Meeting Myself Coming Back

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High-profile figures, in conversation with John Wilson, replay their own sound archive

High-profile figures, in conversation with John Wilson, replay their own sound archive and use it as a basis for a re-examination of their lives

Meeting Myself Coming Back: Alastair Campbell

Alastair Campbell

BBC Radio 4 - Meeting Myself Coming Back, Alastair Campbell

Alastair Campbell, former Labour spin doctor, meets his younger self in the BBC archives.

The series in which John Wilson takes key figures back in time through the archives returns with Alastair Campbell, former Labour spin doctor, as the first guest.

"Meeting Myself Coming Back" ,the series in which John Wilson takes key figures back in time through the archives returns with Alastair Campbell, former Labour spin doctor, as the first guest.

For almost a decade after Tony Blair was elected leader of the  Labour Party in 1994, Alastair Campbell was one of his most trusted advisors, serving as press secretary and then Downing Street director of Communications. Under his press management, the party went on to reinvent itself as New Labour and in 1997 won its first General Election for nearly 20 years.   

But Campbell was also often embroiled in controversy, such as the alleged "sexing up" of the dossier that formed part of the basis for war with Iraq in 2003 .There were also accusations that he was too powerful.

So what was really going on behind the public moments?

John surprises Alastair with clips from his past, from his early days as a sports journalist in Devon to his time at the heart of Government and his subsequent activities as a mental health campaigner.

Producer: Emma Kingsley

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