BBC and Anglia TV star Paul Barnes dies

He was a well-known face in East Anglia for many years as a television presenter on both the BBC and Anglia. Programmes he presented included The Village Show, Folio and Anything Goes, the latter with a young Anthea Turner. 

Paul in his Anglia TV days (Image: Newsquest) He also hosted a popular music show, The Late Paul Barnes, on Radio Norfolk which he always signed off with his customary ‘Pip pip’.

Paul wrote a column for this newspaper every fortnight, alternating with his wife, Helen McDermott.  

He had strong views about many things and didn’t hold back.  

“Have I gone too far this time?” he would often ask. 

“Yes, of course,” he was told.

“Oh good!” he would cry in delight. 

Paul and his beloved wife, Helen (Image: Newsquest) Paul was born in Coventry in July, 1939. He would often talk about his life growing up there and in later years he always sat in his chair with a beautiful painting of the ruined Coventry cathedral behind him. 

Paul was hugely enthusiastic about everything he did. He took up the trumpet aged 11 and joined the school band. They were called The Weary City Stompers - WC for short. Paul’s sense of humour was always a bit on the naughty side. 

His passion for music was lifelong and his record collection – and his knowledge, particularly of jazz – was colossal.  

He was very particular about what was good music though. He once said the worst present he ever received was a Celine Dion CD and on his radio programme, he would only ever play music that he personally liked. 

“He was adamant about this,” his wife, Helen said. 

Paul and his trumpet (Image: Newsquest) In later years, Helen bought him a saxophone which he set about learning determinedly. However, his beloved cats weren’t great fans of his skills.  

“He would bring it downstairs and set himself up,” Helen recalls. “But as soon as the cats saw the saxophone case, they would be off.” 

Paul loved an audience and I loved being it. I spent two Christmases with him and Helen and they would regale me with hilarious tales, laced with mischief and his favourite whisky. He would always recommend a new book for me to read and ply me with gin to get the latest gossip from the newspaper. I always told him everything anyway. His reactions were spectacular and made you feel that you could do no wrong whatever you did. Like a dad, really. 

Paul had two beloved sons, Matt and Dan, and his eyes would light up when he spoke of his granddaughter, Eloise. He also loved Helen very much although, after 47 years, they did tease each other mercilessly. But whenever she left the room to make us a drink, he would whisper to me, “Isn’t she marvellous?” 

Paul’s career was ridiculously glittering. He worked on Radios 1, 2, 3 and 4, the BBC World Service, Woman’s Hour and even the Today programme. He also worked for Granada, Central and BBC TV and, as well as us, he wrote for the Observer, the Guardian and Punch. He was a perfectionist about everything he did and he loved writing in particular. The last time I saw him he was fretting that his hands no longer worked very well on the keys. 

He was such good fun. We will miss him (Image: Newsquest) Another thing about him was that he loved flying. He had his pilot’s licence and once ran a flying school at Norwich Airport. If he wanted to have a go at something, he would give it everything. He did not countenance giving up.  

“The best thing for me is that he loved the life he lived,” said Helen. “He always said how privileged he was to have lived as he had. He left his mark on the world and even through his long and difficult illness, he never lost his sense of humour. As I sat beside him last week in the hospital, I asked him if he knew who I was and he said, ‘Father Christmas’.’ 

An entertainer to the end. Pip, pip Paul.