Article sketch: Before GB News and TalkTV, there was Horatio Bottomley and John Bull magazine
Stephen Arnell
Broadcast/Streaming Consultant for TV & Film, Writer/Producer (Bob Fosse, Alex Cox, Prince, Sinatra etc), Media/Culture Commentator (BBC Radio, magazines, newspapers), author (novel The Great One published November 2022)
The populist/MP/Fraudster Bottomley (1860-1933), whose nationalist John Bull magazine (1906-1920) was far more popular (over half a million circulation at its height) than either of the UK's two right-wing 'news' channels are ever likely to be.?
Despite his humble origins, Bottomley was a far more eloquent, witty and effective public?speaker than the likes of Nigel Farage, Richard Tice, Alexandra Phillips, Ben Habib and co.
Bottomley was brought down by his own greed, vanity, promiscuity, profligacy, boozing, and crooked schemes. Whether any of his spiritual successors will follow suit is for The Gods to decide.
In 1922 he was sentenced to seven years' penal servitude for his fraudulent Victory Bond Club, but was released after?five, living?the rest of his life in near-poverty and worsening health.
His attempt at re-launching another John Bull ('John Blunt') was a dud.
Timothy West plays Bottomley in episode of The Edwardians (BBC1, 1972):
"What poor education I have received has been gained in the University of Life."
Horatio Bottomley