Representative appearances

• We Went to Disneyland with Bob Iger

  a commemorative coin for the death of Winston Churchill.

• The Controversial Final Years Of Churchill

  Winston Churchill, a giant of history, famous for his inspiring leadership, advanced for Kenya, long live the cause of freedom. But behind the legend lies a complicated character. People tend to see Churchill the icon, Churchill, the bulldog warrior. And of course, that's not the whole story. He was an aristocrat and a man of the people. It says a lot for his charisma and his humility that he was accepted and liked. A trailblazer who also had questionable beliefs. He is an old school imperialist. He calls Indian people the dusky nation. This is the story of the man behind the myth. Using rarelyseen footage, personal photographs, and told by those who knew him well. When my grandfather was at home, everything revolved around him. Seemed to be a natural way of life. This is the real Churchill. This time we'll discover Churchill's final years. This great hero kept fighting until the very end. Churchill's reckless behavior in old age threatens to jeopardize his place in history. Churchill, the British bulldog, is looking much more like a playboy before one of the most elaborate funerals Britain has ever seen seals his legacy for generations to come. You would have been struck by the sense that you yourselves were witnessing history. It's been 17 years since Winston Churchill led the country to victory in the Second World War. The two-time prime minister and celebrated war hero is seeing out his days in style in Monte Carlo. Churchill loved going to Monte Carlo. He loved the glamour of the place. He was someone who always enjoyed mixing with the rich and famous and he enjoyed sailing and cruising. He's staying at the Hotel Deari with his 19-year-old granddaughter, Celia. The Hotel of Parry was very luxurious, 20 steps from the casino and beautiful views overlooking the sea and overlooking the harbor with all the wonderful yachts in it. It was absolutely amazing. Churchill and Celia have been in Monte Carlo for a few days. While Churchill is frail, he's enjoying himself hugely. Then, early one morning, Churchill falls out of bed. The 87year-old lies on the floor, unable to move. He fears this could be the end. After nearly an hour of agony, Churchill's discovered he's rushed to the nearest hospital. Churchill's granddaughter, Celia, and his private secretary, Anthony Montigue Brown, rushed to his bedside. Anthony said, "Scelia, you must prepare yourself. He's not going to make it." and I realized that this was serious. At the hospital, the doctors discovered Churchill's broken his hip and needs emergency surgery. He was lying in bed looking incredibly frail, surrounded by more medical staff than you'd imagine could possibly be in the hospital. And he sort of ratted enough strength and dismissed them all and turned to Anthony and said, "I want to die in England. You'll make sure that happens, won't you?" and he didn't get an instant reply. So he said, "Promise me, Anthony." So Anthony said, "I promise." But as we went back to the hotel, Anthony said, "You know, Celia, that's a promise I don't think I'm going to be able to keep." To carry out Churchill's dying wish, his private secretary acts quickly. He calls Prime Minister Harold McMillan. He's absolutely adamant, as is Churchill, that he should not die in France. Churchill's reputation, Churchill's whole claim to greatness is that he was the man who rescued Britain during the Second World War. So for this British hero to die while in a luxury penthouse in a hotel in the south of France, this is not appropriate. McMillan immediately sends an RAF jet to get Churchill back to Britain alive. The next morning, accompanied by his granddaughter, Churchill starts the journey home. I sat next to him and all I could do was to hold his hand and hope and pray that he would make it. By the time we got to Heathrow, he didn't seem to be any better, but he caught sight of a little group of airport workers and they were absolutely silent and looking distraught and he seemed to get a dose of adrenaline. And he smiled and he gave them a V sign and they clapped and I knew that he was going to be all right. I love that Churchill flashed the V for victory sign as he was on a stretcher. And I think that really dramatically shows his awareness of his public image. By the time he arrives at a central London hospital, crowds have gathered to catch a glimpse of the ailing Churchill. Churchill does appear like a rock star in this footage. Huge crowds gathering around him as he's wheeled out waiting to get a view of their hero. I think it brings home to you the extent that he was an international celebrity in this period. In plaster from thigh to ankle and strapped onto a stretcher, the old warrior was gently lifted up. We all joined Lady Churchill and his family in praying for a complete recovery. 55 days later, Churchill is carried out of the hospital to rounds of applause. When has there been a man to compare with Winston Churchill and what a crush there was to be among the first to see him as the cigar and the V sign become his trademarks. You know, everyone imagines that he was constantly smoking a cigar, but the fact is that the cigar was lit as he went out of the house. He knew he must keep the public happy and give them a cigar and a vis. Less than a year later, Churchill is recovered and on his way back to Monte Carlo. Churchill, the British bulldog. You'd have expected him to spend his time watching cricket, drinking warm beer. very English things, but he can't wait to get out of England and live the life of a sort of luxurious lizard in the south of France. The journey there is a performance. He didn't travel light. He took a huge quantities of luggage. We'd arrive at Nice airport. We'd go with a motorcycle escort from Nice to Monte Carlo and then we'd go to the hotel dear where we would arrive and that's where we'd be staying. my grandfather. He'd have the whole suite on the top floor, which was very nice. Once he's checked in to his usual penthouse suite, Churchill can indulge in one of his lifelong passions, gambling. Gambling and visiting the casinos gave him very genuine enjoyment even when he lost. Churchill having this love of luxury and gambling. This is a side of Churchill which we perhaps gloss over, but it's a very important part of his character. Churchill needed an adrenaline rush in his life. He likes taking risks. That's one of the things that you can argue makes him such an effective war leader. But in peace time, it means that he needs to fulfill that need in other ways. and gambling is something that gives him that. Churchill's wife Clementine doesn't like him gambling. He would lose money and and he would promise them to do it again and then he would do it again. So Churchill tries to indulge in his favorite pastime discreetly. He could go down through a door in the lobby and down into a secret passage which led him under the square and up into the casino so no one knew where he'd gone. But his celebrity follows Churchill wherever he goes. When Churchill goes to the casinos, he is greeted with applause and people treat him as a hero. On one occasion, Frank Sonin Archer came up and shook his hand and said, "I've always wanted to do that." And my grandfather turned to his private sector said, "Who the hell is that?" Having had enough of his fans, Churchill takes a break with his new best friend, millionaire Greek shipping magnet, Aristotle Onasses. For anes, Churchill is something of a trophy. He does tend to collect famous individuals. Churchill, he is the most recognizable man on the planet and so he's looking for retreats and of course Aristotle Anassis can give Churchill the sort of luxury escape that he needs. The two men set sail cruising the Mediterranean on the Christina, the mega yacht of Aristotle Onasses. My grandfather loved traveling on the Christina. He said, "I'm a man of simple tastes, easily satisfied by the best. It was an extraordinary, luxurious, wonderful boat." This is a photograph of the 88-year-old Churchill and Onasses when they came ashore on their cruise. Churchill certainly is entering into the spirit of Monte Carlin. He looks dapper. Churchill here certainly doesn't look like a white hall warrior. He is looking much more like a playboy. If he wasn't giving that famous V sign, it could be any elderly gentleman in the south of France. Churchill's wife, Clementine, isn't happy with his antics in the south of France. She's worried about how they might affect his legacy. Clementine never liked the south of France. She thought it was a sunny place for shady people. She didn't really like the way that everyone sort of fawned over Churchill. She wanted him to enjoy himself, have great holidays, but this was actually rather vulgar. It's not consistent with the popular view of Churchill as being the man who won the war. Here is somebody who is completely comfortable and totally self-indulgent. Churchill doesn't care if his lifestyle is threatening to tarnish his reputation. He thinks he's already set his image for generations to come in print. Churchill was an prolific writer and historian throughout his career and it was by writing history that he sought to control his legacy. This is the man who had stood up in the House of Commons in the late 1940s and said that he thought it was best for all parties to leave the past to history, especially as he was going to write that history himself. In 1953, Churchill published the sixth and final volume of his history of the Second World War. It's no surprise that Churchill's history of the Second World War places him at the heart of events and in particular Dunkirk the moment where the island nation stood alone against Nazi tyranny and was roused by his rhetoric. So by writing a history, he was able to weave the way that the memory of the Second World War was constructed in Britain. Churchill's confident that if he dies tomorrow, his legacy is sealed. So he goes on living his Playboy lifestyle. But what he does next threatens to destroy everything. Winston Churchill is on his way to the Houses of Parliament. He's just got back from his latest jaunt to the French Riviera. But despite being 88 years old, he's still a serving MP. It's hard to think how I could possibly have a longer political career. He first stood in a bi-election in 1899. He achieved the unique feat of switching parties twice. He lost seats and had to change constituencies a number of times. But in spite of that, ended up as the father of the House of Commons, the longest serving MP. Today is a rare visit. Churchill doesn't attend the House of Commons very often anymore. to preserve Churchill's legacy as Britain's great war leader. Many would prefer he stopped attending the House of Commons altogether. One of the big debates for Churchill's inner circle and for the party is how do you persuade someone like Winston Churchill to stand down and finally retire? There was talk about the possibility of him becoming a juke, but he is not at all interested in going to the Lords. He enjoyed being plain Mr. Winston Churchill. And of course, as Mr. Winston Churchill, he knew that he was already on a plane of celebrity that was far above any member of the House of Lords. On arrival, Churchill heads to the bar. Going to the House of Commons. That was what he liked doing. But he couldn't go to the House of Commons unless he remained a member of Parliament. I can quite understand why he wanted to go there. It's like a club. Turning up to the House of Commons only to prop up the bar is damaging Churchill's political reputation, and it's costing him votes. At the last general election, the Conservatives won by a landslide. But Churchill's majority went down. for a new generation of voters born in the 1940s. People who hadn't lived through the Second World War and hadn't seen Churchill's performance during the Second World War. Churchill was the last of the Victorians. This bumbling figure in Victorian clothes walking with a stick. He had very little relevance to the bright new world of the swinging 60s. In this modern world, even Churchill's own party consider him out of date. Of course, there's lots of respect for him and admiration for his achievement, but the Conservative party to survive and win elections can't just rely on older voters. It has to appeal to this new electorate as well. And wheeling out Winston Churchill isn't going to help them do that. Churchill is out of step with mainstream opinion on one of the biggest issues of the day, the end of the British Empire. Kenya is about to gain its independence. For Churchill, the great imperialist, this is a change he just can't get his head around. Churchill was a lifelong believer in Britain and her empire. Churchill was desperate to hold on to that vision of Britain as a great power. He did not want decolonization to jeopardize white supremacy. There's a temptation to fall back on the tired narrative that these historical figures are products of their time as if to imply that their racism was more acceptable back then. But British attitudes towards colonization was starting to turn. Churchill was in this sense out of touch with the British public. Unable to stop the end of his beloved empire, Churchill becomes increasingly downbeat about his political legacy. He'd said in 1942 that he would not become the king's first minister in order to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire. Nonetheless, the empire which he wanted to preserve is clearly on its way out. He says on at least one occasion, I have achieved everything only to achieve nothing. Eventually, Churchill's wife, Clementine, persuades the 89year-old he must retire. This photo was taken of him as he made his way to the House of Commons for the final time. It's a really interesting image. He is considerably more frail. I love the fact that he's still got his navy polka dot bow tie on though. That's something he's worn throughout his career. It's almost like his sort of political uniform. Churchill has served longer than any other MP in the 20th century. Yet, there's no fanfare during his final visit. Proceedings went on as usual. Nobody noticed when Churchill entered the chamber. He sat down in his usual seat and listened a bit to the debate and then he left the chamber. Churchill walked past the speaker's chair on his way out of the chamber. He turned very awkwardly cuz he was very stiff and bowed to the speaker and walked on. And that was his final goodbye to the House of Commons. Out of politics for the first time in 65 years, Churchill retreats to Kent and his muchloved country home, Chartwell. What you see is a gradual withdrawing into himself. He's clearly no longer capable of the sustained repartee and conversation that he'd been famous for in the past. The things that he takes pleasure from become simpler and simpler to the extent where he enjoys sitting and watching the butterflies in the garden at Chartwell. It's already been decided that this home of the great man is so important it should be preserved. When Churchill dies, it will be given to the National Trust and open to the public. Of course, all of our homes change in terms of decor and use of spaces over time. So, they have to pick a particular point to represent. Churchill's wife, Clementine, spots an opportunity. She starts thinking about how Chartwell could help to shape his legacy. Clementine orders it to be restored to how it had been in its heyday. It's no longer reconfigured as it was to accommodate an elderly man. The grab rails will have to go. Clementine doesn't want people to remember her husband as a daughtering old man. I think it's particularly interesting to think about Lady Churchill curating her husband's legacy. It's Lady Churchill's wish that Chartwell reflect the golden age of Chartwell, which in her mind was the late 20s and 1930s. in those years in the leadup to the Second World War. Clementine sees herself as one of the key guardians for Churchill's legacy and she certainly wasn't afraid to play an active role in shaping that legacy and also removing parts of it that she didn't feel were appropriate. 10 years ago, she took against a portrait given to Churchill by the House of Commons on his 80th birthday. She had it burned. The portrait is a remarkable example of modern art. My grandmother wasn't going to let it see the light of day. She thought it was very unflattering. She would like him to looked as he looked in his finest arm, not as he looked as a very old 80-year-old with his fly buttons looking as though they were about to come undone. It was a very unattractive picture. Churchill's 90th birthday is approaching fast. He and Clementine leave Chartwell and make their way to their London home to celebrate. When he left Chartwell in the autumn of 1964, he didn't know that he wouldn't come back again to the home that he loved. But as this extraordinary life comes to a close, Churchill's fighting spirit will go on to the very end. It's Winston Churchill's 90th birthday. He's celebrating with his family at his London home. We were all around the table and it wasn't a very jolly affair. He was s sitting there and he wasn't really part of the situation. He wasn't aware of what was going on. He was very very very old. Those who were around Churchill in those final years were incredibly protective and discreet. Churchill's mental health is something that was not discussed at the time, but it is clear that it was declining. It would be surprising, given his age, if there hadn't been signs of dementia. Now Churchill's finally retired, Clementine hopes her husband can have a quiet and dignified end. At Sir Winston's house in Hide Park Gate, crowds of well-wishes braved the wintry weather during the birthday celebration of the greatest living Englishman. Among the throng are dozens of television cameras and reporters. Churchill goes to the window to greet the crowds. He's wearing one of his velvet one piece siren suits that he wore during the Second World War. He's clearly very frail, but you can see that even now he still wants to play this role. There are huge numbers of crowds there, plenty of umbrellas showing that they're withstanding the elements in order to be there and Lady Churchill there on hand to help her husband. And then she very purposefully closes the window. She's prepared to allow the crowd a glimpse of him, but no more. For Lady Churchill, Winston came first, second, and third. She poured so much of her time and energy into not only supporting her husband, but advising and being an absolute rock for him throughout their entire marriage. She wants to make sure that his legacy is secured and is keen to do whatever she can to support the continuation of his legacy. Less than a month after his 90th birthday, Churchill has a major stroke and needs roundthe-clock care, but there's still plenty of life in him. Patience was a virtue with which he was totally unacquainted. There are lots of stories about Churchill's refusal to conform with doctor's orders. There's no doubt that he was stubborn and that if he wanted to do something, then he would make it happen. He would still smoke cigars in bed and occasionally set light to the sheets. He wasn't an easy patient. Behind the scenes, top secret plans for what should happen when Churchill finally dies swing into action. These plans, cenamed Operation Hope Not, were first drawn up over 10 years ago and come from the very top. Queen Elizabeth II decides that Winston Churchill will have a state funeral. It is at the monarch's discretion. It's an incredibly rare event in history. Only a handful of individuals have ever been given state funerals. The Queen has known Winston Churchill all of her life. They met first when she was just 2 years old. Having witnessed his role as prime minister in the Second World War. Queen Elizabeth II made arrangements that Winston Churchill should be given a funeral, to use her words, on a scale befitting his position in history. And so from that point onwards, the scale of proceedings grew and grew as time went on. There was a growing sense that he should at the end of his life have an occasion which could be witnessed by as many people as possible. It's very clear that this is going to be an enormous public occasion. When the story gets out that Churchill is seriously ill, his London home is surrounded by people. I arrived at the flat in Hide Park Gate and it was crowds of journalists and people and it was just jam-packed. It becomes a media circus with Churchill's doctor, Lord Morren, giving updates on his health from the doorstep and there has been a cereble thrombosis. Each day the crowds grow larger. Eventually, Clementine asks people to move away from the house. From a distance, the vigil continues as Churchill's health dominates the news. The headline of that newspaper is very significant. It's this is the story of Winston battling death. The story gets told as another example of this great hero struggling in adversity. He kept fighting until the very end. Not everyone is speaking in hush tones around the dying Churchill. Churchill's a symbol of the old order. He becomes a target for the satists. Private eye is founded in 1963 and they start referring to Churchill as the greatest dying Englishman. The legacy Churchill and Clementine have worked so hard to shape is under threat. After several days, Churchill is showing no signs of recovery. His son-in-law, Christopher Ss, arrives to sit at Churchill's bedside. He turns to SS and says, "I am so bored of it all." and then slips into a coma. Churchill's last words, I'm so bored with it all, is very surprising really. Given Churchill's concern with his reputation, you might have expected that Churchill would come up with some witty oneliner, but there was nothing like that. These words, I'm so bored with it all, is such a human emotion, isn't it? 10 days later on the 24th of January 1965, Churchill's family are gathered around his bedside. He had his marmalade cat curled up by his side. It was quite clear what was happening. And he was breathing and breathing and then suddenly he took three long breaths and that was it. The silence exactly 70 years earlier to the day his father Lord Randolph Churchill passed away. But you've not just got that coincidence. There is this incredible fact that for the last 10 years of his life, he has been telling people that he is convinced he is going to pass away on the same day that his father did. Churchill was holding out to die on the same day of his father. A man who had such an influence and impact on his life. Churchill was arguably always trying to prove himself to the memory of his father. And I think what you're seeing here may be the last example of that Churchillian spirit and will in holding out to die on that day. Churchill has died, but his story isn't over. When his long-awwaited funeral finally gets underway, many hope this historic sendoff will unite the nation as never before. It's 3 days since Winston Churchill died. In central London, they're holding a full-scale rehearsal for his state funeral. An event it's hoped will define his legacy as the greatest Englishman for generations to come. The somnity of the procession is very very carefully choreographed. Nothing was being left to chance. Years of planning have gone into Churchill's funeral. But some are concerned that all this pageantry could strike the wrong note in 1960s Britain. You've got to think that at this point you're in the height of the swinging 60s. You are in one of the most exciting cities in the world. We have the satire boom. We have the Beatles. But Churchill's funeral points to an older traditional model of British greatness. In the East End, there's already a problem. After the funeral service, Churchill's coffin is to be carried down the temps, and it's been decided that the cranes of the Docklands should lower their jibs out of respect for the great man. But the dock workers are refusing to do it. We shouldn't assume that everyone admired Churchill as a great man. Because we're usually so preoccupied with the Second World War when we talk about Churchill, we can forget what an incredibly contentious figure he was. Eventually, the Dockers agreed to take part in the funeral for a price. 3 days before Churchill's funeral, the doors of Westminster Hall open for the public to pay their respects as Churchill lies in state. When Winston Churchill dies, he has been the longest serving politician of the 20th century. And so it is fitting that the lying in state take place in Westminster. The scene has been carefully composed. The way that it has been laid out is that your eye is drawn completely to the coffin in the middle, draped in the Union flag, beautifully lit by these candles around the edge. You would have been struck by the sense that you yourself were witnessing history. The public response is overwhelming. Over the course of 3 days, 300,000 people queue in freezing conditions to pay their respects. Among them is Churchill's former secretary, Lady Williams. I remember taking my son to walk past. So, it gets me very upset. I find it too overwhelming. You know, we all who work for him. We love him deep. Even those who have never met Churchill are moved. People felt that they knew him personally. Many of them would have heard Churchill's voice over the airwaves during World War II. Many of them had been in the armed forces or they had been civilians who might have been subjected to bombing raids. This is a kind of elegy for the profound experience of World War II. Some of the memories of which may have become rose tinted with time. The day of Churchill's funeral arrives at 9:45. Big Ben tolls. The coffin of the man who led Britain to victory in the Second World War begins its procession. Not since the last century has the honor of a state funeral been accorded to a commoner. But who more worthy of it than this man who provided us with an image of ourselves as we would wish to be? For those who were lining the streets of London on the day of Winston Churchill's state funeral, it would have felt almost like they've been transported back in time. You're in the height of the swinging 60s and yet for one gray day in January in London is taken over by this pageantry that seems of an age long gone. Over half a million people are lining the streets to watch Churchill's funeral procession. The crowd was silent and my sister and I were in the same carriage, but it was an extraordinary journey. The crowds were so close, you could see the tears in their eyes and it was terribly moving. Along with the mourers, there are 36 cameras along the route broadcasting the event live to a global audience of 350 million people. Britain may have lost its empire, but it can still put on a show. Churchill's funeral is a spectacular epic event. Very, very carefully designed to be covered by the media and in particular by television. Every single thing along the way is designed to celebrate his role as a wartime hero. You've got the 19 gun salute. You've got the fly past. You've got thousands of soldiers lining the route. Cavalry officers in their plumemed helmets and their red cakes. You've got the guards regiments in their bare skins. You've got sailors in blue who are pulling the gun carriages. Churchill's funeral allows Britain's watching on the streets and at home to feel great again because he connects them with the country's finest hour. With Britain's empire at an end, Britain returned to its glory days. and its glory days was its victory in the Second World War. And Churchill personified that victory. The funeral procession arrives at St. Paul's Cathedral for Churchill's memorial service. St. Paul's Cathedral is a really interesting choice. It's arguably more intuitive given his role as politician to have had it at Westminster Abbey, but we know that symbolism played its part in the decision. During the Blitz, St. Paul's miraculous survival became a symbol of British endurance. So it is perhaps fitting then that this building associated with British wartime resilience should host the funeral of the figurehead of the nation spirit of resilience at that time. We are assembled here on the occasion of the burial of a great man. During the service, despite her grief, Churchill's widow, Clementine, is the model of composure. She summons every ounce of her own strength that she will not show her own emotions that day. She's incredibly dignified. That's how she wanted it all to be. After the service, Churchill's coffin is taken by barge down the tempames to Waterlue station. Having been paid off, it's time for the dock workers to play their part. As the barge with his coffin in it went down the temps, the cranes were made to bow in reverence, and it was very moving. With that final flourish, this extraordinary event designed to seal Churchill's place in history is over. At the end of her husband's funeral, Clementine turns to her daughter Mary and says, "It wasn't a funeral. It was a triumph." Churchill is now the embodiment of Britain's victory in the Second World War. And it is this that will be his legacy. That image of Churchill leading his country to victory in the Second World War is so powerful that it eclipses much that he did before the war and much that he did afterwards. And it makes it hard to pull his whole career, good and bad, into perspective. At 3:30, Churchill's coffin arrives at a small churchyard in Bladen, Oxfordshire for a private burial. Churchill is buried within sight of his birthplace at Blenhin Palace, also the place where he proposed to Clementine. Here, according to his wishes, Churchill is interred alongside his father. One of the things that had driven Churchill all the way through his life was to prove himself to the memory of his father and to prove himself worthy of his lineage. It was a very simple service. There were a few prayers and the coffin was lowered into the grave. As the coffin was lowered, Clementine muttered these words, you know, I will be with you again. And it was a very private and a very tender moment. Away from the crowds and the cameras, Churchill, the man, not the legend, is put to rest.

• Winston Churchill: The Man Who Changed History Forever | FULL DOCUMENTARY

  Main subject of the documentary; appears in numerous historical clips and audio recordings of his speeches.

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