Rantzen, Esther Louise (1940– )

English television presenter and producer. She became a household name with That's Life (1973–94), a consumer programme combining investigative journalism with comic sequences. Her campaigning documentaries against child abuse and drug addiction include Childwatch (1987). She has hosted a chat show Esther (from 1994), and The Rantzen Report (1996), looking at real-life stories. In 1988 she received the Richard Dimbleby award for her contributions to factual television.

Rantzen was born in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, and educated at Somerville College, Oxford. She joined the BBC in 1963, making sound effects for radio drama. Moving into research for Man Alive (1965–67), she joined Braden's Week (1968–72) as a reporter. In 1977 she married broadcaster Desmond Wilcox (1931–2000); their joint publications include Kill the Chocolate Biscuit (1981) and Baby Love (1985).