Tom Vernon


Tom Vernon was a British broadcaster and writer, best known as the titular "Fat Man" of a number of popular travelogues.
He died of a heart attack on 11 September 2013.

Humanist career

Prior to working for the BBC, Vernon was the Press and Public Relations Officer for the British Humanist Association, an organisation with promotes humanism, human rights, and secularism in Britain. In 1965 became the force behind the organisation's drive to seek out a new logo, and launched public competition. The winning entry, the so-called Happy Human, came to stand as an international symbol for Humanism and was adopted by humanist organisations around the world. Vernon's other duties at the BHA included oversight of its various publications. His campaigning work was significant; he is credited with helping secure the decriminalisation of abortion in Britain.

The "Fat Man" series

After several years working as a presenter and interviewer for BBC Radio 4, Vernon's first travelogue series was Fat Man On A Bicycle. As the title implied, Vernon was obese and the first episode followed the health tests he had to undergo before setting off on his journey, which took him from Muswell Hill to the Mediterranean coast of southern France. He would repeat this journey fifteen years later for the TV series, Fat Man in France.
Fat Man at Work and his first television series, Fat Man in the Kitchen, deviated from the travelogue style of the other series. The former featured Vernon talking to people working in factories, while the latter was a cookery programme filmed in his own kitchen in Muswell Hill in which each edition was devoted to cuisine of a different country.
Further series followed:

Radio series