43 Facts About Gyles Brandreth

Gyles Daubeney Brandreth was born on 8 March 1948 and is an English broadcaster, writer and former politician.

Gyles Brandreth has worked as a television presenter, theatre producer, journalist, author and publisher.

Gyles Brandreth was a presenter for TV-am's Good Morning Britain in the 1980s, and has been regularly featured on Channel 4's game show Countdown and the BBC's The One Show.

In 1992, Brandreth was elected to the House of Commons as the Conservative Member of Parliament for the City of Chester constituency.

Gyles Brandreth served until he was defeated in 1997, and resumed his career in the media.

Gyles Brandreth has written both fiction and non-fiction books, and makes appearances as a public speaker.

Gyles Brandreth was born on 8 March 1948 in Wuppertal, West Germany, where his father, Charles Gyles Brandreth, was serving as a legal officer with the Allied Control Commission.

Gyles Brandreth moved to London with his parents at the age of three and was educated at the Lycee Francais in South Kensington, and Bedales School in Petersfield, Hampshire, where he met his friend Simon Cadell.

Gyles Brandreth studied Modern History and Modern Languages at New College, Oxford, where he met Rick Stein.

Gyles Brandreth was described in a contemporaneous publication as "Oxford's Lord High Everything Else".

Gyles Brandreth has appeared in the Dictionary Corner on the game show Countdown more than 300 times, including Carol Vorderman's final edition in 2008, making more appearances than any other guest.

Gyles Brandreth was known for his collection of jumpers, of which some were sold in a charity auction in 1993.

Gyles Brandreth hosted the short-lived game show Public Opinion in 2004.

Gyles Brandreth made a cameo appearance as himself in Channel 4 sitcom The IT Crowd, in the episode "The Final Countdown".

Gyles Brandreth has appeared in episodes of Channel 5's The Gadget Show, and is a contributor to the BBC's early evening programme The One Show.

Gyles Brandreth appeared on Room 101 in 2005, while Paul Merton was host, successfully banishing the Royal Variety Performance and the British honours system into Room 101, saying that he would never accept an honour himself.

In October 2019, Gyles Brandreth appeared in series 3 of Richard Osman's House of Games, winning two of the five episodes.

Also in 2019, Gyles Brandreth appeared on series 1 of Celebrity Gogglebox alongside Sheila Hancock.

In 2020, Gyles Brandreth returned for Series 2, alongside Maureen Lipman.

On 16 October 2021, Gyles Brandreth appeared as a celebrity contestant on Beat the Chasers in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital.

On 24 October 2022, Gyles Brandreth appeared on Bargain Hunt: BBC 100th Birthday Special to commemorate the BBC's 100th Anniversary.

Gyles Brandreth has presented programmes on London's LBC radio at various times since 1973, such as Star Quality.

Gyles Brandreth frequently appears on BBC Radio 4's comedy panel game Just a Minute.

Gyles Brandreth has appeared on several episodes of Radio 4's political programme The Westminster Hour, explaining his thoughts on how to make the most of being a government minister.

From 2003 to 2005 Gyles Brandreth hosted the Radio 4 comedy panel game Whispers.

In 2006, Gyles Brandreth appeared in the Radio 4 comedy programme Living with the Enemy which he co-wrote with comedian Nick Revell, in which they appear as a former Conservative government minister and a former comedian.

Gyles Brandreth is the host of the Radio 4 comedy panel show Wordaholics, first aired on 20 February 2012.

Gyles Brandreth appeared on the Radio 4 programme The Museum of Curiosity in August 2017, to which he donated a button that was once owned by a famous actor.

Gyles Brandreth wrote an authorised biography of actor John Gielgud, and lipogrammic reworks of Shakespeare.

Gyles Brandreth has written a series of seven works of historical fiction called The Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries, in which Oscar Wilde works with both Robert Sherard and Arthur Conan Doyle.

Gyles Brandreth was a Conservative MP, representing the City of Chester, from 1992 to 1997.

Gyles Brandreth proposed a private member's bill which became law as the Marriage Act 1994.

In May 2016, Gyles Brandreth told The Spectator that he was likely to vote for the UK to stay in the European Union in the following month's referendum on the issue.

In 2019, Gyles Brandreth confirmed that he had voted to remain, but accepted the result of the referendum and believed that the government had to "get Brexit done".

Gyles Brandreth is known for the colourful, humorous jumpers he has designed and worn throughout his career.

Gyles Brandreth has a room in his London home devoted to his jumpers, and claims to have one for almost every occasion.

Gyles Brandreth has appeared on television talking about rail strikes wearing a jumper that features a steam locomotive, and wore a sweater bearing the words "The End" on the day Boris Johnson resigned.

Gyles Brandreth is a former European Monopoly champion, and president of the Association of British Scrabble Players, having organised the first British National Scrabble Championship in 1971.

Gyles Brandreth is an after-dinner speaker and held the world record for the longest continuous after-dinner speech, twelve-and-a-half hours, done as a charity stunt.

Gyles Brandreth is a patron of the National Piers Society and vice-president of charity Fields in Trust.

In 2014, Gyles Brandreth was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of Chester.

Gyles Brandreth is deputy chair of the Conservative Women's Organisation and was the party's unsuccessful candidate for Kingston and Surbiton at the 2019 United Kingdom general election.

Gyles Brandreth is a vegetarian, and stopped drinking alcohol in 1997 in order to lose weight.