The taste for satire started at Shrewsbury School, where he wrote for the school newspaper, as did his near contemporaries, Christopher Booker, Richard Ingrams and Willie Rushton.

ECONOMIST: Obituary

Plans to close the Wakeman School in Shrewsbury will go before Shropshire Council's cabinet, which will make the final decision, on 7 September.

BBC: Wakeman School recommended for closure in 2013

Wakeman School in Shrewsbury, which has seen falling pupil numbers, is the only secondary out of nine in the county under threat of closure.

BBC: Petition over Shrewsbury school closure plan

Karen Moore, assistant headteacher, Wakeman School, Shrewsbury.

BBC: News | Education | The 38 professionals

Although he was born just outside Liverpool, the son of a cotton broker, he went to Shrewsbury, a mid-ranking public school.

ECONOMIST: Obituary: John Peel | The