Rod Liddle
Rod Liddle | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 1, 1960 United Kingdom |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, television presenter, author |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Known for | Associate editor for The Spectator; former editor of BBC Radio 4's Today programme; television documentaries including The New Fundamentalists, The Trouble with Atheism, Immigration Is A Time Bomb |
| Notable work | Too Beautiful for You (2003), Love Will Destroy Everything (2007), The Best of Liddle Britain (2007), Selfish Whining Monkeys (2014) |
Rod Liddle (born 1 April 1960) is a British journalist who serves as an associate editor for The Spectator. He previously held the position of editor for BBC Radio 4's Today programme. His body of work includes titles such as Too Beautiful for You (2003), Love Will Destroy Everything (2007), the co-authored The Best of Liddle Britain (2007), and the partly autobiographical Selfish Whining Monkeys (2014). Liddle has also hosted television shows including The New Fundamentalists, The Trouble with Atheism, and Immigration Is A Time Bomb.
Liddle began his professional journey at the South Wales Echo, then worked within the Labour Party, before joining the BBC. He was appointed editor of the Today programme in 1998 but stepped down in 2002 following controversy over an article he authored for The Guardian. Currently, he writes for various publications including The Sunday Times, The Spectator, and The Sun.
Early life and radio
At age 16, Liddle was a member of the Socialist Workers Party for approximately one year and actively supported the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. During the 1983 general election, he campaigned for Labour, canvassing in punk attire—a choice he later humorously suggested may have deterred voters.
As a mature student, he pursued social psychology at the London School of Economics. Early in his career, he worked as a news reporter and rock music writer at the South Wales Echo. Between 1983 and 1987, he served as a speechwriter and researcher for the Labour Party. After briefly considering a teaching career, Liddle returned to journalism by joining the BBC as a trainee producer.
In 1998, Liddle took over as editor of BBC Radio 4's Today programme, where he strengthened its investigative reporting by bringing in external journalists such as Andrew Gilligan. Gilligan’s contentious 2003 report on Iraq intelligence dossiers—broadcast after Liddle’s tenure—led to significant political repercussions, including the Hutton Inquiry. Throughout this period, Liddle stood in support of Gilligan.
During his time at the helm, Today earned numerous accolades: a Sony Silver award in 2002 for coverage of race riots; a Sony Bronze in 2003 recognizing investigations into paedophile priests; and an Amnesty International Media Award for uncovering illegal landmine use. Simultaneously, Liddle contributed a column to The Guardian, where his favourable remarks on fox hunting prompted accusations of political partiality from The Daily Telegraph. The BBC determined this violated impartiality guidelines, compelling Liddle to choose between continuing his column or maintaining his editorial role; he resigned in September 2002.
Liddle later alleged that BBC executives instructed him to dismiss Frederick Forsyth from Today due to Forsyth’s conservative views; however, the BBC refuted this claim, attributing Forsyth’s removal to editorial decisions. He also sparked debate by commenting on difficulties faced by law enforcement agencies dealing with child pornography investigations.
Since January 2025, Liddle has been hosting a Saturday morning programme on Times Radio.
The New Fundamentalists
In March 2006, Liddle presented The New Fundamentalists, a documentary aired on Dispatches. As a member of the Church of England, he criticised the growing influence of evangelicalism and Christian fundamentalism in the UK, particularly focusing on their opposition to Darwinian theory within faith-based schools. He also challenged the social doctrines and cultural effects associated with this branch of Christianity. The programme received criticism from David Hilborn of the Evangelical Alliance and Rupert Kaye representing the Association of Christian Teachers.
The Trouble with Atheism
In The Trouble with Atheism, Liddle contended that atheists can exhibit dogmatism and intolerance comparable to that found among religious followers. He asserted, "History demonstrates that the issue lies not with religion itself, but with any ideology that demands one faction is absolutely correct while others are deemed wrong and deserving of punishment." He proposed that eugenic initiatives naturally stem from rigid adherence to Darwinism.
Immigration Is a Time Bomb
Liddle's documentary Immigration Is a Time Bomb was broadcast on Channel 4 in 2005. The programme attracted criticism primarily because he allowed British National Party leader Nick Griffin to speak without challenge. However, Ofcom judged the broadcast to be fair and dismissed the complaints. Following Griffin's 2006 acquittal on charges of inciting racial hatred, Liddle argued that the charges were "too ephemeral" and influenced by jurors' perspectives and external circumstances.
Other work
In April 2007, Liddle hosted The Bible Revolution, a two-hour documentary investigating William Tyndale’s translation of the Bible into English and its influence on the language. On 21 May 2007, he presented Battle for the Holy Land: Love Thy Neighbour, which explored whether Israel qualifies as a liberal democracy given its policies toward Palestinians; his visits included Bethlehem, Hebron, and the Israeli settlement Tekoa.
Liddle also participated in Channel 4’s alternative election night edition of Come Dine with Me alongside Edwina Currie, Derek Hatton, and Brian Paddick. Together with Kate Silverton, he co-hosted BBC2’s short-lived political programme Weekend, which The Independent on Sunday described as "the worst programme anywhere, ever." Additionally, he appeared on BBC Four’s The Talk Show.
Maintaining his journalism career, Liddle contributes to The Guardian, holds an associate editor role at The Spectator, writes for men's magazines such as GQ and Arena, and authors a weekly column for The Sunday Times. He also served as a team captain on Call My Bluff.
Allegations of misogyny and racism
In August 2009, Liddle posted on his Spectator blog about Harriet Harman, deputy leader of the Labour Party, using disparaging language starting with: "So — Harriet Harman, then. Would you? I mean after a few beers obviously, not while you were sober." This provoked significant backlash from commentators such as Tanya Gold and Rachel Cooke who found it offensive. Liddle later explained the piece was intended as satire of crude sexism, assuming readers would recognize it as a joke, though he acknowledged this may have been mistaken. In June 2014, he stated that Harman was the one individual to whom he would apologize among those offended.
In November 2009, on The Spectator website, Liddle commented on the stoning deaths of two young women in Somalia with sarcasm regarding Somali immigrants in Britain being praised for their "strong work ethic" and "keen intelligence," which drew widespread condemnation.
In December 2009, he referred to two black music producers involved in violent crime as "human filth" and asserted that most street crime in London is perpetrated by young men from the African-Caribbean community. While accused of racism, Liddle defended his remarks as part of a broader discussion on multiculturalism. In March 2010, the Press Complaints Commission reprimanded him for failing to provide evidence supporting crime statistics cited in his blog. Subsequent reports indicated some of his assertions were partially accurate.
In October 2010, Liddle advocated for shutting down the Welsh-language TV channel S4C amid budget cuts, describing Welsh nationalists in derogatory terms.
On 23 May 2013, following soldier Lee Rigby’s murder in Woolwich, London, Liddle referred to the perpetrators as "two black savages" in a blog post for The Spectator. After public criticism, he amended the phrase to "two savages" and issued an apology.
In December 2021 at Durham University, Liddle argued that colonialism is not primarily responsible for Africa’s challenges and dismissed institutional racism as a factor contributing to educational underperformance among British individuals of Caribbean descent and African Americans.
Rumours about The Independent editorship and Millwall fan site controversy
In January 2010, The Guardian revealed that Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev was anticipated to acquire The Independent and appoint Liddle as its editor. This announcement triggered significant backlash both within the organisation and among its readership, largely due to Liddle's contentious contributions on Millwall Online, a supporters' forum unaffiliated with Millwall Football Club. Liddle asserted that some of the posts under his name were authored by rival fans, though he acknowledged composing some remarks that drew criticism, including endorsements of the BNP's racially exclusionary policies. A joke referencing Auschwitz further intensified public scrutiny and demands for clarification. By February 2010, Liddle was no longer under consideration for the editorial position.
Comments on Stephen Lawrence case, disability, and transgender issues
In November 2011, Liddle penned an article in The Spectator questioning the fairness of the trial involving two men found guilty of murdering Stephen Lawrence. This piece was referred to authorities for potential contempt of court, resulting in legal action against The Spectator—not Liddle personally—for violating reporting restrictions. The publication admitted guilt and was fined £3,000 along with compensation payments.
Liddle’s January 2012 column in The Sun alleged that numerous individuals in the UK were "faking disability," provoking condemnation from disability rights groups. Later, in May 2015, the Independent Press Standards Organisation upheld a complaint concerning Liddle’s columns about Emily Brothers—a blind and transgender Labour candidate—ruling that they breached editorial codes due to discriminatory language.
Critique of BBC’s Nelson Mandela coverage
After Nelson Mandela’s passing in December 2013, Liddle criticized the BBC’s extensive reporting in a blog post for The Spectator. His comments met with strong opposition from various commentators who accused him of provoking controversy by downplaying the broadcaster’s coverage.
Column addressing poppers and gay sexuality
During discussions on the Psychoactive Substances Bill, Conservative MP Crispin Blunt disclosed his use of poppers. Liddle responded via The Spectator blog with disparaging remarks concerning gay sexual practices. The magazine Private Eye pointed out an apparent contradiction given Liddle’s previous admission to using Viagra. The LGBT organisation Stonewall condemned his statements as harmful and prejudiced.
Allegations of biased treatment on Newsnight
In July 2019, on BBC’s Newsnight, presenter Emily Maitlis accused Liddle of exhibiting "consistent casual racism" and questioned whether he considered himself racist. Following complaints about Maitlis’ approach, the BBC ruled that her conduct was "persistent and personal" and lacked impartiality.
Controversial commentary on Muslim voters
In October 2019, Liddle authored a provocative column for The Spectator proposing that scheduling the December UK general election on a Muslim religious holiday might suppress Labour votes. The article drew condemnation from prominent politicians such as Chancellor Sajid Javid and former Deputy Prime Minister David Lidington. Liddle defended the piece as intended humorously; meanwhile, Labour MP Rosie Duffield described it as "racist and misogynistic."
Books
Liddle has written multiple books, including the short story collection Too Beautiful For You (2003), the novel Love Will Destroy Everything (2007), the co-edited anthology The Best of Liddle Britain (2007), and Selfish Whining Monkeys: How We Ended Up Greedy, Narcissistic and Unhappy (2014). The latter was reviewed by Will Self, who suggested it disclosed more about Liddle's personal character than his journalistic work.
In 2019, Liddle released The Great Betrayal, a book centered on Brexit. Professor Matthew Goodwin commended it as an unrestrained critique of the Establishment’s obstruction of Brexit, while detractors such as Fintan O'Toole criticized it for lacking factual accuracy and rational argumentation.
Personal life
Liddle first encountered television presenter Rachel Royce at the BBC in 1993; they married in Malaysia in 2004 and had two sons together. Shortly after their wedding, Liddle ended the marriage to begin a relationship with Alicia Monckton, who was then working as a receptionist at The Spectator. Following their separation, both parties publicly exchanged derogatory remarks.
In 2005, Liddle was apprehended on charges of common assault against Monckton during her pregnancy; he accepted a police caution but denied any assault. Their daughter Emmeline was born later that year, and the couple married in 2008.
Political career
In 2019, Liddle became a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), highlighting its commitment to fostering common ground among citizens. He contested the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland seat as an SDP candidate in the 2024 UK General Election, finishing fourth with 1,835 votes; Labour succeeded in taking the seat from Conservative incumbent Sir Simon Clarke.
Books
- Too Beautiful For You (Century, 2003)
- Love Will Destroy Everything (Century, 2007)
- The Best of Liddle Britain (co-editor) (Spectator, 2007)
- Selfish Whining Monkeys: How We Ended Up Greedy, Narcissistic and Unhappy (Fourth Estate, 2014)
- The Great Betrayal (Constable, 2019)