Tom Stoppard Tributes to 'wonderful friend' who started his career in city

TRIBUTES have been paid to playwright Sir Tom Stoppard, who was remembered as one of the country's greatest writers and a "wonderful friend", following the announcement of his death at the weekend aged 88.

- Gabriel SHEPARD

Sir Tom's six-decade career attracted worldwide recognition, earning Tony and Olivier awards, as well as a Golden Globe and an Academy Award.

But it was in Bristol where his career began - eking out a living as a local journalist from humble digs in Clifton.

Lifelong friend Anthony 'ACH' Smith admitted the pair had, as competing young reporters, not got off to a strong start.

"The Evening World sent Tom and the Evening Post sent me to the Embassy Cinema to review a film about Adolf Hitler. It was terrible; full of cliches - absolute rubbish," he recalled. "After the film the manager invited us both to his office for a sherry. That was the first time we met and we didn't much like each other. I had been to university and he, of course, had left school at 17. I think he thought I was an academic prig and I thought he was a slovenly provincial hack."

Sir Tom's review in the following day's paper did little to change his rival's opinion.

"He said the film was pretty good stuff and worth parting with your money for," said Mr Smith. “I thought: 'what a creep!'"

But early impressions changed in the proceeding years when the pair worked together on the new arts page of the Western Daily Press.