
Carl Andre is an American minimalist artist recognized for his ordered linear format and grid format sculptures. His sculptures range from large public artworks to more intimate tile patterns arranged on the floor of an exhibition space Carl Andre (born September 16, 1935) is an American...
.