British national newspapers have lost one of their most imaginative and generous journalists with the passing of Dave “Nobby” Clark at the age of 73.
A working-class East Londoner, he was born in Limehouse and brought up in Stepney before moving out to Essex as many of his community did in the years after World War Two.
His entry into journalism was less typical. A church choirboy, his love of music led him to join a rock band called The Roosters where he once dropped his trousers on stage, always seeking a laugh.
His performance was seen by a teenage journalist on the Romford Times called Patsy Chapman (pictured, right), later to become editor of the News of the World. They met again as judges of a talent contest, got together and remained married for 52 years until his death.
Nobby’s day job was as a cigarette salesman. But when a global company wanted him to flog a “safe ciggie” his powerful social conscience prompted him to turn whistleblower. The resulting story made the front page of the Sunday Times and showed Nobby where his talent would be most effectively employed: journalism.
The professional journey that followed was a familiar one to many young journos of the 1970s and 1980s: reporting on a local weekly, in his case the Ilford Recorder, then moving on to a regional daily, the Colchester Gazette. There, he and the late Paul Davidson broke many scoops, including the activities of notorious art forger Tom Keating.
Nobby’s organisational vision and love of storytelling led him to become a sub-editor and undertake Saturday shifts on the News of the World, long before his wife became the boss. His outstanding abilities were quickly spotted and a staff job followed.
In the 1980s he was promoted to chief sub and was closely involved in the tumultuous 1986 move to computer technology at Wapping. All the while, he helped to mentor a new generation of subs, generously passing on his skills and insight. And, outside of newspapers, he discreetly helped people less fortunate with considerable donations of time and money.
Nobby worked for several News of the World editors, but when Patsy became one in 1988, he diplomatically stepped down from his chief-subbing role. Rupert Murdoch, a fan of his talent, did not want to lose his out-of-the-box mindset so News International retained him for special projects.
Nobby helped create the Captain Cash page, years ahead of its time, in which money was given to readers with needs and ideas. Murdoch chided Nobby for “giving my f*****g money away” but the feature continued successfully.
After Patsy stepped down as editor in 1994, Nobby returned to the subbing fold, handling splashes and giving the latest tranche of tabloid wannabes the benefit of his wisdom, always insisting on the duty of journalists in popular newspapers to tell stories that matter to their readers with clarity and, where appropriate, humour.
His hilarious rendition of Stanley Holloway’s “Brahn Boots” was demanded at every staff Christmas party.
Nobby Clark’s Teddy Editor stand-up routine at the News of the World closing party
Nobby remained in place until the News of the World controversially folded in 2011, an event marked, hysterically and provocatively, by his party stand-up with a toy called Teddy Editor that can still be found on YouTube.
Subs who worked with him over the years paid tribute to his skills and informal mentoring.
Fran Goodman, now assistant editor of the Daily Express, said: “We’d both be shut away to work on splashes in a secret room to avoid leaks.
“He’d sit totally calm as shouty executives and lawyers paced to and fro yelling instructions. While they ranted, he quietly crafted thousands of words into pure tabloid gold. His combination of talent, generosity and calmness under pressure was unique.
“And he was one of the kindest people I ever worked with. When I was first asked to be on the News of the World back bench I told him I was nervous. He invited me to his home for layout lessons and a buffet that would have fed the whole subs’ desk.”
Another heavyweight sub to learn from Nobby was Mickey Burke. He recalled: “Out of all the people I’ve worked alongside in my career I learned far more from him than anyone.
“I didn’t ask him stuff – you don’t pester the greats. I just pored over his rewrites and then looked at the original copy. It was breathtaking – the best education any sub could have. Nobby was truly outstanding, and a mentor to me without ever knowing.”
Owen Anslow, now deputy night editor at The Sun, also benefited from Nobby “tutorials” at the News of the World.
He recalled: “At 21, I was the baby of our subbing team. Nobby was the grandfather. He had a calmness about him like no other.
“I’d often sneak a peek at raw copy thrown at ‘Nobblette’ – thousands of often convoluted words. It never ceased to amaze me at how quickly and deftly he could spin a garbled yarn into gold.
“Deadlines never fazed him. Nor did a pesky young sub asking him style questions on the deadline.
“He was incredibly gifted at structuring big spreads – you knew the story by the third par, yet he compelled you to read on. He maintained the tempo of a tale throughout a long read.
“You’d never grow tired of a Nobby-sprinkled spread. And he did all this with a smile on his face.
“To me, he was a gentle giant of Fleet Street who encapsulated the fine art of tabloid subbing.”
Not only subs rely on Nobby’s editing skills. When Stuart Kuttner retired as managing editor of the News of the World in 2009, he handed his meandering farewell speech to him to tighten up “by a third”. Nobby replied: “I know what you want. I’ll cut it back and leave it all in.”
When delivered, the script received a standing ovation from guests. Kuttner said: “David was so much more than an agile sub. He was the ultimate master of words.”
Nobby spent a joyous, well-deserved retirement in Suffolk with Patsy and their son Dan. Travel and wine were high on his list of activities.
In the years leading up to his cancer diagnosis in 2020, he had spent his time completing a globetrotting bucket list. Patsy said: “He was the glue to everything. He was fab, fab, fab.”
DAVID EDWARD CLARK
BORN: September 12, 1948
DIED: August 15, 2022
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
