Isobel Barnett
| Isobel, Lady Barnett | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Isobel Morag Marshall 30 June 1918 Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland |
| Died | 28 October 1980 (aged 62) Cossington, Leicestershire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation |
Medical Practitioner Radio and television personality Justice of the peace |
| Years active | 1940–1980 |
| Known for | Broadcasting career |
| Notable work | What's My Line |
Isobel, Lady Barnett (30 June 1918 – 20 October 1980), popularly known as Lady Isobel Barnett, was a British radio and television personality, who had her highest profile during the 1950s and 1960s.
She was born Isobel Morag Marshall in Aberdeen, Scotland, the daughter of a doctor. She went to the independent Mount School in York and, following in her father's footsteps, studied medicine at the University of Glasgow. She qualified as a doctor in 1940, and married solicitor and company director Geoffrey Barnett the following year. He was knighted for political and public services to the city of Leicester in 1953. Lady Barnett gave up her medical career in 1948, and for the next twenty years was a justice of the peace.
In 1953 she arrived on BBC television as one of the panel of What's My Line, which made her a household name. She appeared on the programme for ten years but was not an original panelist, her seat having been previously occupied by Marghanita Laski.
Elegant and witty, she was regarded by audiences as the epitome of the British (although her title actually came from the fact that her solicitor husband had been knighted; the incorrect form Lady Isobel Barnett suggested she possessed a courtesy title, but she was not an aristocrat, nor had she married into the aristocracy). She also made regular appearances on the BBC radio series Any Questions, on the radio panel game Many a Slip and on the women's discussion series Petticoat Line. Her crystal-clear voice and discreet and engaging smile also made Lady Barnett greatly in demand as an after-dinner speaker, a role into which she slipped confidently, always delivering a highly amusing and perfectly polished speech.
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