Giles Watling | |
---|---|
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] |
Parent |
|
Relatives |
Deborah Watling (sister) Dilys Watling (maternal half-sister) |
Education | Forest School |
Occupation | Actor, politician |
Giles Francis Watling (born 18 February 1953) is a British Conservative Party politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Clacton since 2017. [3] Prior to entering politics, he was an actor.
Giles Watling was born on 18 February 1953 in Chingford, London, to actress Patricia Hicks and actor Jack Watling. He was privately educated at Forest School in Walthamstow. [4] Watling is the younger brother of the actress Deborah Watling and the younger half-brother of actress Dilys Watling.
Watling has worked extensively in British theatre and on television, and is probably best known for his portrayal of the vicar Oswald in Carla Lane's series Bread. [5] He has also directed several UK touring theatre productions, and took on the role of Bob in the UK tour of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 2013. Watling 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]
Watling 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 in the Clacton by-election and was adopted following a public meeting on 11 September 2014. [5] [8] [9] At the by-election, Watling came second with 24.6% of the vote behind the incumbent UKIP MP Douglas Carswell. [10]
At the 2015 general election, Watling again stood for election in Clacton, again coming second with 44.4% of the vote behind Douglas Carswell. [11] [12]
Watling was elected to Parliament as MP for Clacton at the snap 2017 general election with 61.2% of the vote and a majority of 15,828. [13] [14] [15] [16] He was again re-elected as MP for Clacton at the 2019 general election with an increased vote share of 72.3% and an increased majority of 24,702. [17]
Following an interim report on the connections between colonialism and properties now in the care of the National Trust, including links with historic slavery, Watling was among the signatories of a letter to The Telegraph in November 2020 from the Common Sense Group of Conservative parliamentarians. The letter accused the National Trust of being "coloured by cultural Marxist dogma, colloquially known as the ' woke agenda'". [18]
In April 2023, he faced reselection from local party members for the next general election, [19] and was duly adopted as the party's candidate the following month. [20]
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 |
2012 | Run for Your Wife | Man in pub |
bbcconstituency2
was invoked but never defined (see the
help page).{{
cite press release}}
: CS1 maint: others (
link)
Giles Watling | |
---|---|
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] |
Parent |
|
Relatives |
Deborah Watling (sister) Dilys Watling (maternal half-sister) |
Education | Forest School |
Occupation | Actor, politician |
Giles Francis Watling (born 18 February 1953) is a British Conservative Party politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Clacton since 2017. [3] Prior to entering politics, he was an actor.
Giles Watling was born on 18 February 1953 in Chingford, London, to actress Patricia Hicks and actor Jack Watling. He was privately educated at Forest School in Walthamstow. [4] Watling is the younger brother of the actress Deborah Watling and the younger half-brother of actress Dilys Watling.
Watling has worked extensively in British theatre and on television, and is probably best known for his portrayal of the vicar Oswald in Carla Lane's series Bread. [5] He has also directed several UK touring theatre productions, and took on the role of Bob in the UK tour of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 2013. Watling 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]
Watling 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 in the Clacton by-election and was adopted following a public meeting on 11 September 2014. [5] [8] [9] At the by-election, Watling came second with 24.6% of the vote behind the incumbent UKIP MP Douglas Carswell. [10]
At the 2015 general election, Watling again stood for election in Clacton, again coming second with 44.4% of the vote behind Douglas Carswell. [11] [12]
Watling was elected to Parliament as MP for Clacton at the snap 2017 general election with 61.2% of the vote and a majority of 15,828. [13] [14] [15] [16] He was again re-elected as MP for Clacton at the 2019 general election with an increased vote share of 72.3% and an increased majority of 24,702. [17]
Following an interim report on the connections between colonialism and properties now in the care of the National Trust, including links with historic slavery, Watling was among the signatories of a letter to The Telegraph in November 2020 from the Common Sense Group of Conservative parliamentarians. The letter accused the National Trust of being "coloured by cultural Marxist dogma, colloquially known as the ' woke agenda'". [18]
In April 2023, he faced reselection from local party members for the next general election, [19] and was duly adopted as the party's candidate the following month. [20]
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 |
2012 | Run for Your Wife | Man in pub |
bbcconstituency2
was invoked but never defined (see the
help page).{{
cite press release}}
: CS1 maint: others (
link)