Raed Fares was a brave man. He kept his radio station on the air in Syria despite threats. Ordered not to play music he substituted animal noises : chickens clucking, sheep, cows, dogs. Ordered to take women off the air he simply slowed down their voices to a deep bass, rather like we did in Life of Brian. We got away with it, he didn’t. Raed was murdered a week ago because he refused to buckle under.

There are many unsung heroes in the midst of the killing and the destruction of Syria, but Raed’s death hit home. From what I can tell he had the spirit of Python and Spike Milligan and Kenny Everett, and he died for it.