This Is Your Life: Denis Healey

Rt. Hon. Denis HEALEY CH, MBE, MP (1917-2015)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Denis Healey, politician, was surprised by Michael Aspel while being interviewed about his passion for photography at Thames Television's Teddington Studios.

Denis was educated at Bradford Grammar School and won a scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford, where he read Classics and became involved in Labour politics.

As a Labour Party politician and Member of Parliament for Leeds East for 40 years, Denis held various roles in office, including those of Secretary of State for Defence from 1964 to 1970 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1974 to 1979 in government, and Shadow Foreign Secretary from 1980 to 1987 in opposition.

"Young man, nice to meet you! I knew your grandfather!"

programme details...

Edition No: 754
Subject No: 746
Broadcast date: Wed 8 Feb 1989
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Wed 23 Nov 1988
Venue: Teddington Studios
Series: 29
Edition: 17
Code name: Camera

on the guest list...

Harriet Shackman
Edna - wife
Duggie Gabb
Tim - son
Jo - daughter-in-law
Susie - granddaughter
Charlie - grandson
Jenny - daughter
Derek - son-in-law
Tom - grandson
Katie - granddaughter
Terry - brother
Arthur Spencer
Lord Jack Donaldson
Lord Elwyn-Jones
Paddy Ashdown
Neil Kinnock
Cressida - daughter
Mike Yarwood
Geoffrey Howe
Henry Kissinger
Lee Kuan Yew
Helmut Schmidt

production team...

Researcher: Caroline Blackadder
Writer: Roy Bottomley
Directors: Brian Klein, David Clark
Producer: Malcolm Morris

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

Life on the Hustings

a cross-party celebration

Klein's having the time of his life

The Stage interview with Associate Producer Brian Klein

Paddy Ashdown

Mike Yarwood

Screenshots of Denis Healey This Is Your Life

Scriptwriter Roy Bottomley recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, This Is Your Life: The Story of Television's Famous Big Red Book...

Former Chancellor, Secretary of State for Defence and Shadow Foreign Secretary Denis Healey came to Teddington Studios for a programme about famous people and their hobbies – his being photography. And was his face a picture when Michael Aspel stepped from the studio shadows!

Michael glanced at the book and said, 'I thought that might raise your eyebrows.'

In the Life studio were key members of the South-East Leeds constituency he had held for Labour for thirty-six years, despite being christened Denis Winston Healey, because his parents were Churchill supporters when Winston was a Liberal MP.

As Major Healey, he was Beachmaster for the Allied landings at Anzio, and at the end of the war he became International Secretary at Labour Party Headquarters, working closely with Ernest Bevin and Hugh Gaitskill.

By 1964 he was Secretary of State for Defence, and on a visit to the Far East, the Special Boat Service put on a display which involved parachuting into the sea and diving into a submarine. Among the Marine Commandos was Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown, introduced, in a moment of aberration by Michael Aspel, as 'Dame Peggy' (as in Ashcroft). It could have been edited out but, in fairness, Michael insisted it was kept in. 'Can't think what made me say it,' said Britain's most urbane TV presenter.

From 1970-72 Denis was Shadow Foreign Secretary, and Foreign Secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe, a great rival who we never thought would appear because of the 'like being savaged by a dead sheep' jibe Denis made in the Commons, paid a tribute. Neil Kinnock rushed straight over from the House of Commons with wife Glenys. We had film of Denis, his wife Edna and Neil and Glenys on a visit to Moscow. They were waiting for the train from Moscow to Leningrad when it started to snow. They linked arms and hummed 'Lara's Theme' from Dr Zhivago.

At the pick-up Denis said to Michael, 'Could you ring Edna and tell her this is on?' She had been our 'KGB' for weeks and was, of course, there.

From around the world Denis's counterpoints as Foreign Secretary paid tribute: Henry Kissinger in Washington, former Secretary of State; Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore; and from Bonn, former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. Said Michael: 'Thanks, lads.'

Pity Denis could not have been at our afternoon rehearsal with his camera. On the programme he saw his brother Terry re-enacting a childhood prank Denis had played on him after they had been to see Boris Karloff in The Ghoul: he hid inside a bedroom cupboard and a gloved hand snaked its way around the door.

For the part, Terry was wearing a pair of extra large trousers from the wardrobe department. He was getting into the part by take two, and flung open the door of the gothic-style cupboard – and the trousers collapsed around his ankles.

Said Terry to the convulsed crew: 'Hope you got that one.'

A minor postscript to the Life on Denis Healey is the story of how I came to be wearing Edna's fur hat in Moscow. Very kindly, she had lent it to researcher Caroline Blackadder who had mentioned that her next research journey would take her to Russia.

Caroline, researcher Sue Green and I set out to confirm the lowly beginnings of tycoon and former Labour MP Robert Maxwell. What a Life that was! He had been born in poverty, his family had been wiped out in Hitler's concentration camps, he was decorated for gallantry on the field of battle, and he built, lost, regained and lost again a business empire once worth billions.

All that from one of nine children born in a salt-mine village straight out of Fiddler on the Roof.

Our journey had taken us more than thirty hours by train and car to the village of Solotvino. But, on the return journey, how did I come to be wearing Edna Healey's hat?

Fast asleep on the way back to Moscow I was 'mugged'. Not only of 'hard' currency, but of the ski-wear-style clothing I had purchased specially to brave late November in Russia.

When we arrived at Moscow Station it was fifteen below freezing and all I had left was a cotton jacket and jeans. My two charitable researchers pitched in with whatever they'd got to help keep me warm – beyond which I will not go, except to say that someone mentioned I could lose a lot of heat through my head. So, as snow started to fall, Caroline plonked her borrowed fur hat on my head.

Cue 'Lara's Theme' from Dr Zhivago.

Producer Malcolm Morris recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, This Is My Life...

The protocol involved in addressing dignitaries can sometimes be tricky, but not for Michael. When we were recording Denis Healey's life we had video link-ups with some rather formidable guests.

Henry Kissinger, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the Prime Minister of Singapore, and Helmut Schmidt, the German Chancellor, all made their formal contributions to the show.

Once the link-up was over Michael turned to the screen and said, 'Thank you, lads.'

Series 29 subjects