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Michael Mosley – latest: TV doctor leaves Britain for the better, says friend in moving BBC tribute

The 67-year-old, who died on Greek island of Symi, ‘changed how we see ourselves, our health and wellbeing’

Jane Dalton
Monday 17 June 2024 13:23 BST
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Michael Mosley caught on CCTV the day he disappeared

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The late television and radio doctor Michael Mosley leaves Britain for the better, after showing millions of people how to improve their health and wellbeing in easy ways, a friend and former colleague has said.

Scientist and broadcaster Dr Hannah Fry said in a special BBC documentary: “Dr Michael Mosley achieved what so many broadcasters dream of: he made a difference to people’s lives, changing the way we see ourselves, our health and our wellbeing.

“And in doing that for so many people, for so many years, he leaves Britain for the better.”

Dr Mosley , who died after disappearing on a walk on the Greek island of Symi, was aksi hailed as “one of the most important broadcasters of recent decades” in a special BBC Radio 4 programme.

It comes as his body is likely to be released to his family and repatriated by the weekend.

He was found to have died of natural causes on 5 June after setting off for a walk from Saint Nikolas beach at around 1.30pm that day in searing 40C heat without a mobile phone.

Dr Mosley’s experiments on himself

Dr Mosley carried out numerous mini-experiments on himself for television, the BBC One programme shows, from swimming in freezing cold water to drastically cutting down his calories two days a week.

He tried smoking, putting a needle through his hand and took probiotics to improve his sleep.

Jane Dalton14 June 2024 20:28

TV special to air at 8pm on BBC One

A TV special titled Michael Mosley: The Doctor Who Changed Britain is set to air on BBC One at 8pm in his memory.

The programme will focus on Mosley’s decades-long broadcasting career and how he transformed people’s lives through science.

Mosley first trained as a doctor before moving into the world of broadcasting, presenting a host of science programmes and films on the BBC including Trust Me, I’m A Doctor, which looked at healthcare in Britain.

In 2002, he was nominated for an Emmy for his executive producer role on BBC science documentary The Human Face, and he also ingested tapeworms for six weeks for a 2014 documentary called Infested! Living With Parasites on BBC Four.

Holly Evans14 June 2024 19:45

Other tourists die or go missing in extreme heat in Greece

Elsewhere in Greece, a 67-year-old Dutch tourist was found dead in Crete on 5 June. The man collapsed while crossing the Mylon gorge in Rethymno. The fire service confirmed the death on social media and local media reported he suffered heart failure in the heat.

On the same day local media reported a 70-year-old French tourist collapsed and died while walking on a beach in Sitia, Crete.

A fourth tourist death was reported on Thursday 13 June, again on Crete. An 80-year-old man had left his hotel on his own and was found dead near an archaeological site near the northeast town of Malia.

Search teams in Greece are still looking for three other missing tourists in separate incidents.

Retired US police officer Eric Calibet disappeared while out on a solo hike on the island of Amorgos in the southeast of the country on Tuesday afternoon. Mr Calibet, 59, knew the area well having been visiting the island almost every year for about a decade.

Emergency workers searched for five days for Dr Mosely in extreme heat
Emergency workers searched for five days for Dr Mosely in extreme heat (Yui Mok/PA Wire)
Holly Evans14 June 2024 18:30

Michael Mosley was ‘invited to appear on Strictly weeks before death’, friend says

Michael Mosley had been invited to take part in Strictly Come Dancing, a friend has said, after championing the health benefits of dancing.

The late TV star was reportedly excited as he told friends the BBC had invited him to be on the show for its 20th anniversary just weeks before his tragic death.

While it is thought the 67-year-old had not yet signed a contract for the show, a friend told the Mail: “He told me just the week before last he’d been invited to do Strictly.” The BBC declined to comment.

Read the full article here:

Michael Mosley invited to compete on Strictly before tragic death, friend says

TV star was said to have been excited at the chance to appear on the programme in the weeks before his passing

Holly Evans14 June 2024 17:30

American tourist, 59, vanishes from Greek Island solo hike – days after Michael Mosley’s death

Rescue operations have been launched on the Greek island of Amorgos after a retired US police officer disappeared while out on a solo hike - days after the death of TV doctor Michael Mosley in similar circumstances.

Eric Albert Calibet, 59 – known to friends as Albert – had been vacationing on the island but was reported missing by a friend on Tuesday afternoon.

Calibet left for the challenging four-hour hike, from Aegiali to Katapola around 7am, according to local outlets. The friend reported the disappearance to Amorgos police after he had not returned eight hours later. Authorities have not been able to contact Calibet via either of his two cell phones.

Read the full article here:

Tourist vanishes from Greek Island solo hike – days after Dr Michael Mosley death

A rescue operation was launched on Tuesday afternoon and resumed on Wednesday morning for Albert Calibet

Holly Evans14 June 2024 16:30

Michael Mosley's friend pays tribute to 'one of the most important broadcasters'

Michael Mosley's friend pays tribute to 'one of the most important broadcasters'
Holly Evans14 June 2024 15:30

Warning for tourists after four dead and more missing in record temperatures

Greece is counting the cost of an early deadly heatwave that has taken the lives of several tourists and presented a taste of the extreme weather it is likely to face this summer.

An urgent warning has been issued to anyone travelling to the country as four holidaymakers have died and more are missing amid record temperatures.

A favourite holiday destination for much of Europe, Greece has now been hit by the earliest heatwave on record. A heatwave is classed as temperatures exceeding 38C for at least three days.

Read the full report from Rich Booth in Greece:

Warning to tourists as four dead and more missing in Greece’s record early heatwave

The earliest recorded heatwave could be a taste of what is to come for the country expecting record tourism this year, Rich Booth reports from Greece

Holly Evans14 June 2024 14:33

Gyles Brandreth recalls unusual health advice he received from ‘remarkable’ Michael Mosley

Gyles Brandreth has paid tribute to the late TV doctor Michael Mosley, who was found dead after going missing on the Greek island of Symi.

The TV star’s body was discovered in a rocky area close to Agia Marina beach on Sunday (9 June) following a major five-day search across the island.

Brandreth, 76, reflected on the health advice Mosley gave him after he suffered a fall and broke his arm two years ago.

He said: “He had an impact on millions of people. Even me, when I broke my arm a couple of years ago, he said to me: ‘You’ve reached that age when you start falling over...”

Read the full article here:

Gyles Brandreth recalls unusual health advice from ‘remarkable’ Michael Mosley

Brandreth credited Mosley for helping him improve balance and stability with one simple trick

Holly Evans14 June 2024 14:00

TV medic’s body to be repatriated by the weekend

The body of Dt Michael Mosley is likely to be repatriated by the weekend, forensic pathologists have told the Guardian.

“Usually it’s only a matter of time once a postmortem is conducted for a body to be released,” said Dr Grigoris Leon, who heads the Hellenic society of forensic medicine. “That means in this case it’s a question of days before repatriation takes place.”

An initial inquest conducted by a coroner based on their inspection of the body and an autopsy found no injuries that suggested criminal action.

Holly Evans14 June 2024 13:00

Channel 5 unsure over fate of Michael Mosley’s new documentary series

Channel 5 is yet to make a decision on whether it will air the series Michael Mosley was making before his death.

The TV doctor, who changed the way the nation eats and popularised the 5:2 diet, died aged 67 on the Greek island of Symi last week.

His death was confirmed on Sunday after a five-day search, which was initiated after his wife, Clare, reported him missing.

Read the full article here:

Channel 5 unsure over fate of Michael Mosley’s new documentary series

His latest show is a three-parter called ‘Wonders of the Human Body’

Holly Evans14 June 2024 12:25

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