Churchill: The Finest Half Hour

Series 8: Up Close and Personal Episode 3

John 'Jock' Colville was a civil servant in 10 Downing Streeet in 1940 - and he viewed Churchill's arrival as Prime Minister with much scepticism. Professor Richard Toye and Dr. Warren Dockter explain why Colville's doubts about Churchill evaporated - and how he recorded his wartime experiences working at Churchill's side in a diary which is an invaluable resource for historians. They reveal too how Colville's loyalty continued in Churchill's second premiership, when Colville played a key role in keeping Churchill's health problems from the public. And how Colville became one of the great defenders of Churchill's reputation and builders of his legacy, leading the successful efforts to create Churchill College, Cambridge, as national memorial to the politician he'd served so faithfully. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Series 8: Up Close and Personal Episode 2

In the Second World War. one of Churchill's closest working relationships - and perhaps the most significant - was with the senior commander Alan Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff from December 1941. It was a relationship which Brooke frequently found maddening, as he recalled in his diaries. But it was also productive. Professor Richard Toye and Dr. Warren Dockter analyse a partnership which helped shape British and Allied military strategy. And which arguably showed Churchill - brilliant, energetic, impetuous and frustrating - at his most Churchillian. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Series 8: Up Close and Personal Episode 1

One man was right by Churchill's side from the dramatic summer of 1940 right throught to Churchill's death in 1965: his doctor, Charles Wilson, aka Lord Moran. In 1966, Lord Moran published a book - 'Churchill: The Struggle for Survival' - which discussed Churchill's physical health and alleged that he suffered from depression, the so-called 'black dog'. Professor Richard Toye and Dr. Warren Dockter discuss the contents of Moran's book, its value as a source on Churchill's life and the hostile reaction to its publication from Churchill's family, who believed Moran had abandoned medical ethics. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Series 7: Churchill and Ireland Episode 3

Winston Churchill's relationship with Ireland and Irish politics was complex and controversial. Churchill had a hand in partition and the creation of the Irish Free State. In the Irish Civil War. Then in the Second World War, Churchill's desire to access Irish ports led to testy dealings with the Irish government - and radical plans for the unification of north and south. Professor Richard Toye and Dr. Warren Dockter explore the complexity, controversy - and drama - in this episode of Churchill: The Finest Half Hour. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Series 7: Churchill and Ireland Episode 2

Professor Richard Toye and Dr Warren Dockter discuss Churchill's role in the war which began in Ireland in 1919, including Churchill's journey from the 'hawk' who refused to condemn atrocities by British troops to the 'dove' who argued for a negotiated settlement. They explore Churchill's role in the treaty of 1921 which led to the creation of the Irish Free State and Churchill's relationship with the Irish military and political leader Michael Collins, who established a rapport with Churchill but noted to himself: "Don't actually trust him." ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.