Michael Barratt

Michael Fieldhouse Barratt (3 January 1928 – 10 July 2022) was an English television presenter and journalist. He was best known for his period as the main presenter of Nationwide from 1969 to 1977.

Early life and career

Michael Barratt was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire. His father, Wallace Barratt, was a tax inspector, while Doris, his mother died of tuberculosis when Michael was aged six. In 1956, he moved to Nigeria for a year having been appointed as the assistant editor of the Nigerian Citizen in Zaria. Barratt also worked for the Nigerian Broadcasting Service beginning a discussion programme on politics. and then as a freelance reporter on the BBC current affairs programme Midlands Today. Its creator, editor of television news Derrick Amoore, recognised the regional news programmes could help maintain an audience which had previously fallen away. Nationwide reached an audience of 11 million each evening at its height. Later, he worked on Thames Television's Reporting London in the 1980s. He appeared, as himself, in the film The Magic Christian. He regularly appeared on The Goodies, playing himself as a serious newsreader. In one episode, which was dedicated to punk rock, Barratt was depicted reading the news with a large safety-pin through his nose.

Barratt wrote several books including Michael Barratt's Complete Gardening Guide, Michael Barratt, Making the Most of the Media, and Making the Most of Retirement. His autobiography, Mr. Nationwide, was published in 2012.