By Neil Sayer, Archdiocesan Archivist

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​When Bishop Derek Worlock was appointed as Liverpool’s seventh Archbishop in 1976, he quickly established the media-savvy style that would characterise the 20 years of his episcopacy. 

He was, according to the Catholic Pic, “The first Catholic bishop to have called a press conference as a means of meeting his new parishioners.” The conference, held in the boardroom at the Liverpool Curial Offices, was said to have been “an astonishing success in a new style of public relations.” It announced the arrival of a dynamic leader happy in the public eye and able to court and use the media for the promotion of the Church. His media-friendly approach can be seen in the personal descriptions from that press conference, of a “youthful looking” man (he was 56) with “an air of quiet dignity” and, usefully for radio, “a pleasant, quiet voice.” He “dealt with questions on a variety of subjects in a quiet, confident manner.” 

The archbishop’s father was a journalist, and his own liking for the media can be judged from his “Who’s Who” entry. When asked to provide an autobiographical summary for his appearance in this compendium of the leaders and influencers in the country, he listed under his hobbies “Broadcasting”. 

He began early. Even in the 1950s, when merely a private secretary in London (to Cardinals Griffin and Godfrey) he was frequently sought by radio programme producers to offer his views and comments on a variety of topics. In those days, radio programmes were less restricted by the quotas for religious content, so notoriously manipulated today. But scripts were required, for TV or radio, and many of them survive among Archbishop Worlock’s papers. Broadcasts of religious services, current affairs programmes, the epilogue to end the night’s listening, commissioned features about Cardinal Griffin or St John Vianney, all were crafted and delivered by him. His speaking style often seems surprisingly folksy: “Have you ever known…”, “But, you know…”, “You remember…”. It’s almost as if he’s buttonholing the listener. Perhaps he had in mind the paradox about radio broadcasting noted by George Orwell: “Millions may be listening, but each is listening alone.” It was certainly a useful apprenticeship. 

Archbishop Worlock’s frequent appearances in the media in the 1980s and 1990s are well known. He was often in the company of the Anglican Bishop of Liverpool, Dr David Sheppard, and they did a huge amount to promote a positive image of Liverpool and defend the city from its detractors, politicians included. 

Their efforts culminated, it might be said, in Granada Television’s Telethon of 1992. This was the third and, as it turned out, final broadcast of the ITV network charity extravaganza, which Archbishop Worlock had been involved with since its beginnings 
in 1987. The first Telethon, broadcast over 27 hours of the late May Bank Holiday weekend in 1988, was billed as “the largest, longest entertainment show ever mounted, harnessing the diverse talents of all 15 ITV companies.” Much like the BBC’s present-day Children in Need and Red Nose Day events, stars and celebrities contributed chat and sketches in an effort to raise money from viewers for good causes relating to disability, homelessness, children’s and community groups. For the 1992 Telethon, Archbishop Worlock and Bishop Sheppard co-presented a morning “act of worship” from the grounds of the Metropolitan Cathedral. Over 40 minutes of live broadcast, presentations from 10 different parts of the country illustrated “the many different faith backgrounds and cultural backgrounds that make up this country.” The Bishop and the Archbishop were the lynchpins, providing links to - among others - Bristol Hindus giving a traditional blessing, a community choir in Armagh, a presentation by the Leeds Jewish community of a tale from the Old Testament, and a composite Liverpool choir including singers from parishes in Aigburth and Aintree. It all relied, of course, on timing and technology, and must have been stressful for those in front of and behind the cameras. 

Years of broadcasting experience would have given Archbishop Worlock the calmness and confidence to host this part of the Telethon. What wasn’t generally known was that he had been discharged from an emergency admission to hospital only a couple of hours before the broadcast. The following day came his diagnosis of lung cancer.