Clement Freud R.I.P.

shame - we loved his column. Did not even know he was sigmund freud´s grandson, but suppose one should have guessed it.
 
I meant Winston Churchill's grandson, of course.

During his time as a Member of Parliament, he visited China with a delegation of other MPs, including Winston S. Churchill, a grandson of the wartime leader of the same name. When Churchill was given the best room in the hotel, on account of his lineage, Freud (in a reference to his own famous forebear) declared it was the first time in his life that he had been "out-grandfathered".
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His contribution's to Just A Minute were great, can't say much about the bloke personally and heard the various stories about how he's not spoke to either of his brothers in 60 years.
 
Died at his desk, apparently. Loved his column.

Remember seeing him manhandling a young journalist out of the Press Room door at Cheltenham Festival years ago. Turned out (on reading the "Life" a few days later) that the young man in question had been jumping up and down behind Sir Clement whilst watching one of the races, and his binoculars kept hitting Sir Clement on the shoulders. Apparently Sir Clement turned round, grabbed him by the lapels, put him outside and told him that he could come back in when he had learned to behave in a more decorous and considerate manner. :lol:

Another great character gone. RIP.
 
Was he only 84? I say that because from reading his column from time to time I got the impression he was about 104!
 
Lovely, dry wit & seemed a rather humane chap -- rare quality these days. Liked most of his jokes & stories in the RP -- their loss, too.

It was nice to 'hear' the other Just A Minute players giving Clement leeway for hesitating.
 
Am I reading a thread about the person in the title??? He was a nasty old bugger who made enemies of many people who were unfortunate enough to come across him. He was about as far from humane as you could possibly get.
 
I never met the guy but I'd imagine there are a fair few trainers who will not miss him. Can't say the sparkling wit was reserved for them.
 
Shadow Leader said:
Am I reading a thread about the person in the title??? He was a nasty old bugger who made enemies of many people who were unfortunate enough to come across him. He was about as far from humane as you could possibly get.
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And let the enemies speak ill of a man who is hours dead if they want.

I enjoyed reading his columns, do not know the man but RIP.
 
I'm speaking as I find, Gal. I knew the man and had a few dealings with him; I'm not going to change any opinions now he's gone and I am amazed to read some of the things posted about him!
 
I met him years ago when he was a Lib MP. I liked him then I liked his title tatle in the Racing Post, and apart from the fact that I think you should not speak ill of the dead.

What Shadow Leader would be said of you? I of corse will not out last you so speak well of me when I'm gone or I shall return to haunt you.
 
Ironically enough,his connection with racing is one of the things I remember least about him - despite the RP column. I do remember the Beeb televising his famous match against Sir Hugh Fraser which took place before 'normal' racing, a bit like The People's Race. I seem to remember rather expecting him to fall off.

I remember far more his stints as a TV cook, straining to decipher his softly spoken BBC English and then later on seeing him in Parliament as a Liberal Democrat MP.

My parents told me that he wasn't English at all, he was German - or was it Austrian?- I listened to him in disbelief. They still had strongly "Germanic" * accents after twenty years in Britain, how could anyone sound so British, yet not be born here? They explained about his famous grandfather and how he had come to the UK in the 1930s. Much later in life I read of the Kindertransport that followed a few years later, the Freuds were indeed fortunate to have a name that opened doors.
* Estonian and Latvian in truth.
As a youngster I firmly believed he owned Henry the Bloodhound with whom he advertised Minced Morsels - how could anyone look like the dog so much and NOT own it?

Later on still there was Just A Minute on Radio 4 - though I have to say my favourites there were Derek Nimmo and Kenneth Williams and later, Linda Smith and Paul Merton.

For me then, Sir Clement is another figure from my childhood and youth that has passed. Rest in peace.
 
I dealt with him fairly extensively in two jobs Andy - and he was thoroughly unpleasant. I take your point about speaking ill of the dead but so far as I can see him being dead doesn't change the fact that he was a nasty character in life - dying didn't turn Hitler into a lamb, did it?

As always, I speak as I find. As Jinnyj says, I'm sure that I am not the only one who feels the same and I'm sure plenty of racehorse trainers will have raised a glass on hearing the news.
 
SL,

You're perfectly within your rights to have an opinion, and I'd rather people stick to their opinions when someone dies, as opposed to changing spots etc.

However, do show a bit of decency and keep those thoughts to yourself. The title of this thread is Clement Freud RIP, not post your thoughts on the man.
 
So if SL starts a topic entitled Sir Clement Freud - Good Riddance, we can assume you won't have any problem with it.... :cool:


Get on, Shouty!
 
Hamm, I'm frankly amazed at the amount of comments posted on here about how sad it is, how he'll be missed, yada yada. Mother Theresa he wasn't yet you'd be forgiven for thinking he was on his way to sainthood reading some of these posts!
 
Oh for Gods sake, don't encourage her. Who knows where it might end? She might start posting rude and abusive opinions about people who are alive!!!

From a purely personal opinion I'm not a great one on hypocritical retrospectives either, and so far as any reasonable person can gather, Shadow Leader isn't alone in her views. The question of whether its necessary to publicise those opinions is of course one of judgement reinforced with a sense of personal conviction, and I think most people have got the idea by now.

We've had the occasional 'good riddance' thread before, but they've usually been reserved for global figures who were universally reviled or people who've committed henious deviant activity where a degree of consensus kind of made it acceptable. There's no hard and fast rule really and it sort of reflects a latent duplicity in the morality of society (but that's another issue).

I can think of one former Prime Minister for instance who all things being equal has to die one day (surely?) and I'd thoroughly expect a mixed bag again of those fawning over her, and those feeling equally justified in toasting her passing. I for one, having been very cirtical of her, couldn't bring myself to say what a marvellous indiviudal she was at the moment that Satan chooses to reclaim her, and in that respect I'm not personally unsympathetic to Shadow Leader's reaction provided she genuinely feels that strongly.

The issue is whether its really necessary, and whether she hasn't already said enough and continuing to hammer home the message now serves any real purprose.

Some people's death will upset folks, others will feel indifferent, where as others we might inwardly rejoice at, that's human nature.
 
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"I can think of one former Prime Minister for instance who all things being equal has to die one day (surely?) "

I love the "(surely?)".... :lol:

Whether or not this person has any humanity is a moot point, but yes, I think they ARE mortal like the rest of us! :D

I wonder what odds they are on Death List, I must go check.... :ninja:
 
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