Philip Whiteread

PHILIP Whitehead, a politician and award-winning documentary filmmaker, died on New Year’s Eve. He was 68.
Born in Rowsley, Derbyshire, he lived in Patshull Road, Kentish Town, for 40 years, and was Labour MP for Derby North from 1970 to 1983.
A key figure in the launch of Channel 4, he scooped two Emmy awards, a Bafta award and a Broadcasting Press Guild award for television documentaries he produced at his studios in Anglers Lane, Kentish Town.
He produced current affairs programmes Panorama and This Week, and documentary series The World at War, The Kennedys, The Last Europeans and Stalin.
Norma Pursey, co-director of his TV company, Brook Lapping Productions, said: “I worked with him here since 1988. He was always late. Once he was supposed to give a presentation for The World at War and he arrived at 11am, which was just half an hour late – the next day. It didn’t matter though because he was always so brilliant when he did arrive.”
Mr Whitehead’s political career highlights included his work in helping to introduce legislation on police complaints and adoption. He also campaigned on behalf of victims of CJD, the fatal disease linked to eating meat from ‘mad’ cows, and more recently pensioners who lost out in the near-collapse of the Equitable Life insurance company.
Mr Whitehead was elected as MEP for the East Midlands in 1999 and retained his seat in June 2004.
Camden Labour councillor Gerry Harrison said Mr Whitehead was “an inspiration”, adding: “He always maintained television was a more powerful tool than politics.”
Mr Whitehead died from a heart attack at home on New Year’s Eve. He is survived by his wife, Christine, three grown-up children and two grandchildren.