to think David Starkey is an utter ****

[lessonsintightropes]

Anyone else watching Question Time? His utter, utter contempt for tube workers and the audience has pushed me from being slightly anti-striker to competely pro because of his horribly entitled and offensive responses. He can't even name Bob Crow correctly (called him Bill). Now I hate Bob Crow as much as the next person and am as grumpy as the next London commuter about the strike (OK, a bit less as I live in South London).... but the Mayor has refused to even meet the Union for five years, so I can see that there might be legitimate unheard grievances. This shower of ignorance just appears to be ignoring all of it and throwing petrol on the fire...

Wish I'd seen it

As said above, he is a toddler saying PooBumWilly in the hope that someone will react. Please don't fall for it.

I should make it clear that I mean history level. I didn't choose to read his turgid nonsense.

Ahem. History A level .

DoctorQuinn do you really think Galloway and Starkey are national treasures?

I remember him being interviewed on the radio a few years ago, can't remember exactly what it was about, but some issue surrounding women. I was slack jawed with horror within moments, having only seen his Tudor series before that.

Seixst racist prick. And, I imagine, adores Elizabeth I to the point that if you even dared suggest the possibility that she HAD slept with Robert Duddley to him, he would spontaneously combust. Do suspect The Virgin Queen is about the only woman he likes in any way.

Cuntbadger.

Starkey is not a national treasure, not in my treasure trove anyway, he is an irritating cliche.

I did not stab him with anything.

He got his first telly job on the basis of being controversial and quirky-looking. He was put forward for it by a former student working in telly.

In other words, they aren't hiring him for his history, any more than they hire Hatie Kopkins for her business experience. They get air time because they generate debate.

The tellyists don't give a shit if we agree or not, so long as we talk about it.

Happy to see he doesn't have his documentary gig on Channel 4 anymore. Maybe that's what's made the poor diddums so angry.

On 5Live afterwards, Stephen Nolan remarked on what a good edition QT had been because it was so lively. It's as though the programme makers think anything where people get het up is a sign of quality broadcasting, never mind that the standard of debate was just woeful. I actually feel quite upset at how bad it was - there are so many clever, thoughtful, well-informed people we could hear from, why do they have to book ignorant, insulting, self-promoters?

I think he just plays a caricature of Moral Maze persona these days, really.

I can't really judge him as a Tudor historian as I've only seen him on telly and haven't read any of his research; but, outside of his own historical era, he is just as 'partial, prejudiced and ignorant' as any other lay person, IME.

I could sort of tolerate his wrongheaded political opinions if he didn't shower everyone else, especially women, with such contempt.

And if he learned a few basic manners.

Oh, sod it.

That should read 'his Moral Maze persona' and: 'his own specialist historical era'.

I wasn't trying to imply that he's a dinosaur or out of touch or anything.

There again...

He's surprisingly good on Katherine Howard.

He's a horrible man. He said some astonishingly racist things back during the London riots even quoting the Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood' speech on Newsnight.