Brian Walden
Encyclopedia
Alastair Brian Walden is a British journalist and broadcaster who was a Labour
Member of Parliament
for a decade. He is the father of actor Ben Walden
.
The son of a glass-worker, Walden attended West Bromwich Grammar School. He then won a major open scholarship to study at The Queen's College, Oxford
and in 1957 was elected President of the Oxford Union
. He completed a postgraduate course at Nuffield College, Oxford
, before becoming a University Lecturer.
At the 1964 general election
, Walden was elected the MP
for Birmingham All Saints
, later Birmingham Ladywood, in an election where race dominated the Birmingham campaign (see Patrick Gordon Walker
). He was re-elected in the subsequent General Elections of 1966
, 1970
, February 1974
and October 1974
. He was a campaigner for the liberalisation of the cannabis
and gambling
laws, even named by some as "the bookies' MP" when he was revealed to be receiving more from the National Association of Bookmakers than from his parliamentary salary.
On 16 June 1977, Walden resigned
from the House of Commons by taking the Chiltern Hundreds, to become a journalist and broadcaster. He has presented various television programmes, mostly for London Weekend Television
, such as Weekend World
, The Walden Interview and Walden, and was a member of the board of Central Television between 1981 and 1984.
Walden is considered one of the finest political interviewers in British broadcasting, tenacious and ruthless. He was well-known for his one to one interviews of major politicians, especially Margaret Thatcher
. He was said to be her favourite interviewer, although he would give her a tough ride. In November 1989, Thatcher gave Walden a famous interview when her own Party
was turning against her. He did not let up on her:
Brian Walden continues to broadcast. In March 2005, he began presenting a ten minute programme on Fridays, called A Point of View, on BBC Radio 4
, in a spot formerly occupied by Alistair Cooke's
Letter From America.
He lives in Guernsey
and is firmly against the ban on fox-hunting.
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for a decade. He is the father of actor Ben Walden
Ben Walden
Ben Walden is an English actor the son of Brian Walden former politician & political commentatorBen is known for The Camomile Lawn , The Man Who Cried , Martin Chuzzlewit and High Heels and Low Lifes . He also appeared in Band of Brothers...
.
The son of a glass-worker, Walden attended West Bromwich Grammar School. He then won a major open scholarship to study at The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, founded 1341, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Queen's is centrally situated on the High Street, and is renowned for its 18th-century architecture...
and in 1957 was elected President of the Oxford Union
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
. He completed a postgraduate course at Nuffield College, Oxford
Nuffield College, Oxford
Nuffield College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is an all-graduate college and primarily a research establishment, specialising in the social sciences, particularly economics, politics and sociology. It is a research centre in the social sciences...
, before becoming a University Lecturer.
At the 1964 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
, Walden was elected the MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Birmingham All Saints
Birmingham All Saints (UK Parliament constituency)
Birmingham All Saints was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Birmingham, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
, later Birmingham Ladywood, in an election where race dominated the Birmingham campaign (see Patrick Gordon Walker
Patrick Gordon Walker
Patrick Chrestien Gordon Walker, Baron Gordon-Walker CH, PC was a British Labour Party politician. He was a Member of Parliament for nearly thirty years, and served twice as a Cabinet minister...
). He was re-elected in the subsequent General Elections of 1966
United Kingdom general election, 1966
The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
, 1970
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
, February 1974
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
and October 1974
United Kingdom general election, October 1974
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
. He was a campaigner for the liberalisation of the cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
and gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
laws, even named by some as "the bookies' MP" when he was revealed to be receiving more from the National Association of Bookmakers than from his parliamentary salary.
On 16 June 1977, Walden resigned
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
from the House of Commons by taking the Chiltern Hundreds, to become a journalist and broadcaster. He has presented various television programmes, mostly for London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
, such as Weekend World
Weekend World
Weekend World is a British television political series, made by London Weekend Television and broadcast from 1972 to 1988.Created by John Birt not long after he moved to LWT, the series was broadcast on the ITV network at lunchtimes on Sundays...
, The Walden Interview and Walden, and was a member of the board of Central Television between 1981 and 1984.
Walden is considered one of the finest political interviewers in British broadcasting, tenacious and ruthless. He was well-known for his one to one interviews of major politicians, especially Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
. He was said to be her favourite interviewer, although he would give her a tough ride. In November 1989, Thatcher gave Walden a famous interview when her own 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...
was turning against her. He did not let up on her:
- Brian Walden: "You come over as being someone who one of your backbenchers said is slightly off her trolley, authoritarian, domineering, refusing to listen to anybody else – why? Why cannot you publicly project what you have just told me is your private character?"
- Margaret Thatcher: "Brian, if anyone’s coming over as domineering in this interview, it’s you. It’s you."
Brian Walden continues to broadcast. In March 2005, he began presenting a ten minute programme on Fridays, called A Point of View, on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, in a spot formerly occupied by Alistair Cooke's
Alistair Cooke
Alfred Alistair Cooke KBE was a British/American journalist, television personality and broadcaster. Outside his journalistic output, which included Letter from America and Alistair Cooke's America, he was well known in the United States as the host of PBS Masterpiece Theater from 1971 to 1992...
Letter From America.
He lives in Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
and is firmly against the ban on fox-hunting.