The Word On: John Mortimer

The law and politics were two great passions that animated his writing. Being a barrister was "a wonderful experience for a writer," he said, "because everyone comes and calls out all their inner lives to you". He was a lifelong, albeit disaffected, Labour voter. Politics was interesting, he said, "because of the great gap between people's desires and reality".

Colin Murphy (prospect-magazine.co.uk)

He was such a towering figure as a barrister and a playwright and novelist. I first met him in about 1975 and we were friends for many years ... Interviewing him for his biography, I went regularly to the house and sat at his desk – his father's old desk in the house his father had built in 1932 – and he would pour me glasses of champagne ... With his writing, he just did it. He never rewrote. He never reread what he'd done. How he fitted all his work in was just amazing.

Valerie Grove (news.bbc.co.uk)

What a life – defending the Sex Pistols ... and 'Oz' magazine ... with one hand, while writing all those Rumpole stories and plays and screenplays with the other. Someone who never fell into the easy trap of becoming a grumpy old man. His 2003 memoir, 'Where's There's A Will' ... is a real inspiration ... Another message, then: keep doing it till you really do drop dead.

Dickon Edwards (dickonedwards.co.uk)