Diana Fisher

Diana Beresford Fisher ( Davis; 30 May 1931 – 26 January 2023) was an English-born Australian journalist, television and radio presenter, social commentator and royal correspondent. Fisher is arguably best known for being a judge on The Inventors on ABC TV from 1970 to 1982.

Career Early career Born in London, some of Fisher's early jobs including being a circus ringmaster, a magician's assistant and a revue dancer. In Australia, Fisher became a household name through her work in the media. She also hosted her own radio programs and appeared on the 2BL radio program Let's Find Out hosted by Ellis Blain in 1967.

Fisher briefly returned to London when her husband was tasked to head up the BBC's science and features division. Fisher returned to Australia in 1969 when her husband took up a position as head of the features and documentaries department at the Australian Broadcasting Commission.

Fisher's profile rose even further as one of the judges on ABC TV's The Inventors program which ran from 1970 to 1982, originally hosted by Geoff Stone. She was the only member of the original cast to remain with the program during the entire run. Fisher remained with the program when its executive producer Beverley Gledhill, host Geoff Stone, and her fellow judges Vic Nicholson and Neville Stephenson defected to the Nine Network to launch a rival program called What'll They Think Of Next?. Fisher also became known for editing social pages in various Australian newspapers and magazines, including her "On The Go" column in The Sydney Morning Herald, and her social pages in The Sunday Telegraph.

In late 1979, Fisher joined The Australian Women's Weekly but she spent only nine months editing the "Here, There & Everywhere" pages until she quit when editor Ita Buttrose told Fisher that it wasn't working out and asked her what she wanted to do. Fisher said she had been frustrated by the treatment of her social pages at The Australian Women's Weekly.

In 1981, she was a correspondent for the Seven Network covering the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. When Network 10 and the Seven Network both revived their own versions of Beauty and the Beast in 1982, Fisher returned as a beauty on the Network 10 version, hosted by John Laws.

On 16 July 1991, Fisher, Geraldine Doogue, Bruce Ruxton, Mark Day, Normie Rowe and Ron Casey, were invited onto the Nine Network's Midday program to discuss whether Australia should become a republic. The program, hosted by Ray Martin, attracted widespread publicity after Rowe and Casey became involved in a physical altercation during the debate. Fisher made a cameo appearance on a 1994 episode of the Network 10 series Heartbreak High.

In the 2003 Australia Day Honours, Fisher was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia "for service to the community through a range of charitable organisations, and to the broadcast media." In 2015, she was interviewed by Craig Bennett for Network 10's Studio 10 where she recounted various events including the Midday brawl and her experiences as a royal correspondent.

Personal life and death Throughout her life, she was known as "Bubbles" owing to her bubbly personality. Upon her father-in-law becoming Lord Fisher of Lambeth upon his retirement in 1961, Fisher was bestowed with the title of "The Honourable Mrs Humphrey Fisher".

Fisher died from non-Hodgkin lymphoma at St Vincent's Private Hospital in Sydney, on 26 January 2023, 4 months before her 92nd birthday.