Widow of Harry Gration releases poignant recording of his final performance – in his ‘beloved’ York

The widow of Harry Gration has released a poignant recording of the broadcaster’s final performance.

Harry, who lived in York for most of his life, died suddenly in June last year.

The BBC Look North host’s passing, aged 71, left widow Helen, his children and his legions of fans devastated.

Just weeks earlier, in April, Harry was joined by friend and ITV broadcasting ‘rival’ Christine Talbot for A Grand Yorkshire Day Out at York Theatre Royal.

It was a show of anecdotes and reminiscences from a remarkable life in radio and TV, in what Helen described as his “his beloved home city of York”.

“Heartbreakingly it would be Harry’s final performance,” she wrote on Facebook.

“We have had some sad times to navigate ever since the day he died and we are still trying to find a balance.

“But like some sort of curator, I want to ensure that his children can find his stories and his voice should they need it in the months and years to come. I want especially for our youngest to know how proud we still are of Daddy and for him to share in that.

“So whilst I am obviously and totally biased, I hope this recording presents a unique man and special husband and father, Harry Gration, as the exceptional broadcaster he was.”

There was no video of the show, but an audio recording exists. And the family have released it on Spotify and on YouTube, complete with still photographs and vintage clips of the broadcaster in some of his finest moments.

There’s lots of humour in the show, with Harry recalling some of his funniest slip-ups, his epic fundraising feats with colleagues including weatherman Paul Hudson, and some of the characters he met on the way.

And he recalls his sporting broadcasts, from various World Cups and Olympic Games.

Touchingly there is also live music courtesy of one of his six children, Harrison, who sang two songs in the show.