Brian Redhead facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brian Redhead
Brian Read pictured on the cover of Personal Perspectives
Born	Brian Leonard Redhead (1929-12-28)28 December 1929 Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Died	23 January 1994(1994-01-23) (aged 64) Macclesfield, Cheshire, England
Occupation	author, journalist and broadcaster
Education	Royal Grammar School, Newcastle
Alma mater	University of Cambridge (BA)
Spouse	Jean Salmon ​ (m. 1954)​
Children	4

Brian Leonard Redhead (born December 28, 1929 – died January 23, 1994) was a famous British author, journalist, and broadcaster. He was best known for co-hosting the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 for many years, from 1975 until 1993. Brian loved and promoted the city of Manchester and the North West of England, where he lived for most of his life.

Brian Redhead's Early Life and Education

Brian Redhead was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. He was the only child of Ernest Leonard Redhead and Janet Crossley. Brian went to the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle. After serving in the military for a short time, he studied history at the University of Cambridge. He was a student at Downing College, Cambridge.

Brian Redhead's Career in Media

Brian Redhead started his journalism career in 1954. He worked as a journalist for Manchester Guardian newspaper. In the same year, he married Jean Salmon, who was known as Jenni. They had four children together: Stephen, James, Annabel (Abby), and William.

Brian became the northern editor for The Guardian in 1965. Later, in 1969, he became the editor of the Manchester Evening News. In 1975, he joined the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He was already an experienced broadcaster. Around 1960, a BBC Manchester producer named Olive Shapley discovered him. She was looking for someone to present a TV show called Something to Read. She said Brian was very smart, confident, funny, and talked a lot. She knew right away he was the right person.

Later, Brian presented Points North on television. He also hosted the Saturday night Radio 4 show A Word in Edgeways for many years.

Working on the Today Programme

Brian Redhead worked with another Today presenter, John Timpson, for over 10 years. They often made jokes on the show. They talked about made-up groups like "The Friends of the M6" (for drivers stuck in traffic) and "The League of Pear-Shaped Men" (which they said they were part of). Brian's humor often appeared in his comments. Once, he joked that a slow convoy was still faster than traffic on the M25 motorway. Another time, he happily reported that John Humphrys had come to work on his day off and was very angry. He also once said the weather would be "brighter in the north than the south, like the people."

During his time on the Today programme, some people thought Brian Redhead was politically biased. For example, Nigel Lawson, who was a government minister, once accused him of this. Brian replied by asking if they should have a moment of silence for Lawson to apologize.

Many years later, Libby Purves, who also presented Today, described Brian and John Timpson as opposites. Brian was from the North, worked hard to succeed, and had ideas that leaned towards social democracy. John Timpson was from the South, more traditional, and conservative. Brian was ready for a "New Britain" in the future. However, Brian himself said he was more of a moderate conservative, not a socialist. He even said he voted for a Conservative politician in his local area.

Brian Redhead's Personal Beliefs

After a sad event in 1982, Brian Redhead found his religious faith again. He became a confirmed member of the Church of England. He also presented a Radio 4 series called The Good Book, which explored the history of the Bible. In his later years, some people thought he might become a priest after retiring from Today. He also strongly supported the hospice movement, which helps people who are very ill. He called it "the best thing that has happened in this country since the Second World War." Brian also served as the Chancellor of the University of Manchester.

During the First Gulf War in 1991, he volunteered to present on the BBC Radio 4 News FM service.

Books by Brian Redhead

Brian Redhead wrote several books during his career. Here are some of them:

• The Bedside Guardian 10: A Selection from the Guardian 1960-1961
• The Good Book: An introduction to the Bible
• The Anti-Booklist
• A Love of the Lakes
• The National Parks of England Wales
• Plato to NATO: Studies on political thought
• Personal Perspectives
• Manchester – a Celebration
• North West of England. BBC Books. 1994

Brian Redhead's Later Life

Brian Redhead married Jean (Jenni) Salmon in 1954, and they had four children.

In 1993, Brian's health began to decline. He was in pain and thought he needed hip surgery. However, it turned out he had a serious internal issue that caused other health problems. He took a break from the Today programme in December, hoping to return after Christmas. Sadly, he passed away in January 1994.