BIOGRAPHY

Gyles's varied career has ranged from playing Baron Hardup in Cinderella to serving as MP for Chester and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury in the Major Government. It was in this capacity that he counter-signed the biggest cheque in British history, with Her Majesty The Queen. He still wonders which one they didn't trust.

As a journalist and Editor-at-Large of the Sunday Telegraph Review, Gyles has interviewed a huge array of celebrities and world leaders. The interviews, described by Michael Parkinson as 'quite superb', are collected in Brief Encounters: Meetings with Remarkable People. Other books include Philip and Elizabeth: Portrait of a Marriage, a series of Victorian thrillers - The Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries and Something Sensational to Read in the Train: The Diary of a Lifetime.

Never one to shrink from name-dropping, especially when it has a purpose, one of Gyles' presentations focuses on leaders with whom he has come into close contact. From Thatcher, Blair, Clinton and Bush to General de Gaulle, Richard Branson and Sheik Mohammed of Dubai, Gyles reveals the lessons he learned from each.

Gyles is a marvellously talented after dinner speaker with a wealth of stories. As well as his early credits on daytime television, he has presented Radio 4's Sound Advice, written and co-starred in Living With the Enemy, and fronted a series on the British aristocracy. He also makes regular appearances on the One Show and Just a Minute.

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