Ian Key – who spent many years working for the Daily Express, Daily Mail, Today and the News of the World – has died suddenly at home aged 78.
He spent the majority of his career covering the north of England and Scotland starting out working for a news agency in his home town of Doncaster. He followed his brother Ivor into the same agency (he later became the Daily Express bureau chief in New York).
Ian soon moved on to the Rotherham Advertiser where he met his fellow trainee and long-time close friend Martyn Sharpe.
The pair were out on a Sunday afternoon drive out in his beloved MG Midget when they heard a fire engine siren. Ian insisted on giving chase and after several miles they found an overturned bus down a steep bank. They interviewed some of the passengers and sent a report to Press Association which was later broadcast on News at Ten. It was the first major scoop in a career filled with big stories.
Ian soon moved on to work in London on the Daily Express Action Line consumer page, followed by several years on the Newcastle Evening Chronicle, mainly covering Durham and the surrounding area.
He was soon on the move back to Yorkshire after the Daily Mail offered him the job of their district man based in Leeds. This was the beginning of 12 action-packed years reporting on many big stories alongside press photographer John Sherbourne. Notably, the quest for the so-called “Yorkshire Ripper” Peter Sutcliffe who murdered 13 women. This dominated his life for several years.
There was little respite during the year-long miners’ pit strike in 1984-85, where Ian was often close to the action near the front line.
A chance encounter passing by a bus stop outside an open prison led to an exclusive and memorable interview with Britain’s youngest female killer, Mary Bell. Unfortunately, it was a foggy day and the photographer didn’t see Ian drive by with Mary Bell in the car – much to Ian’s displeasure.
In 1986 he was recruited by new national newspaper Today to cover the north of England and Scotland, which he did for ten years until it closed in 1995.
While working for Today he reported on the Piper Alpha oil rig disaster in Scotland, which claimed 165 lives in July 1988, and by chance interviewed Arman Hammer (chairman of the rig’s owner Occidental) when they were both travelling together in a lift.
Each tragedy left its mark which he never forgot.
Among lighter career moments was his exclusive on the ‘Castaways’ marooned on the island of Patongros in 1989, where he and photographer Paul Cousans spent a pleasant time in Hawaii near Waikiki beach waiting to interview them and narrate their story.
Another exclusive was his time spent hidden in a secret location in North Yorkshire with Marina Ogilvy, daughter of Princess Alexandra and her boyfriend, successfully keeping the rest of the press pack at bay
After a brief period at the News of the World, in the latter years of his working life he freelanced for the national press before finally putting down his pen in 2020 as Covid struck.
This was just a snapshot of high-profile stories reported on over the years. It was a journalistic life lived full of variety, adventure and certainly never boring.
Veteran photographer Nigel ‘Benjie’ Bennett said: “He was great on the doorstep with difficult stories. I’ve been there when he’s been threatened, but he would never back down. He was one of those guys in journalism who knew their stuff.”
Andrew Chapman was an agency journalist when he first met Ian, who was a Daily Mail reporter at the time.
He said: “We had both gone on a job concerning the daughter of a racehorse trainer. Once we were inside the house my photographer noticed a picture of her on the mantlepiece and quickly snapped it while I hid the noise of the shutter. I looked up to see Ian waving his hands in a ‘no, no’ motion his face blanched white.
“His words back in the pub were, ‘you can’t use that for Chrissakes! We’ll be crucified! You’ll have to tell the desks it was taken without permission.’ We duly did and when the fuss died down all Ian, always the consummate and straight operator, would say was ‘that was a bit near the knuckle lads’.
“It was the beginning of a 40-year friendship and professional relationship. During that time I never heard anyone ever have a bad word to say against him. In our game that was truly something of an honour.”
Former Daily Mirror journalist Steve Dennis said: “Ian was a true gentleman who always brought his integrity to reporting alongside his passion for news. No ego. No big talk.
“He just got on with the job quietly, diligently and professionally. You always wanted his steady approach, eye for detail and thorough examination of the facts on your side.
“Whether he was covering a mundane door knock or a national tragedy, he gave 100% and always, always delivered. And beyond all that, he was as decent and kind as they come.”
Ian leaves behind a widow Ann, sons Benjamin and Dominic, and two grandchildren.
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