Andrew Neil
Encyclopedia
Andrew Ferguson Neil is a Scottish
journalist
and broadcaster
.
He currently works for the BBC
, presenting the live political programmes The Daily Politics
and This Week. For the BBC he also anchors Straight Talk with Andrew Neil and makes documentaries.
He is also Chairman of Spectator Magazines; Chairman of ITP Magazines (Dubai); and Chairman of World Media Rights (London).
Neil made his name at The Sunday Times
where he was editor
for 11 years. In 1995 he was made editor-in-chief of the Press Holdings
group of newspaper
s, owner of The Business and (from 2005) The Spectator
, moving up to become chairman in July 2008.
, Renfrewshire
. He grew up in the Glenburn
area, and attended the local Lancraigs Primary School. Aged 11, Neil passed his 11-plus examinations and sent to the then academically selective Paisley Grammar School
. His father was a professional soldier who had worked his way up through the ranks; his mother worked in the local cotton mills.
After school, Neil attended the University of Glasgow
. While there he edited the student newspaper, the Glasgow University Guardian
. He was also a member of the Dialectic Society
and the Conservative Club
and participated in Glasgow University Union
inter-varsity debates. He graduated in 1971 with an MA with honours in political economy and political science, having been tutored by Vince Cable.
After graduation he briefly worked as sports correspondent for the local newspaper the Paisley Daily Express
before working for the Conservative Party
as a research assistant and then joined The Economist
as a correspondent in 1973, and was later promoted to being the editor of the publication's section on Britain.
A passionate follower of cricket, Neil is a member of Marylebone Cricket Club
.
from 1983 until 1994.
His hiring was controversial. It was argued that he was appointed by Rupert Murdoch
over more experienced colleagues, like Hugo Young
and Brian MacArthur.
Opposition to perceived public school
and Oxbridge
attitudes was a hallmark of Neil's Sunday Times editorship. During his editorship, the newspaper lost a libel case over claims it had made concerning a witness interviewed in the Death on the Rock
documentary on the Gibraltar shootings
.
While at The Sunday Times in 1988, Neil met the former Miss India
, Pamella Bordes
, in a nightclub. The News of the World
suggested she was an up-market prostitute. Sir Peregrine Worsthorne
argued, in an article for The Sunday Telegraph, that Neil was not fit to edit a serious Sunday newspaper, on the grounds that "playboys" should not be editors. In a subsequent libel case, Neil sued Worsthorne and won £1,000 plus costs.
The Sunday Times during this period promoted a fringe and later discredited argument that, in Africa, AIDS
was a quite separate condition from HIV
. In 1992 Neil was criticised by Anti-Nazi groups and historian Hugh Trevor-Roper among others for employing, as a translator of the diaries of Joseph Goebbels
, the Holocaust denier
David Irving
.
, also part of Murdoch's News Corporation
. Neil was instrumental in the company's launch, overseeing the transformation of a down market, single channel satellite service into a four channel network in less than a year. He also brought The Simpsons
to British television. Neil and Murdoch stood side by side at Sky's new headquarters in West London on 5 February 1989 to witness the launch of the service at 18.00. Sky was not an instant success; the uncertainty caused by the competition provided by British Satellite Broadcasting
(BSB) and the initial shortage of satellite dishes were early problems.
The failure of BSB in November 1990 led to a merger, although few programmes acquired by BSB were screened on Sky One
, and BSB's satellites were sold. The new company was called British Sky Broadcasting
(BSkyB). The merger may have saved Sky financially; despite its popularity, Sky had very few major advertisers to begin with, and was also beginning to suffer from embarrassing breakdowns. Acquiring BSB's healthier advertising contracts and equipment apparently solved these problems. BSkyB would not make a profit for a decade but is now one of the most profitable and successful television companies in Europe.
. In 1996 he became editor-in-chief of the Barclay brothers' Press Holdings group of newspapers, owner of The Scotsman, Sunday Business
(later just The Business) and The European. Press Holdings sold The Scotsman
in December 2005, ending Neil's relationship with the newspaper.
Neil has not enjoyed great success with the circulations of the newspapers (indeed The European folded shortly after he took over).
The Business also closed down in February 2008. He exchanged his role as Chief Executive of Press Holdings for Chairman in July 2008.
In June 2008, Neil led a consortium which bought talent agency Peters, Fraser & Dunlop
(PFD) from CSS Stellar plc for £4 million. Neil will be chairman of the new company in addition to his other activities. Neil served as Lord Rector of the University of St Andrews
from 1999 - 2002.
he contributed to BBC radio and television as well as commenting on the various controversies provoked by the paper in his role as Editor. During the 1990s Neil fronted political programmes for the BBC, notably Despatch Box
on BBC Two
and the interview show Is This Your Life? (made by Open Media
for Channel 4
) which was nominated for a BAFTA award for "Best Talk Show". Following the revamp of the BBC's political programming in early 2003 Neil has been the presenter of the BBC One
weekly political roundup show, This Week
, and co-presenter of The Daily Politics
which broadcasts every day that Parliament sits.
In November 2004 it was announced that Neil was to become Chief Executive of The Spectator
.
After being overlooked to present the BBC's flagship news programme Newsnight
, Neil has presented This Week
with ex-Conservative minister Michael Portillo
, and Labour MP for Hackney Diane Abbott
. Neil also presents the weekly one-on-one political interview programme Straight Talk with Andrew Neil on the BBC News Channel.
, after it became known that he found the picture embarrassing. This still surfaces regularly. A long-running joke within the letters page is that a reader will ask the editor if he has any photographs related to some topic in the news, but by unfortunate double entendre
it can be construed as a request for this photo, which is duly published alongside the letter. The photograph is of a woman with whom Neil was briefly involved while in the United States in the early nineties and is frequently accompanied in the paper by references to the woman's ethnicity. Neil has found "fascinating" what he sees as an example of "public school racism" on the part of the Eyes editorial staff.
The magazine nickname
d him Brillo
, after his wiry hair which is seen as bearing a resemblance to a form of kitchen scouring pad. In addition, it often misspells his surname with an extra L, in reference to Neil's relationship with Pamella Bordes
, whose name is written with two Ls.
and is presently director of operations at EF Education First
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and broadcaster
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
.
He currently works for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, presenting the live political programmes The Daily Politics
The Daily Politics
The Daily Politics is a British television show launched by the BBC in 2003. Presented by Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn, the programme takes an in-depth and sometimes irreverent look at the daily goings on in Westminster and other areas across Britain and the world, and includes interviews with leading...
and This Week. For the BBC he also anchors Straight Talk with Andrew Neil and makes documentaries.
He is also Chairman of Spectator Magazines; Chairman of ITP Magazines (Dubai); and Chairman of World Media Rights (London).
Neil made his name at The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
where he was editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
for 11 years. In 1995 he was made editor-in-chief of the Press Holdings
Press Holdings
Press Holdings is the name of a British holding company owned by the Barclay brothers which has: The Spectator and the Apollo arts magazine, as well as operating some online journalism ventures such as handbag.com. Its chief executive is Andrew Neil...
group of newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s, owner of The Business and (from 2005) The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
, moving up to become chairman in July 2008.
Early life and career
Neil was born in PaisleyPaisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
, Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
. He grew up in the Glenburn
Glenburn, Paisley
Glenburn is a large housing estate situated to the south of Paisley, close to the Gleniffer Braes. Glenburn has three primary schools . A public library and many shops can be found at Skye Crescent. Other shops can be found in Glenburn on Braehead Road and Glenburn Road...
area, and attended the local Lancraigs Primary School. Aged 11, Neil passed his 11-plus examinations and sent to the then academically selective Paisley Grammar School
Paisley Grammar School
Paisley Grammar School, known for a period following 1896 as the Paisley Grammar School and William B. Barbour Academy, is a non-denominational state comprehensive secondary school in Paisley, the largest town in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The school was founded in 1576 and was formerly a selective...
. His father was a professional soldier who had worked his way up through the ranks; his mother worked in the local cotton mills.
After school, Neil attended the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
. While there he edited the student newspaper, the Glasgow University Guardian
Glasgow University Guardian
Glasgow University Guardian is the student newspaper of the University of Glasgow.Founded in 1956 as the Gilmorehill Guardian, it changed its name in 1960 to the Glasgow University Guardian under editor Neil MacCormick...
. He was also a member of the Dialectic Society
Glasgow University Dialectic Society
The Glasgow University Dialectic Society, re-instituted in 1861, is a student society at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, committed to the promotion of debating, logic, ethics and literary discussion at the University...
and the Conservative Club
Glasgow University Conservative Association
- About :Glasgow University Conservative Association was founded in 1836 at the University of Glasgow, and is the oldest University Conservative association in the United Kingdom. It was formed as a branch of the Federation of Conservative Students and of the Young Conservatives, and remains...
and participated in Glasgow University Union
Glasgow University Union
Glasgow University Union is one of the largest and oldest students' unions in the UK, serving students and alumni of the University of Glasgow since 1885....
inter-varsity debates. He graduated in 1971 with an MA with honours in political economy and political science, having been tutored by Vince Cable.
After graduation he briefly worked as sports correspondent for the local newspaper the Paisley Daily Express
Paisley Daily Express
The Paisley Daily Express is a Scottish newspaper based in Paisley, covering the Renfrewshire area. The paper, which is currently owned by Trinity Mirror has its main offices on New Street in Paisley town centre. It is printed by Trinity Mirror Saltire in Glasgow.The paper is sold in newsagents and...
before working for the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
as a research assistant and then joined The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
as a correspondent in 1973, and was later promoted to being the editor of the publication's section on Britain.
A passionate follower of cricket, Neil is a member of Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
.
The Sunday Times
Neil was editor of The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
from 1983 until 1994.
His hiring was controversial. It was argued that he was appointed by Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
over more experienced colleagues, like Hugo Young
Hugo Young
Hugo John Smelter Young was a British journalist and columnist and senior political commentator at The Guardian.-Early life and education:...
and Brian MacArthur.
Opposition to perceived public school
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
and Oxbridge
Oxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...
attitudes was a hallmark of Neil's Sunday Times editorship. During his editorship, the newspaper lost a libel case over claims it had made concerning a witness interviewed in the Death on the Rock
Death on the Rock
Death on the Rock is a British Academy Television Award-winning episode of Thames Television's current affairs series This Week, first aired by the British television network ITV on 28 April 1988. On 6 March 1988, three Irish Republican Army members, Danny McCann, Sean Savage and Mairéad Farrell,...
documentary on the Gibraltar shootings
Operation Flavius
Operation Flavius was the name given to an operation by a Special Air Service team in Gibraltar on 6 March 1988 tasked to prevent a Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb attack...
.
While at The Sunday Times in 1988, Neil met the former Miss India
Miss India
Miss India or Femina Miss India is a national beauty pageant in India, one of the most recognized contests to produce international beauty queens in the 90s, which annually selects three winners to compete globally. It is organized by Femina, a women's magazine published by Bennett, Coleman & Co...
, Pamella Bordes
Pamella Bordes
Pamella Chaudry Singh , known during her marriage as Pamella Bordes is an Indian-born photographer and former Miss India who briefly hit the headlines in the United Kingdom in 1988 and 1989 as the mistress and escort of several notable individuals, including arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi...
, in a nightclub. The News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
suggested she was an up-market prostitute. Sir Peregrine Worsthorne
Peregrine Worsthorne
Sir Peregrine Gerard Worsthorne is a British journalist, writer and broadcaster. He was educated at Stowe School, Peterhouse, Cambridge and Magdalen College, Oxford. Worsthorne spent the largest part of his career at the Telegraph newspaper titles, eventually becoming editor of The Sunday Telegraph...
argued, in an article for The Sunday Telegraph, that Neil was not fit to edit a serious Sunday newspaper, on the grounds that "playboys" should not be editors. In a subsequent libel case, Neil sued Worsthorne and won £1,000 plus costs.
The Sunday Times during this period promoted a fringe and later discredited argument that, in Africa, AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
was a quite separate condition from HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
. In 1992 Neil was criticised by Anti-Nazi groups and historian Hugh Trevor-Roper among others for employing, as a translator of the diaries of Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
, the Holocaust denier
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
David Irving
David Irving
David John Cawdell Irving is an English writer,best known for his denial of the Holocaust, who specialises in the military and political history of World War II, with a focus on Nazi Germany...
.
Sky
In 1988 he also became founding chairman of Sky TVSky Television plc
Sky Television plc was a public limited company which operated its four-channel satellite television service, launched by Rupert Murdoch's News International on 5 February 1989...
, also part of Murdoch's News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
. Neil was instrumental in the company's launch, overseeing the transformation of a down market, single channel satellite service into a four channel network in less than a year. He also brought The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
to British television. Neil and Murdoch stood side by side at Sky's new headquarters in West London on 5 February 1989 to witness the launch of the service at 18.00. Sky was not an instant success; the uncertainty caused by the competition provided by British Satellite Broadcasting
British Satellite Broadcasting
British Satellite Broadcasting was a British television company which provided direct broadcast satellite television services to the United Kingdom...
(BSB) and the initial shortage of satellite dishes were early problems.
The failure of BSB in November 1990 led to a merger, although few programmes acquired by BSB were screened on Sky One
Sky One
Sky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
, and BSB's satellites were sold. The new company was called British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
(BSkyB). The merger may have saved Sky financially; despite its popularity, Sky had very few major advertisers to begin with, and was also beginning to suffer from embarrassing breakdowns. Acquiring BSB's healthier advertising contracts and equipment apparently solved these problems. BSkyB would not make a profit for a decade but is now one of the most profitable and successful television companies in Europe.
Post-News Corp career
He eventually parted company with Murdoch on bad terms and became a writer for the Daily MailDaily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
. In 1996 he became editor-in-chief of the Barclay brothers' Press Holdings group of newspapers, owner of The Scotsman, Sunday Business
Sunday Business
Sunday Business was a national Sunday broadsheet financial newspaper published in the United Kingdom, which ran from 1996 to 2006, when it was turned into a magazine called The Business....
(later just The Business) and The European. Press Holdings sold The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
in December 2005, ending Neil's relationship with the newspaper.
Neil has not enjoyed great success with the circulations of the newspapers (indeed The European folded shortly after he took over).
The Business also closed down in February 2008. He exchanged his role as Chief Executive of Press Holdings for Chairman in July 2008.
In June 2008, Neil led a consortium which bought talent agency Peters, Fraser & Dunlop
Peters, Fraser & Dunlop
Peters Fraser and Dunlop is a talent and literary agency based in London, England. One of the oldest agencies in Britain, and a co-founder of the Association of Authors' Agents, it is home to a distinguished and varied client list, including Simon Schama, William Hague, Sarah Raven, Twiggy, Sir...
(PFD) from CSS Stellar plc for £4 million. Neil will be chairman of the new company in addition to his other activities. Neil served as Lord Rector of the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
from 1999 - 2002.
Broadcasting
As well as Neil's newspaper activities he has also maintained a television career. While working at The Economist he provided news reports, for example to American networks. When at The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
he contributed to BBC radio and television as well as commenting on the various controversies provoked by the paper in his role as Editor. During the 1990s Neil fronted political programmes for the BBC, notably Despatch Box
Despatch Box
Despatch Box was a late night political analysis television programme produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC Two between 1989 and 2002. The programme was presented by Andrew Neil and produced at the BBC's Millbank studios in London....
on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
and the interview show Is This Your Life? (made by Open Media
Open Media
Open Media is a British television production company, best known for the discussion series After Dark, described by The Daily Mail as "the most intelligent, thought-provoking and interesting programme ever to have been on television"....
for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
) which was nominated for a BAFTA award for "Best Talk Show". Following the revamp of the BBC's political programming in early 2003 Neil has been the presenter of the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
weekly political roundup show, This Week
This Week (BBC One TV series)
This Week is a current affairs and politics TV programme in the United Kingdom on the BBC, screened on Thursday evenings, hosted by former Sunday Times editor Andrew Neil alongside former Conservative Member of Parliament and Minister Michael Portillo, and a left leaning guest panellist on...
, and co-presenter of The Daily Politics
The Daily Politics
The Daily Politics is a British television show launched by the BBC in 2003. Presented by Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn, the programme takes an in-depth and sometimes irreverent look at the daily goings on in Westminster and other areas across Britain and the world, and includes interviews with leading...
which broadcasts every day that Parliament sits.
In November 2004 it was announced that Neil was to become Chief Executive of The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
.
After being overlooked to present the BBC's flagship news programme Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
, Neil has presented This Week
This Week (BBC One TV series)
This Week is a current affairs and politics TV programme in the United Kingdom on the BBC, screened on Thursday evenings, hosted by former Sunday Times editor Andrew Neil alongside former Conservative Member of Parliament and Minister Michael Portillo, and a left leaning guest panellist on...
with ex-Conservative minister Michael Portillo
Michael Portillo
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Conservative Party politician and Cabinet Minister...
, and Labour MP for Hackney Diane Abbott
Diane Abbott
Diane Julie Abbott is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987, when she became the first black woman to be elected to the House of Commons...
. Neil also presents the weekly one-on-one political interview programme Straight Talk with Andrew Neil on the BBC News Channel.
Private Eye
A photograph of Neil in a vest and baseball cap, embracing a much younger woman, ran over several editions of satirical magazine Private EyePrivate Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
, after it became known that he found the picture embarrassing. This still surfaces regularly. A long-running joke within the letters page is that a reader will ask the editor if he has any photographs related to some topic in the news, but by unfortunate double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
it can be construed as a request for this photo, which is duly published alongside the letter. The photograph is of a woman with whom Neil was briefly involved while in the United States in the early nineties and is frequently accompanied in the paper by references to the woman's ethnicity. Neil has found "fascinating" what he sees as an example of "public school racism" on the part of the Eyes editorial staff.
The magazine nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d him Brillo
Brillo Pad
Brillo Pad is a trade name for a scouring pad, used for cleaning dishes, and made from steel wool impregnated with soap. The concept was patented in 1913...
, after his wiry hair which is seen as bearing a resemblance to a form of kitchen scouring pad. In addition, it often misspells his surname with an extra L, in reference to Neil's relationship with Pamella Bordes
Pamella Bordes
Pamella Chaudry Singh , known during her marriage as Pamella Bordes is an Indian-born photographer and former Miss India who briefly hit the headlines in the United Kingdom in 1988 and 1989 as the mistress and escort of several notable individuals, including arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi...
, whose name is written with two Ls.
Personal life
Neil has never married and, although he has 14 godchildren, he has no children of his own. Neil has, for more than a year, been dating Swedish-born IT engineer Susan Nilsson. Nilsson, formerly a competitive swimmer, is a graduate of Stockholm School of EconomicsStockholm School of Economics
The Stockholm School of Economics or Handelshögskolan i Stockholm is one of Northern Europe's leading business schools. Its Masters in Management program is ranked no. 2 in Northern Europe and no. 13 in Europe by the Financial Times...
and is presently director of operations at EF Education First
EF Education First
EF Education First is an international education company that specializes in language training, educational travel, academic degree programs and cultural exchange. The company was founded in 1965 by Bertil Hult, in the Swedish university town of Lund under the name Europeiska Ferieskolan...
.
External links
- Archive of Neil's recent articles at The Scotsman
- Observer: Biography
- London Speaker Bureau: Biography
- The Business Magazine: Publisher in Chief
- BBC News: Biography
- The Daily Politics website
- Toby Young article in Vanity Fair
- Andrew Neil interview, Rob McGibbon, Access Interviews, 15 February 2008
- MediaGuardian's stories on Andrew Neil