Dominic Sandbrook | |
---|---|
Born | Bridgnorth, Shropshire, England | 2 October 1974
Alma mater | |
Occupations | |
Spouse | Catherine Morley (m. 2007) |
Website | dominicsandbrook |
Dominic Christopher Sandbrook (born 2 October 1974) [1] [2] is a British historian, author, columnist and television presenter. [3] [4]
He co-hosts The Rest is History podcast with the author Tom Holland.
Born in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, he attended Malvern College [5] [6] and studied history and French at Balliol College, Oxford. He then studied for a master's degree in history at the University of St Andrews and a PhD at Jesus College, Cambridge. [7]
Previously a lecturer in history at the University of Sheffield, he has been a senior fellow of the Rothermere American Institute at Oxford University and a member of its history faculty. Sandbrook was a visiting professor at King's College London, [8] and a freelance writer and newspaper columnist. In 2007 he was named one of Waterstone's 25 Authors for the Future.
Sandbrook's first book, a biography of the US presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy, proved controversial on its publication in the United States in 2004. Writing for H-Net, a forum for scholars in the humanities and social sciences, David Stebenne said it "describes McCarthy's life and work with outstanding grace and clarity", and was "a very fine study of a significant figure that serious students of American postwar history will want to consult." [9] McCarthy himself called the book "almost libellous". [10]
In 2005, Sandbrook published Never Had It So Good, a history of Britain from the Suez Crisis to the Beatles, 1956–63. It was described as a "rich treasure chest of a book" by Anthony Howard in The Daily Telegraph , who wrote of his "respect for the sweep and scope of the author's knowledge". [11] Nick Cohen wrote in The Observer that it was "a tribute to Sandbrook's literary skill that his scholarship is never oppressive. Alternately delightful and enlightening, he has produced a book which must have been an enormous labour to write but is a treat to read". [12] [13] Richard Gott was more sparing in his praise: "Sandbrook does his best, but he lacks the literary talent to cover such a wide canvas and keep the reader awake." [14]
The sequel, White Heat, covering the years 1964–70 and the rise and fall of Harold Wilson's Labour government, was published in August 2006. "Sandbrook's book could hardly be more impressive in its scope", wrote Leo McKinstry in The Times . "He writes with authority and an eye for telling detail." [15] In November 2009, it was named by the Telegraph as "one of the books that defined the Noughties". [16] James Buchan observed, "For all the charm of Dominic Sandbrook's book, with its minute anatomy of social forms and brilliant parade of charlatans and fools, it is hard not to feel that somehow time has not been well used." [17] Unlike some historians of the 1960s, Sandbrook argues it was marked by conservatism and conformity. His books attempt to debunk what he sees as myths associated with the period, from the sexual revolution to student protest, and he challenges the "cultural revolution" thesis associated with historians like Arthur Marwick. Charles Shaar Murray, writing in The Independent , called Sandbrook "the Hoodie Historian" and imagined him "slouching into shot while throwing whatever passes for gang signs in the history department of the University of Sheffield, and announcing to Arthur Marwick, Jonathon Green et al. that 'You is all mi bitches nuh.'" [18]
Sandbrook continued the history of postwar Britain with State of Emergency (2010), covering the period 1970–74, [19] and Seasons in the Sun, which took the story up to the election of Margaret Thatcher as prime minister in 1979. A fifth volume, Who Dares Wins, covering the period 1979–1982, was published in October 2019. [20] Anthony Quinn, reviewing for The Observer, described it as a "long, painstaking and pretty enjoyable haul through Britain in the first three years of the Thatcher government ... ungratifyingly even-handed in his portrait of [Thatcher], alive to the flaws in her character and sharp in confounding the popular myths." [21] For The Sunday Times , Piers Brendon said it was "a rich mixture of political narrative and social reportage ... scholarly, accessible, well written, witty and incisive." [22]
Sandbrook has written articles and reviews for the Daily Mail , The Sunday Times, The Sunday Telegraph , The Observer and The Daily Telegraph and has appeared on BBC radio and television. His Radio Four series SlapDash Britain, charting the rise and fall of British governance since the Second World War, was described by the radio critic Miranda Sawyer as "very brilliant". [23]
In February 2011, Michael C. Moynihan identified instances of apparent plagiarism in Sandbrook's book Mad as Hell. [24] Moynihan later expressed amazement that there were few repercussions for Sandbrook's career. [25] He suggested that Sandbrook was shielded from criticism by his social connections, saying: "There is an element of protection. Media buddies who go to the same dinner parties and all the rest of it." [26]
In an interview with Brendan O'Neill, Sandbrook rejected the allegations and maintained that he "footnoted his sources, and if popular history books sometimes sound familiar that is because there are only so many ways to say things." [26]
Year | Title | Broadcaster | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Archive on 4 : "The Anniversary Anniversary" | Radio 4 | An examination of people's obsessions with anniversaries [27] |
2009 | Archive on 4 : "Pinter On Air" | Radio 4 | Discussing the role of television and radio dramas in establishing Harold Pinter's reputation [27] |
2010 | SlapDash Britain | Radio 4 | A 2-part series examining bureaucracy and incompetence in British government since the 1950s [28] |
2010 | Archive on 4 : "A Working-class Tory Is Something To Be" | Radio 4 | With David Davis. An exploration of the history of British working-class Conservatives [27] |
2011 | Archive on 4 : "Mind Your PMQs" | Radio 4 | The history and role of Prime Minister's Questions [27] |
2011 | The People's Post: A Narrative History of the Post Office | Radio 4 | A 15-part series examining the history of the Royal Mail [29] |
2012 | Archive on 4 : "Tuning in" | Radio 4 | The history of British radio entertainment [27] |
2012 | The 70s | BBC Two | A 4-part history of Britain during the 1970s [30] |
2013 | Das Auto: The Germans, Their Cars and Us | BBC Two | The ascendence of the post-war automotive industry in Germany [31] |
2013 | Strange Days: Cold War Britain | BBC Two | A history of Britain during the Cold War [32] |
2014 | Learning to Listen | Radio 4 | The development of radio listening habits through the 1920s and 1930s [33] |
2014 | Tomorrow's Worlds: The Unearthly History of Science Fiction | BBC Two | A 4-part history of science fiction [34] |
2014 | Archive on 4 : "The Eccentric Entrepreneur" | Radio 4 | The life of Captain Leonard Plugge [27] |
2015 | Let Us Entertain You | BBC Two | A 4-part history of British post-war culture [35] |
2015 | Archive on 4 : "The Future Of The BBC: A History" | Radio 4 | A history of the BBC and how it may need to change to survive [27] |
2016 | The 80s with Dominic Sandbrook | BBC Two | A 3-part history of Britain during the 1980s [36] |
2016 | Future Tense - The Story of H.G. Wells | BBC One | Examines how H. G. Wells's lower-middle class upbringing in the suburban counties of South East England influenced his early science fiction writing. [37] |
Since 2020, Sandbrook has co-presented a podcast with historian Tom Holland called The Rest is History . [38]
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was a British stateswoman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century and the first woman to hold the position. As prime minister, she implemented economic policies known as Thatcherism. A Soviet journalist dubbed her the "Iron Lady", a nickname that became associated with her uncompromising politics and leadership style.
Nigel Lawson, Baron Lawson of Blaby, was a British politician and journalist. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Member of Parliament for Blaby from 1974 to 1992, and served in Margaret Thatcher's Cabinet from 1981 to 1989. Prior to entering the Cabinet, he served as the Financial Secretary to the Treasury from May 1979 until his promotion to Secretary of State for Energy. He was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer in June 1983 and served until his resignation in October 1989. In both Cabinet posts, Lawson was a key proponent of Thatcher's policies of privatisation of several key industries.
The Swinging Sixties was a youth-driven cultural revolution that took place in the United Kingdom during the mid-to-late 1960s, emphasising modernity and fun-loving hedonism, with Swinging London denoted as its centre. It saw a flourishing in art, music and fashion, and was symbolised by the city's "pop and fashion exports", such as the Beatles, as the multimedia leaders of the British Invasion of musical acts; the mod and psychedelic subcultures; Mary Quant's miniskirt designs; popular fashion models such as Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton; the iconic status of popular shopping areas such as London's King's Road, Kensington and Carnaby Street; the political activism of the anti-nuclear movement; and the sexual liberation movement.
Andrew Ferguson Neil is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster who is chairman of The Spectator. He was editor of The Sunday Times from 1983 to 1994. He has presented various political programmes on the BBC and on Channel 4.
The Mekon of Mekonta is the arch-enemy of the British comic book hero Dan Dare. He first appeared on 3 November 1950 in the 30th episode of the Eagle comic strip Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future, having been created by Frank Hampson. Apart from Dan Dare himself, he is the only character to appear in every one of the numerous versions of the comic strip that appeared in the Eagle, 2000 AD and Virgin Comics. In the 1950s, roughly every other story featured the Mekon.
Andrew Roberts, Baron Roberts of Belgravia,, is an English popular historian, journalist and member of the House of Lords. He is the Roger and Martha Mertz Visiting Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and a Lehrman Institute Distinguished Lecturer at the New-York Historical Society. He served as a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery from 2013 to 2021.
Jacqueline Pearce was a British film and television actress. She was best known for her portrayal of the principal villain Servalan in the British science fiction TV series Blake's 7 (1978–1981), a performance which her obituarist in The Times wrote produced "a sexual awakening for a generation of sci-fi fans".
Colin Berkeley Moynihan, 4th Baron Moynihan, 4th Baronet, is a British Olympic silver medalist, politician, businessman and sports administrator. Lord Moynihan served as the Chairman of the British Olympic Association (BOA) from 2005 to 2012. A member of the Conservative Party, he was as a Member of Parliament (MP) representing the constituency of Lewisham East from 1983 to 1992, and was the Minister for Sport from 1987 to 1990. He became a member of the House of Lords in 1997.
Sir Peregrine Gerard Worsthorne was a British journalist, writer, and broadcaster. He spent the largest part of his career at the Telegraph newspaper titles, eventually becoming editor of The Sunday Telegraph for several years. He left the newspaper in 1997.
Thomas Holland is an English author and popular historian who has published best-selling books on topics including classical and medieval history, and the origins of Islam.
David Thomas Anthony Kynaston is an English historian specialising in the social history of England.
Con Coughlin is a British journalist and author, currently The Daily Telegraph defence editor.
Amanda Jane Vickery is an English historian, writer, radio and television presenter, and professor of early modern history at Queen Mary, University of London.
Dominic Selwood is an English historian, author, journalist and barrister. He has written several works of history, historical fiction and historical thrillers, most notably The Sword of Moses. and Anatomy of a Nation. A History of British Identity in 50 Documents. His background is in medieval history.
Nicholas McCarthy is a British classical pianist. Born without a right hand, he was the first left-hand-only pianist to graduate from the Royal College of Music in London in its 130-year history.
Trials of the Diaspora: A History of Anti-Semitism in England is a 2010 book by British lawyer Anthony Julius. The book details the role played by antisemitism in the history of the United Kingdom. The book argues that British anti-Zionism developed out of antisemitism in the United Kingdom and utilizes many of the same antisemitic tropes in its arguments.
Eleanor Catherine Parker is a British historian and medievalist.
Otto English is the pen name of writer and journalist Andrew Scott.