As a co-presenter of The Computer Programme on BBC television in 1982, Chris Serle did more than point to what the machines could do. The Everyman figure to Ian McNaught-Davis’s Expert, he was the unsure yet unflappable representative of those faced with this new technology, showing that it could not only be mastered but that there was nothing to be scared about.
Countless young people went into computing as a result, myself included. He made us feel safe – and a lot smarter than we would have done otherwise.
Simon Ellis
As well as the Crouch End All-Stars Jazz Band, Chris Serle played the drums with the Liberals’ Granny Lee Band – named after the restaurant then opposite Big Ben at which it played regularly. We were accompanying the sketches at the party’s conference revue back in the 1980s but lacked a drummer. Chris was present, reporting on the conference, and offered to join. He was welcomed for a number of gigs, and we noted that in this case he was “in at the shallow end”.
Michael Meadowcroft
