Presidents, Prime Ministers, Monarchs & Dictators

Iain Dale talks to political journalist and biographer Julia Langdon about the life and career of Margaret Thatcher. She was, of course Britain’s first woman prime minister, and she served as Britain’s prime minister for 11 years, from May 1979 to November 1990.

Iain Dale talks to Theo Barclay about the life and career of George Canning, who is our shortest serving Prime Minister, having chalked up a premiership lasting only 3 months in 1827.

Iain Dale talks to social commentator, biographer and historian Leo McKinstry about the life and premiership of Archibald Primrose, better known as the fifth Earl of Rosebery, who served for only fifteen months as Prime Minister from March 1894 to June 1895.

Iain Dale talks to Steve Richards about his book THE PRIME MINISTERS WE NEVER HAD: SUCCESS & FAILURE FROM BITLER TO CORBYN which features chapters on 11 politicians who didn’t quite make it to Number 10 – Rab Butler, Roy Jenkins, Barbara Castle, Denis Healey, Neil Kinnock, Michael Heseltine, Michael Portillo, Ken Clarke, David & Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn.

Iain talks to biographer, journalist and historian Julian Glover about the life and career of John Major, who served for six and a half years as Prime Minister from November 1990 to May 1997.

Iain Dale talks to Elaine Chalus, Professor British History at the University of Liverpool about the life and premiership of William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire who was Britain’s fifth Prime Minister but whose period in office was one of the shortest - only seven months from November 1756 to June 1757.

Iain Dale talks to Labour politician Nick Thomas-Symonds about the life and career of Harold Wilson who served as Prime Minister from 1964-70 and 1974-76.

Iain Dale talks to Lord (Andrew) Adonis about the life and Premiership of Tony Blair, who served as Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007.

Iain Dale talks to historian Dr Nigel Aston about the life and rather short premiership of William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne. He was Britain’s 12th prime minister, who served for eight months from 1782 to 1783.

Iain Dale talks to historian Stuart Handley about the life and premiership of Henry Pelham, who was Britain’s second Prime Minister and served from 1743 to 1754.

Iain Dale talks to historian Robin Eagles about the short-lived premiership of the Earl of Wilmington, who served as Prime Minister from February 1742 to July 1743.

Iain Dale talks to public affairs consultant Wilf Weeks about the life and premiership of Edward Heath, who served as Prime Minister from June 1970 to February 1974.

Iain Dale talks to author and historian Robert Waller and the life and Premierships of Labour’s first Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald. He served as Prime Minister for 9 months in 1924, then from 1929 to 1931 as leader of a minority Labour government, and then from 1931 to 1935 as Prime Minister of a National government.

Iain Dale talks to historian and Conservative MP Jesse Norman about the life and premierships of Charles Watson-Wentworth who served twice as prime minister, from 1765-66 and for three months in 1782.

Iain Dale talks to Sky News presenter Adam Boulton about the premiership of David Cameron, who served as prime minister from 2010-16.

Iain Dale talks to Jon Parry, Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge, about the life and political career of George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen who served as Prime Minister from December 1852 to January 1855.

Iain Dale talks to Professor Gordon Pentland about the life and career of Viscount Goderich who served as Prime Minister for nearly five months from August 1827 to January 1828.

Iain Dale talks to historian Andrew Thompson about the life and political career of Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton who served as Prime Minister for 16 months from 1768 to 1770.

Iain Dale talks to David Laws about the life and political career of Herbert Henry Asquith, who served as Prime Minister from 1908 to 1916.

This week Iain Dale speaks to Professor Jeremy Black, Emeritus Professor of history at the University of Exeter about the life and Premiership of Thomas Pelham-Holles, better known as the first Duke of Newcastle, who served as Prime Minister for more than 7 years in two separate terms from 1754-56 and from 1757 to 1762. He was our fourth Prime Minister.

Iain talks to Lord Norton of Louth and the left and career of Sir Anthony Eden, who served as Prime Minister for 22 months between April 1955 and January 1957.

Iain Dale talks to historian Arthur Burns about the life of William Wyndham Grenville, Lord Grenville, who served as Prime Minister for thirteen months from 1806 to 1807.

Iain Dale talks to historian Jack Brown about the life and career of Arthur Balfour who served as Prime Minister for three years from 1902-05, but whose whole career spanned 56 years.

Iain Dale talks to historian Tony Little about the Marquess of Salisbury, who served as Prime Minister on three occasions in the latter years of the 19th century. At thirteen years in total he is one of our longest serving Prime Ministers.

Iain Dale talks to historian and former Conservative MP Keith Simpson about the life and Premiership of Harold Macmillan, who served as Conservative prime minister from 1957-63.