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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.

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Dr Mosley jokingly reveals result of his personality test

Later in the episode, Mosley shared with the audience one of the “scarier experiments” he had taken part in - a personality test.

“I was stuck in a brain scanner and showed images of someone being hit with a ruler and then they hit me with a ruler,” he explained.

When he asked for the results, the psychologist told him: “I’d send your wife out of the room at this point.”

Mosley admitted that “according to this test, I am a bit of a psychopath”.

As the audience laughed, Professor Paul Bloom reassured him: “If you’re worried you’re a psychopath, you’re not a psychopath.”

Holly Evans14 June 2024 11:46
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‘His legacy is going to live on’, says former friend and fellow broadcaster

Paying tribute to Mosley, his friend and fellow TV doctor Chris van Tulleken added: “Michael’s death has moved so many of us, so really I’m speaking for lots of television and audio presenters and producers.

“His legacy is going to live on in our memories, every time we brush our teeth standing on one leg, we fast a little longer between meals, we build up our strength with squats or do any one of the other hundreds of tricks that he taught us.

“I’ll miss him as a friend and as a mentor. But perhaps, most of all, I’ll miss him as a broadcaster.”

BBC colleagues say Michael Mosley death has ‘moved so many of us’ (BBC)
BBC colleagues say Michael Mosley death has ‘moved so many of us’ (BBC) (PA Archive)
Holly Evans14 June 2024 11:32
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TV doctor told audience he had been ‘obsessed’ with how to live a good life

In a conversation at the Hay Festival with psychologist Professor Paul Bloom, Michael Mosley told the audience: “I have been obsessed with the question of how to live a good life for a long time.

“I come from a long line of missionaries on my mother’s side and a long line of bankers on my father’s side so I’m kindof torn in directions and to some extent, that has dictated the course of my life.”

The event focused on the Canadian professor’s five tips for living a good life, with Dr Mosley sharing his own insight and experiences from his career in a witty and light-hearted conversation which took place on 25 May.

Holly Evans14 June 2024 11:21
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Dr Mosley was ‘one of the most important broadcasters of recent decades’

Opening a BBC special programme in memory of Dr Michael Mosley, his former colleague and fellow broadcaster Chris Van Tulleken described him as “generous” and “humble”.

Just One Thing: There’s Only One Michael Mosley is due to be aired on BBC Radio 4 at 11am, and has been released on BBC Sounds, and features the TV doctor’s final interview at the Hay Festival.

In a tribute, Mr Van Tulleken said: “As you’re listening to Michael, I want you to reflect on his style - dryly witty, modest, humble. This style disguises that he is one of the most important broadcasters of recent decades.

Michael Mosley infected himself with tapeworms (Nathan Williams/BBC)
Michael Mosley infected himself with tapeworms (Nathan Williams/BBC) (PA Media)

“Before Michael, doctors in white coats told you how to live from their ivory towers, Michael’s genius was to make himself the patient and the guinea pig in a way that’s utterly relatable.”

He continued:  “Off camera and off mic he was the same, humble, kind and above all generous. And that generosity set the tone in the BBC Science unit in a way that meant everyone who worked there became friends and collaborators rather than competitors.”

Holly Evans14 June 2024 10:45
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TV special in memory of Michael Mosley to air this evening

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.

A programme will air this evening on BBC One to pay tribute to the TV doctor
A programme will air this evening on BBC One to pay tribute to the TV doctor (AP)
Holly Evans14 June 2024 09:51
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Michael Mosley said he didn’t want to die ‘early’ like his father in tragic final interview

Dr Michael Mosley said he did not want to die “early” like his father, who lived to 74 years old, in a tragic interview given just before his death at age 67.

The TV star died of natural causes last week after he went missing on the Greek island of Symi. His body was found on Sunday in a rocky area near Agia Marina beach.

Speaking at the end of April the 67-year-old revealed his healthy lifestyle was driven by watching his own father, Bill, die before seeing his grandchildren grow up.

Read the full article here:

Michael Mosley said he didn’t want to die ‘early’ like his father in final interview

TV doctor died of natural causes aged 67 last week after he went missing on Greek island of Symi

Holly Evans14 June 2024 08:51
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BBC to air final Dr Mosley interview at 11am

In tribute, the BBC will air the last interview Mosley conducted in a programme titled There’s Only One Michael Mosley on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds at 11am on Friday.

Mosley recorded a special edition of Just One Thing, in which he regularly revealed tips to improve your health, at the Hay Festival on May 25 with Professor Paul Bloom.

The recording will be introduced by TV doctor and presenter Chris van Tulleken, who Mosley worked with as part of the BBC’s Trust Me, I’m A Doctor series.

Holly Evans14 June 2024 08:00
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ICYMI: Michael Mosley was ‘invited to appear on Strictly weeks before death’ after championing health benefits

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.

Full report:

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

Matt Mathers14 June 2024 07:00
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Mapped: The doomed route taken by Dr Michael Mosley in boiling heat before death on Greek island

Tragic details have continued to emerge about Dr Michael Mosley’s final hours after he disappeared on the Greek island of Symi, with his body discovered five days later.

After police officers, firefighters and a helicopter scoured the rocky hillside, he was found at the foot of a fence near a beach bar at the Agia Marina resort.

CCTV footage has reportedly shown him making his way down the slope before falling over, with his wife saying that his family had taken comfort in the fact he “very nearly made it to safety”.

Read more here:

Doomed route taken by Dr Michael Mosley in boiling heat before death on Greek island

The TV doctor is believed to have collapsed after taking the wrong turning on a hillside walk

Maroosha Muzaffar14 June 2024 06:30
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All the ways Michael Mosley changed my life (and could still change yours)

He’s altered the way she showers, stands – and even how she spends her free time. Which is why Emma Reed will never forget the health and lifestyle guru:

All the ways Michael Mosley changed my life (and could still change yours)

He’s altered the way she showers, stands – and even how she spends her free time. Which is why Emma Reed will never forget the health and lifestyle guru…

Maroosha Muzaffar14 June 2024 06:00

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