'Mr Littlehampton', a dedicated journalist who worked in his dream job on the same Sussex newspaper for more than 60 years, dies aged 92
A dedicated journalist dubbed 'Mr Littlehampton' has passed away at the age of 92, having worked in his dream job for more than 60 years.
Brian Shewry was known for his in-depth interviews and theatre reviews, working on the Littlehampton Gazette for his entire career.
He left school at the age of 16 with dreams of becoming a journalist and the opportunity came ‘almost by a miracle’, he always said.
Although he retired from his full-time post in 1998, he continued to contribute to the Gazette regularly on a freelance basis and in August 2010, he celebrated 60 years with the newspaper.
He still enjoyed it, he said in an interview at the time. He liked meeting people and found satisfaction in seeing what he had written in print.
Educated at Christ’s Hospital, Brian left school in August 1950 and his lucky break came by coincidence. His father discovered the family of a man he knew through his allotment owned the Littlehampton Gazette, as well as what was then the Worthing Gazette.
Brian was given an interview and got the job, joining the existing staff of one, Arthur Cutler, in the Gazette offices, in Beach Road, Littlehampton.
His first article was about Rustingtion parish fête. He stayed there all afternoon, in the pouring rain, and his piece went on the front page.
When he was 21, he completed his National Service in Menden, Germany, and returned to the Gazette two years later to a role where he felt comfortable and settled.
He thoroughly enjoyed life as a news reporter but his first love was theatre and it was Brian who introduced a dedicated entertainments column to the Gazette. Over the years, he interviewed stars including Tony Hancock, Britt Ekland, William Hauge, Kathleen Turner and P. D. James.
Former group editor Mick Plumb said: “Brian Shewry was truly one of a kind. He was something of a rarity in the newspaper world, a journalist who committed his entire career to one paper, the Littlehampton Gazette, and achieved legendary status by clocking up more than 60 years of service.
“He reported devotedly on the full spectrum of news and was particularly well known for his well-judged and fair-minded reviews of amateur dramatic and musical productions as well as regularly appraising professional productions at Chichester Festival Theatre.
“His other speciality was interviewing the top celebrities of the day for his highly popular The Brian Shewry Interview feature in the Gazette.
“Brian worked all hours, often several evenings a week, always preferring face-to-face contact rather than interviewing over the phone. He was a firm believer in grassroots journalism and always drafted his reports meticulously in long-hand, so they were word perfect, before typing them up, ready for publication.
“Away from the newspaper world, he enjoyed a life-long passion for cinema - his preference older, classic forties and fifties movies from the golden age of the Hollywood studio system, rather than modern films which he thought were often bloated, with unclear dialogue. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of cinema history and was likely to be able to tell you immediately, if asked, the year, director and leading actors of any film you cared to mention.
“If anyone ever deserved the accolade of Mr Littlehampton it was certainly Brian."