Melvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg (born 6 October 1939) is an English broadcaster, author and parliamentarian. He is the editor and presenter of '' The South Bank Show'' (1978–2010, 2012–2023), and the presenter of the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

documentary series '' In Our Time''. Earlier in his career, Bragg worked for the BBC in various roles including presenter, a connection that resumed in 1988 when he began to host '' Start the Week'' on

. After his

ennoblement Ennoblement is the conferring of nobility—the induction of an individual into the noble class. Currently only a few kingdoms still grant nobility to people; among them Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Vatican. Depending on time and reg ...

in 1998, he switched to presenting the new ''In Our Time'', an academic discussion radio programme, which has run to more than one thousand broadcast editions and is also a podcast. He served as

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the

University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...

from 1999 until 2017.

Early life

Bragg was born on 6 October 1939 in

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

and was raised in Wigton,

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

, the son of Stanley Bragg, a stock keeper turned publican, and Mary Ethel (née Park), who worked alongside her husband in the pub. Both the Braggs and Parks,

families, were agricultural labourers, also working at collieries and in domestic service. He was given the name Melvyn by his mother after she saw the actor

Melvyn Douglas Melvyn Douglas (born Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg, April 5, 1901 – August 4, 1981) was an American actor. Douglas came to prominence in 1929 as a suave leading man, perhaps best typified by his performance in the romantic comedy '' Ninotchka'' ( ...

at a local cinema.''Melvyn Bragg: Wigton to Westminster'', BBC Two, 18 July 2015 He was raised in the small town of Wigton, where he attended the Wigton primary school and later The Nelson Thomlinson Grammar School, where he was Head Boy. He was an only child, born a year after his parents married. His father was away from home serving with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

for four years during the war. His upbringing and childhood experiences were typical of the working-class environment of that era. When he was a child, he was led to believe that his mother's foster mother was his maternal grandmother. His grandmother had been forced to leave the town owing to the stigma of her daughter being born illegitimately. From the age of 8 until he left for university, his family home was above a pub in Wigton, the Black-A-Moor Hotel, of which his father had become the landlord. Into his teens he was a member of the

Scouts Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

and played rugby in his school's first team. Encouraged by a teacher who had recognised his

work ethic Work ethic is a belief that work and diligence have a moral benefit and an inherent ability, virtue or value to strengthen character and individual abilities. Desire or determination to work serves as the foundation for values centered on the i ...

, Bragg was one of an increasing number of working-class teenagers of the era being given a path to university through the grammar school system. He studied

Modern History The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500, ...

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street, Oxford, Broad Street and Parks Road ...

, in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Career

Broadcasting

Bragg began his career in 1961 as a general trainee at the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. He was the recipient of one of only three traineeships awarded that year. He spent his first two years in radio at the

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...

, then at the

BBC Third Programme The BBC Third Programme was a national radio station produced and broadcast from 1946 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 3. It first went on the air on 29 September 1946 and became one of the leading cultural and intellectual forces ...

and

BBC Home Service The BBC Home Service was a national and regional radio station that broadcast from 1939 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 4. History 1922–1939: Interwar period Between the early 1920s and the outbreak of World War II, the BBC ...

.Article by Melvyn Bragg in British '' Mensa Magazine'', January 2002, p. 7. He joined the production team of

Huw Wheldon Sir Huw Pyrs Wheldon, (7 May 1916 – 14 March 1986) was a Welsh broadcaster and BBC executive. Early life Huw Pyrs Wheldon was born on 7 May 1916 in Prestatyn, Flintshire (historic), Flintshire, Wales. He was educated at Friars School, Ban ...

's ''

Monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, Wes ...

'' arts series on

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...

. He presented the BBC books programme ''Read All About It'' (and was also its editor, 1976–77) and ''The Lively Arts'', a

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

arts series. He then edited and presented the

London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT; now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV (TV network), ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00&nbs ...

(LWT) arts programme '' The South Bank Show'' from 1978 to 2010. His interview with playwright Dennis Potter shortly before his death is regularly cited as one of the most moving and memorable television moments ever. His interest in

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

as well as classical is credited with making the arts more accessible and less elitist. He was Head of Arts at LWT from 1982 to 1990 and Controller of Arts at LWT from 1990. He has made many programmes on

, including '' Start the Week'' (1988 to 1998), ''The Routes of English'' (mapping the history of the English language), and '' In Our Time'' (1998 to present), which in March 2011 broadcast its 500th programme. Bragg's pending departure from the ''South Bank Show'' was portrayed by ''The Guardian'' as the last of the ITV grandees, speculating that the next generation of ITV broadcasters would not have the same longevity or influence as Bragg or his ITV contemporaries

John Birt John Birt, Baron Birt (born 10 December 1944) is a British television executive and businessman. He is a former Director-General (1992–2000) of the BBC. After a successful career in commercial television, initially at Granada Television and ...

, Greg Dyke,

Michael Grade Michael Ian Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth (born 8 March 1943) is an English Media proprietor, television executive and businessman. He has held a number of senior roles in television, including controller of BBC1 (1984–1986), chief executive ...

and Christopher Bland. In 2012 he brought ''The South Bank Show'' back to Sky Arts 1. In December 2012, he began ''The Value of Culture'', a five-part series on BBC Radio 4 examining the meaning of culture, expanding on

Matthew Arnold Matthew Arnold (24 December 1822 – 15 April 1888) was an English poet and cultural critic. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold (academic), Tom Arnold, literary professor, and Willi ...

's landmark (1869) collection of essays ''

Culture and Anarchy ''Culture and Anarchy: An Essay in Political and Social Criticism'' is a series of periodical essays by Matthew Arnold, first published in Cornhill Magazine 1867–68 and collected as a book in 1869. The preface was added in 1869.Robert H. Super ...

''. In June 2013 Bragg wrote and presented ''The Most Dangerous Man in Tudor England'', broadcast by the

. This told the dramatic story of

William Tyndale William Tyndale (; sometimes spelled ''Tynsdale'', ''Tindall'', ''Tindill'', ''Tyndall''; – October 1536) was an English Biblical scholar and linguist who became a leading figure in the Protestantism, Protestant Reformation in the year ...

's mission to translate the Bible from the original languages to English. In February 2012, he began '' Melvyn Bragg on Class and Culture'', a three-part series on

examining popular media culture, with an analysis of the British social class system. Bragg appeared on the '' Front Row'' "Cultural Exchange" on

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the Northern Hemisphere's March equinox, spring equinox and midsummer June solstice, solstice. Festivities ma ...

2013. He nominated a self-portrait by

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

as a piece of art which he had found especially interesting. In 2015, Bragg was appointed as a Vice President of the

Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

Writing

Having produced unpublished short stories since the age of 19, Bragg had decided to become a writer after university. He recognised that writing would not, initially at least, earn him a living, and he took the opportunity at the BBC that arose after he had applied for posts in a variety of industries. While at the BBC, he continued writing. Publishing his first novel in 1965, he decided to leave the BBC to concentrate full-time on writing. A novelist and writer of non-fiction, Bragg has also written a number of television and film screenplays. Some of his early television work was in collaboration with

Ken Russell Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were mainly liberal adaptations of ...

, for whom he wrote the biographical dramas ''The Debussy Film'' (1965) and '' Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World'' (1967), as well as Russell's film about

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

, '' The Music Lovers'' (1970). Most of Bragg's novels are autobiographical fictions, set in and around the town of Wigton during his childhood. In 1972, he co-wrote the script for

Norman Jewison Norman Frederick Jewison (July 21, 1926 – January 20, 2024) was a Canadian filmmaker. He was known for directing films which addressed topical Social issue, social and political issues, often making controversial or complicated subjects acces ...

's film ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...

'' (1973). Although Bragg published several works, he was unable to make a living, forcing a return to television by the mid-1970s. Bragg received a variety of reviews for his work, some critics declaring it outstanding and others suggesting it was lazy. Many suggested that splitting his time between writing and broadcasting was detrimental to the quality, and that his media profile and his known sensitivity to criticism made him an easy target for unjust reviews. ''The Literary Review''s prize mocking his writing of sex in fiction, according to ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', was awarded not on readers' nominations, but simply because it would be good PR.Profile: A time to dance back to Cumbria?: Melvyn Bragg, cultural supremo in a crisis
''The Independent'', 27 November 1993 From 1996 to 1998 he also wrote a column in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' newspaper; he has also occasionally written for ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'', ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' and ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

''.

Peerage

Bragg's friends include the former Labour Party leaders

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...

and

Neil Kinnock Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock (born 28 March 1942) is a Welsh politician who was Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1983 Labour Party le ...

, and former deputy leader Roy Hattersley. He was one of 100 donors who gave the Labour Party a sum in excess of £5,000 in 1997, the year the party came to power under Blair in the general election. The following year he was appointed by Blair to the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

as the

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

Baron Bragg, ''of Wigton in the County of Cumbria'', one of a number of Labour donors given peerages. This led to accusations of

cronyism Cronyism is a specific form of in-group favoritism, the spoils system practice of partiality in awarding jobs and other advantages to friends or trusted colleagues, especially in politics and between politicians and supportive organizations. ...

from the defeated Conservative Party. In the Lords he takes a keen interest in the arts and education. According to ''The Guardian'' in 2004, he voted 104 times out of a possible 226 in the 2002/3 session, only once against the government, on the Hunting Act.The Guardian profile: Melvyn Bragg
''The Guardian'', Steven Morris, 17 September 2004 He campaigned against it on the grounds that it could affect the livelihoods of Cumbrian farmers. In August 2014, Bragg was one of 200 public figures who signed a letter to ''

'' opposing

Scottish independence Scottish independence (; ) is the idea of Scotland regaining its independence and once again becoming a sovereign state, independent from the United Kingdom. The term Scottish independence refers to the political movement that is campaignin ...

in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue. Bragg has occasionally commented on American politics, in 1998 agreeing with the sentiment that writer and polemicist

Gore Vidal Eugene Luther Gore Vidal ( ; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his acerbic epigrammatic wit. His novels and essays interrogated the Social norm, social and sexual ...

was "the greatest

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

America never had".

Advocacy

Bragg has defended Christianity, particularly the

King James Bible The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by ...

, although he does not claim to be a believer, seeing himself in

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...

's term as a "believing unbeliever", adding that he is "unable to cross the River of Jordan which would lead me to the crucial belief in a godly eternity." In 2012, Bragg criticised what he claimed to be the "Animus and the ignorance" of the atheism debate. In August 2016, Bragg publicly accused the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

of "bullying" in its "disgraceful purchase" of land in the Lake District, which could threaten the Herdwick rare breed of sheep as well as the Lake District's historic farming system, for which the region was nominated as a Unesco World Heritage site.

Personal life

In 1961, after a short courtship, Bragg married his first wife, Marie-Elisabeth Roche (b. 1939). In 1965 they had a daughter, Marie-Elsa Bragg. Roche was a French viscountess studying painting at Oxford. In 1971, Roche died by suicide. In an interview with ''

'' in 1998, Bragg said, "I could have done things which helped and I did things which harmed. So yes, I feel guilt, I feel remorse." This was in part a reference to his infidelities which included Cate Haste, whom he married in 1973. Haste was also a television producer and writer, whose literary work includes editing the 2007 memoir of

Clarissa Eden Anne Clarissa Eden, Countess of Avon (; 28 June 1920 – 15 November 2021) was an English memoirist and the second wife of Anthony Eden, who served as British prime minister from 1955 to 1957. She married Eden in 1952, becoming Lady Eden in 195 ...

, widow of

Anthony Eden Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon (12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1955 until his resignation in 1957. Achi ...

, and collaborating with Cherie Booth, wife of

, on a 2004 book about the wives of British prime ministers. They had a son and a daughter. In June 2016 it was reported that Bragg and Haste had separated amicably, and that Bragg now shared a home with former film assistant Gabriel Clare-Hunt, with whom he had an affair that began in 1995. She is 16 years younger than him. The marriage between Haste and Bragg was dissolved in 2018 and Haste died from lung cancer in April 2021. Another reported affair was with Lady Jane Wellesley between 1979 and 1987. In September 2019 he married Clare-Hunt at St Bega's Church in Bassenthwaite, part of the

Lake District National Park The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mou ...

. His eldest daughter, Marie-Elsa, a priest, conducted the service. His second daughter, Alice, read a lesson, while his son, Tom, was an usher. Guests included Cumbrian mountaineer Chris Bonington and the ceremony featured the premiere of music specially written by Bragg's friend, composer

Howard Goodall Howard Lindsay Goodall (; born 26 May 1958) is an English composer of musicals, choral music and music for television. He also presents music-based programmes for television and radio, for which he has won many awards. In May 2008, he was name ...

. Bragg has publicly discussed two

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

s that he has suffered, one in his teens and another in his 30s. His first breakdown began at the age of 13. Inspired by a passage in Wordsworth's ''

The Prelude ''The Prelude or, Growth of a Poet's Mind; An Autobiographical Poem '' is an autobiographical poem in blank verse by the English poet William Wordsworth. Intended as the introduction to the more philosophical poem ''The Recluse,'' which Wordswort ...

'', he found ways to cope, including exploring the outdoors and the adoption of a strong work ethic, as well as meeting his first girlfriend. The second followed his first wife's suicide. He traces the origin of a lifelong nervousness of public speaking to the experience of giving a reading from the lectern as a

choirboy A choirboy is a boy member of a choir, also known as a treble. As a derisive slang term, it refers to a do-gooder or someone who is morally upright, in the same sense that "Boy Scout" (also derisively) refers to someone who is considered honor ...

at the age of six. At the age of 75, he was profiled in the

television programme ''Melvyn Bragg: Wigton to Westminster'', first broadcast on 18 July 2015. He lives in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

, London, but still owns a house near his home town of Wigton. He is a member of the Garrick and Chelsea Arts clubs. He also takes an interest in football, supporting both Carlisle United and

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

. He is the vice president of the Carlisle United Supporters Club London Branch. Bragg is a relative of

William Henry Bragg Sir William Henry Bragg (2 July 1862 – 12 March 1942) was an English physicist and X-ray crystallographer who uniquelyThis is still a unique accomplishment, because no other parent-child combination has yet shared a Nobel Prize (in any fiel ...

and his son

Lawrence Bragg Sir William Lawrence Bragg (31 March 1890 – 1 July 1971) was an Australian-born British physicist who shared the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics with his father William Henry Bragg "for their services in the analysis of crystal structure by m ...

, who were awarded the

Nobel Prize in Physics The Nobel Prize in Physics () is an annual award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions to mankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the ...

in 1915 for their work in

X-ray An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...

crystal structure In crystallography, crystal structure is a description of ordered arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystalline material. Ordered structures occur from intrinsic nature of constituent particles to form symmetric patterns that repeat ...

analysis. He presented a Radio 4 programme on the subject in August 2013.

Positions and memberships

* President of the Words by the Water literary festival * President of the National Campaign for the Arts (since 1986) * Domus Fellow,

St Catherine's College, Oxford St Catherine's College (colloquially called St Catz or Catz) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. In 1974, it was also one of the first men's colleges to admit women. It has 528 un ...

(1990) * Chairman of

Border Television ITV Border, previously Border Television and commonly referred to as simply Border, is the Channel 3 service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the England/Scotland border region, covering most of Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway, the ...

1990–96 (deputy chairman 1985–90) * Honorary Fellowship from

(1995) * Governor of the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

(since 1997) * Peerage – Baron Bragg (since 1998) * Chancellor of the

(1999–2017) * President of the charity

MIND The mind is that which thinks, feels, perceives, imagines, remembers, and wills. It covers the totality of mental phenomena, including both conscious processes, through which an individual is aware of external and internal circumstances ...

(2002) * Honorary Fellowship of the

British Academy The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the sa ...

(2010), for "public understanding of the arts, literature and sciences" * Honorary Fellowship of

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

(2010) * Honorary Fellowship from the University of Cumbria 2010 * Honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt.),

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

(2014) * President of the National Academy of Writing * Vice President of the Friends of the British Library * Chairman of the

Arts Council An arts council is a government or private non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts; mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing arts events. They often operate at arms-length from the government to prevent pol ...

Literature Panel * Vice President of the Carlisle United Supporters Club London Branch * Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) (2018)

Awards and honours

;Literary prizes * Writers' Guild Screenplay Award (1966) * Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for ''Without a City Wall'' (1968) * Time/Life Silver Pen Award for ''The Hired Man'' (1970) * Northern Arts Association Prose Award (1970) *

Bad Sex in Fiction Award ''Literary Review'' is a British literary magazine founded in 1979 by Anne Smith, then head of the Department of English at the University of Edinburgh. Its offices are on Lexington Street in Soho. The magazine was edited for fourteen years by ...

for ''A Time to Dance'' (1993) * WH Smith Literary Award for ''The Soldier's Return'' (2000) * ''Crossing The Lines'' was long-listed for the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...

in 2003 ;Film & television awards * Broadcasting Guild Award (1984) * British Academy of Film and Television Arts Dimbleby Award (1986) *

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

TV Award for ''An Interview with Dennis Potter'' (1995) * BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award (2010) * Best New Radio Series for ''Routes of English'' (2000) * Royal Television Society Lifetime Achievement Award (2015) * Sky Arts Awards Lifetime Achievement Award (2024) ;Other awards * Ivor Novello Musical Award (1985) * Honorary Degree from the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...

as Doctor of the University. (1989) * Namesake of Millom School Drama Studio (2005) * The South Bank Show Lifetime Achievement Award (2010) * Sandford St.Martin Trust Personal Award (2014)

Bibliography

Novels

* ''For Want of a Nail'' (1965) * ''The Second Inheritance'' (1966) * ''Without a City Wall'' (1968) * The Cumbrian Trilogy: ** '' The Hired Man'' (1969) ** '' A Place in England'' (1970) ** '' Kingdom Come'' (1980) * ''The Nerve'' (1971) * ''Josh Lawton'' (1972) * ''The Silken Net'' (1974) * ''Autumn Manoeuvres'' (1978) * ''Love and Glory'' (1983) * ''The Maid of Buttermere'' (1987) (based on the life of

Mary Robinson Mary Therese Winifred Robinson (; ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who served as the president of Ireland from December 1990 to September 1997. She was the country's first female president. Robinson had previously served as a senato ...

) * ''A Time to Dance'' (1990) * ''Crystal Rooms'' (1992) * ''

Credo In Christian liturgy, the credo (; Latin for "I believe") is the portion of the Mass where a creed is recited or sung. The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed or the Apostles' Creed are the primary creeds used for this purpose. History After the ...

'' (1996) also known as ''The Sword and the Miracle'' * The Soldier's Return Quartet: ** ''The Soldier's Return'' (1999) ** ''A Son of War'' (2001) ** ''Crossing the Lines'' (2003) ** ''Remember Me...'' (2008) * ''Grace and Mary'' (2013) * ''Now is the Time'' (2015) *''Love Without End: A Story of Heloise and

Abelard Peter Abelard (12 February 1079 – 21 April 1142) was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, teacher, musician, composer, and poet. This source has a detailed description of his philosophical work. In philo ...

'' (2019)

Non-fiction books

* ''Speak For England'' (1976) * ''Land of The Lakes'' (1983) * ''

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

'' (1984) * ''Cumbria in Verse'' (editor) (1984) * ''Rich: The Life of Richard Burton'' (1988) * ''The Seventh Seal'' (''Det Sjunde Inseglet'') (1993) * ''King Lear in New York'' (1994) * '' On Giants' Shoulders'' (1998) * ''Two Thousand Years Part 1: The Birth of Christ to the Crusades'' (1999) * ''Two Thousand Years Part 2'' (1999) * ''The Routes of English'' (2001) * '' The Adventure of English'' (2003) * '' 12 Books That Changed the World'' (2006) * '' In Our Time: A Companion to the Radio 4 series'' (editor) (2009) * ''The Book of Books'' (2011) * ''William Tyndale: A Very Brief History'' (2017) *''In Our Time: Celebrating Twenty Years of Essential Conversation'' (2018) * ''Back In The Day. A Memoir'' (2022)

Children's books

* ''A Christmas Child'' (1977) * ''My Favourite Stories of Lakeland'' (editor) (1981)

Screenwriting

* '' The Debussy Film'' (1965) * '' Isadora'' (1968) (with Clive Exton and Margaret Drabble) * '' Play Dirty'' (1968) * '' The Music Lovers'' (1970) (directed by

) * ''

'' (1973) (co-written and directed by

)

References

External links

* *
''In Our Time''
(BBC Radio 4) * *
An interview with Melvyn Bragg
on ''Notebook on Cities and Culture'' * Archival material at {{DEFAULTSORT:Bragg, Melvyn Bragg, Baron 1939 births Living people 20th-century English novelists Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford BAFTA fellows BBC Radio 4 presenters English biographers English male journalists English male novelists English radio presenters English screenwriters English male screenwriters English television presenters Fellows of St Catherine's College, Oxford Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Fellows of the Royal Television Society Honorary Fellows of the British Academy Honorary Fellows of the Royal Society Ivor Novello Award winners John Llewellyn Rhys Prize winners Labour Party (UK) donors Labour Party (UK) life peers Life peers created by Elizabeth II British male biographers Members of the Fabian Society Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour People associated with the London School of Economics People associated with the University of Leeds People educated at the Nelson Thomlinson School People from Wigton