Ranking Our 55 Prime Ministers - An Impossible Task, But a Fascinating One
- 12 Nov 2020
Today is publication day for my new book THE PRIME MINISTERS 1721-2020 - THREE HUNDRED YEARS OF POLITICAL LEADERSHIP. It was lovely to get an invite to mark the occasion to go on the TODAY PROGRAMME to talk about what makes a great Prime Minister. This isn't in the book, b...
Reaction Media Column 28: Breaking News
- 3 Nov 2020
This column first appeared on Reaction. The Nice Terror Attack and the EHRC Report into Antisemitism in the Labour Party, Sky News & BBC News Channel The problem with breaking news for any broadcast organisation is that you often have very little information to go o...
Reaction Media Review Column 27: Top Gear & Pointless Celebrities
- 31 Oct 2020
This article first appeared on Reaction. Top Gear, BBC1 The new series of Top Gear is a revelation. It’s got back to its roots, and then some. I could never understand why the country’s premier car show was tucked away on BBC2, but now, after several decades it’s finally...
The 'Pointless Celebrities' Experience
- 25 Oct 2020
Back in early January Jacqui Smith and I were invited to appear on Pointless Celebrities (insert your own joke here), so off we tootled to the BBC Elstree Studios, not quite knowing what to expect. In my case, I had never even watched the programme, so wasn't wholly familar wi...
Reaction Media Review Column 26: 'The Comey Rule' & 'Political Thinking'
- 20 Oct 2020
This article first appeared on Reaction. The Comey Rule, Sky Atlantic Jim Comey was Director of the FBI when Donald Trump came to power. Indeed, some say that without Comey, Trump might never have won the election. It was he who ordered that the inquiry into Hillary...
Reaction Media Review Column 25: Could cancel culture scare off the new generation of political commentators?
- 13 Oct 2020
This article first appeared on Reaction. Reasoned with Darren Grimes, YouTube and all podcast platforms Darren Grimes has a certain reputation – most of it thoroughly undeserved. His reputation should be as one of the most articulate voices for Brexit in the country...
Six Literary Events I'm Speaking at in October - Bristol, Wells, Thame, Twickenham, Diss & Southwark
- 9 Oct 2020
This coming weekend I'm speaking at four events discussing my book WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG, and then another couple before the end of the month... Friday 16 October, Bristol Festival of Ideas, 12.30pm This is an online event, where I'll be interviewed by Marg...
Reaction Media Review Column 24: Presidential Debate & Coming Out Stories Podcast
- 9 Oct 2020
This article first appeared on Reaction. Trump v Biden: The First Presidential Debate, Sky News, CNN & BBC This was never going to be an edifying hour and half of prime-time television, and it certainly wasn’t. Some pundits reckoned Joe Biden would score a win j...
Telegraph Column: The Diminished Role of the Conservative Party Chairman
- 7 Oct 2020
This article first appeared in the Daily Telegraph. Back in the not-so-distant past, the job of Conservative Party Chairman was one that every single Conservative MP hankered after. In the Thatcher government it held the status in Cabinet of being almost on a par with ...
National Poetry Day: When an Enemy Turns Into a Friend
- 2 Oct 2020
Some weeks ago I was accused on Twitter of being a Tory stooge and worse by someone I didn't know. I defended myself. Richard then DMd me to apologise. Since then, we've developed a somewhat bizarre but really nice online friendship. Yesterday was National Poetry Day, and h...
Reaction Media Column 23: Brunel & The Making an Impression Podcast
- 1 Oct 2020
This article first appeared on Reaction. Brunel: The Man Who Built Britain. Channel 5 A few weeks ago I wrote about the unpredictable quality of Channel 5’s multifarious and omnipresent royal documentaries. Some are complete tat, whereas others combine original rese...
Reaction Media Column 22: 'Washington' & the Biteback Chats Books' podcast
- 26 Sep 2020
This article first appeared on Reaction. Washington, History If there’s one thing that American TV channels do very well, it is making TV series about their presidents. I’ve written in previous columns about PBS America’s latest documentaries on Clinton, Bush and Re...
A Trip to North Devon - Book Festival, Family Visit & Road Troubles
- 21 Sep 2020
Let me tell you about my weekend. As you know, I don't take much time off, and in a sense part of this weekend has been a bit of a busman's holiday, since I'm ostensibly in North Devon to speak at the Appledore Book Festival. However, I have family here too, so I've taken the ...
Reaction Media Column 21: 'Me & My Penis' & the How to Fail Podcast
- 16 Sep 2020
This column appeared originally on Reaction. Me and My Penis, Channel 4 If you’re the sort of person who likes to see lots of willies on TV, you lucked out last Monday on Channel 4. It came on the back of (if you’ll pardon the expression) last year’s Channel 4 female equ...
Reaction Media Column 20: The Fast Show & Acting Prime Minister Podcast
- 10 Sep 2020
Originally published on Reaction. The Fast Show: More Blooming Catchphrases, Gold Last Saturday, my partner and I celebrated 25 years together. What better way to spend the evening than to watch a two hour Fast Show documentary and retrospective? Who said romance is dead...
Reaction Media Column 19: Normal People & Payne's Politics
- 3 Sep 2020
This article was originally published on Reaction.Life. Normal People – BBC3 & iPlayer “And now it’s time for BBC3 on BBC1”. Eight words which usually encourage me to change channel more quickly than Boris Johnson can execute a screeching U-Turn. Its programmes ...
Male on Male Sexual Assault Needs Talking About - It's One of Society's Last Great Taboos
- 28 Aug 2020
Some of you may recall that back at the beginning of August The Observer did an interview with me on a passage on my book about an attempted rape I had experience in my twenties. On the back of that, a national newspaper commissioned me to write an 1800 word feature on the sub...
Reaction Media Column 18: Planet Normal & Occupied
- 26 Aug 2020
This article first appeared on Reaction.Life. Occupied, Netflix It is, nowadays, almost de rigueur to be a fan of Scandinavian dramas. First, there was The Killing, then Borgen, then The Bridge. When we heard last week that Borgen is to return for a further series, I cou...
Reaction Media Column 17: Julia Gillard's 'A Podcast of One's Own' & Channel 5 Royal Documentaries
- 20 Aug 2020
This column first appeared on Reaction.Life A Podcast of One’s Own with Julia Gillard I’ve often wondered how former prime ministers and presidents cope with losing office. How does your brain adjust to being the most powerful person in the country one minute, and t...
Boris Johnson Needs to Grip the Exam Crisis & Grip it Today
- 17 Aug 2020
When you're in a political hole, the best thing to do is stop digging. You collect your thoughts, then you devise a strategy to climb out of the hole. That's what Gavin Williamson should be doing now. He needs to do it quickly because that hole is about to treble in size when ...