Norris McWhirter

Co-founder with his twin brother, Ross, of 'The Guinness Book of Records'

The name "McWhirter" will for ever be associated with The Guinness Book of Records, which has remained a record-breaking best-seller itself since it was first published in 1955. Norris and Ross McWhirter, twin brothers, founded and edited the annual that charts the biggest, smallest, longest, tallest, shortest and feats ranging from weightlifting and egg-throwing to consuming the largest number of hot dogs in 10 minutes.

Norris Dewar McWhirter, writer, publisher and broadcaster: born London 12 August 1925; director, McWhirter Twins 1950-2004; Athletics Correspondent, The Observer 1951-67; director, Guinness Publications (formerly Guinness Superlatives) 1954-96, managing director 1954-76; chairman, Wm McWhirter & Sons 1956-86; chairman, Redwood Press 1966-72; CBE 1980; Chairman, Freedom Association 1983-2000, President 2001-04; Chairman, Ross McWhirter Foundation 1994-2004; married 1957 Carole Eckert (died 1987; one son, one daughter), 1991 Tessa Pocock; died Kington Langley, Wiltshire 19 April 2004.

The name "McWhirter" will for ever be associated with The Guinness Book of Records, which has remained a record-breaking best-seller itself since it was first published in 1955. Norris and Ross McWhirter, twin brothers, founded and edited the annual that charts the biggest, smallest, longest, tallest, shortest and feats ranging from weightlifting and egg-throwing to consuming the largest number of hot dogs in 10 minutes.

The idea, simple but effective, came after Norris McWhirter himself witnessed a notable record while working for BBC radio as a timekeeper in its sports coverage. He watched Roger Bannister run the first four-minute mile, in May 1954, then reported:

As a result of Event Four, the One Mile, the winner was R.G. Bannister of Exeter and Merton colleges, in a time which, subject to ratification, is a track record, an English native record, a United Kingdom record, a European record, in a time of three minutes . . .

The rest of his words were lost in applause and uproar.

Both brothers persuaded the Guinness brewery to commission the book as a means of settling bar bets, clinching the deal by correctly naming the language with the fewest irregular verbs - Turkish. It went on to sell more than 100 million copies in 100 countries, in 37 languages, and become the world's biggest-selling copyright book. Only the Bible, the Koran and Mao Tse-tung's Little Red Book have sold more copies than The Guinness Book of Records.

Its success also led to a children's television series, Record Breakers, in which both brothers took questions from the young studio audience and amazed everyone with their ability to recall the most obscure facts. The programme's presenter, Roy Castle, himself held records for tap-dancing and parascending.

Only three years after the programme's launch, the brothers' partnership was ended with Ross McWhirter's assassination by the IRA.

Born in Winchmore Hill, north London, in 1925, the elder twin son of William Allan McWhirter, who was managing director of Associated Newspapers and Northcliffe Newspapers, Norris McWhirter was educated at Marlborough College, as was his brother. Both then served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War and attended Trinity College, Oxford, where Norris read Economics and International Relations.

The brothers shone on the athletics track, representing the university and running in the Achilles Club team that won the Amateur Athletic Association 4 x 110 yard relay championship. Norris later proved himself to have the edge, winning the Middlesex 100 and 220 yards titles a total of five times and representing Scotland (1950-52) and Great Britain (1951).

After also making his mark on the rugby field, as wing three-quarter for Saracens and a member of the Middlesex XV in 1950, Norris McWhirter took his love of sport into journalism. He became athletics correspondent of The Observer and the London Evening Star, and wrote a history of athletics, Get to Your Marks (1951), and edited Athletics World (1952-56).

This led to work with BBC radio, which included the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. He then switched to television as part of the corporation's commentary team for four successive Olympic Games: Rome (1960), Tokyo (1964), Mexico (1968) and Munich (1972).

In 1972, 17 years after the brothers launched The Guinness Book of Records (more recently retitled Guinness World Records), the television series Record Breakers was launched and they were regularly seen on screen in it. An American version of the programme was hosted by Ron Reagan Jnr, son of the US President. Back in Britain, The All-Star Record Breakers (1974-82) was a popular attraction in the BBC's Christmas schedules for almost 10 years, featuring children's television presenters such as John Craven, Peter Purves, Noel Edmonds and Keith Chegwin acting, singing and dancing.

McWhirter retired from The Guinness Book of Records in 1985 (but continued as advisory editor until 1996) and from Record Breakers in 1994. Unable to resist quenching his thirst for mind-blowing facts, he subsequently edited The Book of Millennium Records (1999).

His other books of superlatives included five editions of The Dunlop Book of Facts (1964-73), The Guinness Book of Answers (1976-95), The Guinness Book of Essential Facts (1979), Time and Space (1998) and The Book of Extremes (1998). He started writing the autobiographical Ross: the story of a shared life (1976) just months after his brother was gunned down on his own doorstep.

Like Ross, Norris McWhirter was known for his right-wing views and he served as chairman of the Freedom Association from 1983 to 2000. As a Conservative candidate, he had previously unsuccessfully fought the Orpington seat in the 1964 general election, following its loss to the Liberals in a by-election two years earlier, and again in 1966.

Anthony Hayward

Norris McWhirter was undoubtedly a leader among the generation of men who went from school to serve in the war with the Royal Navy before returning to university to complete their degree, writes Lord Harris of High Cross. Together with his twin, Ross, it was their athletic prowess as sprinters at Oxford that eventually brought them into the world of sporting achievements. It led on to an interest amounting almost to obsession with records of every conceivable kind. In a friendship of over 50 years, I never found his memory failed him in matters great or small.

Outstanding team success (until Ross was assassinated by the IRA at the age of 50 in 1975) in publishing, writing and broadcasting enabled the twins to devote more time to public affairs. They were always in perfect double harness but Norris kept closest to the business, leaving Ross to take a lead in political and public matters, including a series of legal actions against what they saw as over-mighty government. When Ross was killed days before he was to launch the National Association for Freedom (the future Freedom Association), Norris emerged from police protection to step effortlessly into his brother's shoes and join the first Viscount De L'Isle, the association's founding chairman, in the various engagements.

On the death of Ross, Norris combined with the first Viscount Boyd of Merton, joint vice-chairman of Guinness, and others in creating a foundation in his name to advance Ross's qualities of "good citizenship . . . personal initiative and leadership, and personal courage as an example to others". It needs hardly to be said that throughout his life Norris exemplified all those noble attributes in equal measure. He was, I would say, above all else, a fine man of the very highest personal courage.

In addition to his appointment as CBE in 1980, Norris could have claimed many illustrious battle honours, though it was certainly not in his modest nature. It was after all the dogged success of what became his Freedom Association in resisting the violent picketing and other excesses at Grunwick that prepared the way for Margaret Thatcher's historic assault on the anomalous legal privileges of British trade unions. When our mutual friend Neil Hamilton fell from grace in public eyes, he did not hesitate for a single second before joining me to offer comfort and practical support.

His sudden death on the tennis court will sadden a wide circle of admirers. It deprives his many friends of a most charming, fascinating, even exciting (though mild-seeming), and always loyal companion.