The Political Editors: Sir Peter Riddell
Politics Unpacked
Anna Covell
4.1 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 23 August 2023
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Westminster veteran Sir Peter Riddell tells Matt about his time charting the dramatic end to the Thatcher era, underestimating John Major, Labour coming back from the wilderness, and how the job of covering politics has changed over the years.
The Political Editors is half a century of politics told by the people who wrote the first draft of history for the Times.
Plus: Columnists Robert Crampton and Hadley Freeman discuss Andy Burnham giving an honest answer about wanting to be Labour leader, turning potholes into a golf course, and why some meal deals should be eaten in the bathroom.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, this is the Red Box Podcast. I'm Matt Chawley bringing the best of my times |
| 0:07.6 | radio show. You can listen live Monday to Friday, 10 till 1. On your DAB radio, on your smart |
| 0:12.3 | speaker, or download the times radio app. Thank you so much for all the lovely messages |
| 0:16.1 | about the interview with Julian Havenner who is on the podcast yesterday as part of a series |
| 0:20.4 | of interviews with former politicoatures of the times. If you listen to the episode, |
| 0:23.7 | you'll know that Julian sadly died. A month after I carried out the interview with some really |
| 0:28.4 | nice messages from listeners, but also from Julian's family who are really pleased to be able to |
| 0:32.5 | hear his reflections on an extraordinary career in journalism. Coming up on today's episode, |
| 0:38.5 | episode three of the political editors, Sir Peter Widdle, who was briefly political editor |
| 0:42.7 | in 1991, but political commentator for the times for several decades. Reflecting on the fall |
| 0:48.7 | of Margaret Thatcher, why you shouldn't have underestimated John Major and the rise of new |
| 0:53.6 | Labour in that period in the early 90s. It's a really fascinating chat coming up with him in |
| 0:57.0 | just a moment. But first, as ever, let's take a look at the news with the Colomis. |
| 1:05.6 | The Colomis. On Times Radio. Yeah, and now normally on a Wednesday, we'd have a |
| 1:11.0 | Albert still no Alice Tom, where he is, Alice Thompson. Don't know, not sure. We see |
| 1:15.0 | his three weeks now. If you've seen her, maybe she's on holiday when you're doing noise. |
| 1:19.0 | Could be. Long holiday, Alice. Come back. Eight, seven, treble, two, |
| 1:22.6 | starting message with the word times, if you've seen Alice Thompson on holiday. |
| 1:25.3 | Robert Crapton is here, though. How are you? I'm good. Yeah, I'm fine. All good. I was listening |
| 1:29.2 | to you and Phil Timeline, chewing the fat while walking around Vienna last week. With Patrick McGuire. |
| 1:34.8 | Well, you were with Patrick. I was in Vienna with Patrick. No, that's great that you got up |
| 1:40.2 | to that on the other day. Well, I did the most Patrick McGuire thing ever. I went to the museum in |
... |
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