Giles Watling

Giles Francis Watling (born 18 February 1953) is an English actor and British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Clacton since 2017.[3]

Giles Watling

MP
Official Parliamentary portrait, December 2019
Member of Parliament
for Clacton
Assumed office
8 June 2017
Preceded byDouglas Carswell
Majority24,702 (56.8%)
Personal details
Born
Giles Francis Watling[1]

(1953-02-18) 18 February 1953
Chingford, Essex, England
Political partyConservative[2]
Spouse(s)
Vanda Brinkworth
​
(m. 1979)​
Children2
MotherPatricia Hicks
FatherJack Watling
RelativesDeborah Watling (sister)
Dilys Watling (maternal half-sister)
EducationForest School
OccupationActor, politician

Early life and education

Born in Chingford to actress Patricia Hicks (1919–2011) and her husband actor Jack Watling, Giles Watling was educated at Forest School in Walthamstow.[4] He is the younger brother of the actress Deborah Watling and the younger half-brother of actress Dilys Watling. The Watlings are all direct descendants of the 19th-century antiquarian/artist Hamlet Watling.

Career

Watling has worked extensively in the British theatre and on television, but is probably best known for the role of the vicar Oswald in Carla Lane's series Bread.[5] He has also directed several UK touring theatre productions. He took on the role of Bob in the UK Tour of 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert' in 2013, and serves on the Board of Directors at the Royal General Theatrical Fund, a charity in aid of any person in need who has professionally practised or contributed to the theatrical arts.[6]

He 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 against Douglas Carswell in the Clacton by-election and was adopted following a public meeting on 11 September 2014.[5][8][9] He lost the by-election in 2014 and the general election in 2015, but was elected in the general election in 2017. Compared with a 24.6% share of the vote he took in the 2014 by-election, his vote share was 72.3% in the 2019 general election.

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 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'".[10]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1965Gideon's WayMalcolm Gideon8 episodes
1974Upstairs, Downstairs2nd Lt. James Marriott1 episode
1978You're Only Young TwicePC Henry1 episode
1979The Human FactorColin
1979–1980How's Your Father?Martin Matthews13 episodes
1980Keep It in the FamilyYoung man1 episode
1984No Place Like HomeMaurice1 episode
1988–1991BreadOswald49 episodes
1992'Allo 'Allo!Major Twistleton-Smythe1 episode
1997MelissaGangster at Airport1 episode
1999Grange HillMr. Radcliffe1 episode
2001The Tutankhamun ConspiracyHoward CarterTV movie

References
  1. "No. 61961". The London Gazette. 19 June 2017. p. 11782.
  2. Mason, Rowena (11 September 2014). "Conservatives select former 1980s television star to fight Ukip in Clacton". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  3. "Giles Watling - Search - UK Parliament". beta.parliament.uk.
  4. "Watling, Giles Francis, (born 18 Feb. 1953), MP (C) Clacton, since 2017". Who's Who. 2017. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.289481.
  5. "Two Conservative councillors to fight Clacton primary". BBC News. 10 September 2014.
  6. "Clacton: Bread's Giles Watling to stand for Conservatives". BBC News. 10 September 2014.
  7. "Councillor Watling G F". Tendring District Council. 3 May 2007. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  8. James Dwan (10 September 2014). "TORY 'open primary' candidates for Clacton by-election are Frinton actor Giles Watling and Colchester councillor Sue Lissimore". Clacton & Frinton Gazette. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  9. "Two candidates shortlisted for the Clacton by-election". Conservativehome.com. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  10. "Britain's heroes". Letter to the Daily Telegraph. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2021.CS1 maint: others (link)
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Douglas Carswell		 Member of Parliament for Clacton
2017–present		 Incumbent
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