BLACKPOOL-born barrister George Carman has died aged 71.

The libel barrister, both feared and revered by the rich and famous worldwide, died on Tuesday, January 2, after a battle against prostate cancer.

Soap stars, politicians and sportsmen were all "Carmanised" in the witness box -- which is how Jonathan Aitken described the experience of facing a cross examination from the leader in his field.

Several high profile cases involving celebrities led to Carman becoming the most famous barrister in the country.

Ian Botham, the aforementioned Aitken and ex-Eastenders star Gillian Taylforth all lost libel actions after coming up against Carman.

George Alfred Carman, pictured here, was born in Blackpool on October 6, 1929, the son of a furniture shop owner.

He attended St Joseph's College, a school which no longer exists, where he was taught by Irish Christian Brothers and became an altar boy.

In adolescence he felt drawn towards the priesthood and even went to a Roman Catholic seminary, but he soon realised he was more interested in public speaking and he abandoned his calling at the age of 16.

After a period of National Service, Carman went to Balliol College, Oxford, to read Jurisprudence with fellow students William Rees-Mogg, Patrick Mayhew and George Steiner.

After getting a First in 1952, Carman read for the Bar and was called by Lincoln's Inn and decided to practice from chambers in Manchester.

His early years as a barrister were often hard and he considered giving up the legal profession several times, saying later: "After five years I was earning the same as a Manchester bus driver without overtime."

But in 1979 Carman represented the then leader of the Liberal Democrats, Jeremy Thorpe, who was acquitted of conspiracy to murder.

It was his performance in court and his flourishes, such as pointing and speaking to each member of the jury individually at the end of the trial, that singled him out as a special kind of barrister.

He moved to London and began to take on several high profile cases including that of Ken Dodd, at whose trial he made the famous remark: "Some accountants are comedians, but comedians are never accountants."

Carman said his enthusiasm for his work came from the fact that he did not consider it a job: "You have to think: 'I am making my contribution -- however humble, modest and transient -- to something that is greater than any one lawyer, to a legal system providing a civilising process in society."