OBs with a penchant for politics will be delighted to hear that two OBs were involved in a recent Rich Hall documentary about US politics and presidential elections. Prominent political historian, Professor Andrew O’Shaughnessy (67-78), was interviewed for the show which was directed by fellow OB and award-winning Director, Chris Cottam (82-92).
Last year’s US Presidential election saw Republican candidate and billionaire businessman, Donald Trump, go head to head against Democrat candidate and former Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton. The world watched in anticipation as the media became the bitter battlefield between these two opposing candidates and, following the results, on Friday 20th January, Donald Trump will replace outgoing President Barack Obama and be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.
In light of these elections, American comedian Rich Hall presents a documentary looking back at past US presidential elections. Rich Hall’s Presidential Grudge Match is an interesting and eye-opening examination of the sordid machinations involved in becoming US president showing that the 2016 presidential race is not the first time the contest has taken a nasty turn.
A must-see for all of those interested in politics – please click here to view the BBC Four documentary on iPlayer (as per iPlayer guidelines, the show will be available to view for a limited time only).
You may also be interested to hear that Andrew O’Shaughnessy will be giving a talk on his recent book, The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire, at the School on Wednesday 22nd February. Please see here for further details.