British broadcaster, journalist and campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen has died at the age of 86, her family announced, bringing to an end a decades-long career in television and public campaigning. Rantzen, who became a household name through the BBC programme That’s Life!, died on Wednesday, September 30. Her three children, Miriam, Rebecca and Joshua Wilcox, described her as their “adored mother” and paid tribute to her “endless capacity for joy” and ability to comfort others. They said her legacy of compassion and understanding would continue through the charities she founded, Childline and The Silver Line. Rantzen had also become one of Britain’s most prominent advocates for assisted-dying reform after she was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2023.

Rantzen rose to national prominence as the presenter and producer of That’s Life!, which ran on the BBC from 1973 to 1994. The programme combined consumer investigations and serious social reporting with humour, satire and lighter features, regularly attracting millions of viewers. During its 21-year run, it examined issues including child safety, organ donation, addiction and abuse. One investigation into the treatment of children and allegations involving staff at a boarding school helped highlight the need for greater protection of vulnerable children. The programme also demonstrated Rantzen’s ability to move between hard-hitting journalism and entertainment, making her one of the most recognisable television personalities of her generation.

Her broadcasting work also directly contributed to the creation of organisations that became a major part of her legacy. In 1986, Rantzen launched Childline, a telephone helpline designed to give children and young people a confidential place to seek help when facing abuse, neglect, distress or other difficulties. The service operated around the clock and went on to support children across Britain. Years later, she established The Silver Line to address loneliness and isolation among older people. Her charity work was recognised when she was appointed a Dame in 2015 for services to children and older people through Childline and The Silver Line. The organisations remained central to how she was remembered following her death.

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Rantzen’s final years were marked by her increasingly public campaign for assisted-dying reform in England and Wales. After revealing her lung cancer diagnosis in 2023, she spoke openly about wanting the option of travelling to Switzerland, where assisted dying is permitted under specific circumstances. She joined the Swiss organisation Dignitas and said she had made plans to travel there if necessary. However, in September 2026, she said her condition had deteriorated to the point that she was “too physically fragile” to make the journey. Despite that, she continued to publicly campaign for a change in British law and used her own circumstances to argue that terminally ill people should have greater choice over end-of-life decisions.

Her advocacy became particularly prominent during parliamentary debates over assisted-dying legislation. Rantzen argued that the existing legal framework could leave terminally ill people without the choices she believed they should have at the end of their lives. She continued to speak publicly about the issue even after becoming too unwell to travel to Switzerland herself. Her campaign became one of the defining aspects of her later public life, alongside her earlier work for children and older people. At the same time, assisted dying remained a contested issue in Britain, with parliamentary debate focused on questions surrounding safeguards, eligibility, medical involvement and protection of vulnerable people.

Tributes followed the announcement of Rantzen’s death, with broadcasters, campaigners and public figures recalling her influence on British television and her work outside the media. Her career extended beyond presenting, encompassing journalism, television production, social campaigning and charity work. She was also remembered for using the reach of television to draw attention to issues that affected people in vulnerable circumstances. Rantzen is survived by her three children. Her death closes a career that began in British broadcasting and developed into decades of campaigning on behalf of children, older people and, in her final years, people facing terminal illness and questions about end-of-life choice.

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