From inspiring careers to treating people to unforgettable curries, the late presenter and campaigner had quite the impact on Guardian readers. Colleagues, admirers and TV show guests share their stories

The summer of 1976 held a particularly fond memory for my family. In one episode of her programme The Big Time, my father took part in conducting the Royal Philharmonic in Croydon and met several of his musical idols. Esther and her team visited our home, causing much teenage excitement, took us for lunch at a local Indian restaurant (the height of sophistication) and after lunch asked me to sit on her feet in our back garden while she did sit-ups. We were kids, probably in the way of filming, but were included and treated warmly and impressed by her down-to-earth manner. We fondly remember the visit and as Dad said at the end of the film: “lovely Esther”. I’m glad she went on to make so many important contributions to the lives of so many. Rosalind Cresswell, Maine, USA

It’s inspired careers, moved you deeply and helped you reevaluate your own journeys. As the series that began in 1964 comes to an end with 70 Up, Guardian readers explain the impact of the decades-spanning tale

ITV’s landmark 7 Up documentary series has launched its final outing after 63 years. The show started following the lives of 10 boys and four girls in England when they were seven years old, and has returned every seven years since.

As the final season 70 Up reaches its conclusion, seven people tell us what it has meant to them over the decades – along with pictures of themselves contrasting their appearance now with their childhood selves.

Guardian readers share memories of actor best known for roles in The Rocky Horror Show and Stephen King’s It

I first saw him in the 1978 series Will Shakespeare, where he played Shakespeare alongside Nicholas Clay. Two very classy actors who, whatever the value of the programme, made me want to know more about the man and his work. Tim Curry always had a glorious glint in his eye which drew you in as if you were the only person who understood. Margaret Carradus, Lancaster

We’ve already listed our writers’ all-timers, now Guardian readers get their say on the seminal director’s best blockbusters

ET is my favourite Spielberg film. It was the first I ever saw at the cinema, when I was eight years old, at Bolton Odeon in 1982. It was also the first film that made me cry – not just cry, but sob all the way home on the bus. I remember feeling completely confused by the fact that I was so happy and yet so sad at the same time. I watched the film with my mum and some of her friends from the Gingerbread Club, a single parents’ organisation that arranged social events and outings, mainly for single mothers. At a time when there was still a stigma attached to being a single parent, it provided a sense of community and support.

With Two Weeks in August and the return of The Four Seasons, TV dramas about nightmare getaways are having a moment. Here are Guardian readers’ tales of their own

In early 1969, my parents booked a holiday in Belfast for one week and a bed and breakfast in Dublin for one week. When we arrived at our Belfast destination, The Elsinore Hotel, there wasn’t another car in the parking lot and the hotel was empty except for the aged husband and wife owners. Being 12 years old, I didn’t think too much at the time about the quiet, empty place but the owners invited the whole family down to the dining room every evening and we enjoyed some great meals. Lots of pictures of JFK and the pope adorned many of the hotel walls and being a Catholic family ourselves, the hosts made a big fuss of us.

Slow-burn office crushes that left you weeping, sitcoms that made you fall in love and vampire shows that changed you for ever: Guardian readers pick their ultimate television romances

A mark of a true romance is that the couple are closer than anyone else in the world. As Emily Brontë said, “whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” This is true for Miss Piggy and Kermit. They’ve had a longer relationship than most TV couples (since 1976), although it has been tumultuous. No matter what universe, from Dickensian London to Treasure Island to their various TV shows and movies over the years, they find each other – even after their official separation in 2015. Did Ross ever say to Rachel: “You don’t need the whole world to love you, you just need one person”? I don’t think so. Michelle, 19, Manchester

The magic, joy, tension, camaraderie and superhuman composure on show in Italy captivated readers

My favourite moment of the Winter Olympics was Johan Olav-Botn winning gold in the men’s individual biathlon, just a month after the death of his teammate and close friend, Sivert Bakken. Olav-Botn displayed superhuman composure – a prerequisite for anyone competing in biathlon – and he did not shut out the thought of his friend when under the highest pressure. Olav-Botn said that he “felt I was racing with him” on his last lap. To remain skiing and shooting, let alone standing, with that in mind is a feat of mental fortitude worthy of any Olympic gold. I felt tears welling in my eyes when he skied past the finish line and shouted: “Sivert, we did it!” Max Sundsbo, 22, London

Fans celebrate unmatched talent on screen, while those who met the actor in person remember his kindness

Another one of the greats has passed. What a career. I sincerely believe Duvall was the best actor in a generation of best actors: De Niro, Pacino, Hoffman, Nicholson and more. What made Robert stand above these other figures was how he disappeared into a part. There was no Duvall persona. He was invisible. There were just the characters he played. He could do loud and angry – see his sublime turns in The Great Santini or his seminal Colonel Kilgore in Apocalypse Now. Yet I loved his quieter performances more, which would slowly sneak up on you, pull you close and then blow you away with the brilliance of his choices and the risks he took.

From 80s punk hangouts to celebrity hotspots to good old community boozers, readers reveal their much-loved locals

I started working at the Windmill in the Surrey Hills when I was 14 and the landlord, Cecil Baber Brendan Holland – Dutch to the locals – became my second father. My second son’s second name is Brendan, after him. Several photographers, entrepreneurs, sportspeople and musicians lived in the area – Eric Clapton’s house was just around the corner. Although I never quite got over answering the phone to someone asking for Mick and I made the mistake of asking “Mick who?”

Live Aid, sweary punks and a kiss so romantic it never fails to make you cry … as TV turns 100, here are the things that are for ever lodged in Guardian readers’ brains

Television turns 100 this year, so the Guardian charted our pick of the biggest TV moments from a century of television. Then we asked readers to share their own milestone TV moments. Here are the best.

From Gilmore Girls to Perry Mason, readers reveal the programmes that never fail to bring them joy

I really think Toast of London is Matt Berry’s best work. It’s hilarious. The plots are daft, the cameos are often left-field but work well, and it has loads of great nonsensical gags. It’s a shining example of a sitcom with an unlikable protagonist that you can’t help but root for anyway. I must have watched it from beginning to end at least 15 times. Every friendship and relationship in my life eventually reaches a crossroads: will they like Toast or not? Rhys, 24, Cardiff

From the surreal fairytale The Ice Tower to the revenge western Tornado, our readers share the films that had the biggest impact on them this year

• The 50 best films of 2025

• Peter Bradshaw’s film picks of the year

• More on the best culture of 2025
  

I still can’t get over Sinners. It’s what the cinema was made for. It looked amazing; its sound was so rich and textured; and the juke joint dance sequence was a genuine WTF surprise that could have been grim but was utter genius. And if you haven’t seen it, please stay for the scene that comes mid-credits: it has to be my favourite five minutes of film all year. Michael, Manchester

The beautiful despair of Cameron Winter, the perfectly imperfect life of Lily Allen, the maximalist R&B of Dijon and more: here’s what our readers have had on heavy rotation
• The 50 best albums of 2025

The production is uniquely rhythmic and layered, the instrumental performances are all pretty bulletproof, and Cameron Winter’s writing is just ridiculously good. He is able to show us beauty and despair, and the beauty in despair and the despair in beauty. The best track to me is Islands of Men, which builds over this hypnotic instrumental while Winter sings about isolation and self-illusion. Other highlights would be the title track and Half Real, which feels like a dizzy, intoxicated folk song. Geese are the next big thing. Freddie, 18, Surrey

From Ewan Roy in Succession to Sideshow Bob in The Simpsons, here are 15 truly unforgettable characters who elevated their shows – when they eventually turned up

Mike Hannigan was the only character to truly feel like a seventh Friend. He was the perfect match for Phoebe, a lightning rod for her kookiness and providing the solid family she’d never had. It wasn’t just the fact that he was played by Paul Rudd that managed to win over the viewers. His profile was nowhere near what it would later become, so the audience weren’t responding to star power in the same way they had, say, to Bruce Willis, Tom Selleck or Reese Witherspoon. Mike had to play the long game, put in the graft and win Phoebe’s trust, and won ours in the process. AJ, London

From a newer, greener Top Gear to the greatest comedy of all time, here are the series Guardian readers most want back on our screens

As Line of Duty and Doctor Foster both return for new series, we asked what TV programmes you’d like to see revived next. Here are your responses.