Boston College Professor Explores Mrs Thatcher, the BBC and Northern Ireland

The Centre for Irish Studies at St Mary’s University, Twickenham is to host a guest lecture exploring the fractious relationship between the late, former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the BBC and Northern Ireland in the 1980s. Prof Robert Savage, Associate Professor for Irish Studies at Boston College in the USA, will deliver the lecture entitled ‘Margaret Thatcher and the BBC’s Irish Troubles’ on Thursday 8th May at St Mary’s Strawberry Hill campus. Open to the public, the lecture is based on new research by Prof Savage, which was conducted at the BBC Written Archives in Caversham, with official political papers and interviews. The research explores Margaret Thatcher’s relationship with the BBC during her time as Prime Minister, which seemed to be marred by controversy during the violence in Northern Ireland. During the lecture he will consider how a number of broadcasting controversies led a frustrated Thatcher Government to introduce formal political censorship in 1988. Prof Savage is Lecturer for the Irish Studies programme at Boston College and is author to several books including, Irish Television: Politics and Society (Cork University Press, 1996), the award-winning Loss of Innocence: Television and Irish Society (Manchester University Press, 2010) and a forthcoming monograph The BBC’s Irish Troubles (Manchester University Press, 2015). The lecture will begin at 6.45pm on Thursday 8th May, is free and open to members of the public, however spaces are limited so booking is essential. For more information and to book your place please contact Wendy Bushnell on wendy.bushnell@stmarys.ac.uk