Giles Watling
Giles Watling | |
|---|---|
 Official Parliamentary portrait, December 2019 | |
| Member of Parliament for Clacton | |
| Assumed office 8 June 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Douglas Carswell |
| Majority | 24,702 (56.8%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Giles Francis Watling[1] 18 February 1953 Chingford, Essex, England |
| Political party | Conservative[2] |
| Spouse(s) | Vanda Brinkworth (m. 1979) |
| Children | 2 |
| Mother | Patricia Hicks |
| Father | Jack Watling |
| Relatives | Deborah Watling (sister) Dilys Watling (maternal half-sister) |
| Education | Forest School |
| Occupation | Actor, politician |
Giles Francis Watling (born 18 February 1953) is an English actor and British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Clacton since 2017.[3]
Early life and education[]
Born in Chingford to actress Patricia Hicks and actor Jack Watling, Giles Watling was educated at Forest School in Walthamstow.[4] He is the younger brother of the actress Deborah Watling and the younger half-brother of actress Dilys Watling. The Watlings are all direct descendants of the 19th-century antiquarian/artist Hamlet Watling.[citation needed]
Career[]
Watling has worked extensively in the British theatre and on television, but is probably best known for the role of the vicar Oswald in Carla Lane's series Bread.[5] He has also directed several UK touring theatre productions. He took on the role of Bob in the UK Tour of 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert' in 2013, and serves on the Board of Directors at The Royal Theatrical Fund, a charity in aid of any person in need who has professionally practised or contributed to the theatrical arts.[6]
He was a Conservative councillor for Frinton ward on Tendring District Council, having been first elected in the 2007 United Kingdom local elections.[7] On 10 September 2014 he was shortlisted in the Conservatives' Clacton open primary to decide the party's candidate against Douglas Carswell in the Clacton by-election and was adopted following a public meeting on 11 September 2014.[5][8][9] He lost the by-election in 2014 and the general election in 2015, but was elected in the general election in 2017. Compared with a 24.6% share of the vote he took in the 2014 by-election, his vote share was 72.3% in the 2019 general election.
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 1979–1980 | 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 |
| 1988–1991 | 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 |
References[]
- ^ "No. 61961". The London Gazette. 19 June 2017. p. 11782.
- ^ Mason, Rowena (11 September 2014). "Conservatives select former 1980s television star to fight Ukip in Clacton". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ^ "Giles Watling - Search - UK Parliament". beta.parliament.uk.
- ^ "Watling, Giles Francis, (born 18 Feb. 1953), MP (C) Clacton, since 2017". Who's Who. 2017. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.289481.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Two Conservative councillors to fight Clacton primary". BBC News. 10 September 2014.
- ^ "Clacton: Bread's Giles Watling to stand for Conservatives". BBC News. 10 September 2014.
- ^ "Councillor Watling G F". Tendring District Council. 3 May 2007. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ^ James Dwan (10 September 2014). "TORY 'open primary' candidates for Clacton by-election are Frinton actor Giles Watling and Colchester councillor Sue Lissimore". Clacton & Frinton Gazette. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ^ "Two candidates shortlisted for the Clacton by-election". Conservativehome.com. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
External links[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Giles Watling. |
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
- Giles Watling at IMDb
Authority control  |
|---|
- 1953 births
- English male stage actors
- Living people
- People from Chingford
- People from Loughton
- 20th-century English male actors
- English male television actors
- Male actors from London
- Conservative Party (UK) councillors
- Councillors in Essex
- British actor-politicians
- 21st-century English male actors
- UK MPs 2017–2019
- UK MPs 2019–present
- People educated at Forest School, Walthamstow
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies