The Alan Clark Diaries

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''The Alan Clark Diaries'' is a 2004

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television serial dramatising the diaries of the controversial British

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

politician

Alan Clark Alan Kenneth Mackenzie Clark (13 April 1928 – 5 September 1999) was a British Conservative Member of Parliament (MP), author and diarist. He served as a junior minister in Margaret Thatcher's governments at the Departments of Employment, Tra ...

. The six-episode series debuted on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

on 15 January 2004, and was later repeated on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

Episodes

''March of the Grey Men''

In the run up to the 1983 general election Clark dreams of escaping the backbenches and becoming a minister. Clark is returned as MP for

Plymouth Sutton Plymouth, Sutton was, from 1918 until 2010, a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. History Pl ...

and subsequently appointed Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Employment by Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...

but finds his secretary disdainful and his briefs turgid and devious. Furthermore, Sir Robert Armstrong, head of the civil service, warns Clark about his personal conduct. Clark attends a wine tasting prior to reading his first bill at the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

and is called up on a

Point of Order In parliamentary procedure, a point of order occurs when someone draws attention to a rules violation in a meeting of a deliberative assembly. Explanation and uses In ''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'' (RONR), a point of order may be rai ...

by opposition MP

Clare Short Clare Short (born 15 February 1946) is a British politician who served as Minister of State for Development, Secretary of State for International Development under Prime Minister Tony Blair from 1997 to 2003. Short was the Member of Parliament ...

for being ''incapable''. The sudden arrival of Leader of the House

John Biffen William John Biffen, Baron Biffen, (3 November 1930 – 14 August 2007), was a British Conservative Party politician. A member of the House of Lords, he was previously a Member of Parliament for over 35 years, and served in Margaret Thatcher's ...

is a clear indication to Clark that he is to be dismissed at the first opportunity.

''The Lady''

Ian Gow Ian Reginald Edward Gow (; 11 February 1937 – 30 July 1990) was a British politician and solicitor. As a member of the Conservative Party, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Eastbourne from 1974 until his assassination by the ...

offers Clark a way to escape the department he has grown to loathe and make his way to the centre of power. Clark submits suggestions for the reform of the Prime Minister's office and enlists

Jonathan Aitken Jonathan William Patrick Aitken (born 30 August 1942) is a British author, Church of England priest, former prisoner and former Conservative Party politician. Beginning his career in journalism, he was elected to Parliament in 1974 (serving unt ...

in his plot but fails to get the appointment to head it. Clark makes his first appearance on

...

Question Time A question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers (including the prime minister), which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be ca ...

hosted by

Sue Lawley Susan Lawley (born 14 July 1946) is a retired English television and radio broadcaster. Her main broadcasting background involved television news and current affairs. From 1988–2006, Lawley was the presenter of ''Desert Island Discs'' on BBC R ...

where he criticises the decision of

Defence Secretary A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

Michael Heseltine Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, (; born 21 March 1933) is a British politician and businessman. Having begun his career as a property developer, he became one of the founders of the publishing house Haymarket. Heseltine served a ...

to purchase a missile system from the US. Clark leaves the 1984 Brighton conference early narrowly avoiding the

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reun ...

hotel bombing but is overlooked in the resulting reshuffle. Racist comments from Clark about Britain's black community result in a press outrage. The resignations over the

Westland affair The Westland affair in 1985–86 was an episode in which Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and her Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Heseltine, went public over a cabinet dispute with questions raised about whether ...

result in Clark's appointment as Minister for Trade.

''Foreign Parts''

Clark takes up his new position as Minister for Trade where he dreams of a position in the cabinet as he sets out on an arduous tour of European states plagued by reports that he is anti-European. Returning home Clark feels worn down by his constant travels and his relationship with Jane is under strain. Re-elected in the 1987 general election but overlooked for cabinet once again Clark holds on determined to get through his anti-fur legislation but following his return from a controversial trip to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

the Prime Minister under pressure from Canada forces him to drop the legislation. A reshuffle gives Clark his long dreamed of position at the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

but it is under new Defence Secretary Tom King a man he considers ghastly.

''Defence of the Realm''

Clark has finally made it into the coveted Ministry of Defence but his triumph is short-lived when he finds himself once again walking on thin ice with his old rival Tom King. All the while, the political temperature is rising —

poll tax A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. Head taxes were important sources of revenue for many governments fr ...

riots rage, the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

breaks out, and The Lady's iron grip on the Tory party appears to be slipping fast.

''Into the Wilderness''

With Thatcher gone and his estate in terminal decline Clark remains in curiously high spirits. In the resulting leadership election Clark supports the ultimately successful

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...

but still finds himself out of favour as he criticises Britain's

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

allies in the run up to the Gulf War and a younger generation of ministers rises up. An affair puts Clark under personal as well as professional pressure and in the mistaken belief that the Conservatives would lose the 1992 general election he announces his decision not to stand for re-election. Clark is thrust once again into the headlines as he finds himself in court over the

Matrix Churchill The Arms-to-Iraq affair concerned the uncovering of the government-endorsed sale of arms by British companies to Iraq, then under the rule of Saddam Hussein. The scandal contributed to the growing dissatisfaction with the Conservative government o ...

scandal. Abandoned and alone in retirement at

Saltwood Castle Saltwood Castle is a castle in Saltwood village, one mile (2 km) north of Hythe, Kent, England. Of 11th century origin, the castle was expanded in the 13th and 14th centuries. After the Norman Conquest, the castle was appropriated by the Arc ...

Clark regrets his decision to leave politics.

''Leaving Home''

Rotting away in retirement Clark dreams of a victorious return to the House of Commons. When Chelsea MP Sir

Nicholas Scott Sir Nicholas Paul Scott (5 August 1933 – 6 January 2005) was a British Conservative Party politician. He was a liberal, pro-European Conservative who became President of the Tory Reform Group. During his time in the House of Commons he ser ...

finds himself embroiled in scandal Clark starts pushing for the seat. Despite attempts to make Clark the scapegoat for the

Arms-to-Iraq The Arms-to-Iraq affair concerned the uncovering of the government-endorsed sale of arms by British companies to Iraq, then under the rule of Saddam Hussein. The scandal contributed to the growing dissatisfaction with the Conservative government o ...

scandal the

Scott Inquiry The Scott Report (the ''Report of the Inquiry into the Export of Defence Equipment and Dual-Use Goods to Iraq and Related Prosecutions'') was a judicial inquiry commissioned in 1992 after reports surfaced of previously restricted arms sales to ...

clears him. Initially rejected by Chelsea further scandals for Scott result in Clark's eventual selection for the newly merged seat of Kensington and Chelsea. The 1997 general election sees Clark's victorious return to the House of Commons but the Conservatives devastatingly defeated by

New Labour New Labour was a period in the history of the British Labour Party from the mid to late 1990s until 2010 under the leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. The name dates from a conference slogan first used by the party in 1994, later seen ...

. Diagnosed with

brain cancer A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondar ...

, Clark chooses to disappear from public life.

Filming locations

featured as itself during the series after Clark's widow, Jane, gave her support for the production and welcomed the team into her home. The castle remains owned by the Clark family, and is rarely opened to the public.

often used to visit Hythe seafront and this is represented in the first episode of the series.

External links

Press release
at BBC Press Office *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alan Clark Diaries, The 2004 British television series debuts 2004 British television series endings 2000s British drama television series 2000s British political television series Television series set in the 1980s Television shows based on books Television shows set in London