Rod Liddle, the provocative journalist and broadcaster, has died at the age of 66 after a short illness. Known for his invective-laden columns targeting the liberal-left, he was a prominent figure in British media.
Career and Controversy
Liddle wrote for the Sunday Times, the Spectator, and the Sun, and hosted Saturday morning shows on Times Radio. His columns often targeted bureaucrats, politicians, and campaigners for gay and trans rights, as well as the 'liberal-left elite' he claimed were undermining the working classes. His style was marked by ebullient humour and a 'wrecking-ball' approach, drawing complaints from those who did not see the joke.
He was the first journalist censured by the Press Complaints Commission for a blog in 2010, after alleging that most violent crime in London was carried out by 'young men from the African-Caribbean community'. He also apologized to Labour politician Harriet Harman for a crude snub.
BBC and Later Life
Liddle edited the BBC Radio 4 Today programme from 1998, making it more aggressive and competitive, and increasing audience figures. He left the BBC in 2003 after being told to give up his Guardian columns or leave. He later wrote for the Sunday Times and others, publishing books including 'Selfish Whining Monkeys' (2014) and 'The Great Betrayal' (2019).
Born in Sidcup, Kent, he grew up in Middlesbrough and studied at the London School of Economics. He married Rachel Royce in 2004, then Alicia Monckton in 2008, with whom he had a daughter. He is survived by his wife and three children.
