The Lavender List
{{Short description|2006 British political TV program}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2016}}
{{more citations needed|date=November 2021}}
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| genre =Docudrama
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| writer =Francis Wheen
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- Kenneth Cranham
- Gina McKee
- Celia Imrie
- Neil Dudgeon
- Dominic Rowan }}
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| network =BBC Four
| first_aired = {{Start date|2006|03|01}}
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The Lavender List is a docudrama originally broadcast on BBC Four on 1 March 2006. It chronicles the events that led to the drafting of the so-called "Lavender List", a satirical name given to Harold Wilson's controversial 1976 resignation honours.
Cast
- Kenneth Cranham as Harold Wilson
- Gina McKee as Marcia Williams
- Celia Imrie as Mary Wilson
- Neil Dudgeon as Joe Haines
- Dominic Rowan as Bernard Donoughue
Production
The docudrama was written by journalist Francis Wheen, deputy editor of the satirical magazine Private Eye. Wheen said that it was based on the political diaries of two members of Wilson's cabinet: press secretary Joe Haines and director of policy Bernard Donoughue.{{cite news|last=Ridout|first=Gordon|url=http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/oldott/www.offthetelly.co.uk/index5eea.html?p=2518|title=The Lavender List|work=Off The Telly|date=1 March 2006|accessdate=9 November 2021}} It starred Kenneth Cranham as Wilson and Gina McKee as Marcia Williams, the head of Wilson's political office.
The list
The list itself caused controversy as some of the recipients were wealthy businessmen whose principles were considered antithetical to those held by the Labour Party. One businessman on the list, Lord Kagan, was a friend of Wilson's. He was convicted of fraud in 1980.{{cite news|last=Dalyell|first=Tam|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries-lord-kagan-1568684.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries-lord-kagan-1568684.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Obituaries: Lord Kagan|work=The Independent|date=19 January 1995|accessdate=14 September 2017}} Another, Sir Eric Miller, committed suicide while under investigation for the same crime in 1977.{{cite news |title= Obituary: Sir Eric Miller – Former Chairman of Peachy |work=The Times |date=23 September 1977 |page=15 }} Lew Grade and James Goldsmith, who had previously given financial assistance to Williams, also featured.
The name of the list originated in a claim made by Haines{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}} that the original draft had been written on lavender-coloured notepaper. No documentary evidence has been proffered to support this claim, and Wilson and Williams denied it.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}
Reception
Victor Lewis-Smith reviewed the production positively in the Evening Standard.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}} Other reviews were critical,{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}} and drew negative responses from some of those depicted in it. Haines noted what he considered 54 inaccuracies in the production.{{cite news|last=Haines|first=Joe|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3623362/The-truth-about-Wilsons-lavender-list.html|title=The truth about Wilson's 'lavender list'|work=The Telegraph|date=26 February 2006|accessdate=9 November 2021}}
The BBC paid Williams £75,000 in damages for claiming that she conducted an adulterous affair with Wilson, and that she exercised undue influence over the compilation of the list. In an out-of-court settlement, the BBC also agreed to pay an estimated £200,000 in costs and promised never to rebroadcast the film.{{cite news|last=Tryhorn|first=Chris|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/apr/04/bbc.broadcasting|title=BBC pays out over Wilson drama|work=The Guardian|date=4 April 2007|accessdate=9 November 2021}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/oldott/www.offthetelly.co.uk/index5eea.html?p=2518 Review of The Lavender List by Gordon Ridout]
- [https://www.thelavenderlist.com/ Lady Falkender's Official Website of the Lavender List story]
- [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3623362/The-truth-about-Wilsons-lavender-list.html Daily Telegraph article by Joe Haines]
{{Harold Wilson}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lavender List, The}}
Category:2006 British television series debuts
Category:2006 British television series endings
Category:Television series set in the 1970s
Category:BBC television dramas