Giles Watling

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Giles Watling

| honorific-suffix =

| office = Member of Parliament
for Clacton

| term_start = 8 June 2017

| term_end = 30 May 2024

| predecessor = Douglas Carswell

| successor = Nigel Farage

| image = Official portrait of Giles Watling MP crop 2.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Official portrait, 2019

| birth_name = Giles Francis Watling{{London Gazette |issue=61961 |date=19 June 2017 |page=11782}}

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|2|18|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Chingford, Essex, England

| occupation = Actor, politician

| father = Jack Watling

| spouse = {{marriage|Vanda Brinkworth|1979}}

| relatives = Deborah Watling (sister)
Dilys Watling (maternal half-sister)

| education = Forest School, Walthamstow

| party = Conservative{{cite news|author=Mason, Rowena|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/sep/11/giles-watling-conservatives-clacton-douglas-carswell-ukip |title=Conservatives select former 1980s television star to fight Ukip in Clacton |newspaper=The Guardian |date=11 September 2014 |access-date=25 August 2016}}

}}

Giles Francis Watling (born 18 February 1953) is a British Conservative politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Clacton from 2017{{Cite web|url=https://beta.parliament.uk/search?q=Giles+Watling|title=Giles Watling – Search UK Parliament|website=beta.parliament.uk}} until 2024. He was an actor prior to entering politics.

Early life and education

Giles Watling was born on 18 February 1953 at Chingford, London. His parents Patricia Hicks and Jack Watling were actors. Watling was privately educated at Forest School, Walthamstow.{{Who's Who | author=Anon| title = Watling, Giles Francis | id = U289481 | year = 2017 | doi =10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U289481 | edition = online Oxford University Press|location=Oxford}}

Career

Watling has worked extensively in British theatre and on television, and is probably best known for his portrayal of the vicar Oswald in Carla Lane's series Bread. He has also directed several UK touring theatre productions, and took on the role of Bob in the UK tour of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 2013. Watling serves on the board of directors of the Royal Theatrical Fund, a charity which aids those who have professionally practised or contributed to the theatrical arts.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29163450|title=Clacton: Bread's Giles Watling to stand for Conservatives|publisher=BBC News|year= 2014|website=bbc.co.uk|author=Anon}}

Watling served as a Conservative councillor for Frinton ward on Tendring District Council until 2016, having been first elected in the 2007 local elections.{{cite web |date=3 May 2007 |title=Councillor Watling G F |url=http://democracy.tendringdc.gov.uk/akstendring/users/public/admin/main.pl?op=MemberDetails&keyid=57 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303223225/http://democracy.tendringdc.gov.uk/akstendring/users/public/admin/main.pl?op=MemberDetails&keyid=57 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=25 August 2016 |publisher=Tendring District Council |df=dmy-all}}

Parliamentary career

On 10 September 2014 Watling was shortlisted in the Conservatives' open primary at Clacton to select the party's candidate for the Clacton by-election and was adopted following a public meeting on 11 September 2014.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29146011|title=Two Conservative councillors to fight Clacton primary|publisher=BBC News|date=10 September 2014}}{{cite news|author=James Dwan |url=http://www.clactonandfrintongazette.co.uk/news/11463392.BREAKING__Tory__open_primary__candidates_for_Clacton_by_election_are_Frinton_actor_Giles_Watling_and_Colchester_councillor_Sue_Lissimore/?ref=var_0 |title=TORY 'open primary' candidates for Clacton by-election are Frinton actor Giles Watling and Colchester councillor Sue Lissimore |work=Clacton & Frinton Gazette |date=10 September 2014 |access-date=25 August 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2014/09/two-candidates-shortlisted-for-the-clacton-by-election.html |title=Two candidates shortlisted for the Clacton by-election |publisher=Conservativehome.com |date=10 September 2014 |access-date=25 August 2016}} At the by-election, Watling came second with 24.6% of the vote behind the incumbent UK Independence Party (UKIP) MP Douglas Carswell, who previously served as a Conservative but left that party and joined UKIP earlier in 2014.{{cite news |last1=Lodge |first1=Will |date=16 September 2014 |title=Clacton: Carswell strolls to victory for UKIP at Clacton by-election |url=http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/clacton_douglas_carswell_strolls_to_victory_for_ukip_at_clacton_by_election_1_3801404 |access-date=12 October 2014 |work=East Anglian Daily Times}}

At the 2015 general election, Watling again contested Clacton as the Conservative candidate, coming second behind Douglas Carswell, who won 44.4% of the vote.{{cite web |title=Election Data 2015 |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017112223/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt |archive-date=17 October 2015 |access-date=17 October 2015 |publisher=Electoral Calculus}}{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000642 |title=Clacton: Parliamentary constituency |author= |year=2019 |publisher=BBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114184757/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000642 |url-status=live |archive-date=14 January 2021 |access-date=14 January 2021}}

Watling was elected to Parliament as MP for Clacton at the snap 2017 general election, at which Carswell chose to retire, with 61.2% of the vote and a majority of 15,828.{{cite web |title=Statement of Persons Nominated – Clacton Constituency |url=http://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/council/elections%20%26%20voting/parliamentaryJune2017/Statement%20of%20Persons%20Nominated%20080617.pdf |access-date=12 May 2017 |website=Tendring District Council}}{{cite news |date=21 April 2017 |title=Knife death mother in MP election bid for Clacton |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-39672433 |publisher=BBC News |via=bbc.com}}{{cite web |date=2 May 2017 |title=Norfolk North and Penistone & Stocksbridge choose their candidates. Latest selection news. – Conservative Home |url=http://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2017/05/exclusive-farris-completes-saffron-walden-shortlist-trouble-in-wales-latest-selections-news.html}} He was returned as MP for Clacton at the 2019 general election with an increased vote share of 72.3% and an increased majority of 24,702.{{cite news |title=Clacton Parliamentary constituency |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000642 |access-date=18 November 2019 |publisher=BBC News }}

Following an interim report on the connections between colonialism and properties now in the care of the National Trust, including links with historic slavery, Watling was among the signatories of a letter to The Daily Telegraph in November 2020 by the Common Sense Group of Conservative parliamentarians, which accused the National Trust of being "coloured by cultural Marxist dogma, colloquially known as the 'woke agenda{{'"}}.{{cite letter |recipient=The Daily Telegraph |subject=Britain's heroes |language=English |date=9 November 2020 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2020/11/09/letterswill-police-break-armistice-day-ceremonies-wednesday/ |access-date=20 May 2022 }}

Watling lost his seat in the 2024 general election to Reform UK candidate and leader Nigel Farage.

Filmography

Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes
class="wikitable sortable"
1965	Gideon's Way	Malcolm Gideon	8 episodes
1974	Upstairs, Downstairs	2nd Lt. James Marriott	1 episode
1978	You're Only Young Twice	PC Henry	1 episode
1979	The Human Factor	Colin
1979–80	How's Your Father?	Martin Matthews	13 episodes
1980	Keep It in the Family	Young man	1 episode
1984	No Place Like Home	Maurice	1 episode
1988–91	Bread	Oswald	49 episodes
1992	'Allo 'Allo!	Major Twistleton-Smythe	1 episode
1997	Melissa	Gangster at Airport	1 episode
1999	Grange Hill	Mr. Radcliffe	1 episode
2001	The Tutankhamun Conspiracy	Howard Carter	TV movie
2012	''Run for Your Wife	Man in pub

Personal life

Married to Vanda Brinkworth in 1979, the younger brother of the actress Deborah Watling and younger half-brother of actress Dilys Watling, Watling is a member of the Garrick Club, an exclusive gentlemen's club which in 2024 opened its doors to women, Frinton Cricket Club, Walton and Frinton Yacht Club and Frinton War Memorial Club.