Russell Harty

In the final months of his life, Harty is targeted by a News of the World campaign intended to reveal his homosexuality. Subsequent accounts indicate that a man was reportedly sent to his home with a covert recording device.

State of the evidence

Reported by the press

Attribution

Protagonist is the victim

While Harty is seriously ill in hospital, journalists and photographers seek images and information despite his condition. Subsequent testimony mentions attempts to gain access to his room and the use of telephoto lenses from neighbouring buildings.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Protagonist is the victim

In a 1986 television interview in Provence, Harty questions Dirk Bogarde about his private life and longstanding relationship with Anthony Forwood. The exchange remains notable for the tension between the presenter's curiosity and Bogarde's refusal to accept a public definition of his sexuality or the relationship.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

During a live programme, Grace Jones strikes Harty after feeling that he had turned his back on her and was ignoring her in favour of another guest. The sequence becomes one of British television's best-known incidents.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Protagonist is the victim