so, this is a radio drama studio. hello, i m john wilson. welcome to this cultural life, a radio four podcast in which i asked leading creative figures about the influences and inspirations that have fired their artistic imagination. my guest in this episode is sir kenneth branagh. a huge talent, a star of stage and screen for more than four decades now. he s an actor, director, writer and film maker whose credits range from hamlet to tenet, from henry v to thor. we spoke in the very atmospheric radio drama studio of bbc broadcasting house. ken, welcome to this cultural life. thank you. a show about cultural inspiration, cultural influences. what is your earliest cultural memory, do you think? something that had a big impact? i think, early doors, i can remember winston churchill s funeral, i think it was 1965, seeing it on the television and just being told about the great man. the world cup final of 1966, where the nation stopped, and in our own household, my brother had a
more now on our top story and the argument engulfing the conservatives after its former deputy chairman, lee anderson, was suspended from the parliamentary party. he d refused to apologise for saying the mayor of london, sadiq khan, was controlled by islamists. the deputy prime minister, oliver dowden, declined to call those comments islamophobic, but said he shared concerns they could be taken that way. he s been speaking to laura kuenssberg on her sunday morning programme. well, that s why the prime minister took action. he gave lee anderson the opportunity to apologise, he didn t take that opportunity. words matter. he didn t choose his words correctly and, having failed to apologise, the prime minister took action and removed the whip. i think that was the appropriate course of action to take. do you agree, though, that the remarks were islamophobic, anti muslim? i don t believe that lee anderson said those remarks she was concerned they would be interpreted, and for th
that is why the prime minister took action, he gave lee anderson the opportunity to apologise. he did not take that opportunity. words matter. he did not choose his words correctly. having failed to apologise, the prime and instead took action and removed the whip which i think was the appropriate course of action. but do you agree that the remarks were islamophobic and anti muslim? i don t believe that lee anderson said those remarks intending to the islamophobic. i listen to the comments of your previous contributor and the way in which she was concerned they would be interpreted, and for exactly that reason, the prime minister asked, and indeed the chief whip asked for that apology and one was not forthcoming and action has been taken. i think that is the appropriate step to take. i think what lee anderson was more broadly expressing in his interview, as others have done, is a deep concern which, by the way, i also share, about the way in which politics is being conducted
inspiration, cultural influences. what is your earliest cultural memory, do you think? something that had a big impact? i think, early doors, i can remember winston churchill s funeral, i think it was 1965, seeing it on the television and just being told about the great man. the world cup final of 1966, where the nation stopped, and in our own household, my brother had a sort of flirtation with meningitis which was very dramatic, as you know, those can be fora minute, and then he was fine, thank goodness. but i watched the world cup final in a neighbour s house and ijust remember in both those cases, in belfast, as i was, i was very aware of a national event, or at least it seemed to galvanise everybody and everything, and i was looking at images that said, the world is watching. wow. and you mentioned belfast there. some people, i think, are still surprised when they hear that you grew up in working class belfast. uh-huh. and you ve now written and directed a film called bel
colleagues for the news where you are, but from the ten team, it s goodnight. 30 years ago, my cousin was murdered. was the light of our family. my aunt was robbed of the opportunity to see him have the joy of his own children and grandchildren and i was robbed of my friend. never brought to justice, all three of them. raw emotion and opposition across all communities in northern ireland as mps vote for effectively an amnesty for those who committed violence during the troubles. many violent acts from the troubles are unsolved and unpunished. should there be, as the uk government wants, conditional immunity for those who come forward? we ll be speaking to the victims commissioner who says its not the victims driving this process but the perpetrators. we ll also bejoined by the historian marianne elliott who was involved in the peace process and by the former head of the army lord dannatt who wants greater protection for army veterans. also tonight. hell s kitchen in the europ