Sir Clement Freud, 24 April 1924 – 15 April 2009

Writer, broadcaster, politician and chef: Clement Freud never ran short of ways to fill his time. This was true until the very end. He died at his desk yesterday.

The grandson of Sigmund ‘sometimes a cigar is just a cigar’ Freud, he first appeared in the public eye on adverts for Minced Morsels dog food, with his co-star and lookalike Henry the bloodhound.

A varied career followed, from newspaper columns to the Houses of Parliament, but he is best remembered for his wonderfully dry wordplay. This quote sums up his humour – and a way to laugh at our current situation – perfectly:

“There’s not much doubt but we are in a period of great inflation. As the farmer said to me the other day, ‘Apples are going up,’ to which I replied, ‘This would come as a severe blow to Sir Isaac Newton.'”

There’s no doubt that his loss will be felt for much longer than just a minute.

The definitive guide to transforming the writing of individuals and teams

GET YOUR FREE PDF COPY NOW

Author: Catie Holdridge

---

Catie joined Emphasis with an English literature and creative writing degree and a keen interest in what makes language work. Having researched, written, commissioned and edited dozens of articles for the Emphasis blog, she now knows more about the intricacies of effective professional writing than she ever thought possible.

She produced and co-wrote our online training programme, The Complete Business Writer, and these days oversees all the Emphasis marketing efforts. And she keeps office repartee at a suitably literary level.