I'm so sad to say that Phil Wallington, one of the greatest characters I've ever met, died this morning. Phil had more influence on my working life than anyone else I've ever known. His approach to journalism, his love of storytelling, the way he treated people around him.
My time in TV might have been a lot shorter without Phil. When we were struggling very early on with the media show and the network wasn't happy, he arrived as our new producer and turned it around. I still recall the conversation after the first show he sat in on ...
"How much do you like the producer in your ear? Could you do with less?"
"Well, a bit less ... "
"How about none?"
"Okay!"
It's your show, he told me, and for the next month, he didn't say a single word on the studio comms. It worked.
"Well, a bit less ... "
"How about none?"
"Okay!"
It's your show, he told me, and for the next month, he didn't say a single word on the studio comms. It worked.
The funny thing was that simultaneously he and Vincent Burke were telling the network what *they* wanted to hear: that Phil was all over me on comms, telling me what to do. I'll never forget that, and I'll never forget Phil. He really was one of a kind and I'm so sad.
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