Tony Benn: 'A true great, whatever the politics'

I was fortunate to meet Tony Benn on many occasions.

The first was as an ITV Central trainee in Chesterfield in 1986. I was pretty nervous, he was very patient and recorded the interview on a cassette tape recorder, as he always did at that time.

It was another 23 years before we met again when I was invited to host "Evening with" events at venues around the UK including Hereford and Derby.

Wherever we went, he was adored by the crowds, who always gave him a standing ovation. He was never short of a polite, considerate response and took time to share jokes as well as his remarkable stories of experiences down the years.

He told me, as a child he met Mahatma Ghandi, his cousin was the actress, Margaret Rutherford (there is a family resemblance) and he was a strong supporter of women's rights; inspired by his mother's beliefs.

As an MP, he once placed a discreet plaque in a House of Parliament broom cupboard with a photo of a leading suffragette, Emily Davison, who died after throwing herself beneath the King's horse.

Tony loved smoking his pipe and would continue to do so at the numerous theatres and public halls we toured. No one ever dared to tell him it was a non-smoking environment!

One regret is that I was asked to host his final "Audience with" evening, but was booked to work elsewhere, so had to decline.

It is a sign of his generous personality that not only did he always seek a round of applause for me as an interviewer, he even recorded a message for a surprise birthday video for me.

Whatever the politics, a true great.