Shirley Williams
Biography
Shirley Vivian Teresa Brittain Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby, CH, PC was a British politician and academic who represented the Liberal Democrats. Originally a Labour Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister, she was one of the 'Gang of Four' rebels who founded the Social Democratic Party in 1981. Her career in politics spanned more than 50 years, after she first entered Parliament as the Labour MP for Hitchin in 1964. She retired from political life in 2016, after leading the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords.
Known For & Full Filmography9 Titles
Drama Series - 1979, 16 episodes • as Self - Panellist
This topical debate series based on Any Questions? typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer pre-selected questions put to them by a carefully selected audience.
Drama Series - 1963, 16 episodes • Main Cast Role
World in Action was Granada Television’s flagship ITV current affairs series, running from 7 Jan 1963 to 7 Dec 1998, and built a reputation for film-led investigative reporting and a forceful editorial stance. Its journalism produced major public and political repercussions—including investigations associated with miscarriages of justice such as the Birmingham Six—and it also served as a platform for landmark documentary projects, including the first broadcast of “Seven Up!” as part of the strand in 1964.
Drama Series - 1995, 16 episodes • as Self
Documentary showing the many travails of the UK Labour Party during its long period in opposition from 1979 and through the 1980s and 1990s.
Movie - 2011, 2h 15m • as Self
Harold Wilson and Edward Heath are two very different men equally overlooked by history, but they were the political titans of the era in which Britain changed for ever. For ten years they faced each other in the House of Commons, and swapped in and out of Number Ten. They fought four general elections, three of which were amongst the most exciting of the century.
Movie - 2008, 2h 15m • as Self
Twenty years ago the Liberal Party and the SDP united after a long and fraught courtship to form the Liberal Democrats. BBC Parliament tells the story of the protracted marriage negotiations.
Drama Series - 2019, 16 episodes • as Self
Series bringing black-and-white films of the era back to vivid life.
Movie - 1996, 2h 15m • as Self
It begins with cheers but almost always ends in tears. Yet, as the election looms, competition for the top job grows ever more intense. Why? The hours are terrible, money so-so, job security non-existent. On the plus side, there's free accommodation in central London and probably more power over your country than any other leader in the western world. With the help of the present and previous incumbents, Michael Cockerell offers the first "how to" guide to the job of prime minister.
Movie - 2001, 2h 15m • as Self
A revealing one-off documentary that provides an inside view of how Tony Blair and former prime ministers - including Harold Wilson, Margaret Thatcher and John Major - have run their cabinet, the highest decision-making body in the land. Through candid interviews, rare archive footage and filming inside No 10, presenter Michael Cockerell opens the door to the Government's own chamber of secrets as he seeks the answer to the question: is the notion of cabinet government an obsolete concept?
Movie - 1995, 2h 15m • as Self
BBC obituary documentary written and presented by Anthony Howard. Broadcast on the day of the death of Harold Wilson, May 24th 1995.