Born:
January 03, 1945
in
Kendal
Best Known For:
Presenting the series Monarchy.
Early-life:
Born in Kendal on January 3, 1945, the son of a cleaner and a factory worker. As a child, he suffered from polio and two club feet, which required him to undergo a number of operations and wear calipers. At the age of 13, he suffered a breakdown, which he believes may have been brought on by the pressures of starting grammar school. However, when he returned after a six-month break, he did extremely well and eventually won a scholarship to study history at Cambridge, where he went on to gain a first, a PhD and a fellowship.
Career:
After eight years of teaching at Cambridge, Starkey moved to the London School of Economics. He also began a media career and made his TV debut alongside Russell Harty in a Granada series called Behave Yourself. However, he only really came to prominence as a panellist on the Radio 4 programme The Moral Maze - his outspoken contributions caused one paper to dub him 'the rudest man in Britain'. Since then, he's presented TV series including Henry VIII, Elizabeth, Edward and Mary: The Unknown Tudors and Monarchy. He has also published several successful books.
Quote:
"The historian is a storyteller. You're also a teacher and all the great teachers are slightly mad."
Trivia:
He was awarded a CBE in 2007.