A one-of-a-kind interview with former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's late husband Sir Denis is to be aired on British TV this weekend, giving viewers a rare insight into the man who was Downing Street's first male consort.
Sir Denis, who died in June aged 88, was as famous for his strong opinions as he was for keeping them to himself. But in the videotaped chat with his journalist daughter Carol, filmed in the months prior to his death, he speaks out about everything from the PMs who followed in his wife's footsteps to his famed penchant for a tipple.
Acknowledging he had to learn "pretty quickly" to avoid being made fun of in the papers, he says: "And certainly don't get caught by the press having too much to drink, you know, that sort of thing. You had to be a bit cunning."
And the staunch Conservative did not hold his tongue when it came to opining on those who occupied No 10 Downing Street after his spouse. John Major, he says, was "a ghastly prime minister. More people deserted our party and we have never recovered."
He also admits that when Argentina invaded the Falklands, he wasn't "absolutely too sure" where the Falklands was. "I didn't want to make a bloody fool of myself and say 'Where?'," he explained. "But I soon discovered nor did anyone else."
Though he speaks freely on many topics – on meeting US first ladies, for example, he quips: "I never took any liberties, you know, I wasn't trying to get off with them" – a question about his marriage is met with: "Good grief, woman – in cricket terms, you've bowled me a googly, haven't you?". After some persuasion from his interviewer daughter, Sir Denis opens up, saying his wife is "a nice-looking woman, always has been" and he indeed had "a happy life" with the famed politician.
Married To Maggie: Denis Thatcher's Story will be screened on Channel Four this Sunday.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
