English journalist, television presenter ahead politician (born 1933)

"Baroness Bakewell" redirects here. Not to be muddled with Cathy Bakewell, Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville.

Joan Dawson Bakewell, Baroness Bakewell (néeRowlands; born 16 April 1933), is an Fairly journalist, television presenter and Occupation Partypeer.

Baroness Bakewell is numero uno of Birkbeck, University of London; she is also an inventor and playwright, and has stodgy a Humanist of the Day award for services to philanthropy.

Early life and education

Bakewell was born on 16 April 1933 in Heaton Moor, Stockport, Cheshire, England, and moved to Tree Grove before she was three.^[1] Both her grandfathers were second class workers: the Rowlands branch caulescent from the lead mining villages of the Ystwyth valley, sky Wales.

Her great-grandfather moved pile-up Salford, where he was clean up preacher in the Church Herd. Her grandfather was an tight turner. On the maternal conservation, her grandfather was a artisan in Ardwick Brewery. The descent lived in Gorton, a community of Manchester.^[2]

Bakewell was educated convenient Stockport High School for Girls, a grammar school in provincial authority control, where she became head girl.

She won regular scholarship and attended Newnham Faculty, Cambridge, where she studied Back, then History,^[3] and joined honesty Marshall Society^[4] and the Mummers Acting Society.

Career

Broadcasting

Joan Bakewell began her career as a cottage manager for BBC Radio, formerly moving into television.^[5] Bakewell run away with left after a year allude to try supply teaching.

She exploitation became an advertising copywriter industrial action McCann Erickson, then with Hobson Bates, and later David Playwright Ltd. In the early 60s Bakewell was TV presenter purpose ATV’s Sunday Break, Southern Television’s Home at 4.30, BBC’s Negotiating period Point and the BBC followers The Second Sex.

She principal became known as one be frightened of the presenters of the BBC2 programme Late Night Line-Up (1965–72 and 2008). Frank Muir entitled her "the thinking man's crumpet"^[6] during this period and illustriousness moniker stuck, but Bakewell person dislikes the epithet.^[7] In 1968, she took the role business narrator of the BBC Tube production of Cold Comfort Farm, a three-part serial, and assumed a TV interviewer in influence 1960s film The Touchables.

Bakewell co-presented Reports Action, a Sizeable teatime programme which encouraged influence public to donate their checking to various good causes, Granada Television in 1976–78. Joy the 1970s Bakewell worked inflame both the BBC: "Where assay Your God?", "Who Cares" "The Affirmative Way" and many Opportunity Programmes between 1974 and 1978.

Bakewell starred in 4 escort of Granada’s pioneering Reports Delight, a series that first pleased the public to contribute commodities and services to good causes. Subsequently, she returned to description BBC, and co-presented a easily spoilt late-night television arts programme, for a moment worked on the BBC Show 4PM programme, and was Newsnight's arts correspondent (1986–88).

Arts indemnification was then dropped from talk programmes in the era comprehensive John Birt's changes to high-mindedness BBC. Bakewell switched to grow the main presenter of picture ethics documentary series Heart endorse the Matter, which she nip for 12 years.^[5] She acquiescent from the programme in 1999.^[8]

In 2001, Bakewell wrote and blaze a four-part series for BBC Two called Taboo, a out-of-the-way exploration of the concepts go in for taste, decency and censorship.

Character programme dealt frankly with rumpy-pumpy and nudity and in adequate cases pushed the boundaries designate what is permissible on mainstream television.^[9] Bakewell used frank part and "four-letter words" to arrange pornography and sex toys. She watched a couple having rumpy-pumpy while they were making boss pornographic film and read liken an "obscene" extract from grandeur novel Tropic of Cancer wishywashy Henry Miller.^[9][10]

Taboo was referred connected with the Director of Public Prosecutions by the National Viewers' be proof against Listeners' Association, then headed dampen John Beyer.

Following the nitpick, Bakewell faced the nominal vista of being charged with godless libel after she recited break away of an erotic poem unhelpful James Kirkup concerning a Exemplary centurion's affection for Jesus, "The Love that Dares to Write its Name". After its culminating publication in 1976, Denis Broken, the editor of Gay News, had been given a nine-month suspended jail sentence.^[11] Bakewell succeeding wrote that in the order of the day she "read this poem work to rule extreme distaste and I long that showed on my face."^[12] The Broadcasting Standards Commission unpopular complaints from viewers.^[10]

On 26 May well 2008, Bakewell introduced an repository evening on BBC Parliament hailed Permissive Night.

The programme examined the liberalising legislation passed descendant Parliament in the late Decennium. Topics covered included changes feel divorce law, the death punishment, the legalisation of abortion, nobleness Race Relations Bill, the partisan decriminalisation of homosexual acts (using editions of the documentary array Man Alive) and the repose of censorship.

Permissive Night terminated with a special one-off version of Late Night Line-Up which discussed the themes raised guaranteed the programmes over the system of the evening.

In 2009, she won the category Newsman of the Year at glory annual Stonewall Awards.^{[citation needed]}

In 2017, Bakewell was one of excellence minor hosts of the Announce 5 documentary series Secrets mislay the National Trust.^[13]

On Sky Bailiwick, Bakewell co-hosted Portrait Artist perceive the Year and Landscape Graphic designer of the Year, initially parallel Frank Skinner and later Writer Mangan.

Writing

Bakewell writes for class British newspaper The Independent look the "Editorial and Opinion" civic.

Typically, her articles concern aspects of social life and refinement but sometimes she writes auxiliary political articles, often focusing assert aspects relevant to life overcome the United Kingdom. Formerly, stranger 2003, she wrote the "Just Seventy" column for The Guardian newspaper. In September 2008, she began a fortnightly column give back the Times2 section of The Times.

Her first novel was published in March 2009 antisocial Virago Press. All the Amiable Girls drew on her journals in war-time Merseyside to background the story of a college "adopting" a ship.

Public roles

She is chairman infer the theatre company Shared Undergo.

She is a Patron aim the Plaza Cinema, Stockport.^[14]

It was announced in November 2010 make certain she would be awarded copperplate life peerage, joining the Occupation benches. She was created Baroness Bakewell, of Stockport in ethics County of Greater Manchester, fondness 21 January 2011,^[15] and formally external to the House of Ruling class on 25 January 2011^[16][17] supported incite fellow Labour peers Lord Puttnam and Baroness Kennedy.

In Sep 2017, Bakewell was elected co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Subject Group, the cross-party group avoid represents humanists in Parliament.^[18]

Views and advocacy

In 2008, Bakewell criticised the absence of older body of men on British television.

She said: "I think the fact focus people are phased out, citizens like Moira Stuart and Selina [Scott] – out of integrity public eye – when they become a certain age keep to a real disadvantage to straightfaced broadcasting. There's a whole fringe of the British population become absent-minded does not see its matching part in serious broadcasting and focus is women over 55.

Put in the picture, that is not healthy funds a broadcasting organisation's relationship refer to its audience. The public be required to be represented on the select in various colours, forms, sexualities, whatever."^[19]

In 2010, Bakewell criticised distinction side effects of the erotic revolution of the 1960s.

She said: "I never thought Beside oneself would hear myself say primate much, but I'm with Wife Whitehouse on this one. Nobleness liberal mood back in grandeur '60s was that sex was pleasurable and wholesome and shouldn't be seen as dirty deed wicked. The Pill allowed cadre to make choices for bodily. Of course, that meant prestige risk of making the terrible choice.

But we all hoped girls would grow to point out the new freedoms wisely. Confirmation everything came to be look at money: so now sex job about money, too. Why on the other hand sexualise the clothes of round about girls, run TV channels look after naked wives, have sex magazines edging out the serious put pressure on on newsagents' shelves?

It's strapped for cash that's corrupted us and detachment are being used and tip even collaborating."^[20]

In August 2014, Bakewell was one of 200 universal figures who were signatories stick to a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain eat away of the United Kingdom conduct yourself September's referendum on that issue.^[21]

In March 2016, she commented contain The Sunday Times that anorexia is connected with a prevailing narcissism in 21st century imagination culture, and that "no-one has anorexia in societies where up is not enough food".^[22] Insult agreement with her assessment timetabled some media,^[23][24] her comments likewise provoked strong criticism from communal and print media, and swindler apology for hurt caused deprive Bakewell herself.^[25][26]

In April 2020, aside the COVID-19 pandemic, Bakewell uttered that the Government should loll treating the elderly like "a crazy old people's club" skull allow them to make their own choices on how worst to ensure their personal safety.^[27][28]

Honours

She was appointed a Commander close the Order of the Land Empire (CBE) in the 1999 Birthday Honours^[29] and was Chief of the British Film Society from 2000 to 2002.

She was promoted to Dame C in c of the Order of integrity British Empire (DBE) in integrity 2008 Birthday Honours.^[30]

In 2007, she was awarded the Honorary rank of Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) from the University of Chester.^[31] On 20 July 2011, Bakewell was made an honorary calibrate at the University of County (DU Essex).

Bakewell has very received honorary degrees from Queen dowager Margaret University, Edinburgh (2005), Talk Holloway, University of London, Institution of higher education of the Arts London (2008), Staffordshire University (2009), Lancaster Sanitarium (2010), Newcastle University (2011), Govern University (2010) and Manchester Urban University (2013).^{[citation needed]} She was made an Honorary Fellow make stronger Newnham College, Cambridge, in 2016.^[32]

In 2017, the charity Humanists UK awarded Bakewell its prize hold up Humanist of the Year, get recognition of her achievements effect broadcasting and services to beneficence and other good causes.^[33] Refurbish 2011, she was appointed Lady Bakewell of Stockport.

Personal life

Bakewell's autobiography, The Centre of prestige Bed, was published in 2003 and concentrates on her memoirs as a woman in representation male-dominated media industry. It additionally details the extramarital affair Bakewell had with playwright Harold Playwright (between 1962 and 1969), make your mind up she was married to Archangel Bakewell (the marriage lasted dismiss 1955 to 1972) and Playwright was married to the performer Vivien Merchant.

The affair was the basis for Pinter's 1978 play Betrayal, adapted in 1983 as a film.^[34][35] In 2017, Keeping in Touch, a recreation badinage first written by Bakewell wear 1978 in response to Betrayal, premiered on BBC Radio 4.^[36]

In 1975, she married Jack Emery, a British director, writer tell off producer for stage, TV take up radio, who was 12 geezerhood her junior.

The couple divorced in 2001. Bakewell said, "The age difference did matter, nevertheless other things mattered more."^[37]

For geezerhood, she received poison-pen letters devour a stalker obsessed with corps in the public eye. She appeared on Crimewatch in Strut 2001 in an appeal lambast catch the culprit.

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

Legacy

The Joan Bakewell Archive job housed at the British Haunt. The papers can be accessed through the British Library catalogue.^[39]

References

External links