{"id":21648,"date":"2026-07-30T04:35:40","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T23:35:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=21648"},"modified":"2026-07-30T04:35:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T23:35:40","slug":"dawn-french-and-jason-manford-pay-tribute-after-quietly-magnificent-publicist-neil-reading-dies-aged-56","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=21648","title":{"rendered":"Dawn French and Jason Manford pay tribute after &#8216;quietly magnificent&#8217; publicist Neil Reading dies aged 56"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-tnl-wp-lead-asset-lead-asset\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_16767405\" class=\"wp-caption\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/newspress-collage-5x1nia05j-1785354547489.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;1785351094&amp;1785351094\" alt=\"An image collage containing 1 images, Image 1 shows Neil Reading, wearing sunglasses and a white shirt, holding up a bottle of wine, laughing on a beach\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-16767405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/newspress-collage-5x1nia05j-1785354547489.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 2000w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/newspress-collage-5x1nia05j-1785354547489.jpg?resize=300,200&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 300w, 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https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/newspress-collage-5x1nia05j-1785354547489.jpg?resize=90,60&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 90w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/newspress-collage-5x1nia05j-1785354547489.jpg?resize=120,80&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 120w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/newspress-collage-5x1nia05j-1785354547489.jpg?resize=960,640&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 960w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/newspress-collage-5x1nia05j-1785354547489.jpg?resize=620,413&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 620w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/newspress-collage-5x1nia05j-1785354547489.jpg?resize=150,100&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 150w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/newspress-collage-5x1nia05j-1785354547489.jpg?resize=1620,1080&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 1620w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/newspress-collage-5x1nia05j-1785354547489.jpg?resize=50,33&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>DAWN French and Jason Manford have paid a heartbreaking tribute to the \u201cquietly magnificent\u201d publicist Neil Reading.<\/p>\n<p>The entertainment industry heavyweight died aged 56 following a short illness.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16767406\" class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-caption alignnone aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span>Mr Reading, one of Britain\u2019s best-known showbiz publicists, died aged 56<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Credit: Family Handout<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16767408\" class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-caption alignnone aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span>Dawn French has paid a heartbreaking tribute to the publicist<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Credit: Dan Kennedy \u2013 Commissioned by The Times Saturday Magazine<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mr Reading, one of Britain\u2019s best-known showbiz publicists, represented a glittering roll call of stars including French, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/who\/john-cleese\/\">John Cleese<\/a> and the late Victoria Wood.<\/p>\n<p>His sudden death has prompted an outpouring of grief from the celebrities and friends whose careers he helped champion.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--thesun aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Entertainment\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the <span class=\"newsletter-name theme-entertainment\">Entertainment<\/span> newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThank you!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16694430\" class=\"wp-caption\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-no-modal=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?w=960\" alt=\"\" class=\"alignnone size-thesun-article-image wp-image-16694430\" width=\"960\" height=\"296\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 2048w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=300,93&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 300w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=768,237&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 768w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=1024,316&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=1536,474&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 1536w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=600,185&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 600w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=878,271&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 878w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=744,230&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 744w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=576,178&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 576w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=440,136&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 440w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=424,131&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 424w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=180,56&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 180w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=107,33&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 107w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=130,40&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 130w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=227,70&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 227w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=175,54&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 175w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=200,62&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 200w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=231,71&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 231w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=322,99&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 322w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=664,205&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 664w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=194,60&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 194w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=259,80&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 259w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=960,296&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 960w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=88,28&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 88w, https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/DD-TOPIC-BANNER-video-hub-streaming.jpg?resize=50,15&amp;quality=90&amp;strip=all 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>The founder of Neil Reading PR was behind a string of West End hits, including High Society, Only Fools And Horses and Fawlty Towers \u2013 The Play.<\/p>\n<p>But for French, Mr Reading was far more than the man handling her publicity.<\/p>\n<p>She said: \u201cNeil Reading was a one-off, such a kind, decent, intelligent man, a proper gentleman in the old-fashioned way, quietly magnificent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur work relationship became a very real and trusting friendship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has been my ally and fierce protector through so much and for so long. I don\u2019t quite know how I\u2019ll manage without him. <span id=\"f0414d78-b215-4433-acbf-1859fb9a543b\" class=\"suggested-link\">Sleep<\/span> tight darlin\u2019 heart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Comedian Jason Manford also revealed the devastating depth of their nearly two-decade friendship.<\/p>\n<p>He said: \u201cDescribing Neil as my PR manager does not come close to describing what he meant to me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was a trusted friend of almost 20 years, a confidant and one of the most loyal, noble and brilliant men I have ever known.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr Reading\u2019s star-studded client list also included <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/who\/john-bishop\/\">John Bishop<\/a>, Sir <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/who\/lenny-henry\/\">Lenny Henry<\/a> and Paul McKenna.<\/p>\n<p>Bishop said: \u201cNeil was a true gentleman. He was too humble to realise how much he meant to people and I know he will be greatly missed.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16767411\" class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-caption alignnone aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span>Mr Reading represented a glittering roll call of stars including John Cleese<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Credit: Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16767412\" class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-caption alignnone aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span>Comedian John Bishop worked closely with the late entertainment heavyweight<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Credit: Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>McKenna said: \u201cNeil was one of the finest people I\u2019ve ever known.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Businessman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/who\/nick-candy\/\">Nick Candy<\/a>, who was a close friend of Mr Reading, said the publicist\u2019s impact stretched far beyond the spotlight.<\/p>\n<p>He said: \u201cNeil wasn\u2019t just a brilliant publicist \u2013 he was a true friend and one of the kindest, most generous people I have ever known.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr Reading launched his agency in 1992, building it into a formidable entertainment, consumer and lifestyle PR operation.<\/p>\n<p>The company later expanded into business, property and fashion, while forging links with agencies across Europe and the United States.<\/p>\n<p>Through decades at the heart of showbiz, Mr Reading became a trusted figure behind some of Britain\u2019s biggest names and productions.<\/p>\n<p>He is survived by his wife Claire and daughter Rosa.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Reading\u2019s career was built on a knack for turning famous names into headline-makers, long before social media transformed the publicity game.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16767413\" class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-caption alignnone aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span>The late Victoria Wood was also taken under his wing<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Credit: PA:Press Association<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16767414\" class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-caption alignnone aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span>Sir Lenny was one of his clients<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Credit: Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He struck out on his own in 1992 at just 22, quickly building an agency around personal publicity and an increasingly glittering roster of household names.<\/p>\n<p>By 1997, he was representing stars including <span id=\"b3b29b5f-d584-4165-8e95-61f8800f1b88\" class=\"suggested-link\">Jonathan Ross<\/span>, <span id=\"015d6554-5d8d-4dfe-b4c3-ecd1c88b7005\" class=\"suggested-link\">Michael Flatley<\/span>, Jack Dee, Lee Evans and Ben Elton, while also working with clients outside showbiz.<\/p>\n<p>His agency went on to become a formidable force behind some of Britain\u2019s biggest entertainment launches.<\/p>\n<p>In his 1997 Independent interview, he described personal PR as his \u201cfirst love\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DAWN French and Jason Manford have paid a heartbreaking tribute to the \u201cquietly magnificent\u201d publicist Neil Reading. The entertainment industry heavyweight died aged 56 following a short illness. Mr Reading, one of Britain\u2019s best-known showbiz publicists, died aged 56 Credit: Family Handout Dawn French has paid a heartbreaking tribute to the publicist Credit: Dan Kennedy&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21649,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/newspress-collage-5x1nia05j-1785354547489.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&1785351094&w=1920&h=1080&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21648\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}