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Ges D’Souza obituary, The Guardian 4 February 2016, by Len Brown
My friend Ges (Gerard) D’Souza, who died aged 55 of a heart attack, was a charismatic and highly respected television producer and director in the UK and Australia.
He was born in Lambeth, south London, to Indian immigrants, Agnes (nee Saldanha) and Terence, a personnel manager with Tata Steel who became a civil servant when they moved to the UK. Brought up in Eastbourne, Ges went to Eastbourne grammar school, then studied economics and social history at Exeter University. After trying various careers, he joined Ken Livingstone’s Greater London council in the equal opportunities department. While there he founded the Tornados, a socialist and sociable football side in south London, led by Ges as “El Presidente”.
When his knowledge of sport led to a role as researcher on the BBC’s A Question of Sport, Ges moved to Manchester in 1988. We met in 1989 and became flatmates, working together on youth television programmes such as Reportage and Rough Guides. Ges then joined the BBC2 sports series On the Line. According to David Taylor, the series’ editor, “he could always be relied upon to deliver an accomplished story. No one had a bad thing to say about him, which is remarkable in the highly critical world of television.”
Ges loved the social and sporting side of life in Manchester and built a huge network of friends. He also met the TV producer Kirstie Fisher, who was working with Russell T Davies. It was Davies who played matchmaker, and Ges and Kirstie married in 1992, their three children born within the following four years. In 1996, with BBC North in decline, they emigrated to Australia, where Ges began a 20-year career with ABC on the award-winning documentary series Australian Story.
Having survived a heart attack in 2010, he visited the UK last year, organised a reunion of his old BBC mates, and played once more for the Tornados in an epic 3-2 victory. His teammate Chris Kelly recalls that, when the score was tied at 2-2 with 15 minutes remaining, “El Presidente” delivered a rousing team speech, “urging us to give our all because we may never play together again”.
Ges died while playing in a Sunday veterans’ football match in Sydney, after collapsing on the field.
He is survived by Kirstie, their children, Daisy, Callum and Imogen, his brother, Frank, and his sisters, Mary, Rita and Michelle.
Harry’s musical tribute to Ges
Ges’s Memorial Service, 4 July 2016
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