Brian Walden (1932-2019)

[Brock]

Former Labour MP turned TV presenter, probably best known for LWT's Weekend World.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48245853

[Nigel Stapley]

This may be apocryphal, but I recall someone claiming that in the run-up to the 1980 US election, Walden topped the programme by saying that there was going to be an interview with, "Pwesident Carter's Wepublican Wival Wonald Weagan".

[Brock]

I ought to mention his 1998 BBC2 series Walden on Heroes - a series of unscripted half-hour lectures on prominent figures including Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela, delivered straight to camera with no interruption. Very unusual for its time. The one on Mandela was highly controversial since he described the leader as "feckless, arrogant and autocratic".

[Mark]

It's always "Weekend World", though, for all he did, that's the one ( and the theme).

[Brock]

Radio 4 is repeating one of his last Point of View talks tonight:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0005kl2

[fatcat]

A dignified,'done his home work' knowledgeable interviewer who often got what we wanted from the interviewee.