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Tributes to ‘erudite’ TV and film critic

John BarberA former TV and film critic whose career at a regional daily spanned five decades has died aged 84.

Tributes have been paid to John Barber, pictured above, who worked at the Bristol Post from the mid-1950s until the early 1990s.

John was born in Lyneham, Wiltshire, and learned to type during his national service at the War Office.

After being demobbed he took his new skill back to the West Country, ending up at the Post.

For many years he reported on Weston-super-Mare, where he lived, and North Somerset.

One of his saddest duties was covering the 1973 Swiss air crash which killed 108 people, many of them mothers on a day trip from the area.

He and his late wife Joan had four daughters, three of whom – Hilary, Penny and Sarah – survive him.

A fourth daughter, Louise, died in 1999.

Former Post colleague Quita Morgan said: “Friends and colleagues remember him as a gentle giant, quietly spoken, humorous and erudite about many subjects, especially film, music and natural history.

“Above all, he was a very caring family man, much loved by his daughters, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.”

John passed away on Monday and funeral details are yet to be announced.