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How did Boris's chaotic childhood shape his political views? We discover how the clashes and rivalries of his youth dictated the key decisions that he made in his pursuit of power.
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00:00:03um I'd left the charger so sorry I think we're good to market if everyone's happy
00:00:16right let's make sure phones are on silent as well especially mine and hang on a second
00:00:24yep that's great and mark I would like to look inside Boris Johnson's head
00:00:34he's not who he wants to be I've always thought that
00:00:39I don't think Boris Johnson knows who he is he's not a serious person
00:00:48he's not serious this is not a man of conviction this is an opportunist
00:00:54you see him next to someone at a dinner party and he'll be in agony he'll offer to give a
00:01:00speech
00:01:00or anything just to avoid having a one-to-one what a wimp what a spineless coward the fact is
00:01:10that if
00:01:11he walks down a high street people stop their cars to get out and have a selfie with him there
00:01:17is a
00:01:18huge brain behind those glittering blue eyes I am fond of him because he's a very kind person
00:01:26I think if somebody makes you laugh you give them a lot Boris stole my legacy took the credit for
00:01:32all
00:01:32the things I initiated we are all complex creatures at the end of the day the public facing bit isn't
00:01:38always the whole story do you know who I know because I know a different guy than what you
00:01:44think this century no one has done more to shape the destiny of our country than Boris Johnson
00:01:57is the pasty the pasty of independence over the weekend cases of a mysterious respiratory virus
00:02:06have more than tripled I still have a temperature the biggest Tory majority since 1987
00:02:14we are entering the Boris Johnson era for British politics Ukraine will win
00:02:23but no one has had a bigger downfall enjoys life's pleasures hugely Jennifer where are you
00:02:30I want to see you enough of this kiss me kiss me this is my city and I was like
00:02:35ah
00:02:37was having to apologize to the Queen about those parties the night before Prince Philip's funeral
00:02:43was that a moment of shame for you Boris is the most powerful liar in British history
00:02:51I don't want to forgive him the trouble is I like you they're going to drag your carcass out of
00:02:56this place and I can't bear to see that happen what do you do with a problem like Boris a
00:03:01hero
00:03:02or a liar why don't you sort it out Boris his story is Britain's story he literally had the
00:03:10world at his feet and he blew it all there's in a way the tragedy I think it is a
00:03:15tragedy you're
00:03:17not going to learn any lessons and you're not going to change you're not capable of changing
00:03:20but I don't know quite well this is all about you in the end the reason these things happen
00:03:24is because of you
00:03:41he'll tell you himself when I want something I go and I get it
00:03:44and I don't stop until I get it the recklessness the brashness there's definitely a streak or two of
00:03:53that and most people get really hot and bothered you know that he is this very narcissistic you know
00:04:01womanizing the reality is it comes from a place of insecurity and severe trauma
00:04:11he was tremendously keen on my writing a life of him and then he started to get cold feet and
00:04:19he
00:04:19said how much have you been paid to do this book and I wouldn't tell him because it was a
00:04:23very modest
00:04:24amount and then he started trying to buy me out and every time I met him he offered me more
00:04:28money not
00:04:29to write the book he said if it's a piss take that's fine a comic book but he said nothing
00:04:35could be more
00:04:36damaging than a book which told the truth about me
00:04:43Stanley you are a celebrity you can get yourself out of it
00:04:46Oh Stanley Johnson everybody
00:04:52Long before Boris's dad's celebrity fame
00:04:59before his election to the European Parliament Stanley Johnson's grandfather Ali Kamal was a Turkish
00:05:09journalist who was kidnapped and murdered his body parts placed in a hollow tree
00:05:17Stanley's grandmother died soon after childbirth and their son Osman Ali was raised in England where
00:05:25he changed his name to Johnny Johnson and joined the RAF
00:05:33but after a plane crash left him burned and severely injured Johnny became an alcoholic often beating his
00:05:41wife in front of their son Stanley
00:05:49to scratch a living they bought a remote sheep farm on Exmoor
00:05:54well Stanley gave me a tour of this ancient stone farm very remote no mains electricity or
00:06:03anything almost prison in this building I found Boris Johnson's first recorded literary effort he
00:06:12painted on the wall boo to grown-ups
00:06:21Stanley met Charlotte at Oxford University
00:06:26Charlotte had Boris at 22 and four children by 29 when the couple moved to a cottage on the Exmoor
00:06:34farm
00:06:36they were both very young Charlotte looked very nice she looked like she had a ponytail and long hair and
00:06:44a short skirt and and and and and she had a wonderful smile and she was very welcoming
00:06:50he sometimes listened to the radio never the Beatles they all could sing the Beatles songs
00:06:55Stanley especially he could he could really sing all the songs you know he liked it yeah I think Charlotte
00:07:00was more into the reggae
00:07:03Boris when I was there he was ill and there was an ear problem it was quite severe
00:07:13well he was deaf until about the age of 80 he had quite a problem hearing what people were saying
00:07:18he was shy an anxious child my theory is this in order to compensate for that I
00:07:31I couldn't hear I couldn't hear so I had to find a you know certain ignorance of everything
00:07:37he was silent he didn't talk much he was not in a great mood he was not very he was
00:07:43thinking he was in himself he was walking alone through the river
00:07:52sometimes we went for a walk the two of us he took me as part of the family
00:07:59we went up at this beautiful hilly countryside on top of the hill we sat down for a rest and
00:08:06we were looking around us and he said this joker look at this joker this looks like a huge big
00:08:14turtle
00:08:16don't you see it
00:08:18he was making me understand you see this is a turtle these patches
00:08:24there's a look outwardly it's like Stanley
00:08:29but inside in the character I think he had this lovely um sensitive artistic soft feeling in him
00:08:41that's my Charlotte side
00:08:48I think Charlotte certainly did have very very high moral standards real understanding of how you should treat people
00:08:58Stanley is the showman tremendous sort of go-getting qualities dashing about all over the place
00:09:05extreme competitiveness the sense that the rules don't apply to him
00:09:12including the rules of monogamous marriage
00:09:16he wasn't there many times he was he was he was uh he was working and working and staying in
00:09:23London a lot
00:09:29the rules between Boris's parents begin to grow
00:09:32with Charlotte accusing Stanley of serial adultery whilst away at work
00:09:38well Stanley kept on getting different jobs
00:09:41sort of bouncing from one thing to another
00:09:43sometimes fell out with people or didn't stay very long
00:09:46on the whole children don't like moving
00:09:50his parents moved 32 times
00:09:57the fate of the Johnsons and that of Britain changes dramatically in January 1973
00:10:04with the UK's decision to join the European community
00:10:09whose scope will gradually extend until it covers virtually the whole field of collective human endeavour
00:10:21Stanley always dreamt of being a Tory MP
00:10:24and now he tries the next best thing
00:10:28moving his family to Brussels
00:10:30as he sets his sights on becoming a conservative member of the European Parliament
00:10:37this is Stanley yes
00:10:39yes Boris
00:10:40sorry no Boris Boris yes
00:10:44and there's a rather sad looking
00:10:47yes
00:10:48Charlotte isn't there
00:10:49yes
00:10:49coping
00:10:51we were there in Brussels before they were
00:10:54Charlotte and family arrived in 1973
00:11:00I mean we saw them quite often
00:11:02they came to us for meal
00:11:04we went to them for meal
00:11:05the children were very young
00:11:08and of course she was worn out
00:11:10she looked absolutely exhausted
00:11:13this poor woman
00:11:15did
00:11:15was Stanley overwhelmed as well
00:11:18well I mean Stanley was Stanley
00:11:20I mean he was rushing from A to B to C to D
00:11:22all in one gulp
00:11:24over revving
00:11:26a lot of the time
00:11:28and nothing was enough
00:11:29he had to go somewhere else
00:11:31and then somewhere else
00:11:32fatal
00:11:32to anybody else who is close to him
00:11:35and I think Charlotte
00:11:37you know she took it on the chin all the time
00:11:40poor sir what else was she expected to do
00:11:42I mean she was quite unhappy
00:11:44and in fact
00:11:48she made an announcement
00:11:50and it was an announcement
00:11:51she said I'm going back to London
00:11:53to go into the Maudsley
00:11:55because I can't stop washing my hands
00:12:00she'd been scrubbing her hands
00:12:02they were raw
00:12:04obsessive compulsive behaviour
00:12:10in 1974
00:12:12Charlotte becomes an inpatient
00:12:15at the Maudsley Psychiatric Hospital
00:12:16in South London
00:12:19we actually went and visited
00:12:22Charlotte in the Maudsley
00:12:24and we were very shocked
00:12:25at how ill
00:12:28she had been
00:12:29and up to a point still was
00:12:32she was shaking
00:12:33but I think she was very relieved
00:12:36to see Sally
00:12:37well obviously
00:12:38I felt
00:12:39really deeply sorry for her
00:12:42it was quite obvious
00:12:43her life was
00:12:44a huge strain
00:12:49I said to her
00:12:50anybody who's married to Stanley
00:12:53is bound to be ill
00:12:57I mean was he
00:12:58am I right in remembering
00:13:00that on at least one occasion
00:13:01he actually
00:13:04struck her
00:13:05well that's what she told me love
00:13:07but I can't say any more about that
00:13:16Charlotte had a profound influence
00:13:19on Boris
00:13:21she went into the Maudsley Hospital
00:13:23which occurred when he was only
00:13:25about ten years old
00:13:26and that was
00:13:27the separation from his beloved mother
00:13:29and her suffering
00:13:30was really
00:13:32agony
00:13:33I think
00:13:33he was the oldest
00:13:34of the four children
00:13:37and then his parents
00:13:38got divorced
00:13:40his childhood was
00:13:41in many ways
00:13:42extremely painful
00:13:48Charlotte spends eight months
00:13:49in the Maudsley
00:13:51away
00:13:51and on her return to Brussels
00:13:53Stanley
00:13:54sends Boris away
00:13:55to public school
00:13:56in England
00:14:01and
00:14:02I would call myself
00:14:02a very traditional father
00:14:05really traditional
00:14:06in the sense
00:14:07that I had almost nothing to do
00:14:09with my children's upbringing
00:14:15I said
00:14:16I said look
00:14:16why do we have
00:14:18top class schools
00:14:19in this country
00:14:24boys
00:14:25and men
00:14:25who went to
00:14:26boarding school
00:14:27or public schools
00:14:28they were meant
00:14:29to fight
00:14:30to fight each other
00:14:32and fight themselves
00:14:33into
00:14:33of the school
00:14:36you just accept
00:14:37that there are
00:14:38people who know
00:14:39things you don't know
00:14:40and so as far as
00:14:40I was concerned
00:14:41this is a deliberate decision
00:14:43I really believe
00:14:44that the school
00:14:45is going to give them
00:14:46things I can't
00:14:47necessarily give them
00:15:02tonight's debate
00:15:03is on the motion
00:15:05that Englishmen
00:15:06are funnier than Americans
00:15:11distinguished members
00:15:13of the Oxford
00:15:15Union
00:15:17Englishmen
00:15:18are not
00:15:19funny
00:15:21not
00:15:22funny
00:15:27that's right
00:15:28Jasper Carrot
00:15:28to speak in favour of emotions
00:15:30it's fast everything
00:15:31it's the American ways
00:15:32you've got to have everything
00:15:33now
00:15:34give me now
00:15:34I've got to have it now
00:15:36I call upon Steve Allen
00:15:37at Oxford
00:15:38Boris becomes president
00:15:39of the Oxford Union
00:15:40Debating Society
00:15:43building up a contact list
00:15:45of guest speakers
00:15:46encompassing world leaders
00:15:48celebrities
00:15:48and elites
00:15:49in every profession
00:15:50the president is now
00:15:52leaving the hall
00:15:53with his main guests
00:15:54leaving his deputy
00:15:55the librarian
00:15:56to preside over
00:15:57continuing debate
00:15:58amongst the ordinary
00:15:59members of the society
00:16:02armed with connections
00:16:04Boris gets a job
00:16:06at the Times
00:16:06as a trainee reporter
00:16:08I met him in 1987
00:16:10he was leaving Oxford
00:16:12he's really a dramatist
00:16:14he wanted to tell a story
00:16:16he had absolutely no sympathy
00:16:19with the fact-checking mentality
00:16:21he just can't bear that pious idea
00:16:24that if only you get all the facts right
00:16:26then what you're saying is right
00:16:27he thinks you start with the story
00:16:29who'd like to see Boris's lab
00:16:32I re-read a lot of his articles
00:16:34he wrote a lot of pieces about cars
00:16:36I'm the worst driver
00:16:37he's ever made
00:16:38I'm gonna aim for the apex
00:16:40aim for the apex
00:16:41aim for the apex
00:16:43I mean they don't tell you anything
00:16:44much about qualities of the engine
00:16:46or anything like that
00:16:47but they do
00:16:47they do somehow give you a feeling
00:16:49of what it's like driving one of these cars
00:16:57Boris is sacked by the Times
00:16:59for fabricating a quote
00:17:01but he gets a job at the Telegraph
00:17:03as their Brussels correspondent
00:17:05where he writes a series of anti-European articles
00:17:09often ridiculing the institution
00:17:11that his father cherishes
00:17:15Triviality
00:17:16butter mountains
00:17:17wine lakes
00:17:18beef mountains
00:17:19all these sort of
00:17:21petty details
00:17:22which isn't what it's all about
00:17:23I'm actually talking about
00:17:24a Europe of enterprise
00:17:26initiative
00:17:27a spirit of incentive
00:17:29The former Brussels correspondent
00:17:31of the Daily Telegraph
00:17:32and now its deputy editor
00:17:33Boris Johnson
00:17:34is with me now
00:17:35Well Mr Johnson
00:17:35first of all
00:17:36from your time in Brussels
00:17:38Two decades of Conservative government are over
00:17:43Boris Johnson
00:17:45Tony Blair has won a landslide
00:17:50Boris is becoming more widely known
00:17:52for his weekly political columns
00:17:53in The Telegraph
00:18:00He now has four children
00:18:02with his second wife
00:18:03Marina Wheeler
00:18:05when he's chosen to become the new editor
00:18:07of the political magazine
00:18:09The Spectator
00:18:11where he meets deputy editor Petronella Wyatt
00:18:16I live this very exotic sort of life
00:18:20The Queen Mother used to come for dinner a lot
00:18:24Margaret Thatcher
00:18:26She became rather sort of motherly
00:18:29in a strange sort of way
00:18:30She started asking me about boyfriends
00:18:33She kept saying take your time, take your time
00:18:36and I was introduced to the perfect boyfriend
00:18:40who is sat next to me at dinner
00:18:41and this was David Cameron
00:18:44There wasn't chemistry between us
00:18:47but he was a good dancer David
00:18:49very good dancer
00:18:52I wasn't easily impressed I suppose
00:18:56Good morning everyone
00:18:57Now the 170th anniversary issue
00:19:01What other countries are doing about the millennium
00:19:04particularly the United States
00:19:05the answer is that they're not doing anything at all
00:19:07and they think we're fucking mad
00:19:09I was very annoyed when Boris became editor
00:19:14It was a small office
00:19:16so I was dreading it
00:19:18and I didn't really like him
00:19:22and I didn't like his sort of bumbling act
00:19:31I said to Boris can I write some pieces for The Spectator
00:19:34and he said yes
00:19:34and it amused him to make me foreign editor
00:19:38I was called foreign editor but I did no editing
00:19:40and I never went abroad
00:19:42but what I did do was go to the Thursday morning conference
00:19:47and those are the most enjoyable editorial conferences I've ever been to
00:19:51Everybody just sat there drinking till five in the afternoon
00:19:58He started asking me out to lunch
00:20:01Once you got past the 1920s language
00:20:07you discover that he was deeply interested in philosophy
00:20:13and history and serious things
00:20:15and we both loved ancient history
00:20:18He was fun, he was fun
00:20:21and he was very intelligent
00:20:23Fingers on the buzzers
00:20:24In Greek mythology
00:20:25What was the name of the king of Elis
00:20:27whose ox stalls housed 3,000?
00:20:29Orgeus
00:20:30Orgeus is right
00:20:31What single word refers in art to a painting or sculpture
00:20:34depicting the Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Christ?
00:20:37Orgeus Johnson
00:20:38Pieta
00:20:39Pieta is right
00:20:40Which large urban complex?
00:20:42The interesting thing was that he was deeply shy
00:20:45Johnson
00:20:48Soweto
00:20:48Soweto is right
00:20:50Which Hebrew
00:20:51Look, you know what they say about actors
00:20:53The shyest people become actors
00:20:55Boris, you've buzzed in already
00:20:56Boris was an actor
00:20:59The Boris creation was a creation
00:21:03It was a performance
00:21:05Brogeus Johnson
00:21:06Sublimation
00:21:07Sublimation is right
00:21:08Sex and shopping is correct
00:21:10Diane Ablett
00:21:11Did say that, yes
00:21:13I know it sounds odd
00:21:15But for somebody like Boris
00:21:17Somebody so gregarious
00:21:20Really didn't have many friends
00:21:22And I said, you're a loner aren't you?
00:21:24And he said, yeah
00:21:25Yes I am
00:21:28I certainly
00:21:31Wasn't looking or hoping for anything
00:21:35He had this sort of
00:21:38Vulnerability that sort of drew you in
00:21:42There was almost this sort of innocence to him
00:21:45He adored his mother but
00:21:50He looks like his father
00:21:52But I think he's more complicated than that
00:21:56I've got to say that I had a tough upbringing
00:21:58Now I buy in that sort of thing
00:21:59And I lived in a hole in the road
00:22:00And
00:22:02Oh an hour of nip
00:22:03Oh an hour of nip
00:22:04We had it tough
00:22:05And you know
00:22:05Ate cold for breakfast
00:22:12We're going to go now to
00:22:13The weekly spectator conference
00:22:15Which is in Boris Johnson's office
00:22:19The editor's office
00:22:21Tremendous
00:22:23The spectator's political correspondent is Peter Oborn
00:22:27Who witnesses the birth of a new phenomenon
00:22:30New Labour hated talented politicians
00:22:33They had constructed a method to be dull
00:22:36If you weren't boring in the way you talked you got fired
00:22:39And the reason actually was they were terrified of the media
00:22:43Because you'd make a gaff and everybody would go bonkers
00:22:47Except
00:22:47Theresa May
00:22:48Who was this week presented
00:22:49Oh I was completely wrong then
00:22:50By Russell and Bronwyn
00:22:51No I thought you were right
00:22:52Oh
00:22:54Boris Boris
00:22:55You edit a magazine
00:22:59What on earth the editorial meeting is like
00:23:01I don't know
00:23:02I don't know
00:23:03I don't know
00:23:03I don't know
00:23:03I'll put it on the page
00:23:04I don't know
00:23:05Boris not deliberately
00:23:06But happenstance, it was just the right moment
00:23:10He realized that you could make a complete ass of yourself and actually it would do you good
00:23:20Big brother is absolutely the right answer and
00:23:31Come on team, we've got to get a grip here
00:23:36We've got to get a grip here
00:23:43With TV now giving Boris a recognisable and relatable brand
00:23:48He pursues a long-held dream to make it to Parliament and
00:23:53In the 2001 general election he stands for the safe conservative seat of Henley
00:24:00Let's go to Henley Janet Matthews labor
00:24:029,367 alexander Boris Johnson conservative twenty thousand four hundred and sixty six
00:24:12Boris Johnson takes that seat on the same night David Cameron is also elected
00:24:20But overall it's a poor night for the Tories
00:24:23And I think we've got to stop and think and reflect on our policies and reflect on our approach and
00:24:29it is the darkest hour
00:24:30That comes before dawn so to think me of that and it's almost breakfast time now
00:24:35Good morning
00:24:37Let's go back home and prepare breakfast
00:24:39Danny he is a genuine character
00:24:43He promised the then owner of the Telegraph that he'd never become an MP and he promised Henley that if
00:24:51he became an MP he'd give up the spectator and he didn't either
00:24:57There have been 15 years that language was controlled ideas were banned everything was conformist and along comes this person
00:25:05Who makes endless gaffes liver puddlians have been accused by the political magazine the spectator of wallowing in their victim
00:25:13status of the murder of the British hostage Ken Bigley
00:25:15Paul Bigley
00:25:16Yeah, yeah
00:25:17Paul
00:25:20You're a self-centered pompous twit. I didn't really think I can I can say anything to you Paul that
00:25:27will
00:25:28Um alter your opinion of me well Boris Johnson gets the prize as Liverpool's least favorite politician
00:25:34But where he may get the prize today is for the most number of apologies for a politician. He really
00:25:39hasn't stopped saying he's sorry
00:25:41But not for absolutely everything
00:25:45I don't want to contradict you but anyway
00:25:46Which bit aren't you sorry for well, I don't know don't repeat. I'm not I don't apologize for the entire
00:25:52gist of the of the editorial
00:25:54That's all I wanted to say. Sorry. I didn't want to interrupt
00:26:04I
00:26:05The headlines keep coming
00:26:06And when Boris is affair with Petronella breaks in the tabloids
00:26:10He's sacked a shadow arts minister by party leader Michael Howard
00:26:25I'm going to
00:26:27Do whatever I can say
00:26:29They've got me out
00:26:30Tell me
00:26:34Wife Marina throws him out of the family home and changes the locks
00:26:39Boris is distraught and pleads for forgiveness
00:26:42And after seven days she takes him back
00:26:46The human condition, we're all brought down by our own foibles and failures, aren't we Boris?
00:26:54Boris got away with it
00:26:57Yeah, I was blamed for everything
00:27:00Everything
00:27:02He ended the idea that
00:27:05Inscretions mattered politically
00:27:08If anything it made you more popular
00:27:11More authentic
00:27:14And so he created
00:27:15And so he created
00:27:16A new kind of politics
00:27:21The first introduction I had to Boris before I actually knew him
00:27:26I was asked to go and take notes at a meeting at Michael Howard's office
00:27:33Two new MPs sat around the table, George Osborne and David Cameron
00:27:37And the whole discussion was about the future of the Conservative Party
00:27:43How do we stop the members having a vote and deciding who will be leader of the Conservative Party
00:27:48And Boris's name came up a few times
00:27:52And I realised
00:27:55That the subtext of the conversation was
00:27:58And that would also stop Boris Johnson
00:28:11And he comes in through the gates of Downstreet
00:28:13Look, those are the ordinary people of Brooklyn
00:28:18Tony, Tony, Tony they're saying
00:28:20Everyone grabbing at him, the passion in their faces
00:28:23He's there now
00:28:27The new Labour revolution had been such a shock to the Tories
00:28:30Awful election defeats since 97
00:28:33We're still not going anywhere
00:28:35And if we're going to get back into power we need to change
00:28:38Boring old men at the top who haven't listened to women's problems
00:28:41Which is why they haven't got elected
00:28:43I've heard that you're an avid fan of Little Britain
00:28:46I'm more of a fast show man
00:28:47I think the fast shows delivered better characters
00:28:51Cameron had started to sort of make waves
00:28:53Referred to himself as the heir to Blair
00:28:55What got me initially was the fact that you liked the Smiths
00:28:58Right, well there we are, we're making a good start
00:29:00Radiohead
00:29:01The thing about the Smiths albums is that they then released so many...
00:29:04I got a call from David saying that he wanted to run for the leadership
00:29:08Good
00:29:09With the Conservative members, you know, isn't he the charming young man
00:29:12That everybody would like to bring home to introduce to the parents
00:29:16A squeaky clean polished Tory image
00:29:19And Boris, you know, was the other end of that spectrum
00:29:25Yeah, this is Boris Johnson, Breaker 1-9 to Rubber Duck
00:29:28Do you need me to shout?
00:29:31Yeah? Okay
00:29:32Boris was very competitive
00:29:34I mean, extraordinarily competitive
00:29:37Competitive with me, which was ludicrous
00:29:43His father had been very competitive
00:29:47He'd been brought up to be competitive
00:29:48He'd been brought up to be competitive
00:29:50He'd been brought up to be competitive
00:29:50If you came home from school and told Stanley that you'd come second in Latin
00:29:54He'd say, why didn't you come top?
00:29:58In 2005, Stanley runs for Parliament as the Tory candidate for Tambridge in Devon
00:30:04Well, this is a wonderful opportunity to vote for myself today
00:30:07And that's what I'm going to do
00:30:09He narrowly loses out to the Liberal Democrats
00:30:12Many people I know voted for me
00:30:14Because they thought I was Boris
00:30:16And I'm perfectly sure that having not quite achieved this particular result
00:30:22Other challenges will present themselves
00:30:24And with Paul Merton tonight as the father of Boris Johnson
00:30:28Stanley follows Boris onto the media circuit
00:30:31And now, all his political ambitions are funnelled through his eldest son
00:30:38In a Darwinian way, there's no point in, you know, any of us going into this business
00:30:42Unless we want to get as far as we can
00:30:44Otherwise, we're no good to man or beast
00:30:45We've got to want to compete
00:30:47We've got to do as well as we can
00:30:49Can I go now?
00:30:50Boris, he had to prove something
00:30:53Particularly with his intellect
00:30:54Because he never thought he was good-looking
00:30:58If you said somebody of his generation was very clever
00:31:01A sort of cloud would sort of descend
00:31:10I now declare David Cameron to be the duly elected leader of the Conservative Party
00:31:23He and David Cameron were never proper friends
00:31:29Is it true that you've always felt yourself slightly intellectually inferior?
00:31:34Inferior?
00:31:35Inferior
00:31:37No
00:31:38No
00:31:39To who?
00:31:40To David Cameron
00:31:41Well, that's a new one
00:31:43I never know
00:31:43No, that's not true
00:31:44This goes back to the days, of course, when he got a first and you didn't
00:31:47Ah
00:31:48Yes
00:31:49Does that still rankle a bit?
00:31:51Well, you know, I think they're
00:31:53He was furious that David Cameron got a first at Oxford and Boris got a second
00:31:59This is playground stuff
00:32:01He resented David Cameron because of that
00:32:04I used to say, honestly, it doesn't matter, but it mattered to him
00:32:10July 2007, I took a call from David Cameron's Director of Communications
00:32:15He said that Dave really wanted to see if I could persuade Boris to run for mayor
00:32:21Why did David Cameron think that Boris was the right candidate?
00:32:25I tell you exactly why I think David Cameron thought Boris was the right candidate
00:32:29It's because he thought he was going to lose
00:32:30Because Cameron said to me, you know, we just want to, you know, we want a good fight
00:32:35And we don't expect you to win
00:32:37Thank you, thank you, that's all right
00:32:38That's great, thank you, thank you
00:32:40That's a textiles degree for nothing
00:32:42Oh, superb
00:32:43Oh dear, there I am
00:32:44Ah, no grey hair
00:32:45So if you think I've got what it takes, go to, you know, register your support, backboris.com
00:32:51Looking into the camera, backboris.com
00:32:53If you believe that I can do it, then back, what is it?
00:32:58Backboris.com
00:32:59Sorry, I can't remember what the hell it's called
00:33:00Sorry, I can't remember what the hell it's called
00:33:01Register your support on backing, what is it?
00:33:05Backboris
00:33:05Back, I can't remember what it's called
00:33:08What's it called, backboris?
00:33:09I think it'd be fair to say that brandboris where we got him at the beginning
00:33:14Backboris, yeah, that's it, backboris
00:33:16You know, he probably wasn't going to win
00:33:18So let's just start the whole thing again
00:33:20Yeah, just start it from the middle
00:33:21Yeah
00:33:23We filmed on Primrose Hill for the very first, for his launch video
00:33:28And he arrived
00:33:29And quite strangely couldn't tell our camera crew why he wanted to be mayor of London
00:33:34Thank you, I'll just give it a whirl
00:33:36I want to...
00:33:37Hang on, just start again, start again
00:33:39At the time I'd been working with David Cameron a lot
00:33:41And, you know, David Cameron came prepared
00:33:43If you believe...
00:33:47What?
00:33:48If you believe in baked beans
00:33:50I don't, I don't, I just feel like a baked bean salesman
00:33:52Good stuff running from there, Boris, well done
00:33:54It's a good stuff, you can't vote anyway, I'll be down there for you
00:33:56Yeah, definitely
00:33:56Hi Boris!
00:33:57Nice to meet you, hello
00:33:58This is all the...
00:33:59We're behind you
00:34:00Every one of these kids wants change
00:34:02Go on Boris!
00:34:03Thank you, thank you
00:34:05It was just amazing to me how unserious and unprepared he was
00:34:10I've got to be honest, I just a bit worried about his presentation
00:34:13I look terrible
00:34:13Yeah
00:34:15I really, I don't, I don't mean to hurt your feelings
00:34:17But I just honestly, it was the exact opposite of anything I'd ever seen from any politician anywhere, ever
00:34:23And I don't know why you're sniggering
00:34:27It's just an unbelievable sniggerer of my vision
00:34:30I just thought it was a joke and I had a fun outing and I thought the thing would be
00:34:34over in a month
00:34:36Literally
00:34:37My favourite word
00:34:39My favourite word I think is, uh, carminative
00:34:42What?
00:34:43Carminative
00:34:45What do you all define for us as?
00:34:47Carminative is a, is a, is a, is a mystic spell or incantation used to calm flatulence
00:34:53Right, don't go
00:34:57It's a beautiful word, it's carminative, it's a beautiful word
00:35:00For getting elected in Henley, he probably did about an hour's campaigning
00:35:04Because the people of Henley would vote for him in a second
00:35:09Hi
00:35:11In London, Boris faces Ken Livingstone
00:35:14The first and only mayor the capital city has ever known
00:35:18When I became the mayor, that was global news
00:35:20I mean, literally
00:35:22I, but
00:35:25Who's that on the back?
00:35:27That's Tony Blair
00:35:32Ken was Mr London
00:35:35Fundamental in getting the Olympics
00:35:38And also London is a Labour city
00:35:42I did always think, this is going to be the most difficult election of my life
00:35:46Very important
00:35:48Should I just tie my own tie?
00:35:50That's like a test
00:35:51Boris was a very real threat
00:35:53I hadn't felt that about his two predecessor elections
00:35:57Do I have to shout?
00:36:02Can you see me?
00:36:04Can you see me?
00:36:05What do you want me to say?
00:36:07Our fear from the very beginning was
00:36:10Boris will say something wrong and inappropriate
00:36:13Keep signing, keep signing
00:36:15Signing, signing
00:36:16I am signing
00:36:21One problem for the Boris campaign
00:36:23Is potential attacks on his personal life
00:36:27To date, two affairs have been reported in the press
00:36:30With rumours of more
00:36:33Well, I don't know, I can really tell
00:36:34What I can tell you about the phone is
00:36:36In the good old days of a Nokia 210 or what it was
00:36:39He used to sit in his suit jacket pocket
00:36:41And he'd look, I mean, basically it was his bird phone
00:36:44He'd pull out of his top pocket and look at it like that
00:36:48Just for his eyes only
00:36:49Which of course had some of us wondering what was on that phone
00:36:52Would all of the candidates describe themselves as men of morals?
00:36:56I suspect that everybody in this room
00:36:59Uh, is in some way a person of dubious morals
00:37:04But so the people of the viewers
00:37:05I want to know about your sex life Boris
00:37:07Interesting though my private life may be
00:37:10I think people are even more interested
00:37:11Mayor Livingstone in your duplicity
00:37:14About affairs
00:37:14Are you embarrassed by being kicked out of the Shadow Cabinet
00:37:19For having an affair?
00:37:20I don't believe
00:37:21He wasn't sacked for having an affair
00:37:23He was sacked for lying about it
00:37:24No, well, hang on
00:37:26When you're debating Boris Johnson
00:37:28I mean, it's almost like it's not politics
00:37:32It's about having a chat with a celebrity
00:37:34If you'd stop most people on the street and ask them about Boris
00:37:36They would have mentioned politics
00:37:38They'd have mentioned, you know, his chatty programmes
00:37:48That TV celebrity role of his did create him
00:37:51People saw him, they thought he's very funny
00:37:54I'd like to go out and have a pint in the pub with him
00:37:56His charm, his humour
00:37:59Thank you for getting rid of the position
00:38:00I think the British public
00:38:02They liked him because they thought he was a bit of a rogue and a charmer
00:38:07And have a kiss
00:38:09They liked him because he was a character
00:38:11The British love characters
00:38:13Yo, well done, yeah, well done, Keith
00:38:16You're gonna register to vote
00:38:18Go, go, go, go to the school
00:38:22Most people, when politics would come on the TV or radio
00:38:25Would turn it down
00:38:29Interestingly, any time, you know, Boris was on there
00:38:31Just an image, people would turn it up
00:38:36Spending a few days just walking around London with him
00:38:39Even the people who wanted to hate him
00:38:41Were smiling when they saw him
00:38:44People felt closer to him than any other kind of politician
00:38:47Which is amazing
00:38:49Political gold dust
00:39:04I am proud to be your candidate to be mayor of the greatest city on earth
00:39:09But what gives me the greatest pride is that we have provoked such gibbering squeals from the lair of King
00:39:16Newt and his allies
00:39:18That I know they are scared that we Conservatives are launching a fight back in London
00:39:28The election night
00:39:30We weren't sure if he was actually convinced that he could do it
00:39:35Ken Livingstone
00:39:371,028,966 votes
00:39:42The party didn't think he could do it
00:39:46Boris Johnson
00:39:471,168,738 votes
00:39:56Ken was furious
00:40:01Is that meant to be you?
00:40:03Red tie
00:40:05Better head of hair than I've got now
00:40:08Salt and pepper
00:40:10And
00:40:12Here we are
00:40:13Here's Boris
00:40:15It fell over and said we haven't got the body part
00:40:18I've never known a politician like Boris before
00:40:21He's not really a politician
00:40:24He's a celebrity
00:40:26That hair
00:40:27I mean that face
00:40:28I hate holding it
00:40:30There he is
00:40:36Suddenly all the party were there and Cameron
00:40:39Boris was the belle of the ball
00:40:40Well done, well done
00:40:42Well done
00:40:44CHEERING
00:40:46CHEERING
00:40:48CHEERING
00:40:50CHEERING
00:40:53You know I've known Boris since I got elected in 92
00:40:58He's one of those guys who's able to make you laugh whilst sticking the boot into you at the same
00:41:03time
00:41:03So sort of talented
00:41:06You've got the whole of London behind you now
00:41:09Because I couldn't get my chair up a bit
00:41:11So you seem to be a kind of
00:41:13If I was David Cameron I would have been concerned about the unpredictability
00:41:18That was something I would have probably been quite happy to see move away
00:41:23User name
00:41:25What's my username?
00:41:26Johnson
00:41:27It's probably B Johnson
00:41:28B Johnson
00:41:29In him moving over to become mayor
00:41:31The gamble was that would be it, Boris is now in London
00:41:34And it's interesting to London but it's not interesting to anybody else
00:41:39That's it
00:41:40The difference was he changed all of that
00:41:44What do you think?
00:41:45What do you think?
00:41:45I think you've heard him today
00:41:46I just want to make one final point
00:41:48I want to make one final point which is relevant to this area
00:41:53And there it is, you can hear it
00:41:55I will not support, in fact I will oppose a third runway
00:41:59There is no reason
00:42:00It was Boris that suddenly became interesting to the public
00:42:04I know, I'm sorry, I'm interrupting a very important television interview with the leader of the opposition
00:42:08The cameras couldn't take their eyes off him
00:42:11It was almost the perfect job for him in a way because it was a showman's job really
00:42:16Thank you very much everybody for coming and happy St George's Day
00:42:19He was all the time building a reputation
00:42:23Who invented ping pong and custard
00:42:26The English
00:42:28And Maurice Johnson
00:42:30Pride God for England
00:42:31Custard and St George
00:42:42And if there's anything where I go like too far and I realise in the moment I might just stop
00:42:47you and just say
00:42:48Look actually, can we just, I'm sure there won't be but just if there's something that
00:42:53Okay
00:42:56Will Walden first began working with Boris in City Hall
00:42:59Where he was the Mayor's Communications Director and official spokesman
00:43:04I spent a lot of time attempting to get the best out of Boris
00:43:08Didn't always work
00:43:10Boris is a great wordsmith, he's a great craftsman, he's a great communicator
00:43:14Larger than life, he's someone who dominates a room
00:43:17Mainly because he wants to
00:43:18Good morning Boris
00:43:19Good morning Boris
00:43:22How does it feel to be Mayor Boris?
00:43:282008, 2010
00:43:29Boris was the most senior elected Conservative politician in Britain
00:43:33Do you think you can deliver on all your promises Mayor Johnson?
00:43:36Can you deliver?
00:43:38Can you deliver on the promises?
00:43:40Well there you go, you've heard it here live on the BBC News Channel
00:43:44For me, fundamentally yes I worked for the Mayor but I also worked for the Mayoralty
00:43:48It was my job to help sell London
00:43:50That wasn't always the easiest thing to do with Boris because he would like to sell a bit of himself
00:43:55as well
00:43:55Here in City Hall, Mr. Will Smith
00:44:05Boris was the salesman for London, it was his city
00:44:08Mr. Mayor, who are your biggest inspirations?
00:44:13You mean apart from Pericles
00:44:18Aristotle
00:44:18Aristotle
00:44:19That's funny, Aristotle is one of mine
00:44:21Well is he one of yours?
00:44:23Aristotle's big
00:44:24See, we've got a lot in common
00:44:26It was all very deliberate, it was all very part of the Boris shtick
00:44:30And I think his argument was, well, you know, we're getting coverage
00:44:32I'm the Mayor of London, we're getting coverage
00:44:37Get that microphone out of the way
00:44:41Clearly, this monstrously confident ego
00:44:44Okay, you ready?
00:44:46Okay
00:44:48He's an extraordinary complicated character
00:44:53Capable of immense personal kindness
00:44:56I've been the beneficiary of that at times
00:44:59But at the same time, he's immensely flawed
00:45:04It was as if a pop star had appeared in South East London today
00:45:08Autograph, photos, and more
00:45:11Can you pretend to like me for two seconds?
00:45:13Yeah, of course I
00:45:14More than two seconds
00:45:15Thank you
00:45:17Take my phone number if you want, mate
00:45:19I was amazed the quantity of women who would actually throw themselves at him
00:45:26It was staggering
00:45:27It's like, I don't get it, you know
00:45:29I know I'm gay and all, but I just don't get
00:45:31What was the attraction, but, you know
00:45:33My job as your Mayor
00:45:34Is to get the funding we need to put more police out on the streets
00:45:38He doesn't want to discuss his private life
00:45:40He doesn't think it's anybody else's business
00:45:42And I remember when I took the job
00:45:45Broaching the subject of his colourful past
00:45:48And he just said to me, never ask
00:45:50Don't ever ask
00:45:51And I thought that was completely unsustainable
00:45:53Because what happened if a journalist came with an accusation?
00:45:55What do you do? Never ask
00:45:56It's ludicrous
00:45:57He's never going to comment
00:45:58He said, it's no one's business
00:45:59I'm not going to comment
00:46:00Boris, do you want to make any comments about your comments earlier?
00:46:04You have made the front page of at least one paper
00:46:07A liaison with a woman
00:46:08I don't go on about my private life
00:46:11I'm here to, I don't want to comment about that kind of thing
00:46:19I had no idea who he was
00:46:21I was 26
00:46:22Like, you know, I was so young
00:46:26In 2011, Boris meets Jennifer Arcuri
00:46:29A business student and tech entrepreneur
00:46:32At a London conference for venture capitalists
00:46:36He was there to speak to some of the biggest money men in the city
00:46:43And I saw the way he, you know, drew the sweatiest
00:46:48And the oldest and the grumpiest of men, you know, into this
00:46:51I went, oh, that is a talent
00:46:53And I just walked right up to the front and said, you have to speak at my event
00:46:57And he just, yes, yes, of course, of course I can do that
00:47:03All right, what is this event, Jennifer?
00:47:05We wanted to create some sort of event centered around technology
00:47:09To build our own businesses and get within the same network of people
00:47:13What you're seeing now in Tech City is very exciting
00:47:16We are in a phase where
00:47:18He shows up and literally everyone's jaw was on the floor
00:47:22They couldn't believe, including mine
00:47:24I hope very much that I can do everything to encourage Tech City
00:47:28And everybody who works in it to flourish
00:47:31The first text message, Boris calling Jennifer
00:47:34And signed his name Boris
00:47:36So everyone saw the text
00:47:39Proceeded to tell me that I could not have him in my phone as Boris Johnson
00:47:43They passed around a few names
00:47:46And the first one I resonated with was Alexander the Great
00:47:49So there he became Alex the Great
00:47:53I'm Jennifer Arcuri, founder of the Inn of Texas
00:47:55I remember walking from Camden and he calls me
00:47:59Jennifer, where are you?
00:48:02Somewhere in Tavistock Square, you know
00:48:05Stay there, stay here on the street
00:48:08I remembered, what?
00:48:10I'm coming to you right now
00:48:11I want to see you
00:48:13So I crossed the street and went to the hotel
00:48:16And he was on the TV and I was like, this is so weird
00:48:19You know, doing some Olympic thing
00:48:22This is the completion of the most wonderful velodrome
00:48:26Shall I tell you, there's a secret
00:48:28It is rubbed with rhubarb
00:48:29It is lovingly rubbed with rhubarb
00:48:31The whole of the exterior of this building is lovingly rubbed with rhubarb
00:48:33And therefore...
00:48:34I order a pint, see him coming up into the entrance
00:48:39And he's got his helmet on and his bike
00:48:41And he's all out of breath
00:48:44Goes to the bar, comes back
00:48:47And he says, Jennifer, can I have three pound ten
00:48:51Or three pound fifty, please
00:48:53And I said, what?
00:48:55I am a student and I have to buy you a beer?
00:48:58Like the first drink we meet and you
00:49:01You have me buying you the beer?
00:49:04And let's wish Team GB the very, very best of luck in 2012
00:49:10And I just remember thinking, he obviously likes me
00:49:14And I did like him
00:49:18We walked out of that
00:49:19And he thought he was going to follow me back to Camden
00:49:23I just, I was like, what?
00:49:25What girl? No!
00:49:28He was like, no, it's alright, it's alright
00:49:29And I said, no, it's not alright
00:49:31You're not coming back with my three roommates in Camden
00:49:35He's like, I don't mind
00:49:36I said, but I do
00:49:38This is London's moment
00:49:40I am a man, I am a heterosexual man
00:49:43Just like any other man
00:49:44The audacity, you know, just comes to me
00:49:47Kiss me, kiss me, this is my city
00:49:49London
00:49:52I don't care what city this is
00:49:54I'm not kissing you on the street
00:49:56He was like, you're a very interesting woman, Jennifer
00:49:58The most conservative woman I've ever met
00:50:01I didn't just walk off and delete his number
00:50:04I actually liked being around him
00:50:08Like it was really real
00:50:09It was really real, the energy
00:50:11The genuine, real, you know, where you meet someone and you're like, where have you been?
00:50:19People in City Hall from that time knew who Jennifer was
00:50:23I think there was a kind of grudging respect for Jennifer
00:50:25She was this quite dynamic businesswoman
00:50:28Who seemed to have a friendly relationship with the mayor
00:50:32But nobody really raised any questions
00:50:35Obviously because we didn't know what was going on
00:50:37Please go absolutely wild and crazy for Mr. Boris Johnson, the mayor of London
00:50:45Thank you very much everybody for coming along today
00:50:47I hope you're having a productive session
00:50:51And Jennifer's now going to instruct
00:50:53We've now got to go over and talk to California, is that right?
00:50:56Are you ready to hang out?
00:50:57I'm ready to hang out
00:50:58Yeah, look at that, Boris is hanging out
00:51:03Incredible possibilities of the technology
00:51:05We should do this the whole time in City Hall
00:51:07It would save a huge amount of time and effort
00:51:11She appeared on mayoral trips
00:51:14She was typical of people that were in his orbit
00:51:16You would say there was someone in the building who wants to see him
00:51:19And we were like, we're not doing that today, that person can't
00:51:20And he had a back door to his office
00:51:23And next thing you'd know, that person would be sitting in his office
00:51:26Thank you very much Jennifer, I did it
00:51:28Thank you for coming and hanging out with us
00:51:31My pleasure
00:51:31I liked the attention
00:51:35I liked those times
00:51:38Those were fun memories
00:51:45I want to have a successful Olympics
00:51:48I'm going to be judged very much on whether we have a successful Olympics
00:51:51It's going well, it's very, very well organised
00:51:54What they do
00:51:58Give me a ladder
00:52:00There was a lot at stake for him
00:52:01He really put his political reputation on the line
00:52:04It was basically, this is my event
00:52:05It's going to be great
00:52:06I don't think underneath he had any genuine sense that he definitely was
00:52:10It's very difficult, isn't it?
00:52:11How can we bottle enthusiasm?
00:52:14That's it, that's it
00:52:15It's very hard, they got it
00:52:17Harness that public spirit
00:52:19Harness that energy and kindness
00:52:21Boris had this unique ability to basically make everyone feel it was going to be alright
00:52:27We went to high par pre-event rally
00:52:30It's the mayor of London
00:52:31But I'm just going to give him the microphone
00:52:33Boris
00:52:34Thank you, thank you to all of them
00:52:37Boris wasn't supposed to speak
00:52:38He was just going to come on, wave
00:52:39And completely unscripted
00:52:41He just lifted the crowd
00:52:43The Geiger canter of Olympomania is going to go zoink
00:52:47Off the scale
00:52:51Are we ready?
00:52:53Are we ready?
00:52:54Yes we are
00:52:55I remember 80,000 people started chanting
00:52:58Boris, Boris
00:53:00Can we?
00:53:01Final question
00:53:02Are you?
00:53:04Can we put on, can we put on the greatest Olympic Games?
00:53:12He had some glimpse of what it would be like
00:53:18To be a Roman Emperor during the 2012 Olympics
00:53:22Being cheered by vast crowds in the amphitheatre
00:53:30He does like the idea of being the Emperor Augustus
00:53:33Pretending perhaps to some republican virtues
00:53:37But really wanting to be the great leader of Rome
00:53:44You did rack up more medals than France, didn't you?
00:53:48Yes!
00:53:49And more medals than Germany
00:53:51And more medals than Australia
00:53:52You routed the doubters
00:53:55And you scattered the gloomsters
00:53:56And for the first time in living memory
00:53:59You caused tube train passengers to break into spontaneous conversation
00:54:05The glory in which he passed gave him an unprecedented national platform that even before that he hadn't had
00:54:12And I think it was very clear, October, November of 2012, that he was going to run for Prime Minister
00:54:18Above all, you brought home the truth that when we put our minds to it, there is no limit to
00:54:24what Britain can achieve
00:54:31One thing I noticed early on
00:54:34For being surrounded with people all the time
00:54:46It always struck me how terribly lonely this man was
00:54:55The more I saw him, the more he wanted to see me more and more
00:55:00Wherever he was, you know, he wanted me to come out to see him in the country
00:55:04He wanted me to take a private car to see him
00:55:09The more I didn't see him, the more he acted out in order to see me
00:55:16Calling over and over again, I'm pining to see you, where are you?
00:55:20You know, kind of man-child that still requires that coddling
00:55:25And I could see this kind of emotional fragility within him
00:55:30Do you really like me? You know, he just, he'd get very defensive
00:55:35If I said, I'll just go to an event with, you know, David Cameron instead of coming to see you
00:55:39And he's like, that's bollocks, don't you dare, you know, and he would get really angry
00:55:49After the London Olympics, the paths of Johnson and Cameron become fully intertwined
00:55:59Cameron has been Prime Minister for two years
00:56:02But clouds are forming
00:56:07His coalition government is becoming unpopular due to austerity
00:56:17And the established order of politics is being threatened by a new force
00:56:26You're kidding
00:56:27You're kidding, you're kidding
00:56:28Well, I did meet, I did meet Nigel Farage
00:56:33In a pub
00:56:35It was a social lunch
00:56:36Yeah, I mean, he thought I should join the Conservative Party
00:56:39And I thought the Conservative Party was going hopelessly in the wrong direction
00:56:42We have a lot of candidates that were standing for us in this election
00:56:46Nigel Farage's Independence Party had spent 20 years campaigning to leave the European Union
00:56:53These journeys go in stages, as Gandhi brilliantly said
00:56:57First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they attack you, and then you win
00:57:03Well, we're getting more mainstream by the day, aren't we?
00:57:06Look, I was the devil
00:57:08You know, I was the devil
00:57:10I mean, you know, Tory MPs were told
00:57:13Don't meet him, never be photographed with him
00:57:16You know, as if I'm some sort of dangerous Pied Piper
00:57:19That was going to lead them and the country to total destruction
00:57:24The feeling was that all UKIP voters were retired half-colonels
00:57:28Living in Wiltshire, having kedgerie for breakfast
00:57:30Now, we had plenty of those, it's true
00:57:32But actually, the real appeal of UKIP was with working-class Britain
00:57:37Saving the country from so many coming into it
00:57:40Saving the country from...
00:57:42Let's not delude ourselves about this, they wanted immigration numbers cut
00:57:44The net migration figure is now over three times your target
00:57:50We decided we would use elections
00:57:54The insurgency is in a whole series of parliamentary by-elections
00:57:58If you vote UKIP, you get UKIP
00:58:01UKIP! UKIP! UKIP! UKIP! UKIP!
00:58:04You start to take votes away from other people
00:58:06And there was this perception
00:58:08That UKIP would destroy the Conservative vote
00:58:11Oh, Britannia!
00:58:14Britannia roll the waves
00:58:18Britannia...
00:58:21On the national stage, Cameron was, you know, under pressure
00:58:25In the meantime, there's this character going around
00:58:28on what looks like a permanent campaign,
00:58:30getting people to laugh and smile and like him.
00:58:37I've now won this three times, this GQ.
00:58:41I feel like John Borg.
00:58:45Recent review in The Wall Street Journal, quote,
00:58:48Boris Johnson is, by some margin,
00:58:50the most interesting political figure in Britain today.
00:58:52What a joy to have you here. Thank you so much for joining us.
00:58:56If you looked at David Cameron and said in yourself,
00:59:00when you looked in the mirror and said,
00:59:01I could be David Cameron.
00:59:03These are, you know, I think it's very important for politics
00:59:06that people should feel that the top job is coveted.
00:59:10You know, we're all like wasps in a jam jar trying to select.
00:59:15And compete for it, because only by the competition.
00:59:16Will the country be best served?
00:59:19Thank you for coming to this table.
00:59:24UKIP win the 2014 European elections,
00:59:27pushing the Conservatives into third place.
00:59:30I think it is a political earthquake.
00:59:32We've won a national election.
00:59:34And for David Cameron, that debate,
00:59:36that split within his party is going to continue.
00:59:39Boris, lovely to have you here.
00:59:40Thank you so much for coming on.
00:59:41It's a joy.
00:59:42Let me try this on for size.
00:59:43See how you like the sound of this.
00:59:44Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
00:59:45No.
00:59:46Yeah.
00:59:46You like the sound of that.
00:59:48You must like the sound of it.
00:59:49You must want to be Prime Minister, no?
00:59:51No, I want that.
00:59:52Why would you get into it if not to?
00:59:54I think you are a singularly popular politician.
00:59:57And I think, am I right in saying this to you?
00:59:58No, I do.
00:59:59No, I do.
01:00:00It's a waste of time.
01:00:03LAUGHTER
01:00:07One time when we sat down,
01:00:08it was like, how do you handle the media?
01:00:11How do you deal with this nonsense?
01:00:13You know, and he was, he laughed.
01:00:16And he was like, unpeccably well.
01:00:18He's going to get a call.
01:00:19Christ, he's going to take me.
01:00:20Brilliant, Jamie.
01:00:21Keep going.
01:00:22Boris, this is a bit like being the back half
01:00:23of a pantomime horse.
01:00:25There he is.
01:00:25Watch out.
01:00:25Take care.
01:00:26People screaming.
01:00:27There's Boris.
01:00:28Does this happen to you all the time?
01:00:29I just remember asking him,
01:00:31do you actually want to be a prime minister?
01:00:33Is that you?
01:00:36I think he'd be an utterly superb prime minister
01:00:38and he would, you know, be the voice that roared.
01:00:44And he takes a moment.
01:00:46Well, you know, Jennifer, I'm a very competitive person.
01:00:50It was like he didn't know how to,
01:00:52but it wasn't a resounding,
01:00:54yes, of course, I want to be prime minister.
01:00:56It struck me very different.
01:00:59All his life he wanted to be prime minister
01:01:02and I used to ask him why
01:01:03and I'm not sure he knew himself.
01:01:07Boris was never really good at talking about
01:01:10serious things about himself.
01:01:12I think he thought that
01:01:14he couldn't show the sort of cracks.
01:01:20It goes back to childhood.
01:01:25The best thing to do in life
01:01:27is to come to terms with yourself
01:01:28and just be yourself,
01:01:30which I've sort of learnt to do.
01:01:32But then I always felt loved.
01:01:36My parents never divorced.
01:01:38I was never abandoned.
01:01:42Boris was trying to compensate
01:01:45for a lack of love
01:01:48or feeling that he was wanted.
01:01:52And therefore,
01:01:54he wanted the whole world
01:01:57to love him,
01:01:59to compensate.
01:02:08After years of pressure building
01:02:11and infighting over Europe
01:02:13within his party,
01:02:14David Cameron prepares to announce
01:02:16an in-out European referendum
01:02:18to the British people.
01:02:21It was a gamble on Cameron's part
01:02:23and I just said to him,
01:02:24this is the biggest thing
01:02:25you're ever going to do in your life.
01:02:27Good afternoon.
01:02:29I actually said to Cameron,
01:02:30by the way,
01:02:31I don't see why you need
01:02:32to hold the referendum now.
01:02:33You've got two years.
01:02:35And his answer to me
01:02:36was quite revealing.
01:02:37He said,
01:02:38no, I'm not prepared
01:02:40to have Europe dominate my legacy.
01:02:45And I said to him,
01:02:47but it will.
01:02:49I know there will be
01:02:50many passionate arguments
01:02:51over the months ahead.
01:02:54Those who want to leave Europe,
01:02:56all they're offering
01:02:57is a risk at a time of uncertainty,
01:03:00a leap in the dark.
01:03:02The choice is in your hands.
01:03:05But my recommendation,
01:03:06I believe that Britain
01:03:08will be safer,
01:03:10stronger,
01:03:11and better off
01:03:12in a reformed European Union.
01:03:15Thank you very much.
01:03:20David Cameron knew
01:03:21how vital it was
01:03:22that Boris came down
01:03:23on their side.
01:03:24You know, I watched.
01:03:26They worked like hell
01:03:27throwing everything at Boris.
01:03:29Morning, Boris.
01:03:30How are you doing?
01:03:31How are you doing?
01:03:33Are you, uh,
01:03:34is the Prime Minister going to sway
01:03:35due to a back remain today?
01:03:37Let's see what happens
01:03:38at, uh,
01:03:39at the, um...
01:03:41Boris can quite often leave you
01:03:43with a sense
01:03:44that he is going to be
01:03:45on your side.
01:03:46Are you still making up
01:03:47your mic, Mr Johnson?
01:03:49He has this capacity
01:03:50to be able to leave you
01:03:51certain
01:03:52that the last thing
01:03:54you saw was right.
01:03:55Has the Prime Minister
01:03:56done enough
01:03:57to convince you, Boris?
01:03:59It isn't always the case,
01:04:01but for all politicians
01:04:02that's not a bad
01:04:03asset to have.
01:04:18OK, thanks, mate.
01:04:19Morning.
01:04:20Morning.
01:04:20It's up to three...
01:04:21It's three, three, three.
01:04:22You're going to see it.
01:04:23Right there.
01:04:24As Cameron entices Johnson
01:04:26towards Remain
01:04:27with the offer
01:04:27of becoming
01:04:28Defence Secretary,
01:04:30Boris drafts
01:04:31two telegraph columns.
01:04:32One arguing
01:04:34to stay in Europe.
01:04:36One arguing
01:04:38to leave.
01:04:39Everyone waits
01:04:40to find out
01:04:41what he really thinks.
01:04:54It was attributed partly
01:04:55before a struggle.
01:04:57My name's Sonia Purnell
01:04:58and I was Boris Johnson's
01:05:00deputy for the Daily Telegraph
01:05:02in Brussels
01:05:02in the early 1990s.
01:05:04Hi, I'm sorry.
01:05:05God, I promise you,
01:05:06this has been very, very tense.
01:05:08I reversed ferret in the middle
01:05:10because it suddenly seemed
01:05:12it was going to be a yes.
01:05:13But it is a no.
01:05:16Boris Johnson had been there
01:05:18for years as a correspondent
01:05:20and had grown up
01:05:21in the city too.
01:05:23One of the things
01:05:24that was quite disturbing
01:05:26was every day
01:05:27at four o'clock,
01:05:29which was coming up
01:05:30to our deadline time,
01:05:31or actually a little bit past it,
01:05:33he did this thing
01:05:35which I eventually
01:05:35called the four o'clock rant.
01:05:38He would shout abuse
01:05:39at this yucca plant
01:05:40on his desk
01:05:42and he would, you know,
01:05:44effing blind at it
01:05:45for five or ten minutes
01:05:46at the top of his voice
01:05:48and at the end of it
01:05:49it would suddenly stop
01:05:50and then you would hear him
01:05:52sit down
01:05:53and type up
01:05:55this kind of invective
01:05:56against the European community
01:05:58and it was as if he had
01:06:00to work himself up
01:06:01into a frenzy
01:06:02because I believe then
01:06:04and I still believe now
01:06:05that more or less
01:06:07the broad picture is
01:06:08he supports
01:06:09the European project.
01:06:10It's something that he had
01:06:12to kind of work up
01:06:13this bile,
01:06:14this fury
01:06:15which didn't really exist.
01:06:18And, I mean,
01:06:19those pieces he wrote
01:06:20were unbelievably influential
01:06:22but they were based on
01:06:25nothing.
01:06:28Everything I wrote
01:06:29from Brussels
01:06:31I was just chucking
01:06:32these rocks
01:06:33over the garden wall
01:06:34and I'd listened
01:06:34to this amazing crash
01:06:36from the greenhouse
01:06:37next door.
01:06:38Mr Johnson,
01:06:39will you be voting
01:06:40in or out of Europe?
01:06:41How are you?
01:06:43Everything I wrote
01:06:43were having this
01:06:44amazing explosive effect
01:06:45on the Tory party
01:06:47and it really gave me
01:06:48this, I suppose,
01:06:50rather weird sense
01:06:51of power.
01:06:54Is Britain better off
01:06:55in or out of Europe?
01:06:58I was the only person
01:06:59with him for that
01:07:00three-hour period
01:07:01before he stepped outside.
01:07:04People mistake the idea
01:07:06that Boris,
01:07:07because he'd written
01:07:07very negative things
01:07:08about the EU
01:07:08and his institutions
01:07:09over the years,
01:07:10was definitely going out.
01:07:11He was genuinely
01:07:13mixed up about
01:07:14what side he was
01:07:15going to choose.
01:07:17You know,
01:07:18he was still mayor
01:07:19of a city of 300 languages
01:07:20and diverse races
01:07:21and yet one of the
01:07:22central arguments
01:07:23of vote leave
01:07:23was about taking control
01:07:28of immigration.
01:07:28He had his father
01:07:30supporting staying in.
01:07:35He veered around
01:07:36like a shopping trolley.
01:07:39He was looking at
01:07:39both the columns,
01:07:40he was arguing
01:07:41in his own head,
01:07:42he was under enormous
01:07:43pressure from number 10.
01:07:44Cameron was texting him,
01:07:46ringing him,
01:07:46offering him,
01:07:47you know,
01:07:47every job under the sun
01:07:49to try and keep him
01:07:50on board.
01:07:51Boris,
01:07:52I'd say to Boris,
01:07:53to Boris I would say,
01:07:54talk to him directly,
01:07:55I would say to Boris,
01:07:57we will be safer,
01:07:58we'll be stronger,
01:07:59we'll be better off
01:08:00inside the EU.
01:08:01The pressure was relentless
01:08:02and clearly wasn't helping
01:08:03with his clarity of thought.
01:08:05A couple of times
01:08:06he would say to me,
01:08:06I can't do this,
01:08:07what do you think?
01:08:08And I'd say,
01:08:09I'm not making this decision
01:08:10for you,
01:08:11you know,
01:08:11you know what the arguments are.
01:08:16I'd been coming in and out
01:08:18to basically try and keep
01:08:19the press troops happy
01:08:20all afternoon
01:08:20with absolutely nothing
01:08:22to say to them.
01:08:22I was giving you
01:08:23a top load of nonsense spin.
01:08:26I said to him,
01:08:27this is untenable,
01:08:28you're going to have
01:08:28to say something,
01:08:29there's 150 journalists
01:08:30piled outside your house,
01:08:31we cannot go on like this.
01:08:32And he knew that
01:08:33and I think in a way
01:08:34he kind of just didn't
01:08:35want to make a decision.
01:08:36But even inside the house
01:08:38before he stepped out,
01:08:39he didn't really quite confirm
01:08:41when we were
01:08:42going through it,
01:08:43what he was going to say.
01:08:45Here we go.
01:08:56Hello, hello, hello.
01:08:57Good afternoon, everybody.
01:08:58I'd probably better
01:08:59come out and say something
01:09:00because I could see
01:09:00that you were all,
01:09:01you were all in a great,
01:09:03in a great mass here.
01:09:05And I apologise for
01:09:07being slow with coming down.
01:09:09You know you want to ask
01:09:09my views on Europe,
01:09:10don't you?
01:09:11Let me tell you,
01:09:12let me tell you where
01:09:13I've got to,
01:09:15which is that I am,
01:09:16I am,
01:09:18I've made up my mind.
01:09:20And I want to stress,
01:09:22I can see that we all,
01:09:23lots of people here,
01:09:24we've got a huge crowd,
01:09:24I want to stress,
01:09:25this is not about
01:09:26whether you love Europe.
01:09:28I actually,
01:09:29I love Brussels.
01:09:30I used to live in Brussels.
01:09:33but there should be no confusion
01:09:35between the wonders of Europe
01:09:37and holidays in Europe
01:09:38and fantastic food
01:09:40and friendships
01:09:41and with a political project.
01:09:44and it's my view
01:09:47that after 30 years
01:09:49of writing about this,
01:09:52we have a chance
01:09:53actually to do something.
01:09:55And that's why
01:09:55I've decided
01:09:56after a huge amount
01:09:57of heartache,
01:09:58I don't think
01:09:59there's anything else
01:10:00I can do.
01:10:00I will be advocating
01:10:01vote leave.
01:10:03Because I want
01:10:04a better deal
01:10:06for the people
01:10:07of this country
01:10:08to save them money
01:10:09and to take back control.
01:10:12Political calculation.
01:10:13Look,
01:10:14the big battalions
01:10:15of the argument
01:10:16are unquestionably
01:10:17ranged against
01:10:19people like me.
01:10:20We are portrayed
01:10:21as, you know,
01:10:21crazy, cracked
01:10:22and all the rest of it.
01:10:23Boris Johnson joined
01:10:24the Brexit crusade
01:10:26at five minutes
01:10:26to midnight
01:10:27but he made a decision
01:10:28and I heard the news
01:10:30and I was delighted.
01:10:31Thank you very much.
01:10:32Thank you very much.
01:10:36Out of the door,
01:10:37ruffle the hair.
01:10:37Gosh,
01:10:38what are you all doing here?
01:10:39What a terrible surprise.
01:10:40Oh,
01:10:40I'm supposed to be
01:10:40speaking about this.
01:10:41Yeah,
01:10:42broadly speaking,
01:10:43I've thought long
01:10:44and hard about it.
01:10:44I'm incredibly divided
01:10:45and let's go
01:10:46for the vote leave thingy.
01:10:47Let's do that.
01:10:48But, you know,
01:10:48honestly,
01:10:49it's no consequence.
01:10:50Don't worry about it.
01:10:50I'll see you all later.
01:10:52Knowing full well
01:10:53that it's a massive consequence.
01:11:01This is the moment
01:11:02where I think
01:11:03ultimately
01:11:04the direction of the country
01:11:06changed forever
01:11:07and I think the direction
01:11:08of Boris Johnson's career
01:11:09changed forever.
01:11:25Although Stanley Johnson
01:11:27admits he once
01:11:28struck his wife
01:11:29and broke her nose
01:11:30during an altercation,
01:11:31he says this was accidental
01:11:33and a one-off incident.
01:11:35He categorically denies
01:11:37any suggestions
01:11:38of domestic violence.
01:11:40In this context,
01:11:41his four children
01:11:42have issued
01:11:43a joint statement.
01:11:46For the record,
01:11:48we as the four children
01:11:49don't in any way
01:11:50recognise this characterisation
01:11:52of our parents' marriage.
01:11:53He was a heroic father,
01:11:55still is,
01:11:57and what we did see firsthand
01:11:58was a huge
01:11:59and unwavering amount
01:12:00of affection between them.
01:12:06The rise and fall
01:12:07of Boris Johnson
01:12:08continues same time tomorrow.
01:12:10From naked ambition
01:12:12to naked dating,
01:12:13the boxes are back
01:12:14for a brand new run
01:12:15of naked attraction next.
01:12:16And on Friday,
01:12:17we're back in some
01:12:18of the UK's
01:12:19most familiar living rooms
01:12:20slightly later than usual.
01:12:21Gogglebox is at 10 this week.
01:12:27We'll see you next time.
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