Isn't Michael Portillo adorable as a TV presenter?

[Beachtastic]

I grew up with the caricatures of him in Spitting Image and Private Eye, and could easily have written him off as a joke. So I'm glad he got to produce his fabulous train programmes - one of the few things my mum could watch with pleasure. Now that she's gone, I find myself watching his series again with great nostalgia and affection - not just thinking back to shared moments with her, but also pure appreciation of him!

The way he sails serenely across railway platforms, with that slow steam-ship upright gait... his lovely rosy, cheerful face... his bright jackets and trousers... the valiant way he pronounces alien names (quite convincingly, to my ear)... his genuine interest in people from all walks of life... his ability to make dull subjects fascinating... his absolute lack of ego: he really doesn't mind having a go at absolutely anything, not caring if he looks a chump (which means he never does)!

Perhaps because of his background he was a euro sceptic?

He was so gracious about his defeat in 1997, I always felt sorry for him that that was the moment people remembered. Rather than the obnoxious David Mellor's rant when he was ousted (or indeed Liz Truss in the last election).

Agree he's a delightful TV presenter. Does make you wonder which other TV presenters we would have hated as politicians.

That's a good point! I mean I loved Eric Morecambe, but doubt he would have made a brilliant politician 🤔

Alan Carr might do quite well, though - I could see him accidentally steering the country to dizzying new heights... and just blushing and flapping if pressed for his strategic vision!

Pretty sure that if Richard Miller from Great Pottery Throwdown came into power somehow, the world would be a better place. Although politics is weird, in that all policies tend to backfire and have the reverse effect. So maybe the sweetest man on telly would go down in history as some kind of Caligula!

This really is a nice thread!

I hope Mrs Portillo is equally as lovely , I may be thinking of going to see him on tour (DH was less interested in going)

The Tories in the 80s and 90s were no where near as right wing as now and he wasnt anywhere near that either as an individual

I think there should be a category on the forum for threads like this. I started one recently about Sue Pollard. It was marvellous and everyone enjoyed it.

So I see! 💗

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5517563-sue-pollard

I hesitate to mention this for fear of making this thread too political, but you've reminded me of the time I attended a dinner at which Wes Streeting was the guest of honour. He was definitely somebody who only spoke to the Very Important People. I am reasonably high profile in my industry and am used to people wanting to talk to me at dinners, so it was very humbling being completely ignored by Streeting - at one point I tried to speak to him and his aides ushered him away 😂

Ohhh!!!

I'm sure lovely Michael would have treated you very differently. 🤩

Re Su Pollard (gentle detour above), hmmm. I find her a bit scary. Michael P is calm and solid and slow-moving. She's more like a meerkat, jumpy and excitable. Also there's bright clothing (Mr P!) and "bright" clothing, bless her.

Sorry this sounds like an Amazon product comparison!

Yes, huge fan. DH is a trainspotter (was a train driver) and calls him Michael Portaloo. He is a fan too.

Bit slow on the uptake here, Ive commented on this thread but just realised there is a new series where he is travelling on trains in Asia. Watching him eat bread in Samarkand at the moment.

I was interviewed by him last summer for the next railway series. It’s not being aired for ages but he was honestly lovely. I am positive I came across as a gabbling idiot but he was super relaxed. He said they do 2 locations a day on that show for 8 days straight!

He’s had some new jackets made for the Asia trip 🤩

Ive always wanted to visit all the stans. Love this series. Im on Bukhara now.

He does like to tuck in! 🥰

I'm working my way steadily through the backlog of railways journeys he's taken all over the place. In the course of my Google deep dive, I found he's had a model locomotive named after him.

www.locomotionmodels.com/railway-icons/future-releases/n-gauge-gbrf-railway-200-class-66s/sound-fitted_1

Oh don't!! That's too adorable.

Have you pre-ordered?

🤣

I would pre-order my own Mr P, but not a toy train! Although perhaps by the time I've finished working my way through his series, I'll be a model railway fanatic!

I had the same experience. He was at a work event I was at - very small and intimate and at very nice London location. He was utterly charming and fitted right in and sat talking trains and tv with me for ages . Lovely man.

This is just how I imagined!

I found this really nice interview. Among other things, he explains his brightly coloured clothes:

You have to understand that for 30 years in politics, I wore a dark suit, white shirt and sober tie. All that time I was repressed and all these colours were welling up inside me! They have now burst forth in a virulent form. My favourite style is wild contrast between jacket and trouser, preferably at opposite extremes of the colour chart, such as purple and yellow. I like to tell people that I am colour blind and dress in the dark, but the real reason is that I enjoy doing the unexpected and (I hope) making people laugh. I buy opportunistically if I see something outrageous for sale on my travels, but mainly I have clothes made by Volpe in Denbigh Street in London.

I love "burst forth in a virulent form" and can just picture him saying it!!! 🥰🥰🥰

https://www.journeybeyond.com/on-track-with-michael-portillo/

Oh and this, about the program where he tries being a single mum on benefits:

The programme turned out to be funny. Jenny’s kids ran rings round me and living on a low income was a challenge. When I cracked an egg, which fell onto the filthy kitchen floor, I had to scoop it up and put it in the pan, because there was no money for another egg. My signature dish, a banana trifle, was not well received by the children, who balefully scoured the empty kitchen cupboards for snacks. When I substituted for Jenny in a supermarket job, I was given a blue and green tracksuit style uniform, with matching blue and green baseball cap, and a badge that read: “Mickey will be pleased to help you.” I don’t want to claim too much for the experience, as I lived on benefit levels only for one week, whereas the real struggle is to do that every week. I will say that I thought the system worked well for Jenny’s family, since she was encouraged to go to work and be independent, receiving top-up benefits that helped her to cope with four children. Through the television program, Jenny saw her life from the outside for a week and commented that she would not want to swap it for another. Nonetheless, she now lives in Australia!

We are big fans of his Spanish and Portuguese adventures too in this house. Except Mr lifeisgoodrightnow can’t help roll his eyes as I bang on about how lovely Michael is during every episode :-) .

DH and I love him too. Currently watching the Japan series and we enjoy the clips at the start so much, that we never skip them and laugh in advance.

I wonder if Justine would consider inviting him for a Q & A session - @mnhq

Michael Portillo is absolutely our favourite presenter. He is kind, witty and an excellent communicator. Different age groups in our family watch him, and we all agree!