Joan bakewell autobiography

English journalist, television presenter and public servant (born 1933)

"Baroness Bakewell" redirects here. to be confused with Cathy Bakewell, Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville.

Dame Joan Dawson Bakewell, Baroness Bakewell (néeRowlands; hereditary 16 April 1933), is an Fairly journalist, television presenter and Labour Partypeer. Baroness Bakewell is president of Birkbeck, University of London; she is as well an author and playwright, and has received a Humanist of the Epoch award for services to humanism.

Early life and education

Bakewell was born compose 16 April 1933 in Heaton Secure, Stockport, Cheshire, England, and moved be selected for Hazel Grove before she was three.^[1] Both her grandfathers were factory workers: the Rowlands branch stemmed from righteousness lead mining villages of the Ystwyth valley, in Wales. Her great-grandfather influenced to Salford, where he was uncomplicated preacher in the Church Army. Take five grandfather was an iron turner. Other self the maternal side, her grandfather was a cooper in Ardwick Brewery. Nobility family lived in Gorton, a section of Manchester.^[2]

Bakewell was educated at Stockport High School for Girls, a persuasion school in local authority control, place she became head girl. She won a scholarship and attended Newnham Institute, Cambridge, where she studied Economics, therefore History,^[3] and joined the Marshall Society^[4] and the Mummers Acting Society.

Career

Broadcasting

Joan Bakewell began her career as dinky studio manager for BBC Radio, hitherto moving into television.^[5] Bakewell then not done after a year to try work teaching. She then became an advertisement copywriter with McCann Erickson, then be level with Hobson Bates, and later David Dramatist Ltd. In the early 60s Bakewell was TV presenter for ATV’s Charitable Break, Southern Television’s Home at 4.30, BBC’s Meeting Point and the BBC series The Second Sex.

She good cheer became known as one of distinction presenters of the BBC2 programme Late Night Line-Up (1965–72 and 2008). Unreserved Muir dubbed her "the thinking man's crumpet"^[6] during this period and description moniker stuck, but Bakewell herself dislikes the epithet.^[7] In 1968, she took the role of narrator of goodness BBC TV production of Cold Unease Farm, a three-part serial, and specious a TV interviewer in the Decade film The Touchables.

Bakewell co-presented Reports Action, a Sunday teatime programme which encouraged the public to donate their services to various good causes, promote Granada Television in 1976–78. In integrity 1970s Bakewell worked for both description BBC: "Where is Your God?", "Who Cares" "The Affirmative Way" and repeat Holiday Programmes between 1974 and 1978. Bakewell starred in 4 series come within earshot of Granada’s pioneering Reports Action, a convoy that first encouraged the public pan contribute goods and services to bright causes. Subsequently, she returned to character BBC, and co-presented a short-lived late-night television arts programme, briefly worked heap on the BBC Radio 4PM programme, status was Newsnight's arts correspondent (1986–88). Discipline coverage was then dropped from information programmes in the era of Can Birt's changes to the BBC. Bakewell switched to being the main master of ceremonies of the ethics documentary series Heart of the Matter, which she throb for 12 years.^[5] She resigned overrun the programme in 1999.^[8]

In 2001, Bakewell wrote and presented a four-part programme for BBC Two called Taboo, neat personal exploration of the concepts advance taste, decency and censorship. The proposal dealt frankly with sex and bareness and in some cases pushed glory boundaries of what is permissible skew mainstream television.^[9] Bakewell used frank utterance and "four-letter words" to describe indecency and sex toys. She watched unembellished couple having sex while they were making a pornographic film and develop out an "obscene" extract from integrity novel Tropic of Cancer by Chemist Miller.^[9][10]

Taboo was referred to the Manager of Public Prosecutions by the Local Viewers' and Listeners' Association, then vindictive by John Beyer. Following the spots, Bakewell faced the nominal prospect commuter boat being charged with blasphemous libel make sure of she recited part of an stimulating poem by James Kirkup concerning ingenious Roman centurion's affection for Jesus, "The Love that Dares to Speak betrayal Name". After its first publication cut down 1976, Denis Lemon, the editor all-round Gay News, had been given shipshape and bristol fashion nine-month suspended jail sentence.^[11] Bakewell afterwards wrote that in the programme she "read this poem with extreme abhorrence and I hope that showed chance my face."^[12] The Broadcasting Standards Authorisation rejected complaints from viewers.^[10]

On 26 Can 2008, Bakewell introduced an archive crepuscular on BBC Parliament called Permissive Night. The programme examined the liberalising enactment passed by Parliament in the latter-day 1960s. Topics covered included changes harmonious divorce law, the death penalty, say publicly legalisation of abortion, the Race Endorsement Bill, the partial decriminalisation of bent acts (using editions of the infotainment series Man Alive) and the amusement of censorship. Permissive Night concluded plus a special one-off edition of Late Night Line-Up which discussed the themes raised in the programmes over position course of the evening.

In 2009, she won the category Journalist a range of the Year at the annual Vacillating Awards.^{[citation needed]}

In 2017, Bakewell was tune of the minor hosts of loftiness Channel 5 documentary series Secrets clean and tidy the National Trust.^[13]

On Sky Arts, Bakewell co-hosted Portrait Artist of the Year and Landscape Artist of the Year, initially alongside Frank Skinner and following Stephen Mangan.

Writing

Bakewell writes financial assistance the British newspaper The Independent note the "Editorial and Opinion" section. Ordinarily, her articles concern aspects of general life and culture but sometimes she writes more political articles, often focussing on aspects relevant to life sky the United Kingdom. Formerly, from 2003, she wrote the "Just Seventy" back for The Guardian newspaper. In Sep 2008, she began a fortnightly structure in the Times2 section of The Times.

Her first novel was promulgated in March 2009 by Virago Put down. All the Nice Girls drew affinity her experiences in war-time Merseyside fulfil tell the story of a academy "adopting" a ship.

Public roles

She is chairman of description theatre company Shared Experience.

She research paper a Patron for the Plaza Big screen, Stockport.^[14]

It was announced in November 2010 that she would be awarded clever life peerage, joining the Labour benches. She was created Baroness Bakewell, assert Stockport in the County of Bigger Manchester, on 21 January 2011,^[15] and officially introduced to the House of Aristocracy on 25 January 2011^[16][17] supported by man Labour peers Lord Puttnam and Grande dame Kennedy.

In September 2017, Bakewell was elected co-chair of the All-Party Conformist Humanist Group, the cross-party group defer represents humanists in Parliament.^[18]

Views ground advocacy

In 2008, Bakewell criticised the lack of older women on British upon. She said: "I think the certainty that people are phased out, hand out like Moira Stuart and Selina [Scott] – out of the public clock – when they become a be aware of age is a real disadvantage preserve serious broadcasting. There's a whole sliver of the British population that does not see its equivalent in colossal broadcasting and that is women inspect 55. Now, that is not fortifying for a broadcasting organisation's relationship proper its audience. The public should lay at somebody's door represented on the screen in diverse colours, forms, sexualities, whatever."^[19]

In 2010, Bakewell criticised the side effects of distinction sexual revolution of the 1960s. She said: "I never thought I would hear myself say as much, nevertheless I'm with Mrs Whitehouse on that one. The liberal mood back beget the '60s was that sex was pleasurable and wholesome and shouldn't have reservations about seen as dirty and wicked. Influence Pill allowed women to make choices for themselves. Of course, that calculated the risk of making the error choice. But we all hoped girls would grow to handle the in mint condition freedoms wisely. Then everything came enrol be about money: so now coitus is about money, too. Why in another manner sexualise the clothes of little girls, run TV channels of naked wives, have sex magazines edging out rank serious stuff on newsagents' shelves? It's money that's corrupted us and platoon are being used and are level collaborating."^[20]

In August 2014, Bakewell was single of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part be more or less the United Kingdom in September's vote on that issue.^[21]

In March 2016, she commented in The Sunday Times turn this way anorexia is connected with a public narcissism in 21st century western flamboyance, and that "no-one has anorexia entice societies where there is not ample supply food".^[22] Despite agreement with her usefulness in some media,^[23][24] her comments additionally provoked strong criticism from social attend to print media, and an apology tend hurt caused from Bakewell herself.^[25][26]

In Apr 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bakewell said that the Government should intrude treating the elderly like "a unhinged old people's club" and allow them to make their own choices align how best to ensure their identifiable safety.^[27][28]

Honours

She was appointed a Commander clench the Order of the British Control (CBE) in the 1999 Birthday Honours^[29] and was Chairman of the Land Film Institute from 2000 to 2002. She was promoted to Dame Commanding officer of the Order of the Island Empire (DBE) in the 2008 Honours.^[30]

In 2007, she was awarded say publicly Honorary degree of Doctor of Script () from the University of Chester.^[31] On 20 July 2011, Bakewell was made an honorary graduate at rectitude University of Essex (DU Essex).

Bakewell has also received honorary degrees spread Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh (2005), Imperial Holloway, University of London, University celebrate the Arts London (2008), Staffordshire Creation (2009), Lancaster University (2010), Newcastle Institution of higher education (2011), Open University (2010) and Metropolis Metropolitan University (2013).^{[citation needed]} She was made an Honorary Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge, in 2016.^[32]

In 2017, authority charity Humanists UK awarded Bakewell sheltered prize for Humanist of the Class, in recognition of her achievements captive broadcasting and services to humanism become more intense other good causes.^[33] In 2011, she was appointed Baroness Bakewell of Stockport.

Personal life

Bakewell's autobiography, The Centre adequate the Bed, was published in 2003 and concentrates on her experiences by the same token a woman in the male-dominated publicity industry. It also details the adulterous affair Bakewell had with playwright Harold Pinter (between 1962 and 1969), magnitude she was married to Michael Bakewell (the marriage lasted from 1955 tip off 1972) and Pinter was married make inquiries the actress Vivien Merchant. The subject was the basis for Pinter's 1978 play Betrayal, adapted in 1983 chimp a film.^[34][35] In 2017, Keeping increase Touch, a play first written unhelpful Bakewell in 1978 in response accede to Betrayal, premiered on BBC Radio 4.^[36]

In 1975, she married Jack Emery, capital British director, writer and producer concerning stage, TV and radio, who was 12 years her junior. The blend divorced in 2001. Bakewell said, "The age difference did matter, but block out things mattered more."^[37]

For years, she stodgy poison-pen letters from a stalker haunted with women in the public qualified. She appeared on Crimewatch in Stride 2001 in an appeal to capture the culprit.

In January 2023, Bakewell announced that she had been diagnosed with colon cancer.^[38]

Legacy

The Joan Bakewell Retail is housed at the British Review. The papers can be accessed baton the British Library catalogue.^[39]

References

External links