Coordinates	30°19′10″N81°39′36″N
name	John Whittingdale
honorific-suffix	OBE MP
office	Chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee
term start	14 July 2005
predecessor	Sir Gerald Kaufman
office2	Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
term start2	19 June 2004
term end2	6 May 2005
leader2	Michael Howard
predecessor2	Julie Kirkbride
successor2	Theresa May
term start3	23 July 2002
term end3	8 December 2003
leader3	Iain Duncan Smith
predecessor3	Tim Yeo
successor3	Julie Kirkbride
office4	Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
term start4	18 September 2001
term end4	23 July 2002
leader4	Iain Duncan Smith
predecessor4	David Heathcoat-Amory
successor4	Tim Yeo
office5	Member of Parliament for Maldon Maldon and East Chelmsford (1997-2010) South Colchester and Maldon (1992-1997)
term start5	9 April 1992
majority5	19,407 (40.5%)
predecessor5	John Wakeham
birth date	October 16, 1959
birth place	Sherborne, Dorset, England
nationality	British
spouse	Ancilla Murfitt (divorced); 2 children
party	Conservative
alma mater	University College London }}

John Flasby Lawrance Whittingdale OBE, (born October 16, 1959), is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1992.

Education

Whittingdale was educated at two independent schools: at Sandroyd School from 1968–1973, in Rushmore Park at the heart of Cranborne Chase near Tollard Royal in Wiltshire and at Winchester College in the county town of Winchester in Hampshire, followed by University College London (UCL) where he was Chairman of the UCL Conservative Association, and earned his BSc in Economics in 1982 (grade 2ii).

Early life

From 1982-4, Whittingdale was Head of the political section of the Conservative Research Department. He then served as Special Adviser to three successive Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry, Norman Tebbit, 1984-5; Leon Brittan, 1985-6, and Paul Channon, 1986-7. He worked on international privatisation at NM Rothschild in 1987 and in January 1988, became Political Secretary to the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. Upon her resignation, Whittingdale received the OBE and he continued as her Political Secretary until his election to Parliament in 1992.

Parliamentary career

He was first elected to parliament in 1992. He served as PPS to Eric Forth as Minister of State for Education and Employment, but had to resign after voting against the government on an amendment that would have allowed a media publisher with more than 20 per cent of the national press market to buy an ITV company.

He was later shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary from 2004 until the reshuffle after the general election in 2005 when he was re-elected Member of Parliament for Maldon and Chelmsford East. In 2005 he was appointed to the Executive of Conservative Way Forward, a Thatcherite pressure group within the Conservative Party. He is on a member of the Council of the Freedom Association and the European Foundation. In 2008, he was elected as a Parliamentary Member of the Board of the Conservative Party and Vice Chairman of the Conservative Parliamentary 1922 Committee. In 2011 he was Chair of the Football Governance Inquiry.

Media Select Committee

On 14 July 2005, he became the Chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee. In this role he led the Committee's 2009/2010 investigation into libel and privacy issues, including the News of the World phone hacking affair after the Guardian first revealed the extent of the practice at the News of the World. He was accused of warning members of the committe not to compel former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks to testify due to the risk that their personal lives would be investigated in revenge, but has strongly denied the accusation. Allegations that his previous support for News International and Murdoch had a financial basis have also been denied.

In April 2011, he called for a public inquiry into phone hacking at the News of the World and to why a series of investigations by Scotland Yard failed to link any News International employees to phone hacking other than the News of the World's former royal editor, Clive Goodman. Whittingdale said: "There are some very big questions. What I find [most] worrying is the apparent unwillingness of the police, who had the evidence and chose to do nothing with it. That's something that needs to be looked into."

With just one out of three of the senior executives agreeing to appear before the committee session on 19 July, Whittingdale took the rarely used step of issuing a summons to compel the Murdochs to attend. Whittingdale said select committees had taken such steps against individuals in the past, and they had complied and continued "I hope very much that the Murdochs will respond similarly."

Personal life

He married Ancilla Murfitt in 1990 who is a practice nurse at a general practice in Colchester. They have two children. The marriage was dissolved in 2007.

References

External links

John Whittingdale OBE MP official site

Membership of Culture Media and Sport select committee

News items

TV licence in March 2005

Flood defences in October 2004

UK fishing industry in January 2004

BBC digital services in August 2003

BBC's future in May 2003

Video clips

Channel 4 in October 2007

{{S-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Colchester South and Maldon | years = 1992–1997 }} {{S-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Maldon and East Chelmsford | years = 1997–2010 }} {{S-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Maldon | years = 2010–Present }}

Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs Category:UK MPs 1992–1997 Category:UK MPs 1997–2001 Category:UK MPs 2001–2005 Category:UK MPs 2005–2010 Category:UK MPs 2010– Category:Old Wykehamists Category:Alumni of University College London Category:Politics of Maldon (district)

de:John Whittingdale sco:John Whittingdale sv:John Whittingdale

Coordinates	30°19′10″N81°39′36″N
birthname	Rebekah Mary Wade
birth date	May 27, 1968
birth place	Warrington, Cheshire, England
occupation	Journalist, newspaper editor
spouse	Ross Kemp(m. 2002–09, divorced)
credits	''The Post'', ''The Sun'', ''News of the World'' }}

Rebekah Mary Brooks (née Wade, born 27 May 1968) is a British journalist and former newspaper editor. She was chief executive of News International (from 2009 to 2011), having previously served as the youngest editor of a British national newspaper as editor of the ''News of the World'' (from 2000 to 2003) and the first female editor of ''The Sun'' (from 2003 to 2009). She married actor Ross Kemp in 2002; in 2009, they divorced, and she married former racehorse trainer and author Charlie Brooks.

She is a prominent figure in the News International phone hacking scandal, having been the editor of the ''News of the World'' when illegal phone hacking was allegedly carried out by the newspaper. On 15 July 2011, Brooks resigned as chief executive of News International, following widespread criticism of her role in the controversy. On 17 July 2011, she was arrested on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications and on suspicion of corruption.

Early life

Brooks was born Rebekah Mary Wade in Warrington, Lancashire (now Cheshire). She grew up in Daresbury, and decided she wanted to be a journalist from the age of fourteen. She attended Appleton Hall County Grammar School in Warrington.

A childhood friend, Louise Weir, described her as "more emotionally intelligent than academic", charming and always able to get what she wanted out of people.

In Brooks' entry in ''Who's Who'' she stated that she studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, but did not claim to have a degree, and did not later answer questions about this; in a 2003 ''Spectator'' article, Stephen Glover suggested that, since she was working at the age of 20 for the ''News of the World'', "we can safely assume that she did not study at the Sorbonne in any meaningful way". In 2010, Brooks was awarded an honorary Fellowship from the University of the Arts, London, for her contribution to journalism. She attended the London College of Printing, now part of the university, as a student.

The economics commentator Henry Porter claims little is known of Brooks personally. Tim Minogue, who was one of her first co-editors before becoming a journalist at ''Private Eye'' magazine, recalled a “likeable, skinny, hollow-eyed girl who was very ambitious”.

Career

After school she worked for the French magazine ''L'architecture d'aujourd'hui'' in Paris, before returning to Britain to work for Eddy Shah's Messenger Group. Graham Ball, the then features editor at ''The Post'' newspaper, recalled that she was a notably astute and intelligent staff member. When ''The Post'' was disbanded, Brooks then moved to the ''News of the World''.

News of the World

She joined the Sunday newspaper ''News of the World'' in 1989 as a secretary, before working as a feature writer for its 'Sunday' magazine where she worked on "The A to Z of Soaps" with TV soap expert Chris Stacey, and eventually becoming the paper's deputy editor. "In 1994, she prepared for the ''News of the World'''s interview with James Hewitt, a paramour of Princess Diana, by reserving a hotel suite and hiring a team to "kit it out with secret tape devices in various flowerpots and cupboards", Piers Morgan, her former boss and now a CNN talk show host (and ABC talent-show judge), wrote in his memoir ''The Insider'', ''The New York Times'' relayed in July 2011. In 1998, she transferred to the ''News of the World'' daily counterpart, ''The Sun'', where she was appointed its deputy editor. In this period, she reportedly attempted to persuade David Yelland to end the Page Three Girls feature. She then returned to the ''News of the World'' in 2000 as editor; at the time, she was the youngest editor of a national British newspaper.

While at the ''News of the World'', she oversaw its controversial campaign of "naming and shaming" individuals suspected to be convicted child sex offenders-- a campaign launched in the wake of the murder of Sarah Payne. The paper's decision led to angry mobs terrorising those they suspected of being child sex offenders, which included several cases of mistaken identity and one instance where a paediatrician had her house vandalised, apparently by people who misunderstood her occupational title to be the same as paedophile. The campaign was labelled "grossly irresponsible" journalism by the then Chief Constable of Gloucestershire, Tony Butler, but, in a rare interview, Brooks defended the paper's actions on the BBC's ''Breakfast with Frost'', stating that it was "only right that the public have controlled access" to information on sex offenders. The paper's already strong sales held up well under her leadership, while those of rival Sunday newspapers ''The People'' and the ''Sunday Mirror'' fell more sharply.

Lord Prescott was impressed with the way Rebekah handled the story of his wife, Pauline, giving up one of her children for adoption as "very reasonable and professional" in style.

The Sun

In January 2003, she returned to ''The Sun'', replacing her former boss David Yelland, to become its first female editor. On Brooks' first day as editor the Page Three girl was Rebekah Parmar-Teasdale – the caption to the picture was "Rebekah from Wapping". Soon after becoming editor, Brooks ran the headline "Bonkers Bruno Locked Up" concerning the mental health problems of former heavyweight boxing champion Frank Bruno. The next day ''The Sun'' ran a 600-word reply from the head of the mental health charity Sane, and since then has adopted a style guide on covering mental health stories prepared by the same charity. Brooks and her husband spent a day with the head of Sane and made donations to the charity.

During a March 2003 appearance before the House of Commons Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport as part of an inquiry into privacy issues, Brooks stated that her newspaper had paid police officers for information. Alison Clark, the director of corporate affairs at News International, later stated: "It is not company practice to pay police for information".

Brooks has been chair of the organisation Women in Journalism, and has served as a judge for the "Guardian Student Media Awards" in November 2003 and the tenth annual Police Bravery Awards in July 2005, the latter sponsored by ''The Sun''.

News International

In June 2009, it was announced that she would leave ''The Sun'' in September 2009, to become chief executive of the newspaper's parent company, News International. Dominic Mohan was named her successor as editor of ''The Sun''.

Rebekah Brooks has become noted in media circles for having conquered the world of tabloid journalism with meteoric success and in becoming Rupert Murdoch's proxy.

Phone hacking scandal

A police enquiry revealed that the ''News of the World'' had a routine practice of intercepting mobile phone messages of celebrities, politicians and other public figures. The newspaper's reporter, Clive Goodman, and Glenn Mulcaire, a hired investigator, were convicted and jailed for intercepting the phone messages of members of the royal family in 2006.

Brooks said on 10 July 2009, "''The Guardian'' coverage [of the phone hacking affair], we believe, has substantially and likely deliberately misled the British public".

Questioning by MPs

In 2003, under questioning by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee of the House of Commons, Chris Bryant MP asked her and Andy Coulson whether either of their newspapers had ever been involved in various improper acts. Brooks replied, "We have paid police for information in the past". Andy Coulson stepped in to say that payments were only made lawfully. ''The Sun'', of which Brooks was editor, subsequently ridiculed Chris Bryant in a number of articles, starting with one about a photograph of him in his underpants from a gay dating web site. Brooks later claimed that in her response to Bryant's question she had merely been speaking about the widespread belief that payments had been made to police, and denied having any knowledge of specific payments.

According to MPs, Rebekah Brooks refused three times to attend the committee again to be questioned further, resulting in four committee members "considering asking the serjeant at arms to issue a warrant forcing Brooks to attend"; however they subsequently dropped this proposal because they believed their private lives would be investigated if they did so. John Whittingdale, chair of the committee, stated there was a conversation "about the possible repercussions of issuing a warrant for Brooks but said that did not have any bearing on his decision and he did not believe News International would target committee members."

Milly Dowler

In 2011, ''The Guardian'' and a solicitor alleged that in 2002, when Brooks was editor, the paper had also hacked the voicemail of missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler (later found to be murdered), to access messages left by her parents. It was also alleged that messages had been deleted when the mailbox was getting full, to allow new messages to be left and illicitly listened to; this caused the missing girl's family to think that she was still alive and monitoring her messages. ''The New York Times'' London reporter Sarah Lyall wrote that, if the allegations were true, "it would mean either that Ms. Brooks had no idea how the paper she edited was obtaining information about the Dowler family for its articles, or that she knew about the hacking and allowed it". In an email to her staff Brooks said it was "inconceivable" that she had known what was happening over Milly Dowler's voicemail.

Resignation

In July 2011, Labour Party leader Ed Miliband said Brooks should "consider her position" after the Milly Dowler allegations. Prime Minister David Cameron said that if Brooks had offered her resignation to him, he would have accepted it. Milly Dowler's parents also called for Brooks' resignation.

When Brooks told ''News of the World'' staff that the newspaper was being closed down, some reportedly said that all of their jobs had been sacrificed in order to save hers. Andreas Whittam Smith suggested that Brooks' decision not to resign was symptomatic of "the self-serving, conceited thesis that 'only I, who was at the helm during the disaster, can steer us to safety'".

On 14 July, News Corporation's second largest shareholder, Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal Alsaud, called for her resignation in a BBC interview.

Having previously had an offer of resignation rejected, Brooks resigned from News International on 15 July 2011. She said: "As chief executive of the company, I feel a deep sense of responsibility for the people we have hurt and I want to reiterate how sorry I am for what we now know to have taken place. I have believed that the right and responsible action has been to lead us through the heat of the crisis. However my desire to remain on the bridge has made me a focal point of the debate. This is now detracting attention from all our honest endeavours to fix the problems of the past. Therefore I have given Rupert and James Murdoch my resignation. While it has been a subject of discussion, this time my resignation has been accepted."

The Daily Telegraph reported that despite resigning from her position, Brooks remained on the company payroll and continued to receive her salary from News International, having been told by Rupert Murdoch to "to travel the world on him for a year".

Arrest

On 17 July 2011, Brooks was arrested by police on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications and on suspicion of corruption allegations. She was arrested by detectives working on Operation Weeting, the Metropolitan Police's phone hacking probe, and Operation Elveden, the probe examining illicit payments to police officers. Brooks' public relations agent Dave Wilson told CNN that she did not know she was going to be arrested when she arrived for a pre-arranged interview with London's Metropolitan Police Service.

Following twelve hours in custody, Brooks was released on bail until October 2011.

Political connections

There has been criticism of her influence on leading politicians, and possible connections between this and the phone hacking affair. Most notably, Brooks and her husband have close social ties to Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife. For example, scrutiny has focused on a December 2010 dinner party that was attend by both David Cameron and James Murdoch.

Brooks was also a friend of Tony and Cherie Blair and Gordon and Sarah Brown. Her 2009 wedding to Charlie Brooks was attended both by then Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and current Prime Minister David Cameron.

Personal life

Brooks became engaged to actor Ross Kemp (best known as Grant Mitchell in ''EastEnders'') in 1996, and married him in June 2002 in Las Vegas. On 3 November 2005, it was reported that Brooks had been arrested following an alleged assault on her husband. She was later released without charge and the police took no further action. ''The Sun'' had been running a campaign against domestic violence at the time. From this point, Brooks was referred to in ''Private Eye'' as "the slapper" (a pejorative British word for a woman of loose morals, and a pun on the act of slapping). The couple had spent the previous evening in the company of the former Cabinet Minister David Blunkett, who had resigned for the second time on that day.

''Private Eye'' and ''The Independent'' reported that the couple had separated; this was not widely reported in the remainder of the British press. The 7 March 2008 issue of ''Private Eye'' refers to her "paramour", former racehorse trainer and author Charlie Brooks. ''The Guardian'' reported on 5 June 2009, that he would marry Brooks. ''The Independent'' reported that Brooks and her fiancé had married in a lakeside ceremony in June 2009. It was reported that a laptop and other items allegedly belonging to Charlie Brooks were found in the rubbish bins at the couple's London flat in Chelsea Harbour and, despite being claimed by Mr Brooks, were removed by police for examination. It is unknown whether the police consider the laptop relevant to their 'phone hacking inquiry.

In July 2011, MP Chris Bryant claimed that Brooks had previously "sneered" at Bryant's homosexuality, and that Kemp had responded "Shut up, you homophobic cow".

Brooks is a friend of Sheryl Gascoigne, the ex-wife of footballer Paul Gascoigne. She also attended the Prince of Wales' 50th birthday party.

Brooks also enjoys horse riding and invited the prime minister to her Christmas party according to Henry Porter.

Brooks lives in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.

See also

News Corporation

News Limited

Rupert Murdoch

James Weatherup

References

External links

Category:1968 births Category:People from Warrington Category:English journalists Category:English newspaper editors Category:News of the World people Category:The Sun (United Kingdom) people Category:News International phone hacking scandal Category:Living people

bg:Ребека Брукс ca:Rebekah Brooks cy:Rebekah Brooks de:Rebekah Brooks es:Rebekah Brooks fr:Rebekah Brooks gl:Rebekah Brooks it:Rebekah Brooks ms:Rebekah Brooks no:Rebekah Brooks pl:Rebekah Brooks pt:Rebekah Brooks sv:Rebekah Brooks zh:利百加·布鲁克斯

Coordinates	30°19′10″N81°39′36″N
Name	Ian Hislop
Birth name	Ian David Hislop
Birth date	July 13, 1960
Birth place	Swansea, Wales
Residence	Sissinghurst, Kent, UK
Nationality	British
Known for	Work on ''Private Eye'' & ''Have I Got News For You''
Subject	English Literature
Alma mater	Ardingly College Magdalen College, Oxford
Employer	Pressdram Ltd ''Private Eye''
Occupation	Magazine editor, screenwriter, journalist, comedian, comedy writer
Religion	Anglican
Spouse
Children	Emily (b.1990), William (b.1993)
Footnotes	}}

Ian David Hislop (born 13 July 1960) is a British journalist, satirist, comedian, writer, broadcaster and editor of the magazine ''Private Eye''. He has appeared on many radio and television programmes, most notably as a team captain on the BBC current affairs satirical quiz ''Have I Got News for You''.

Early life

Hislop was born on 13 July 1960 in Mumbles, Swansea, to a Scottish father, David Hislop, and a Channel Islander mother of English descent, Helen Rosemarie née Beddows. When he was five months old, his family began to travel around the world because of his father's job as a civil engineer. During his infant years, Hislop lived in Nigeria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong. On his return to Britain he was educated at Ardingly College, an independent boarding school, where he began his satirical career directing and appearing in revues alongside Nick Newman, and became Head Boy. Hislop and Newman's association continued when they went up to Oxford, later working together at ''Private Eye'' and on a number of comedy scriptwriting jobs. Hislop applied to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford, but changed to English Literature before going up. He graduated from Magdalen College, Oxford with the degree of BA in 1981.

Family

When Hislop was 12 years old his father, David Hislop, died; his mother also died when he was quite young. She was born in Jersey and left in her late teens. Hislop did not know his grandparents.

Hislop's paternal grandfather, David Murdoch Hislop, died just before Hislop was born. He was Scottish and became a deacon at a Presbyterian church and a school headteacher at Newton Academy in Ayr. In the First World War he fought in Northern France with the 9th Highland Light Infantry.

Hislop's maternal grandfather, William Beddows, was originally from Lancashire. He joined the British Army in 1895 and fought in the Second Boer War with the King's Own Royal Regiment, and served in major campaigns including the Battle of Spion Kop. He moved to Jersey to serve as a Sergeant, having signed up in 1906 for another ten years in the army.

Career

''Private Eye''

At Oxford he founded and edited the magazine ''Passing Wind'', for which he interviewed Richard Ingrams, who was then editor of ''Private Eye''. Hislop joined the publication immediately after leaving Oxford, and became editor in 1986 upon Ingrams' departure. It was revealed in an interview with ''The Independent'' that this was despite opposition from ''Eye'' hacks Peter McKay and Nigel Dempster, with the former taking the magazine's majority shareholder, Peter Cook, out for lunch in an attempt to dissuade him from appointing Hislop. Cook pressed on however, and his new editor sacked both McKay and Dempster from the magazine without hesitation.

As editor of ''Private Eye'' Ian Hislop is the most sued man in English legal history, although he is not involved in as many libel actions as he once was. The most famous libel case involving Hislop and ''Private Eye'' was brought by the publishing magnate Robert Maxwell. After the case he quipped: "I've just given a fat cheque to a fat Czech." However the magazine's attacks on Maxwell were fully vindicated by the revelations of massive fraud that followed his death. On another occasion, when ordered to pay £600,000 in damages after being sued for libel by Sonia Sutcliffe, wife of the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, Hislop told reporters waiting outside the High Court: "If that's justice, then I'm a banana." The award was, however, dropped to £60,000 on appeal. In his many court cases, Hislop has only won twice.

Hislop continues to be applauded for his wit and satire. In an interview with ''Third Way Magazine'' he said: "Satire is the bringing to ridicule of vice, folly and humbug. All the negatives imply a set of positives. Certainly in this country, you only go round saying, ‘That’s wrong, that’s corrupt’ if you have some feeling that it should be better than that. People say, ‘You satirists attack everything.’ Well, we don’t, actually. That’s the whole point."

''Have I Got News for You''

Hislop is the only person to have appeared in every episode of ''Have I Got News for You''' in its twenty year history, even filming an episode in the seventh series in spite of suffering from appendicitis (he had discharged himself from hospital immediately before the show).

Other television and radio work

Hislop's television debut was on the short-lived Channel 4 chat show ''Loose Talk'' in 1983, an experience he disliked so much that he included it on his list of most hated items when he first appeared on the BBC show ''Room 101''. Hislop was also a screenwriter on the 1980s political satire series ''Spitting Image'', in which puppets were used to depict well-known figures, mostly politicians. He even had a puppet of himself, which sometimes appeared as a background character in sketches.

Along with Nick Newman Hislop wrote the BBC Radio 4 series ''Gush'', a satire based on the first Gulf War, in the style of Jeffrey Archer. With Newman he also wrote the family-friendly satirical sitcom ''My Dad's the Prime Minister'' and in the early nineties for the Dawn French vehicle ''Murder Most Horrid''. Hislop and Newman wrote the Radio 4 series ''The News At Bedtime'', aired over the 2009 Christmas season. The series starred Jack Dee as 'John Tweedledum' and Peter Capaldi as 'Jim Tweedledee'; the two present the "news of the day" in the world of fairy tales, while arguing with each other as did their namesakes.

Hislop has also presented serious television programmes. These include ''School Rules'', a three-part Channel 4 study on the history of British education; an edition of the BBC's ''Who Do You Think You Are?'', in which he attempted to trace his genealogy and ''Not Forgotten'', a four-part series on Channel 4 detailing the impact on British society of the First World War. A further programme, ''Not Forgotten: Shot at Dawn'', was broadcast in January 2007, and a sixth episode, ''Not Forgotten: The Men Who Wouldn't Fight'', featuring the stories of conscientious objectors such as Ronald Skirth, was aired on 10 November 2008. He also presented one episode of the BBC's ''Great Railway Journeys'', in which he travelled in India ["India East to West" from Calcutta to Rajasthan]. In May 2007 he presented a programme on BBC Four, ''Ian Hislop's Scouting for Boys'', celebrating Robert Baden-Powell's book which inspired the Scout movement. Another BBC Four programme, ''Ian Hislop Goes Off the Rails'', about the Beeching Report and its impact on the British railway network, was first aired on 2 October 2008, and achieved the second highest audience to date for any BBC Four programme (and the highest for a documentary) with 1.3 million viewers.

He has also written and presented factual programmes for Radio 4 about such subjects as tax rebellions, female hymn composers, scouting and patron saints of Britain and Ireland. In 2007 he became the only person to make a second guest appearance on ''Room 101''. He has also been a comedy screenwriter for Harry Enfield.

In 2003 he was listed in ''The Observer'' as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. He has also appeared in a number of ''Question Time'' editions (13 as of September 2010). In one he made an open attack on Jeffrey Archer, who had been imprisoned for perjury, when his wife, Mary Archer, was a fellow panellist. She was noticeably angry that the matter had been raised and harangued Hislop after the recording had finished. In another, he suggested that USA vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin was rare among politicians in being good-looking; the laughter from the audience and raised eyebrows from politicians on the panel prompted him to admit to a "gaffe" for which he then apologised.

Hislop has presented several programmes for BBC 4, dealing with topics such as Boy Scouts, the Beeching Axe and the role of the Poet Laureate. The latter, ''Ian Hislop's Changing of the Bard'', launched the May 2009 BBC 4 Poetry season, and Hislop recounted the history of the post from the first - official - holder, John Dryden, to the then recently announced first female, first Scot and first openly bisexual laureate, Carol Ann Duffy. His series on Victorian social reformers, ''Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders'', aired on BBC Two beginning on 29 November 2010.

He also enjoys a career as an after dinner speaker and awards presenter, working for several speaker bureaux.

Hislop is an Ambassador for The Scout Association.

Personal life

Ian married Victoria Hamson on 16 April 1988 in Oxford. They have two children, both born in the London borough of Wandsworth: Emily Helen (born 1990) and William David (born 1993) . They live in Sissinghurst. Hislop's wife has a career as an author, and in 2010 Hislop played a small role in the Greek television series ''The Island'', which was based on his wife's bestselling book. The television series premiered on October 11, 2010 on Greece's Mega television channel.

Religious views

In Caroline Chartres' book ''Why I Am Still an Anglican'', Hislop opens his chapter by saying "I've tried atheism and I can't stick at it: I keep having doubts. That probably sums up my position." In 1996, Hislop presented an award-winning documentary series for Channel 4 about the history of the Church of England, called ''Canterbury Tales''. Recent works of his include the BBC Radio 4 series ''The Real Patron Saints''.

On 4 September 2009, Hislop appeared at Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams's "The Gathering" at Canterbury Cathedral to discuss religion, society and journalism, among other issues, in front of a crowd of about 1,000.

Political views

Hislop has been highly critical of all major British political parties for over 20 years. Appearing on ''Question Time'' on 18 September 2008, he praised Liberal Democrat treasury spokesman Vince Cable for his analysis of the ongoing economic and financial crisis, and apparently expressed support for the Liberal Democrats, jocularly stating "I'm standing for them." In a 2009 "Five minutes with" interview with Matthew Stadlen for BBC News, Hislop stated that if he were required, "at the point of a gun", to stand in an election for any British political party, he would stand for the fictional "Vince Cable for Treasurer Party". After the formation of the coalition government in 2010, Hislop remarked on HIGNFY, "I like the idea of this coalition neutralizing the loonies on both sides".

References

External links

Debrett's People of Today

Ian Hislop interview (Evening Standard)

"There's no place like Gnome", profile by Nick Greenslade, ''The Observer'', 22 October 2006

Ian Hislop interviewed by Ciar Byrne for ''The Independent'' celebrating his 20th year as editor of Private Eye.

Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:English people of Scottish descent Category:People from Swansea Category:People from Kent Category:Old Ardinians Category:Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Category:English Anglicans Category:English Christians Category:British critics Category:British journalists Category:British magazine editors Category:British satirists Category:British comedy writers Category:English comedy writers Category:Private Eye contributors

cy:Ian Hislop de:Ian Hislop fi:Ian Hislop fr:Ian Hislop nl:Ian Hislop

Coordinates	30°19′10″N81°39′36″N
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Charlotte Maria Reed
Born	February 21, 1986 Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales
Origin	Cardiff, Wales
Instrument	Vocals
Genre	Pop, Celtic, classical, classical crossover, operatic pop
Occupation(s)	Singer / Songwriter
Years active	1998–present
Label	Sony BMG (1998-2006) Power Amp Music(2010-Present)
Website	}}

Charlotte Maria Church (born Charlotte Maria Reed; 21 February 1986) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress and television presenter. She rose to fame in childhood as a classical singer before branching into pop music in 2005. By 2007, she had sold more than 10 million records worldwide including over 5 million in the U.S. In 2010 she was reported to be worth as much as £11m (though one 2003 report quoted her worth at £25m). She hosted a Channel 4 chat show ''The Charlotte Church Show''.

Church released her first album in 5 years, titled ''Back To Scratch'', on 17 October 2010.

History

Early life

Charlotte Church was born Charlotte Maria Reed in Llandaff, a district of Cardiff, Wales. She was brought up as a Roman Catholic by her mother, Maria, who was separated from Church's biological father, Stephen Reed. Church was adopted by her mother's second husband, James Church in 1998. Her break came at 11 when she sang "Pie Jesu" over the telephone on the television show "This Morning" in 1997, followed by her performance on ITV's ''Big, Big Talent Show'' in 1997. This led to concerts at Cardiff Arms Park, the Royal Albert Hall and opening for Shirley Bassey in Antwerp. She also received a vocal scholarship to Howell's School Llandaff in Cardiff where she started in 1998 after leaving The Cathedral School, Llandaff. She balanced performing and school with help from tutors for when she was on the road and said in many interviews that she was "just like every other girl her age".

1998–05: classical career

Church was then introduced to the Cardiff impresario Jonathan Shalit, who became her manager and negotiated a contract with Sony BMG. Her first album, ''Voice of an Angel'', was a collection of arias, sacred songs, and traditional pieces that sold millions worldwide and made her the youngest artist with a No. 1 album on the British classical crossover charts.

Church appeared on PBS specials. Her self-titled second album also included operatic, religious and traditional tracks. One, the soaring and inspirational ''Just Wave Hello'', was the centre piece of a millennium-themed ad campaign for the Ford Motor Company. The song's full-length video, featuring Church, won acclaim at the Detroit Auto Show and introduced her to new fans. The track reached No. 31 in Britain.

In 2000, she released ''Dream a Dream'', an album of Christmas carols. It included Church's first foray into a more pop-influenced style in the title track ''Dream a Dream'', borrowing the melody from Fauré's Pavane and featuring young American country singer Billy Gilman. Church also sang with Gilman in "Sleigh Ride" on his CD ''Classic Christmas''.

In 2001, Church added more pop, swing, and Broadway with her album ''Enchantment''. That year, Church made her first film appearance in the 2001 Ron Howard film ''A Beautiful Mind''. Celine Dion was beginning a concert engagement in Las Vegas and was not available to perform the film's end title song, "All Love Can Be", so composer James Horner enlisted Church and the song was rewritten for her vocal range. Church also handled other vocal passages throughout the score.

In 2002, at 16, she released a 'best of' album called ''Prelude'', and took part in the Royal Christmas tour alongside Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, concluding her classical music career.

2005–09: pursuing pop career; Tissues and Issues

In 2005, Church issued her first pop album ''Tissues and Issues.'' Four singles were moderately successful in the UK with "Crazy Chick" reaching no. 2, "Call My Name" number 10, "Even God Can't Change the Past" number 17, and "Moodswings (to Come at Me like That)" number 14. Although these were released in Australia as well, they failed to reach the same level of success there, and in March 2006 it was announced that there would be no US releases of Church's pop work until she had achieved a number 1 hit in the UK. Tissues and Issues accounted for no more than 2% of her total sales. Church's pop album was released in the U.S. through Amazon.com MP3 shop, and iTunes in 2009.

In April 2006, she performed three concerts in Glasgow, London, and Cardiff, in venues holding between 2,000 and 3,000 people; the dates at London and Cardiff were sold out. Supported by Irish band the New Druids, Church performed a mix of tracks from her debut pop album and a number of pop covers including Prince's "Kiss" and Gloria Estefan's "Rhythm is Gonna Get You". Though Church hinted at the possibility of a full tour in the future, none took place.

In November 2006, it was announced that she and Sony had parted ways. According to her publicist, this was a mutual decision reached after a series of meetings throughout the year, which were held since her five and later six album deal had come to an end. There was some speculation that Church had decided to take a break from her singing career, in order to focus on her television show. Others suggested that the performance of her pop releases in the charts also contributed to the decision. Soon, she became pregnant with her daughter, Ruby Megan Henson, and this was widely believed to have contributed to the decision.

In 2007, Church became Patron of the charity The Topsy Foundation UK, helping to raise awareness and funds for its work to support rural communities in South Africa, empowering people infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS, through medical care, social support and skills development.

Articles emerged in the UK press in March and April 2008 stating that she was still training classically and was contemplating a return to classical crossover at some point. Church has sung in religious services in Taizé. She has also performed before Pope John Paul II, Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and Bill Clinton.

In June 2008, she again became pregnant, this time with her son, Dexter Lloyd Henson. In Church's latest interview, she mentioned she would be ready to work on more music a few months after she was fully recovered from her second pregnancy, and Dexter was a little bit older, though was not sure whether she would further develop her classical career, her pop career, or both as she loves both genres for different reasons, and plans to work on both genres but needs to be in a creative state of mind to continue work on her second Pop album. Charlotte also mentioned that she has been working with a vocal instructor to keep her voice in check during, and after her second pregnancy, and while she has never put a focus on her body image, she would like to get back into the shape she was in before becoming a mother when she resumes work.

In June 2009, Church was interviewed for 'Hello!' magazine, and discussed her life since having her second child. She said that she is currently in the studio, resuming work on her new album. She is excited to further her music career and plans on enlisting the help of both sets of grandparents, and their father, Gavin Henson, to help care for the children, now that they are a little bit older. She mentioned that Henson has been strongly encouraging her to get back to work, and pursue her career that she has greatly missed since settling down.

2010–present: Return To Music and Back To Scratch

Church appeared on ''Friday Night With Jonathan Ross'' on 13 March 2010, where she confirmed that she had already begun writing and recording her sixth studio album. Church also stated that the album was of a different sound to previous, more mature with a 'kooky' vibe.

On 4 August 2010, Church made a new track 'Cold California' available to download from her website .

Church's new album, ''Back to Scratch'', will be released in the UK on November 1. The 14-track set has been produced by Martin Terefe. Back To Scratch will be preceded by a single - the LP's title track - on October 24. 'Back To Scratch' was originally inspired "by problems facing a family member", but Church admitted in a press release that the song now has resonance to her own personal life following her recent split from Gavin Henson. Other tracks confirmed for the album include 'Ruby', originally recorded by French singer Camille and written by Euston Jones, 'Logical World', 'Story Of Us', 'Don't Think About It' and 'Cup Of The Sun'. Back To Scratch will also feature 'The Actors', which Church performed on BBC One talent contest Over The Rainbow in May, and a cover of Joni Mitchell's 'River'. A video featuring a snippet of another song from the album, 'Snow', is available to watch on the singer's YouTube channel and is currently streaming on her official website. . On 6 September 2010 Church posted a short video to her official YouTube channel showing her being filmed for the video of the lead single and title track "Back to Scratch" in the background the song can be heard playing. It was announced on March 13, 2011 that Charlotte had terminated her $3 million (£2 million)deal with Power Amp Music over promotional disputes. Her spokesperson released the following statement "All I can really say, because of the confidentiality issues, is that it was in Charlotte's financial interests to do so before the agreement entered the second year of its term. This is typical for these type of deals, which are investment deals rather than record deals. I can also say that the decision to terminate the term early, which suited both parties, was made well before the commercial release of the album." A spokesperson from the record label also released a statement saying "It didn't work out with Charlotte and that's fair enough. There was no falling out. It was a mutual decision. They decided to exit the deal."

The third single to be released from the album Snow will be released on April 11, 2011.

Acting and television career

Church has made a number of cameo appearances on television. She appeared in the CBS series ''Touched by an Angel'', starred in the 1999 Christmas special of ''Heartbeat'', and in 2002 and 2003 she appeared on episodes of ''Have I Got News For You'' (the first time as the show's youngest-ever panelist; the second time as host). In 2005 she played herself in an episode of ''The Catherine Tate Show'', in a sketch with the fictional character Joannie Taylor. In 2008 she appeared briefly in a sketch in Katy Brand's Big Ass Show.

In December 2005, for ''The Paul O'Grady Show'' Christmas pantomime, ''The Wizard of Oz'', Church played Dorothy Gale.

In January 2010 for ''Hospital 24/7'', Church made an appearance on the program finale, where she visits the Children's Hospital for Wales to launch the Noah's Ark Appeals campaign to fund the equipment in the new Critical Care Unit, which will help children needing high dependency, or critical & intensive care.

In the summer of 2006, Church began work on her own entertainment TV show, ''The Charlotte Church Show''. After a pilot episode which caused some controversy and which was never released to the public, the series began on 1 September 2006 on Channel 4.

The show, hosted by Church and featuring two celebrity guests each week, involved a mixture of sketches, reality TV, interviews, extremely foul language, and music, as well as a recurring Welsh theme. The show has averaged 1.9 million viewers and 10% of the available audience, and on 6 October 2006, it was announced that Channel 4 paid Church a reported £1,200,000 for a further two series of the show. According to her official website, the final series, originally planned for summer of 2007, was deferred until after Church gave birth.

Church won a British Comedy Award for "Best Female Comedy Newcomer" in 2006, and the 'Funniest TV Personality' award at the 2006 ''Loaded Magazine's'' 'LAFTA' awards. In 2008 she was nominated for the ''Rose d'Or'' Special Award for Best Entertainer.

In late June 2008, Channel 4 began showing trials for the series. It has since concluded its eight-show run. Church confirmed on 28 August 2008 that The Charlotte Church Show would return for a Christmas special, which aired on 21 December 2008. On ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'', Church revealed that the third series would be shown on Thursday nights beginning on 10 July 2008. The show ended after its third series.

Church was confirmed by the BBC in February 2010 to be one of the judges on Andrew Lloyd Webber's new West End revival show ''Over The Rainbow''.

She made her silver screen debut in 2003's ''I'll Be There'', co-starring and directed by Craig Ferguson. Church played the role of Olivia, the daughter of a washed-up '80s rocker from a one-night-stand, played by Ferguson. The film did not meet with widespread success, playing for only ten days in British cinemas and being released directly to video in the US. Charlotte was also under consideration to appear in the 2004 film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''Phantom of the Opera'' as the leading female character Christine Daaé but elected not to audition as it was specified she would have to lose weight before she could try out which she declined to do. The part eventually went to Emmy Rossum. Church also stated she had wanted the part of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series of films, however, at 14 she was too old for the part, which eventually went to Emma Watson.

Personal life

Church's personal life has often been portrayed in UK tabloid newspapers, inspiring the song "Let's Be Alone" on her album ''Tissues and Issues''.

Church released an autobiography titled ''Voice of an Angel (My Life So Far)'' at 14, before the release of ''Enchantment'' and just after she had wrapped up her ''Dream a Dream'' Christmas CD. Her change of music direction is hinted at in the final chapter, "Turning Corners". She released a second autobiography titled ''Keep Smiling'' in late 2007, very different in tone from the first.

Aspects of her personal life have been criticised in the press. In 2002, she was photographed smoking, which was controversial due to its possible effects on her voice. It subsequently emerged that she had developed a habit, and that many members of her family were heavy smokers, making it difficult for her to quit. Her smoking habit was alluded to on the album ''Tissues and Issues'', in "Confessional Song". Her weight gain has also been criticized in the media. Regarding the pressure to lose weight, Church has been quoted as saying, "I'm happy with how I look. I like looking like this. Why change just to be like everyone else? What's the point of that?" In an interview with ''Reveal'' magazine in June 2006, she said, "I do look a bit of a heifer on telly and in pictures but that's because the camera puts pounds on you."

The press devoted much attention to Church's relationship with boyfriend Gavin Henson, a Welsh International rugby union player. At the end of 2005, she bought a property in her native Cardiff, for a reported £500,000 which she later sold for £900,000. The couple then bought a manor with a 20-acre (8 hectare) small holding in the county borough of the Vale of Glamorgan in the scenic village of St. Bride's Major. The couple mentioned marriage on talk shows and in the press but put off marriage while Church was pregnant.

In 2007, Church made another appearance on a British young people's rich list with Henson. They were ranked 49th-richest young people in Britain with an estimated joint wealth of £12 million, although most estimate her wealth at £20 million. The couple bought a Princess yacht in spring 2008 for £800,000, named ''Sketchy,'' which is berthed at Swansea marina. In late 2009, returning from a day-trip in the Bristol Channel, Church called out Her Majesty's Coastguard to rescue their lost RiB tender. Church practices karate to keep fit.

On 20 September 2007, Church gave birth to daughter named Ruby Megan Henson. On 11 January 2009, Church gave birth to her second child, son Dexter Lloyd Henson. Church has stated she wants her childbearing days to be over by the time she is 32. She has also said she wants four to six children, whereas Henson wanted eight. The ''Daily Mail'' reported on 31 May 2010 that Church and Henson had split up.

Controversy

Church has provoked controversy on some occasions with her comments and criticisms – in an interview with Davina McCall, she agreed being diplomatic was "not in her nature". In the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks, she visited Ground Zero, and later stated, "I went to Ground Zero just as an ordinary person. It was awful, people taking debris to sell...Everyone there has to relate themselves to it. They are like 'Yeah, my neighbour's dog's owner's sister's dog was involved, but he got out just in time'. It was a bit sick. People overdramatise and lose perspective." Regarding the rescue workers at Ground Zero, Church commented, "They went from here in society to celebrities. They are even invited here to present television awards which I just don't agree with." After some Americans took offence to these comments, Church insisted that her comments "distorted and misrepresentative", and that "The New York fire-fighters display remarkable courage and sacrifice every day and their work and efforts at Ground Zero are an extension of that."

The pilot episode of Church's talk show, ''The Charlotte Church Show'', provoked a backlash from some religious groups, as Church reportedly mocked the Roman Catholic Church and made controversial comments about Pope Benedict XVI, calling him a "Nazi" in reference to his service in the Hitler Youth and German Army. One large Catholic distributor of books, CDs and other goods, Ignatius Press, pulled Church's products from its catalogue.

In her video blog entry for 22 March 2007, Church referred to the UK's Eurovision entry, Scooch, as "absolute shit" and went on to say, "I've never seen shit like it, because Scooch really are shit." Russ Spencer of Scooch hit back, saying, "What a pity the voice of an angel has acquired the mouth of a sewer." Spencer's fellow band member Natalie Powers added, "As a mother of a young child myself I find her behaviour and language quite unacceptable. What kind of role model is this for a mum-to-be?" Church hit back by saying on her Channel 4 show, "They called me attention seeking ... then what's doing the Eurovision dressed as air hostesses?"

She has claimed she would be a better judge for the reality show ''X-Factor'' than any of the judges on the show. She becomes "annoyed" when their remarks are inaccurate, stating, "They just do not know the ins and outs of a voice or music."

In January 2011, in an interview with ''Esquire'' magazine, Church referred to Queen Elizabeth II as "an old woman who has no idea what's going on", but apologised within days.

Discography

''Voice of an Angel'' (1998)

''Charlotte Church'' (1999)

''Dream a Dream'' (2000)

''Enchantment'' (2001)

''Tissues and Issues'' (2005)

''Back to Scratch'' (2010)

Filmography

''Touched by an Angel'' ''Heartbeat (UK TV series) ''Have I Got News For You'' ''I'll Be There (2003) ''The Catherine Tate Show'' ''The Charlotte Church Show'' ''Katy Brand's Big Ass Show'' ''Hospital 24/7''

Feature films
!Year	!Title	!Role	!Notes
1997	|	Herself	Cameo Role
1999	Heartbeat'' ||	Katie Kendall	Guest Role
2002–2003	|	Herself	Presenter
2003	I'll Be There'' ||	Olivia Edmonds	Lead Role
2005	|	Herself	Cameo Role
2006–2008	|	Herself	Presenter
2008	|	Various	Guest Role
2010	|	Herself	Guest Role

Awards and nominations

!Year	!Award	!Category	!Result
rowspan=4	2000		Classical BRIT Awards	Best Female Artist
	Classical BRIT Awards	British Artist Of The Year
Hollywood Reporters Young Star Awards	Best Young Recording Artist Or Musical Group
Institute Of Public Relations In Wales	Millenium Communicator Of The Year
	2002		Rear of the year	N/A
	2005		GQ Awards	Woman Of The Year
		Brit Awards	Best British Female
	Loaded (magazine)>Loaded Magazine LAFTA Awards	Funniest T.V Personality
	Glamour (magazine)>Glamour Awards	Editors Choice Award
	Glamour (magazine)>Glamour Awards	Solo Artist Of The Year
	British Comedy Awards	Best Female Newcomer
	2007		Glamour Awards	Readers Favourite TV Personality
	2008		Best Entertainer

References

External links

CharlotteChurch.co - Official website

''The Charlotte Church Show'' - Official website

Biography from BBC Wales

Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Adoptees adopted by relations Category:British child actors Category:British karateka Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Opera crossover singers Category:People from Cardiff Category:Welsh child singers Category:Welsh female singers Category:Welsh film actors Category:Welsh pop singers Category:Welsh Roman Catholics Category:Welsh sopranos Category:Welsh television actors Category:People educated at Howell's School Llandaff

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