He may not have achieved his ambition of becoming Pope but the chameleon that is Gyles Brandreth has many other strings to his bow. I chat with this wonderful wordsmith ahead of his appearance at next month’s free Chester Festival ofIdeas. Our conversation over Zoom was delayed as the former MP for Chester was running a tad late due to the fact he was attending actress Hayley Mills’s birthday party (as you do). But when we do talk it’s a fascinating romp through the years – just like the life of the man himself.
Tell us about your childhood
My father, who became a lawyer like my grandfather, was sent to Germany just after the Second World War as part of the Allied Controlled Commission and was chief magistrate in the British zone of the then divided Germany. So I was born in a hospital in Wuppertal, West Germany, in 1948, but we returned to England when my father got a job in London. As a child, we would return to Cheshire, where my father had grown up, for holidays, and I have very fond memories of walking the Chester walls and going to Chester Zoo.
What were your ambitions growing up and have you fulfilled them?
I had so many ambitions growing up. But my first one was to be Pope until my parents explained that because we were Anglicans, I couldn’t be Pope… so then I settled on Archbishop of Canterbury. I remember putting an eiderdown around my shoulders, and a tea cosy on my head as the mitre, with my father’s tie around my neck as a stole, and I would conduct services. In fact I ‘conducted’ the first Gay Marriage in the 1950s when I married my Sooty and Sweep teddies. And they are still together today as they live in the Bear House at Newby Hall in Ripon, North Yorkshire, with the rest of my teddy bear collection.
Did you have a clear idea of what you wanted to do as a career when you were at Oxford?
I had a wonderful time there. I met my wife (Michèle Brown) there and we have been together for 56 years. But regarding my career I wanted to do so many things: write plays, direct, act, go into politics. When I was still a university student in 1969 I did my first TV show, presenting Child ofthe Sixties on a Saturday nightfor ITV. Prime time! I’ve been working my way down ever since. I would write to people such as Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Sir Laurence Olivier and Sir John Gielgud, in fact my biography on Sir John has just been reissued – he would have been 120. I was very lucky, these people would respond and often came to the university where I put on theatre productions – some of them would transfer to the West End. Kenneth Williams introduced me to Just A Minute on BBC Radio 4 and I’m still doing it 40 years later.
You are, among other things, a children’s author, biographer, novelist, prolific broadcaster, columnist, actor and former member of parliament for Chester. What do you say to people who ask you what you do for a living?
I say… I run late. Like I did today. I’m so sorry I was late but I was at a birthday party for Hayley Mills, which was organised by her sister, Juliet. Then I suddenly looked at my watch and I thought, gosh, I’m going to be late for you I tend to cram too much into a day but it reminds me of when I was at boarding school and the headmaster, Mr Stocks, said to me, as I was leaving the school: ‘Brandreth! Busy people are happy people. ’I’ve remembered that all my life and I do believe he’s right. So I like to do lots of things. I’ll shut up in a minute and you can start asking me questions. My wife named my one-man show: ‘Gyles Brandreth: Can’t Stop Talking.’ But to answer your question, I believe we are only here once so I try to seize every opportunity. One thing that is important to me is to do everything, properly.
How did your journalism career begin?
I got my first writing job at the Manchester Evening News with a column called Gyles Brandreth, Young At Heart, every Tuesday. In fact, at BBC Manchester, I did a wonderful TV show with Hinge and Bracket and a show called The Railway Carriage Game.
Your biographies include Queen Elizabeth II: An Intimate Portrait, which was an instant Sunday Times bestseller. Tell us about the book and the relationship you have with the monarchy
I was brought up in a family that admired the Royal Family. I first met the Queen when I was 19; she came to Oxford and I was one of the people lined up to meet her. Not long after I became a volunteer with the National Playing Fields Association – the Duke of Edinburgh was president of the charity throughout his life. It’s now called Fields in Trust, I am the vice president and the Prince of Wales is president.
I got to know the Duke of Edinburgh, seeing him regularly as he was very active with the charity, which was the first he took on after marrying Princess Elizabeth. When I became the MP for Chester, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh came to Chester Town Hall for the Maundy Service and he asked what I was doing there. When I told him that I was MP for Chester he turned to the Queen across a crowded room, pointed to me and called out: ‘You’ll never guess this, he’s a member of parliament now.’ He thought that it was very funny.
When I lost my seat in 1997, he called me and asked what I was doing now and if there was anything that he could do to help. I said I had returned to journalism and broadcasting and he could help by giving me an interview for a newspaper. He wasn’t sure at first but eventually, he did it and the interview was printed in the Sunday Telegraph. It was the only personal interview he ever gave. A year or so later, he asked if I could write a short biography of him for his Outward Bound Trust charity This then led to me writing Philip: The Final Portrait, which I’m happy to say became a Sunday Times bestseller. As a result of this, I was given privileged access to walk and talk with the Queen and Prince Philip as they went about their duties. This ultimately led to the Sunday Times No 1 bestseller, Elizabeth II: An Intimate Portrait.
I think the Queen felt she could talk to me because I knew the Duke of Edinburgh. I wanted to paint a well-rounded picture of what she was like. My grandchildren thought of her simply as a very old lady but she had a great sense of humour and loved doing impressions. She told me that during the war, George Formby came to Windsor Castle to perform some of his songs. As she recounted the story, she then pretended to play the ukulele and did a wonderful impression of him singing When I’m cleaning windows. She could even do an impression of Concorde flying over Windsor Castle. It was a great privilege to know her and write about her.
A few years ago I bestowed an honorary degree to the then Duchess of Cornwall, as part of my duties as Chancellor of Chester University.
More recently, I hosted a party for Queen Camilla for her 75th birthday, with people of a similar vintage. She gave a very interesting speech and said she planned to have the Duke of Edinburgh as her role model and share his philosophy: ‘Look up, look out, say less, do more and get on with the job.’
I’m one of the four trustees of the Queen’s Reading Room, a charity set up by Queen Camilla to encourage young people to read more. I’m a great fan of the Royal Family. I like that we have leadership outside of politics that can help charities and organisations.
How do keep fit and well?
I keep busy. I do a lot of walking. In my stage show, I do a bit of Irish dancing, which I have learned from my physiotherapist Finola Burrell, who I see online or in person twice a week.
Celebrity Gogglebox is a favourite of my household and it’s lovely to see you on there with Dame Maureen Lipman, Susie Dent and Joanna Lumley. What are your favourite shows on TV at the moment?
As a rule, I am with Noel Coward who said: ‘Television is for appearing on, not looking at.’ But some of the programmes I love appearing on are my favourites even when I’m not on them, including QI, Would I Lie to You? and Pointless. My wife and I record Bargain Hunt every day and watch it in the evening instead of watching the evening news. It’s fun, it’s full of positive people and we always learn something from it.
How did you get into politics?
I had political aspirations when I was younger but my wife said I needed to wait until the children were teenagers as it’s no life for young kids because half your life is in the constituency and the other half is in Westminster. So when I eventually decided to apply, it was for Chester and to my amazement I got through and was selected. Now my daughter, Aphra Brandreth, aspires to be the Member of Parliament for the Chester South and Eddisbury constituency. They’ve divided my old constituency into two now, so the City of Chester seat no longer exists. I was out canvassing for Aphra and I handed a leaflet to this fellow and he asked what she had to offer. And I said she has integrity and intelligence. He looked at me closely and said: ‘Are you sure that she’s your daughter?’
You were MP for Chester and are now the Chancellor of Chester University, tell us about your connection with the city and county
My father was born in Hoylake and my daughter, Aphra, lives in Tarporley. I regard being the Chancellor of the University of Chester as one of the great privileges of my life. I was one of the people who campaigned for its status to be changed from college to university. As the ceremonial head of the university, it’s a joy for me to meet the students at graduation. If you read the newspapers you feel depressed aboutthe world, but when you meetthe students you feel full of hope for the world. The graduation takes place at Chester Cathedral which is one of the most beautiful in the world. Because Aphra and her husband, Ian, live in Tarporley I’m exploring Cheshire more and it’s such a wonderful county.
Tell me a highlight from your time as MP for Chester
I’m very proud of the fact I helped to get the 1994 Marriage Act through Parliament. Mrs Evelyn Graybill who then owned Peckforton Castle came to see me one day and said: ‘Why can people get married in Chester Cathedral but not in my castle?’I agreed. So the bill I put forward helped to allow people the freedom to marry in civil ceremonies in a variety of venues other than register offices.
What is it about Cheshire that makes you happy?
It’s as modern as tomorrow but has a lot of time for yesterday. I love the balance of rural Cheshire with its robust farming history and the modern chemical and technology industries. I have great admiration for the farming communities, but I do love the mixture of old and new.
What are your three favourite places in Cheshire?
Chester Cathedral – for all the reasons I mentioned in our interview.
Beeston Castle – for the incredible views across Cheshire. (I was torn between Beeston Castle and Peckforton Castle because Peckforton Castle led me to introduce the 1994 Marriage Act.)
Tarporley High Street for great independent shops and places to eat – because my wife loves shopping and I love eating.
You have a podcast, a book and a one-man show all dedicated to happiness. What’s the secret to your happiness and what three tips do you have to help people bring more joy to their lives?
Well in my book there are seven secrets but here are three:
1. Busy people are happy people.
2. Be a leaf on a tree. Every leaf is unique, like human beings, but when they fall they waft around directionless to the floor and die. A leaf on a tree is connected, growing and part of something bigger than themselves. People need people. The joy of Cheshire is it’s full of community, whether it’s a choir, a golf club, places of worship, the racecourse... It can be hard for people as they get older and when family move away so joining in with community activities is vital.
3. Live in the moment. People are so busy living in the past or looking to the future and worrying about what they have or haven’t done. Instead, stop and appreciate the moment – the now.
I will talk more about this at the Chester Festival of Ideas at Chester Town Hall on Sunday, July 6, from 11am to noon.
What are your plans for 2024?
I’m on tour and I will be coming back to Cheshire with my one-man show and will be at the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton, Wirral, on November 4.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Don’t dabble, focus. The secret I believe is to focus on what you’re doing in the moment. I know I do a variety of things but whatever I’m doing at that time I try to focus solely on that.
Oh… and listen to your wife..
WHERE TO SEE GYLES
Sunday, July 6, 11am-12pm, Chester Town Hall, Northgate Street, Chester
Dr Gyles Brandreth, Chancellor of the University of Chester, will speak on The Idea of Happiness – And How to Achieve It. Gyles will explore the idea of happiness as it has developed across the centuries and introduce his seven Secrets of Happiness.
Chester Festival of Ideas, July 4 to 7, is a programme of free, inclusive and accessible public events on a wide range of themes in and around Chester, co-created by the University of Chester and external stakeholders and city partners. See festivalofideas.chester.ac.uk
Monday, November 4, 7.30pm The Floral Pavilion, New Brighton Gyles Brandreth: Can’t Stop Talking. floralpavilion.com
