The shocking truth behind Churchill's great speeches interview

Toby DeWinter

This weekend is Remembrance Sunday, where all over Britain people remember those lost or injured in war throughout our history.

We spoke to historian and television personality Toby DeWinter (pictured) about the significance of the poppy, the centenary of the start of World War I and the revelations in his new BBC Four series, Churchill: The Lost Interviews.

Hi Toby. How are you?

I'm great thanks, just sipping a macchiato and wishing it were summer!

As a historian, tell us what Remembrance day means to you...

Well obviously most people would describe it as a time for reflection; to remember the dead and consider their sacrifices to bring us democracy and peace. I have to say though, that I love all the buzz and activity around Remembrance Day, it really gets everyone talking about history, which is a good thing for a us historians; it keeps us in work! [Laughs]

And how will you be spending this Sunday?

I'm giving a talk at the British Underground Museum of Military Events and Records, it's basically like the Imperial War Museum, but a little less mainstream, and without those rather large guns out front! I would highly recommend coming along, it'll be a great day and the talk is shaping up to be an absolute corker!

Toby DeWinter

What is your talk going to be about?

Without spoiling it for my fans; I'll be talking about World War II for about two hours, then I plan on distributing some poppies during the inevitable long Q&A session.

I'll also be signing books, albums and possibly t-shirts afterwards, as well as discussing my new series: Churchill: The Lost Interviews with anyone who can't wait until next year to find out more.

Poppies are a powerful symbol associated with World War I in particular, tell us more about their significance.

My undergraduate dissertation was on the significance of the poppy in post-war British society, so I have to confess to being a bit of an expert on that particular topic!

The poppy is of course, inspired by a poem (In Flanders Fields by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae), what's less well-known is that there is an original 'fourth verse' of the poem that was removed for being extremely sexually descriptive. I blushed when I first read it as a schoolboy I don't mind saying! It's rarely published in the standard compilations, you have to get it by mail-order or in specialist military bookshops.

This year is a special one, as it's the Centenary of the start of the First World War...

Absolutely, it's a really important milestone, one hundred years since all those brave men first went off to fight for Britain against the evil Hun. Whilst on the one hand it's been so long since that time, to me it still feels extremely close, and every time I am in a busy crowd of people, waiting for a train or going to watch a film; I always think back to those men, and how similar their lives were to ours, apart from all the bullets and killing.

Your new series 'Churchill: The Lost Interviews' is due to be on TV next year, tell us about it.

Well in a nutshell it's about the recently uncovered interviews with Churchill late in his life, over forty hours of never-before-seen footage - it was the historical equivalent of sunken treasure. Only there was no need for me to get into my wetsuit this time! [Toby famously donned a wetsuit full of beans 2008 as part of a charity event]

Churchill Lost Tapes

The fact that Churchill had a secret 'true accent' for his close friends and family was a major revelation in the uncovered film footage wasn't it?

It was certainly an exciting revelation for us in the academic community, especially for me personally as I've been obsessed with Sir Winston ever since I did my doctorate on his eating and drinking habits.

The amazing revelation around his accent turned our understanding of Churchill's inner world completely on its head, it was back to square one and anyone's opinion was valid. That's what inspired me to write the book on which the series is based, available in all good bookshops, it's a perfect Christmas gift!

How does it feel to be described as a 'pop historian' alongside other young academics such as Dan Snow and Janina Ramirez?

Well I've been told I was a pop star before [Toby fronted new wave revival band The DeWinters], so in a sense that's old news! But of course anything that gets history into peoples' minds is a good thing, and both Dan and Nina are close friends of mine, so I'm very happy to see them doing so well.

What's does 2015 hold for you?

After the series airs I have a book tour to promote alongside it, and then hopefully I can finally start work on that autobiography everyone keeps asking about, I'm super excited already!

Below is some footage from Toby's forthcoming BBC Four documentary, in which Sir Winston can be observed talked about The London Blitz. It would appear that Churchill was indeed not at all like we all had thought...

You can find out more about Toby and view more exclusive video extracts of Churchill's interviews via www.churchillinterviews.co.uk

Toby is on Twitter with the username: @HisTobyDW

Published: Sunday 9th November 2014

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