Hundreds of journalists and others touched by the life of Sir Harold Evans gathered at Mansion House in London on Thursday night at a memorial event to celebrate his life – but it was left to a historian to explain why the job he did matters and what we all should do now he has gone.

Sir Harry’s friend Simon Schama said we live in a “scoundrel age” and that we need the great editor back to “set out in black and white the unvarnished truth”.

Imagining what Sir Harry would say if he was there, Schama said: “What is the point of being a one-off, we need more of the right stuff. Multiply me.”