PAT KEYSELL- who died on 31 October, 2009, in Italy at the age of 83 - will be remembered as a ground-breaking broadcaster whose skills in mime led her to suggest new ways of broadcasting for the benefit of deaf children.To many she will be remembered as the co-host of classic BBC show Vision On, alongside artist Tony Hart, who died nine months before her.She was born in south London and grew up in Kent. She studied mime at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London in the 1940s, before leaving England to live abroad.After her marriage broke up she returned to Britain in 1958 with her young son, Michael, and took on an administrative post at the BBC.She became personal assistant to Ursula Eason, deputy head of children's programmes, who had introduced a show called For Deaf Children. It was Ms Keysell who suggested that mime would be a perfect art form to add to the programme.Throughout her life she would play a key role in promoting theatre and community arts for the deaf and disdvantaged. She was also the author of three books on mime.For Deaf Children was the forerunner of Vision On, first broadcast on 6 March, 1964, and Ms Keysell became freelance presenter of the new show using sign language as well as speech. She combined this work with teaching mime in London schools for the Royal National Institute for the Deaf.After a slow start, and then a full revamp, Vision On really took off in 1966 when graphic artist Tony Hart joined the show and more comedy and innovative animation were added to the mix.In 1968 a Winston Churchill fellowship enabled Ms Keysell to study with the National Theatre of the Deaf in America, inspiring her ideas for a similar professional theatre group in the UK.In 1972 Vision On won the Prix Jeunesse and then a Bafta for best specialised series.Vision On last appeared on our screens in 1976 and afterwards, Ms Keysell moved to ITV where she produced two series of plays for children based on folk stories from around the world called Under the Same Sun in 1978 and 1979.Ms Keysell helped to establish the National Deaf Children's Society's annual drama festival and was the driving force in setting up the British Theatre of the Deaf in the early 1970s.She ended her career at Compass Community Arts in Eastbourne, promoting arts for disadvantaged people from 1996. She stood down from its day-to-day running in 2006 and finally retired in May 2009. She moved to Italy where she sadly died just a few months later.
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