My brother-in-law, James Zafar, who has died aged 48 from bone cancer, was a gifted production and concept designer for television. He was the creator of the sets and “look” for the BBC’s The Great British Bake Off and MasterChef, among many others.
James (known as Barrie to his family) was born in Blackburn, Lancashire. His father, Shahid, came to the town from Nizamabad, Pakistan, to work in the velvet mills before training to become a chef and marrying James’s mother, Christine (nee Gabbott). James’s gift for drawing led to him winning an art competition in one of his comics, the prize for which was a ticket to the cinema. He took himself to see Star Wars and decided there and then to become a designer.
To achieve that goal he attended art college in Newport, south Wales, and studied graphic design. He then did a stint working for Euro Disney as a sculptor and creature-maker before moving to London and entering the world of television with art director jobs on Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast and TFI Friday. Always happiest when making and designing, in between series of TFI James secured a position sculpting at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in Camden, north London.There he met his wife, Tahra Kharibian, a fabrication supervisor, creating creature and costume effects for film, TV and theatre.
After his time at the Creature Shop, James finally realised his childhood ambition and became a production designer, with credits including Nigel Slater: Eating Together, Marco Pierre White’s Kitchen Wars, Casualty, The Charlotte Church Show and Holby City.
One of his favourite sayings was “life is not a rehearsal” and that was how he approached it. Whether it was writing fan mail to Star Wars’s George Lucas and John Williams, and special effects master Ray Harryhausen (who invited him round to tea), or answering an advert for extras on Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, James never missed an opportunity to enjoy an experience.
Even after losing part of his leg to cancer, he powered up Mount Etna in Sicily earlier this year when on holiday with his family. The small party he climbed with lined up to shake his hand. They could not believe what he had achieved.
James is survived by Tahra and their daughter, Zara, as well as by his mother and his brother, Martin, and sister, Olivia.
