Rod Liddle facts for kids

Rod Liddle (born 1 April 1960) is an English journalist and writer. He is an associate editor for The Spectator magazine. He also used to be the editor of the Today radio show on BBC Radio 4.

Liddle has written several books. These include Too Beautiful for You (2003) and Love Will Destroy Everything (2007). He also co-wrote The Best of Liddle Britain (2007). His book Selfish Whining Monkeys (2014) shares some of his life story. He has also hosted TV shows like The New Fundamentalists and The Trouble with Atheism.

Rod Liddle started his career at the South Wales Echo newspaper. He then worked for the Labour Party. Later, he joined the BBC. He became the editor of the Today program in 1998. He left this role in 2002. This happened after the BBC had concerns about an article he wrote for The Guardian. Today, he writes for newspapers and magazines. These include The Sunday Times, The Spectator, and The Sun.

Early Life and Radio Career

Rod Liddle was born in Sidcup, Kent, England. His father was a train driver. From age eight, he grew up in Nunthorpe, near Middlesbrough. He went to Laurence Jackson School and Prior Pursglove College. While at college, he was in a punk band called Dangerbird. When he was 16, he joined the Socialist Workers Party for about a year. He also supported the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).

He later studied Social Psychology at the London School of Economics (LSE). His first job in journalism was at the South Wales Echo. There, he reported on general news and wrote about rock and pop music. From 1983 to 1987, he worked for the Labour Party. He wrote speeches and did research.

After graduating from LSE, Liddle became a trainee producer at the BBC. In 1998, he became the editor of the Today program. This show was known for its political interviews. Liddle worked to make its investigative journalism better. He hired journalists from outside the BBC for this purpose. One of these was Andrew Gilligan, who joined in 1999.

Under Liddle's leadership, Today won several awards. In 2002, it won a Sony Silver for reports on race riots. In 2003, it won an Amnesty International Media Award. This was for Gilligan's investigation into illegal landmines. While editing Today, Liddle also wrote a column for The Guardian. In 2002, he wrote about a march for fox hunting. The BBC felt his comments showed bias. They asked him to stop writing the column or resign. He resigned on 30 September 2002.

Television Work

Rod Liddle has presented several television programs. These shows often explore social and religious topics.

Exploring Beliefs: The New Fundamentalists

In March 2006, Liddle presented The New Fundamentalists. This was part of the Dispatches series. In the program, Liddle, who is a member of the Church of England, discussed the growth of evangelicalism and Christian fundamentalism in Britain. He talked about how these beliefs influenced faith schools. He also looked at the social teachings of this type of Christianity.

Exploring Beliefs: The Trouble with Atheism

Liddle also presented The Trouble with Atheism. In this show, he argued that people who don't believe in God (atheists) can sometimes be as strict and intolerant as religious people. Liddle said that problems arise when any group believes they are completely right. He suggested that history shows this can lead to conflict.

Exploring Society: Immigration Is a Time Bomb

In 2005, Liddle's program Immigration Is a Time Bomb was shown on Channel 4. The show discussed immigration. Some viewers complained about the program. However, Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, decided the program was fair. The complaints were not upheld.

Other TV Appearances

In April 2007, Liddle presented The Bible Revolution. This documentary looked at William Tyndale's English translation of the Bible. It explored how this translation affected the English language. On 21 May 2007, he presented Battle for the Holy Land: Love Thy Neighbour. This show explored the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. He visited places like Bethlehem and Hebron. He looked at whether Israel was a fair democracy in how it treated Palestinians.

Liddle also appeared on Channel 4's Come Dine with Me. He was on an election night special with other public figures. He co-presented Weekend on BBC2, a political show. He also worked on The Talk Show for BBC Four. He continued to write for The Guardian. He became a team captain on the game show Call My Bluff. He is now an associate editor for The Spectator. He also writes for GQ and Arena magazines. He has a weekly column in The Sunday Times.

Later Journalism and Controversies

Rod Liddle's journalism has sometimes caused public debate.

Controversial Comments

In August 2009, Liddle wrote a blog post about Harriet Harman. She was a senior politician in the Labour Party. His comments were seen as disrespectful and sexist. Liddle later said he meant it as a joke, but he realized it was misunderstood. In June 2014, he said he would apologize to Harriet Harman for the comments.

In December 2009, Liddle wrote on his Spectator blog about a crime. He made comments that were seen as racist. He said he was trying to discuss multiculturalism. In March 2010, the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) ruled against Liddle. This was because he could not prove his claims about crime statistics.

In October 2010, Liddle wrote an article for The Spectator. He suggested closing the Welsh language TV channel S4C. He made insulting comments about Welsh nationalists in his article.

In December 2021, Liddle gave a speech at Durham University. He stated that colonialism was not the main cause of Africa's problems. He also said that the educational challenges faced by some Black British and African American people were not due to racism in systems or society.

Millwall Online Comments

In January 2010, news reports highlighted comments made online. These comments were on a fan forum for Millwall Football Club. They were posted under a username Liddle had used before. The comments were seen as racist and disrespectful. Liddle said some comments were made by others using his name. He admitted writing some, including one supporting a political party excluding certain groups. He also made a joke about a historical tragedy. He later said his comments were taken out of context.

Comments on Public Figures and Groups

In November 2011, Liddle wrote an article for The Spectator. It was about the trial of men accused of murdering Stephen Lawrence. The judge referred the article to the Attorney General. This was because it might have affected the trial's fairness. The Spectator magazine was later fined for breaching reporting rules.

In January 2012, Liddle wrote in The Sun. He suggested that many people in the UK were "pretending to be disabled." This opinion caused debate. Critics said he was making light of serious challenges faced by real people.

In May 2013, Liddle wrote about the murder of soldier Lee Rigby. In an early version of his article, he used a phrase that caused offense. He later changed the phrase and apologized.

In May 2015, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) ruled against Liddle. This was for comments he made in The Sun about Emily Brothers. She was a blind and transgender political candidate. IPSO found that Liddle's comments were discriminatory.

BBC Coverage and Political Views

In December 2013, after Nelson Mandela died, Liddle wrote a blog post for The Spectator. He said the BBC's coverage of Mandela's death was too much.

In July 2019, Liddle appeared on the BBC show Newsnight. He discussed Brexit. The host, Emily Maitlis, questioned him about his columns. She asked if he would describe himself as racist. After the show, some viewers complained. The BBC investigated and agreed that the host's questions were too personal.

In October 2019, Liddle wrote a column in The Spectator about the upcoming general election. He made a suggestion about holding the election on a Muslim holy day to reduce votes for a certain party. This column was criticized by senior politicians. Liddle said it was meant to be humorous. The article also criticized a Labour MP, Rosie Duffield. She described the article as "racist and misogynistic."

Books by Rod Liddle

Rod Liddle has written several books, showing his interest in writing beyond journalism.

In 2003, he published Too Beautiful For You, a collection of short stories. He has often said he always wanted to be a writer. He also wrote Love Will Destroy Everything (2007). He co-authored The Best of Liddle Britain (2007).

His book Selfish Whining Monkeys: How we Ended Up Greedy, Narcissistic and Unhappy came out in 2014. This book explores modern society. Reviewers had different opinions on it. Some found it thought-provoking, while others disagreed with his views.

In July 2019, Liddle published The Great Betrayal. This book is about Brexit. Some reviewers praised it as a strong argument against the political establishment. Others criticized it for not being based enough on facts.

Personal Life

Rod Liddle met Rachel Royce, a television presenter, at the BBC in 1993. They married in Malaysia in January 2004. They lived in Heytesbury, Wiltshire, and had two sons, Tyler and Wilder. Six months later, Liddle moved in with Alicia Monckton. She was a receptionist at The Spectator. Liddle and Royce later divorced.

Liddle and Alicia Monckton had a daughter, Emmeline, born in October 2005. She was named after the suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst. Rod Liddle and Alicia Monckton married in September 2008.

Political Involvement

Rod Liddle has also been involved in politics.

Liddle joined the SDP in 2019. He noted that the party focuses on what citizens have in common. He stood as a candidate for the SDP in the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland area. This was during the 2024 United Kingdom General Election. He received 1,835 votes and came in fourth place. The Labour Party won the seat in that election.