Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Portillo unexpectedly lost the hitherto safe Conservative Enfield Southgate seat at the 1997 general election. But about his own possible misdemeanors he argues that, "what I did as a youth is irrelevant to this campaign. MP Michael Portillo swapped his wealthy lifestyle to live for a week as a single mother of four in Merseyside for a TV experiment. [2] First elected to the House of Commons in a 1984 by-election, Portillo served as a junior minister under both Margaret Thatcher and John Major, before entering the Cabinet in 1992 as Chief Secretary to the Treasury and promoted to Secretary of State for Employment in 1994. [93], In June 2013, he presented a series of twelve 15-minute radio programmes (following the daily World at One news programme) on BBC Radio 4 called 1913 the Year Before, about the state of Britain in the years preceding World War I, challenging the view that these years were optimistic and cheerful.[94]. Their children would all inherit one "Z" from their mother but can inherit an "M or a "Z" from their father. [1], Portillo graduated in 1975 with a first-class degree in history,[14] and, after a brief stint with Ocean Transport and Trading Ltd., a shipping and transport company, he joined the Conservative Research Department in 1976. 69 Year Old Journalist #5. In retrospect I can see that this was really Malvolio's law applied to sexuality: some are born homosexual, some achieve homosexuality, and some have homosexuality thrust upon them. Sun 22 Jul 2001 17.13 EDT. [57], Portillo served as chairman of the 2008 Man Booker Prize committee. Want to Read. Mr Portillo is aware of the pitfalls of taking the line of the American moral right. Michael Portillo and Georgina Howard on the ridge tops of Ameztia, Ituren in the Pyrenees where Pyrenean Experience is based. AndI suspect we may be able to play a drinking game whenever Michael matches his books to his accessories., Sarah says: Anyone else have a sudden, mysterious craving for gelato?, Sarah says: He's giving off a real 'cool granddad you wish you had' vibe here. Symbolising the loss of the election by the Conservative Party, it has been referred to as "the Portillo moment", and in the clich "Were you up for Portillo?" In 2006 he made a programme on Spanish wildlife for BBC Two's The Natural World series. 2023 GRV Media Ltd. All Rights Reserved. , yasmin jan anjum (@yasminjananjum) July 23, 2020, Im not sure what I find more interesting about Michael Portillos continental railway journeys, the actual train journeys or his colourful clothes, https://twitter.com/liarpoliticians/status/1288551316139192323, WATCH GREAT CONTINENTAL RAILWAY JOURNEY ON BBC TWO, AND GET FREAKY WITH US ONINSTAGRAMANDFACEBOOK. He retired from the House of Commons and from active politics at the 2005 general election. Former politician turned broadcaster Michael Portillo, 68, is a familiar face on our screens. The former Tory defence secretary, Mr Michael Portillo, widely tipped for an imminent return to Westminster, has confessed to having homosexual experiences as a young man . Between its inception in 2003 and cancellation in 2019, Portillo appeared in the BBC weekly political discussion programme This Week with Andrew Neil, and, until September 2010, Labour MP Diane Abbott. Congratulations to Michael Portillo and Channel 5 for excellent documentary 'The Trouble with the Tories'. Tickets 17.50 (concessions 15.50,) and St George's Guildhall, King's Lynn, on Tuesday, March 21. "All that time I was repressed and all these colours were welling up inside me! Graphic designer Gareth Peate said: "It struck me that Michael often chose jackets, trousers and shirts that mirrored the livery of the major train companies. Gove further reveals that: "Fellows and undergraduates were given girls' names; parties were organised in meadows a little out of town, and cross-dressing was encouraged." Not having sufficient time to canvass the views of my lesbian friends on this subject, I did manage to get through to a gay pal on his mobile on an InterCity train. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. "[55], In September 2002, Portillo became a non-executive director of the multinational defence contractor BAE Systems. "Most often [people] have seen me on a television rail journey but in the UK, plenty of people still remember me from politics, so they are as likely to ask about Brexit as about my recommendations for rail holidays. Wide-open body language and a smile to match! Here, we examine some of his bold choices Dear God why can't public transport be more like 'Great British Railway Journeys'? Etsy Search for items or shops Close search Skip to Content Sign in 0 Cart Holiday Shop Jewelry & Accessories Clothing & Shoes Home & Living BORN: 8 January, 1919, in Fife. His first took in historic East Coast sites, but these new travels are broader in scope, from the cities of the Atlantic coast to vibrant San Francisco, via Chicago, Colorado, New Mexico, and . "Carolyn and I have bought a lovely house near Seville," he explained. And, as usual, I had jumped at the idea, although a few doubts played on my mind. [50], Talking to Andrew Neil on This Week in May 2016, he gave his views on the effectiveness of David Cameron's government and its legislative plans as described in the Queen's speech: "After 23 years of careful thought about what they would like to do in power the answer is nothing", a description which The Guardian described as "elegant". I think its simply because in the early days of Only Connect, his train programmes used to be on afterwards and he seemed to be on TV a lot so Victoria would make smutty jokes about what random show hed been on. (i.e., "Were you awake/did you see Portillo's result announced on television? Interestingly, Mr Portillo has himself thought it necessary to enter two pleas of mitigation, though none is technically required. The image is irresistible: the once and future leader of the Conservative Party in a canary twinset, cavorting across Midsummer Common, accompanied by an elderly don called Mary. geddit?) Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Missed the last episode? No, the only important question - the one that permits me to write on this subject at all - is whether Mr Portillo is a hypocrite. [22] Portillo has stated that he considers "saving the Settle to Carlisle railway" was his greatest achievement. Full Name: Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo Date of Birth: 26 May 1953 Age: 69 years old as of 2022 Place of Birth: Bushey, United Kingdom Spouse | Wife: Carolyn Claire Eadie Height: 1.8 m (5'9) Education: Stanburn Primary School, Harrow County School and Peterhouse College, Cambridge Net Worth: 8.2 million ($9 million) Michael Portillo Books Here is The Observer guide to the many reinventions of the man . Michael Portillo Height Michael stands at a height of 5 feet and 11 inches (1.81 m). And, for anyone who has any doubts, I am the garrulous one in emerald green! "The highlights were the two epic journeys on The Ghan and the Indian Pacific," the 66-year-old recalled to Journey Beyond. Students at Portillo's Cambridge college, Peterhouse, affected (according to a contemporary), "a style - camp in some, decidedly homosexual in others". https://bit.ly/3rOfxG8Armed with a 1936 edition of Bradshaw's Handbook, Michael Portillo takes to the tracks to navigate the golden age of rail travel, when . Starring: Michael Portillo Directed by: Anthony Holland , Cassie Farrell and Tom Richardson Great Coastal Railways Journeys 2022 (4.5)2 Prime Video From 199 to buy episode From 18.99 to buy season Starring: Michael Portillo Directed by: Dave Minchin Great Continental Railway Journeys - Series 5 (4.7)264 DVD 1098 ), Our Basque grandparents (Amatxi and Atautxi). Portillo acknowledged that "ambiguity is unattractive"[38] and his opponents within the party later used Portillo's apparent equivocation as an example of his indecisiveness; "I appeared happy to wound but afraid to strike: a dishonourable position. Vicky actually wrote an article about this, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/24/call-me-anything-but-humourless-michael-portillo-only-connect, It should be noted Portillo isn't only famous for trains, he was a government minister who surprisingly lost his seat in the 1997 election which became a landslide against his party, something which has became known as a Portillo moment in political circles. In When Michael Portillo Became a Single Mum, he had to balance the household budget of 80 as well as take on Jenny Miner's two jobs . The couple said their vows in a sweet ceremony in 1982. Handsome and self-possessed, he was the object of attention; but, while he appreciated aspects of the atmosphere, he was emphatically one of the more fastidious members of college." In a previous story, Evening Standard reported that Michael donated a 79 Charles Tyrwhitt shirt and a 45 French-cuffed Christian Dior shirt to a charity shop. Insufferable in victory, fabulous in defeat, he warned his colleagues in 1997 of the need to eschew the urge to sew the Scarlet Letter onto too many bodices. I am sorry, I can be pretty garrulous, I excused my rather ebullient nature from the outset. Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo is a British journalist, politician, broadcaster, and screenwriter, who joined the Conservative Research Department in 1976 and stayed there for three years. He wasn't a hypocrite, just a really messed-up kid. Reply Prev Michael Portillo Railway Journeys - his jackets? Michael Portillo Education Michael did his high school studies at grammar school, in Harrow County. Michael Portillo has known the ups-and-downs of the political greasy pole more than most. Its always been necessary in politics to have a few jokes up your sleeve and that helps me with the shows., Just before he filmed the first show for BBCs Great British Railway Journeys, Michael managed to drop The Victorian Bradshaws Guide in Paddington Station. [23][24] He was a strong supporter of Margaret Thatcher. 69 Year Olds. [36], Some saw the Defence Secretary post as a reward for Portillo's cautious loyalty to Major during the 1995 leadership challenge of John Redwood, following Major's "back me or sack me" resignation as party leader. [4] Portillo's father, a devout Catholic, was a member of left-wing movements in the 1930s and fled Madrid when it fell to General Franco in 1939, settling in England. Daves drone lessons with the children in my hamlet, executed in his inimitable Italian-Spanish creole (basically Italian with an s on the end) will go down in local history. But George W is not in jail, so when exactly did he manage to transcend his former crimes - to outgrow them? I like to buy as I travel. Pinky P is renowned on here for his fashion choices - they should paint Thameslink, Great Northern, Greater Anglia and c2c units to match his wardrobe in order to get rid of those dull white liveries. Michael Portillo has travelled extensively over the last 13 years filming his much-loved railway series, traversing five continents and making hundreds of programmes along the way. Perhaps it's hardly surprising that the couple dodge the bitterly cold Scottish weather sometimes. Having spent the past two decades gathering material for Life on a Basque Mountain myrecent manuscriptbased on my struggles as a single British mother bringing up myBasque daughter with the local shepherds - observations on culture and identity were fresh on my mind. The programme was originally broadcast on 7 November 2008. The train enthusiast did not disappoint his fans with his rather bright and colourful dress sense. The Joaldunak: protagonists of the Basque pagan carnival of Zubieta and Ituren. [16] He left to work for Kerr-McGee Oil between 1981 and 1983. Died: 10 March, 2014, in Hertfordshire, aged 95. So forget teenage Tory homosexuals, we should all be on the hunt for teenage Tory drug sellers. If you cannot see the animation to the left, you may obtain the plug-in for free at macromedia.com . [67], The documentary How To Kill a Human Being in the Horizon series featured Portillo carrying out a survey of capital punishment methods (including undertaking some near death experiences himself), in an attempt to find an 'acceptable' form of capital punishment. Actually I thought nothing of this at the time. [96] He is President of DEBRA, a British charity working on behalf of people with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a genetic skin blistering condition. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Hawks and Doves:. Or is he really saying that the son of a politician millionaire can be trusted to redeem himself from a (rather late) youth spent in substance abuse, but that the general run of American teenagers cannot? Thats fine, he grinned, I am happy to take a back seat for a change!. [46] He comfortably won the by-election in late November 1999 to represent Kensington and Chelsea, traditionally one of the safest Conservative seats. Portillo's passion for steam trains led him to make the BBC documentary series Great British Railway Journeys, beginning in 2010, in which he travels the British railway networks, referring to various editions of Bradshaw's Guide. One young person hailed me with, 'We are studying you in history.'". Ive no doubt at all that the thing I am most is English, he says. Michael Portillo has been married to Carolyn Eadie since 1982, but has allegedly had several affairs during their 32 years together (pictured: the couple in 2003) The Cambridge-educated former. I also have clothesmade by Volpe in Denbigh Street in London. Perceptive presentation, understanding of historical context and revealing interviews with major political figures. They were reduced to 7.99 and 6.99 respectively. And then, microphone snuggly clipped into the hem of my emerald green jersey, camera crew in tow, we strolled out of the square and into the narrow alleyways of Zubieta, this quintessentially Basque village in the Spanish Pyrenees. He was born on 26 May 1953, in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England . Michaels mother was Scottish and his father was Spanish. Journey 6: Ayr to Skye (Great British Railway Journeys, Book 6) by. 'I like to buy as I travel. . Gassing Station | TV, Film, Video Streaming & Radio | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff, 1998 to 2023 Pistonheads Holdco Limited, All Rights Reserved, PistonHeads is a registered trademark of CarGurus Ireland Limited, Pistonheads Holdco Limited, c/o Legalinx Limited, 3rd Floor, 207 Regent St, London W1B 3HH, United Kingdom. "I have no surviving close relatives in Scotland but Carolyn does, and we travel north of the border from time to time. No further excuse was needed. Thanks to his mixed Spanish and Scottish heritage, he is likely to blend into the warm surroundings well. Last month Michael Portillo and his wife, Carolyn, flew on holiday to Peru. [66] Between 2002 and 2007, he presented a discussion series called Dinner with Portillo on BBC Four, in which political and social questions were explored by Portillo and his seven guests over a four-course meal. 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