‘Chasing Churchill’

Anything that might surprise historians?
I think the public in general often thinks that Winston Churchill appeared on the steps of 10 Downing Street on the 10th of May 1940 with a cigar in one hand, making a V-sign with the other and that was that. They don't question where he came from, what he did before.  He would never have gotten there if there hadn't been so much to his life before.

Were there any moments when you had to deal with less pleasant memories of Churchill?
There was a controversy about how he escaped in South Africa and it was a big controversy at the time…[over] whether he should have left the other two [British captives] whom he was meant to escape with behind.  I went into the whole story.  I really went into it.  I'm not going to sit here and say, you know, he was right and they were wrong. But the fact of the matter was they tried, they couldn't get over the wall, he went and had one more go, and waited for them for two hours on the other side of the fence. It would have been very difficult to climb back in over the wall.

In the film you make a point of visiting spots where Churchill painted.  Why was that important in telling his story?
I mean this was an absolute stress-breaker for him—this was what he did when he wanted to relax. And the painting was really important—it sounds like it's just something you want to do for fun, but I think it played a much more important role.  If he'd been stressed out as they say…I don't think stress was allowed to happen in those days. But you know in today's world people would certainly consider that he was under the worst possible stress, particularly during the war and throughout the thirties when he was telling everyone what was happening in Germany and telling everyone the news that they absolutely didn't want to hear.  That was the time he painted his very best pictures.

Where are these paintings now?
The largest collection is at my grandparents' country house in Chartwell in Kent, which belongs to the National Trust.  But there are paintings which he gave to other people: he gave paintings to each of the American presidents that he knew.  The only painting he painted during World War II was in Marrakech, which he gave to President Roosevelt after he'd taken him there to see the sun setting on the Atlas mountains. And he gave one to President Truman, one to President Eisenhower…so he liked giving his paintings away, but to very special people.

Many people came forward to help you with this project and it is now being aired on national television.  Why do you think that there is such enduring interest in Churchill?
I think that from the moment he died in 1965 for the next sort of 30 years he gradually took his place in the history books. But after 9/11 it seemed that he stepped right off those pages and back into the political arena, because leaders were all quoting him—from Downing Street to the White House, from the London Times to the New York Times. Everywhere people were quoting Winston Churchill. I think what all this proves is that his style and principles of leadership are as relevant today as they were in 1940.

© 2008