This Is Your Life: Jo Grimond

Rt. Hon. Jo GRIMOND MP (1913-1993)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Jo Grimond, politician, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews - with the help of Peter Jay, David Frost and Robert Kee - at the London studios of TV-AM after being interviewed by Michael Parkinson about his forthcoming retirement.

Jo was educated at Eton and Oxford, where he received a first-class honours degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, and would later become a barrister. After serving as a Major in the Second World War, he was selected by the Liberal Party to contest Orkney and Shetland, the most northerly constituency in the United Kingdom - a seat he won in the 1950 general election.

He was elected as leader of the Liberal party in 1956, and it was during his tenure that the first post-war Liberal revival took place. Under Jo's dynamic and principled leadership, the Liberals doubled their seat tally and won historic by-elections. He announced his retirement from politics in 1983.

"Oh God, how very alarming!"

programme details...

Edition No: 619
Subject No: 614
Broadcast live: Wed 2 Mar 1983
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Fri 11 Feb 1983
Venue: Royalty Theatre
Series: 23
Edition: 20
Code name: Sprint

on the guest list...

Laura - wife
Grizelda - daughter
John - son
Magnus - son
Kate - daughter-in-law
Mark Bonham Carter - brother-in-law
Ludovic Kennedy
Alison Wilson
Sir John Gilmour
Graeme Hutchison
Barry Slater
Ester Slater
Edward Youngson
Jimmy Johnson
Mr Smith
Jack Scott
Gerry Mayor
Peter Barclay
Helen Taylor
Catherine Fisher
Moira Shearer
John Wells
Lord Brockway
Carol Laise
Catherine - granddaughter
Jessie - granddaughter
Rose - granddaughter
Nancie Black - sister
David Steel

production team...

Researcher: Michael Waterhouse
Writers: Tom Brennand, Roy Bottomley
Directors: Paul Stewart Laing, Terry Yarwood
Producer: Malcolm Morris

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

Life on the Hustings

a cross-party celebration

David Frost

Photographs and screenshots of Jo Grimond This Is Your Life

Michael McManus and Jim Wallace recall this edition of This Is Your Life in their book, Jo Grimond, Towards the Sound of Gunfire...

Even though Grimond was standing down from the House of Commons, in the run-up to the 1983 general election his party still made good use of him, employing him as a keynote speaker at the major lunch and evening rally when the Alliance was 're-launched' in January of that year. At the rally Grimond went for broke, describing the Alliance as a 'great adventure, something I thought beyond my wildest dreams'. He then agreed to undertake a heavy programme of constituency visits during the campaign.

The last major trail that Grimond had to endure as a member of Parliament was an appearance with Eamonn Andrews on This Is Your Life, recorded in February 1983. Although he retained his composure and good humour throughout the show, Grimond looked out of place, greeting the opening ambush from Andrews with the words 'Oh God, how very alarming' and a characteristic dry chuckle – and appearing increasingly nervous about who might next emerge from behind the set.

There was, however, several touching tributes on the show, not least that from veteran broadcaster David Frost, who described Grimond as someone who had 'always put the national interest above party interest and never confused the two'. Ester and Barry Slater, the Grimonds' neighbours who looked after the Old Manse when they were away, came down to London to appear on the show and, as Grimond greets Mrs Slater, he can be heard saying, 'I've rung you up today – no wonder I couldn't find you, what!'

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...

'Our committee room is above Barclay's the butchers where they sell the best sausages in town' was the 'commercial' made in his speeches by Liberal Party leader Jo Grimond, thirty-three years MP for Britain's most remote and widely scattered constituency, the Orkney Islands and Islands of Shetland.

On 11 February 1983, Jo was being interviewed by Michael Parkinson at TV-AM about his coming retirement, when Eamonn Andrews met him in the foyer, crammed with Young Liberals singing 'For He's A Jolly Good Fellow'. Which few would deny.

Appointed leader of his party in 1956, Jo was one of the most amicable characters in politics, a fact vouchsafed by so many of his constituents who had a day trip to London for the show – crofters, farmers, fishermen and that village butcher himself, Peter Barclay, of sausage fame.

Jo's wife, Laura, came from a famous Liberal family, her brother being former MP Mark Bonham-Carter.

Son of a jute-works owning family in Dundee, Jo went to Eton and Oxford, and was called to the Bar in 1937.

When he was appointed Liberal leader, a young ITN newscaster, Ludovic Kennedy, wrote to him, and became Liberal candidate for Rochdale. His wife Moira Shearer (of The Red Shoes fame) campaigned with him, and both were there for the Life. David Steel greeted from Edinburgh University, and one of Jo Grimond's political favourites was there in person – the Labour peer Lord Brockway, formerly Fenner Brockway, at the age of ninety-five.

Series 23 subjects