Shropshire Star

Poetry passion revealed by Brandreth

Gyles Brandreth is never far from our television screens or radios.

Published
Gyles Brandreth on stage

A regular on the One Show and Just a Minute, the writer, broadcaster, former MP and journalist has another love – poetry.

He was in Shropshire on Thursday for, not one, but two completely constrasting events. During the day he was awarding degrees to graduates at the University Centre, Shrewsbury.

By evening he had an audience at the Lion Quays, near Oswestry, in stitches with his comedic talk on life and his passion for learning poetry by heart and its benefits in an event hosted by Booka Bookshop.

Gyles Brandreth with his book

His book, Dancing by the Light of the Moon, is an anthology of poetry to learn by heart. He revealed that when he was a young boy he didn’t want to be a writer or actor, he wanted to be prime minister.

“There will be people here tonight who might wish I was,” he said. He did, though, become MP for Chester. “I served one term and lost the next election. It didn’t help my cause that my darling wife put our house in the constituency up for sale – during the election.”

Brandreth revealed that his love of poetry began when he was eight and, as a choir boy in church he met the poet TS Elliot – who was a church warden.

“He suggested I learn one of the poems from Old Possum’s book of Practical Cats that inspired Andrew Lloyd Webber to write Cats. I learnt McCavity, performed it and he told me I did rather well.”

His passion led him to research the benefits of learning poetry and he visited Cambridge University.

The audience listening to Gyles Brandreth

“While investigating dyslexia scientists there found that if you speak rhythmic poetry to the unborn or small baby that child will speak sooner, read and write earlier.”

He said that poetry is also known to keep dementia at bay.

“Learning a poem isn’t passive like reading or watching TV. It keeps your brain active.”

Such is his passion for poetry that he has launched an initiative that brings the generations together through poetry.

“We have set up Poetry Together. We get children in schools to learn a poem by heart then they invite residents at a local care home to learn the same poem and they perform it together. Through poetry they enjoy each other’s company it is fantastic.”