Children Three Education Clifton College Role Journalist | Name Richard Stott Family Wife Penny | |
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Born 17 August 1943 ( 1943-08-17 ) Occupation Newspaper editor, journalist Died July 30, 2007, London, United Kingdom Books Dogs and Lampposts, Dogs and Lamposts | ||
Richard Keith Stott (17 August 1943 – 30 July 2007) was a British journalist and editor.
Born in Oxford, he attended Clifton College in Bristol. He started his journalistic career with the Bucks Herald in 1963. After the Great Train Robbery in that year, he was the only journalist to interview the driver of the train that pulled the hijacked one off the main line. As a result of this interview, it was realised that the cash haul was a great deal more than had at first been estimated.
Stott had great political convictions and is the only man to have edited two UK national newspapers twice: The Daily Mirror from 1985 to 1989 and again from 1991 to 1992, and The People from 1984 to 1985 and again from 1990 to 1991. One of the few journalists who could call Robert Maxwell's bluff during the time he was editor, Stott also edited the now defunct Today newspaper from 1993 to 1995.
Among many interests he enjoyed buying paintings by modern artists and building a fine collection of books. His brother-in-law was the comedian and artist Dave Allen, whom he greatly admired. His memoir, Dogs and Lampposts, was published in 2002 by Metro. Stott spent much of his last year editing Alastair Campbell's book The Blair Years before his death in London, aged 63, of pancreatic cancer. He was survived by his widow Penny, three children and four grandchildren.