Geoffrey Channing was born on 22 March 1916 at Bushey in London, the son of William Channing, an antiques valuer, and his wife Alice, née Stevens. He was educated at Latymer Upper School, West London, and Guy's Hospital Medical School, where he was awarded the Golding Bird Prize in obstetrics and gynaecology. After qualifying in 1940, he became house surgeon to Sir Russell Brock, and during the war he served in the RAF Medical Service. After demobilisation he held surgical posts at Rochford Hospital in Essex, Mount Vernon Hospital, the Metropolitan Hospital and the Royal Marsden, where he was a senior surgical registrar. In 1956 he joined the Ford Motor Company, subsequently becoming chief medical officer of Ford Great Britain. He was a member of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine and had a special interest in industrial deafness. He was also chairman of various DHSS medical boards. His interests included gardening and music. He was married twice, firstly to Kathleen Marjorie Hill, a staff nurse at Guy's Hospital, who died in 1967, and secondly to Mavis Bartram in 1968. By his first marriage he had a son, Alastair, a company director, and another, Simon, by his second marriage, an orchestral musician. He died on 23 May 1993, aged 77.