Tributes paid to talented and popular ITV cameraman

Tuesday 24 January 2023

Tributes have been paid to a Jersey-born broadcast technician and cameraman who died at the weekend, aged 46.

Old Victorian Rob Milburn worked at ITV Channel for ten years, where he quickly became known for his professionalism, his humour and his dedication to preserving and sharing the rich content of the Channel archive.

By posting extracts of the archive online, he introduced a new generation to Jersey’s television history, including the memorable “Benest’s of Millbrook, and Fineprice, St. Clement’s Coast Road” adverts, narrated by the supermarkets’ distinctively spoken owner, Stewart Benest.

Mr Milburn also enjoyed working alongside the station’s avian mascot Oscar Puffin, establishing Oscar’s online presence when his lengthy on-screen career came to an end.

In 2020, Mr Milburn moved to Cardiff to join ITV Wales. He covered many high-profile events, including the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow and, most recently, the World Cup in Qatar.

Pictured: Rob Milburn in action.

It was only after returning from the Middle East was he diagnosed with cancer. Many of Mr Miburn’s friends were only informed of his terminal diagnosis just days before he died.

Karen Rankine, ITV Channel’s Head of News and Programmes, paid particular tribute to Mr Milburn's assiduous care of Channel’s historic content.

She said: “Rob was so passionate about the Channel Archive and he put so much into curating and preserving it, not just for us but for the benefit of the whole community. And aside from that work, he was such a talented camera operator, always with a smile.

How can you do Rob Milburn justice in 140 characters? You can’t. But I will say this. He was everything I love in a human: loud, funny, unashamedly subversive, loyal, straight talking, loving &.kind. Most annoying Director I’ve ever had whilst also the most comforting. RIP Rob ❤️ pic.twitter.com/BRGLxYPRa6

— Jess Dunsdon (@Jessdunsdon) January 22, 2023

Pictured: ITV Channel presenter Jess Dunsdon pays tribute.

“Whether he was out doing interviews or news gathering with our reporters, he was an absolute joy to work with.”

Express offers its deepest sympathy to Mr Milburn’s family and friends.