Romola Christopherson: a true pro 'with attitude'

Shrewd, funny, fiercely committed to public service - and frequently observed through a thick cloud of smoke.

Romola Christopherson, former head of press and publicity at the Department of Health, who died last week, aged 64, was, in the words of her former boss, Sir Alan Langlands, 'a one-off '.

Credited as presiding over a semi-mythical era 'before spin', Ms Christopherson's 12 years at the DoH, from 1986 to 1998, were a time of BSE, AIDS, Salmonella and the creation of the internal market. But for those who worked with her, that time will always be referred to as 'the Romola years'.

They remember much more than her professional strengths and ability to stay calm in the face of chaos. Not to mention the eternal cigarettes, infamously captured on camera when Romola attended an anti-drugs press launch.

Virginia Bottomley, health secretary from 1992 to 1995, says: 'She had attitude - before it was fashionable.' She describes Romola as a 'true professional' who 'understood the way Whitehall and the political process worked better than anyone' while remaining 'fiercely loyal to her staff '.

Mrs Bottomley says Romola 'understood that if you want to be credible you will not always be loved - in a way that the current regime could learn from'.

But she laughs about the Conservative government's attempts to sell its public health message in the Health of the Nation white paper - 'less booze, less smoking, more exercise' - with Romola at its helm.

Sir Alan Langlands, former chief executive at the DoH from 1994 to 2000, stresses that Romola was 'a committed public servant' who got him out of many scrapes in his early days in office. But he adds: 'She was a shrewd and often funny observer ofWhitehall politics. I had a great deal of respect for her. She really was a one-off.'

Former health secretary Stephen Dorrell (1995-1997) says Ms Christopherson's irreverence and 'buccaneering spirit' made her 'enormously good fun'. Her political and journalistic instincts were keen: she understood how politicians and ministers operated. It was little wonder they were so well honed - before joining the DoH she was deputy press secretary to Bernard Ingham at Number 10 for two years, and head of information at the Department of Energy during the miners' strike.

Mr Dorrell - who also worked with her then, under then energy secretary Peter Walker - is among many who pay tribute to her 'straight talking'.

More than that, 'she had a hinterland, a life beyond the day job'.

Romola certainly did. A talented actress as a student at Oxford University, she took her acute sense of the absurd with her to the civil service. Her infamous impersonation of a cleaning lady trapped under a table at a Cabinet meeting was performed at a civil service revue in front of an illustrious audience which included then prime minister Margaret Thatcher and Sir Graham Hart, DoH permanent secretary from 1992 to 1998.

Sir Graham recalls: 'It was hilarious. She was a cleaner, a real Mrs Mop with a fag hanging out of her mouth - which suited Romola - listening in disbelief to the goings on of Whitehall.'

He believes her 'tremendous sense of humour' helped her to keep a perspective, even when embroiled in major crisis.

Former health secretary Frank Dobson describes Romola as 'a grown-up in a sphere which is not always populated by adults'. He remembers her 'huge corporate memory' and 'professional integrity' which made her an invaluable sounding board when he took office.

Jonathan Street first knew Romola when he was head of press and publicity for North West Thames regional health authority, and later when he headed up press relations for London region. He remembers her as 'a really good chum' .

'She always used to have a fag on; she was completely shameless. You would see her through a fog of smoke.

'There was no way that Romola was just a civil servant. Her real life was just as important as her day job.

'There was always a twinkle in her eye. She never took it 100 per cent seriously. That was her secret.'