Fern Britton Meets...
{{EngvarB|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox television
| image =
| caption =
| genre = Religion and ethics
| runtime = 60 minutes
| creator =
| language = English
| country = United Kingdom
| presenter = Fern Britton
| producer = Anna Cox
| channel = BBC One
| first_aired = {{start date|2009|11|29|df=yes}}
| last_aired = {{end date|2017|12|17|df=yes}}
| num_series = 9
| num_episodes = 38 (including special)
}}
Fern Britton Meets... is a British television talk show presented by Fern Britton which was first aired on BBC One during the four Sundays of Advent from 29 November 2009 to 17 December 2017. Each episode featured Britton interviewing a high-profile person about their life, career and religious beliefs. The programme attracted particular attention following an interview with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in which he discussed his thoughts about the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Summary
Each episode features Britton interviewing a different personality, with the discussion focussed on how the individual's beliefs have shaped their lives. The programme was the first to be presented by Britton since leaving the ITV daytime show This Morning earlier in the year.
The series was announced in November 2009, and Britton said:
All the interviewees come from very different backgrounds but what binds them together is the fact that, although their faith has been challenged, they've emerged with strong spiritual beliefs.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/11_november/04/christmas.shtml|title=New Advent series for BBC One heralds a season of Christmas tradition and worship on the BBC|date=4 November 2009|publisher=BBC Press Office|accessdate=30 January 2010}}
Episodes
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |
| rowspan="2"| Series
! rowspan="2"| Episodes ! colspan="2"| Originally aired |
|---|
| Series premiere
! Series finale |
| 1
| rowspan=3|4 | 29 November 2009 | 20 December 2009 |
| 2
| 28 November 2010 | 19 December 2010 |
| 3
| 27 November 2011 | 18 December 2011 |
| 4
| 5 | 25 November 2012 | 23 December 2012 |
| 5
| rowspan=3|4 | 1 December 2013 | 22 December 2013 |
| 6
| 30 November 2014 | 21 December 2014 |
| 7
| 29 November 2015 | 20 December 2015 |
| Special Goodbye
| 1 | colspan=2|25 December 2015 |
| 8
| 4 | 27 November 2016 | 18 December 2016 |
| 9
| 4 | 26 November 2017 | 17 December 2017 |
=Series 1=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" width="500" |
| width="10%"|#
!width="15%"|Index !width="30%"|Guest !width="30%"|Date |
|---|
| {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber= 1 | EpisodeNumber2= 1 | RTitle= Dolly Parton | OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2009|11|29|df=y}} }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber= 1 | EpisodeNumber2= 2 | RTitle= Desmond Tutu | OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2009|12|6|df=y}} }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber= 1 | EpisodeNumber2= 3 | RTitle= Tony Blair | OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2009|12|13|df=y}} }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber= 1 | EpisodeNumber2= 4 | RTitle= Sheila Hancock | OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2009|12|20|df=y}} }} |
=Series 2=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" width="500" |
| width="10%"|#
!width="15%"|Index !width="30%"|Guest !width="30%"|Date |
|---|
| {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber= 2 | EpisodeNumber2= 1 | RTitle= June Brown | OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2010|11|28|df=y}} }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber= 2 | EpisodeNumber2= 2 | RTitle= Clarissa Dickson Wright | OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2010|12|5|df=y}} }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber= 2 | EpisodeNumber2= 3 | RTitle= Jesse Jackson | OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2010|12|12|df=y}} }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber= 2 | EpisodeNumber2= 4 | RTitle= Cliff Richard | OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|2010|12|19|df=y}} }} |
=Series 3=
| class="wikitable" |
| Guest
! Episode ! Date ! Interviewees |
|---|
| Ann Widdecombe
|1 |27 November 2011 |Nicholas Kochan (Biographer) |
| Katherine Jenkins
|2 |4 December 2011 |Susan Jenkins(Mother) |
| Russell Watson
|3 |11 December 2011 |Tim Watson (Dad) |
| Brian Blessed
|4 |18 December 2011 |Stephen Fry (Friend) |
=Series 4=
| class="wikitable" |
| Guest
! Episode ! Date ! Interviewees |
|---|
| Alfie Boe
|1 |25 November 2012 |Neil Ferris (Manager) |
| John Barrowman
|2 |2 December 2012 |Eve Myles (Actress) |
| Frank Bruno
|3 |9 December 2012 |Dave Davies (Frank's Agent) |
| Daniel O'Donnell
|4 |16 December 2012 |Gloria Hunniford (Friend) |
| Dionne Warwick
|5 |23 December 2012 |David Elliott (Dionne's Son) |
=Series 5=
| class="wikitable" |
| Guest
! Episode ! Date ! Interviewees |
|---|
| Susan Boyle
|1 |1 December 2013 |Paul O'Grady(Presenter and Friend) |
| John Simpson
|2 |8 December 2013 |John Humphrys (Journalist and Presenter) |
| Ken Dodd
|3 |15 December 2013 |Bishop James Jones(Friend) |
| Christine Ohuruogu
|4 |22 December 2013 |Obi Ohuruogu (Christine's brother) |
=Series 6=
| class="wikitable" |
| Guest
! Episode ! Date ! Interviewees |
|---|
| Donny Osmond
|1 |30 November 2014 |Marie Osmond (Sister) |
| Nicholas Parsons
|2 |7 December 2014 |Admiral Sir John Treacher (Friend) |
| Tanni Grey Thompson
|3 |14 December 2014 |Sian Harrison (Sister) |
| Richard Coles
|4 |21 December 2014 |Will Coles (Brother) |
=Series 7=
| class="wikitable" |
| Guest
! Episode ! Date ! Interviewees |
|---|
| Shane Lynch
|1 |29 November 2015 |Edele Lynch (Sister) |
| Linford Christie
|2 |6 December 2015 |Philip Henry (Friend) |
| Lord Paddy Ashdown
|3 |13 December 2015 |Tim Courtenay (Friend) |
| Baroness Karren Brady
|4 |20 December 2015 |Terry Brady (Dad) |
=Series 8=
| class="wikitable" |
| Guest
! Episode ! Date ! Interviewees |
|---|
| Alexander Armstrong
|1 |27 November 2016 | |
| Nigel Benn
|2 |4 December 2016 | |
| Michael Gove
|3 |11 December 2016 |Christine Gove (Mother) |
| Rebecca Ferguson
|4 |18 December 2016 | |
=Series 9=
| class="wikitable" |
| Guest
! Episode ! Date ! Interviewees |
|---|
| Gregory Porter
|1 |26 November 2017 | |
| Stef Reid
|2 |3 December 2017 | |
| Barbara Dickson
|3 |10 December 2017 | |
| Rose Hudson-Wilkin
|4 |17 December 2017 | |
Tony Blair interview
File:WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM ANNUAL MEETING 2009 - Tony Blair.jpg at the World Economic Forum, 2009. Blair spoke to Britton about the decision to join the 2003 invasion of Iraq.]]
The series attracted particular attention for an interview Britton recorded with Tony Blair which was aired on Sunday 13 December 2009, in which the former Prime Minister said that it would have been right to remove Iraqi president Saddam Hussein even without evidence he had weapons of mass destruction.{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8408918.stm|title= Removing Saddam was right, even without WMD – Blair|work=BBC News Online|date= 12 December 2009|accessdate= 29 January 2010}} Asked whether he would still have joined the 2003 invasion of Iraq had he known that there were no weapons, he said: "I would still have thought it right to remove him. I mean obviously you would have had to use and deploy different arguments, about the nature of the threat." [...] "I can't really think we'd be better with him and his two sons still in charge, but it's incredibly difficult.." [...] "That's why I sympathise with the people who were against [the war] for perfectly good reasons and are against it now, but for me, you know, in the end I had to take the decision."{{cite news|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/6789231/Tony-Blair-Iraq-War-was-right-even-if-there-were-no-WMDs.html|title= Tony Blair: Iraq War was right even if there were no WMDs|work=Telegraph.co.uk|first= Anita|last= Singh|date= 12 December 2009|accessdate= 29 January 2010}}
Responding to the statement, former United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix said that he believed Blair's statement had a "strong impression of a lack of sincerity", while former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell said that Blair would not have obtained the support for an invasion if he had been so open about his view on regime change at the time.{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/uk/feedarticle/8854073|title= Iraq invasion was right, says Blair|work=The Guardian|date= 12 December 2009|accessdate= 29 January 2010}} Conservative MP Richard Ottaway, a member of the House of Commons Intelligence and Security Committee dismissed the comments as a "cynical ploy to soften up public opinion" before his appearance at the Iraq Inquiry.
Giving evidence to the inquiry on 29 January 2010 Blair addressed the interview, saying that it had been recorded in July 2009, some months before the inquiry convened, and he admitted that it had been a mistake to say he would have got rid of Saddam Hussein regardless of whether or not he had WMD.{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/jan/29/tony-blair-iraq-inquiry-key-points|title= Tony Blair at Iraq inquiry – the key points|work=The Guardian|author1=Mulholland, Hélène |author2=Sparrow, Andrew|date= 29 January 2010|accessdate= 29 January 2010}} He told the inquiry he "did not use the words regime change in that interview", and that what he had meant was that he "couldn't describe the nature of the threat in the same way if you knew then what you know now".{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8486930.stm|title= Tony Blair defends Fern Britton interview|work= BBC News Online|date= 29 January 2010|accessdate= 29 January 2010}} Blair's performance was later condemned by families of military personnel killed in Iraq as disrespectful.{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/jan/29/tony-blair-iraq-war-inquiry1|title= Families of Iraq war dead voice anger at 'smirking' Blair|work=The Guardian|author1=Lewis, Paul |author2=Dodd, Vikram|date= 29 January 2010|accessdate= 29 January 2010}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{BBC programme|b00wkjd8}}
- {{IMDb title|id=1554655|title=Fern Britton Meets...}}
Category:2009 British television series debuts
Category:2017 British television series endings
Category:2000s British television talk shows
Category:2010s British television talk shows
Category:BBC high definition shows
Category:BBC One original programming
Category:BBC television talk shows