Robert Crampton
Robert Crampton | |
---|---|
Born |
Blackpool, England | 10 August 1964
Education | Wolfreton School; Wadham College, Oxford |
Occupation | Journalist and Cockwomble |
Notable credit(s) | Beta Male, The Times |
Spouse(s) | Nicola Almond |
Children | Sam, Rachel |
Relatives | Peter Crampton (father) |
Robert Crampton (born 10 August 1964, Blackpool, Lancashire) is an award-winning English journalist. He is also the son of Peter Crampton, former Member of the European Parliament for Humberside.
Early life
He was born in Blackpool[1] in 1964.[2] His family lived in Solihull for a while[3] before moving to Hull in 1970[4] where he grew up in an affluent suburb.[5] He has a brother David, born 1962. His parents were active in politics locally.[4] His father Peter Crampton was a teacher and lecturer in geography[6] and later a United Kingdom member of the European Parliament from 1989 to 1999,[7][8] representing the Humberside constituency for the Labour Party. His mother came from London and was a geography teacher.[1][3]
Crampton attended St Andrews County Primary School, then Wolfreton School, a local comprehensive school.[9] At this time he was heavily involved in CND.[10] When he was 18 he was convicted of a breach of the peace and fined £20 for his part in a political demonstration.[11]
After leaving school he retook his A-levels,[12] and then went on to Wadham College, Oxford,[13] in 1986.[9] Later he attended the City University Journalism Department at City University, London.
Career
He joined The Times as a columnist in 1991.[14] He writes Beta Male, a regular weekly column in The Times Saturday magazine. In 2008 he used the column to advertise his wish to gain practice in public speaking, "not because I was any good, but because I wasn't and wanted to be...At the risk of humiliation I want to come to talk to your school, business, darts team, whatever. I do not require, nor indeed do I merit, any payment." He received more than 400 requests.[10] He subsequently described his experiences of speaking at Caistor Grammar School in Lincolnshire, Highbury Grove School in North London, a training day in Bath, a Rotary Club, a women's group, a prison, a church sermon, as a best man at a wedding and delivering a eulogy at a family funeral.[10]
He also writes features and interviews in the newspaper itself. In February 2008 he exclusively previewed the new Wii Fit computer game.[15]
His past interviewees include Tony Blair,[16] David Cameron,[17] Paul McCartney,[18] Kate Winslet,[19] Kelly Brook,[20] Alex Ferguson,[21] David Walliams,[22] Liam Gallagher,[23] Sienna Miller,[24] and John Terry.[25]
In 1999 he signed a deal with a publisher to write a book, tracking down his old O-Level classmates. The book was given the working title "Whatever happened to...?" and even issued with an ISBN number ( ISBN 0385601891), but Crampton got bored with the project and never finished it.[26]
Critical reception
The author and journalist Bryan Appleyard described his Beta Male column as "light in tone, insightful but unpretentious, and above all, just the right length. I always enjoy Crampton – a naturally funny, likeable columnist. He's the kind of fellow you'd like to go for beer with, so he'd make a good US President. It's a real drag when he's away and a substitute fills in for him.[27]"
Nigel Williams has praised his interviews: "Robert Crampton's work I really like. Somehow, he combines showmanship with something like self-effacement in a very entertaining way. To me he sounds like he's telling the truth, which is one of the most difficult things to pull off in journalism. His opinions sound hard-won and thought through, and that's to do with his prose style, which puts me in mind of what Orwell said about good prose being like a window[28]".
Awards
- Shortlisted, "Columnist of the year", British Press Awards, 2002.[29]
- Winner, "Interviewer of the year", British Press Awards, 2004.[30]
- Shortlisted, "Interviewer of the year", British Press Awards, 2007.[31]
Personal life
He met his future wife Nicola Almond when at school aged 12 in 1977, but only started going out with her thirteen years later.[32] They married on 2 May 1998 in the City of London.[33] They live in Hackney, London,[10][34] with their children Sam and Rachel.[35] They own a second home at Kingsdown Park near Deal, Kent.[34]
References
- 1 2 Crampton, Robert (10 November 2007). "Beta male". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ Crampton, Robert (6 October 2007). "Beta male". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- 1 2 Crampton, Robert (4 November 2006). "Beta male". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- 1 2 Crampton, Robert (2 January 2010). "To Hull and back changing times but no Broken Britain". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0385601891
- ↑ Asthana, Anushka; Sherman, Jill. The Times. London http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/article789132.ece. Missing or empty
|title=
(help) - ↑ http://www.hull.ac.uk/arc/undergraduate/30039politics.html
- ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 March 2009. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
- 1 2 Crampton, Robert. "Beta+male". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 Crampton, Robert (26 December 2009). "My year of public speaking". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ Crampton, Robert (3 May 2008). "Beta male". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ Crampton, Robert (22 May 2006). "Comprehensively shafted how the Labour Party failed my generation". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/columnists/article2716391.ece
- ↑ Charter, David. The Times. London http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/robert_crampton/. Retrieved 22 May 2010. Missing or empty
|title=
(help) - ↑ Crampton, Robert (16 February 2008). "We test the Nintendo Wii Fit". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ Crampton, Robert (30 April 2005). "The Main Man Tony Blair interview". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ Crampton, Robert (29 March 2007). "Tackle a hoody like Dave doesn t". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ Crampton, Robert (5 December 2009). "Paul McCartney in love and back on the road". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ http://www.discoverkate.com/Articles/features/19990123_times-magazine.html
- ↑ Asthana, Anushka; Sherman, Jill (21 January 2006). "Kelly Brook". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ Dickinson, Matt (21 February 2003). "Eriksson shook hands on Old Trafford job offer". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ Crampton, Robert (26 September 2009). "David Walliams on women dressing up and Mr Stink". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ Crampton, Robert (9 August 2008). "Liam Gallagher on celebrity fatherhood and hating Coldplay". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ Crampton, Robert (2 February 2008). "Sienna Miller talks love peoplepleasing nesting and niceness". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ Crampton, Robert (13 February 2010). "The rise and fall of John Terry". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ Crampton, Robert (31 January 2009). "Beta male". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ http://www.bryanappleyard.com/blog/2008/10/robert-crampton-great-wakering-and-fan.php
- ↑ "An alternative view of tonight's British Press Awards". The Independent. London. 26 March 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ "British Press Awards shortlist". The Guardian. London. 14 February 2002. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ "British Press Awards: full list of winners". The Guardian. London. 17 March 2004. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ "British Press Awards 2007 shortlists". The Guardian. London. 27 February 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ Crampton, Robert (9 January 2010). "Beta male". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ Crampton, Robert (4 May 2010). "Am I the only man in Britain who actually likes politicians". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- 1 2 Margolis, Jonathan (30 August 2008). "The rise of readymade holiday villages". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ Crampton, Robert (25 May 2007). "California campervan". The Times. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.