Tragedy of dazzling Doris, the blonde who bewitched Winston
She may not have had the most glamorous sounding name in the world but back in the Twenties and Thirties, Doris Castlerosse was the It Girl of her day.
A striking blonde who loved to dress in tiny shorts that showed off her legs, she was a shameless social climber who spent much of her life bewitching wealthy older men.
In Churchill’s Secret Affair (C4) we learnt that Winston Churchill was one such man and even painted a risqué portrait of her on a settee.
Previously thought to have always been staunchly faithful to his wife, Clementine, the revelation of his relationship with Doris only came to light three years ago when tapes of an interview with Jock Colville, Churchill’s former Private Secretary, were uncovered.
In last night’s documentary, historian Dr Warren Dockter and Churchill expert Professor Richard Toye set off, like a beardy, cardigan-wearing version of Mulder and Scully, to investigate the scandal.
They discovered that Doris was what was politely termed a ‘professional mistress’. In 1928 she married the much older Lord Valentine Castlerosse, but it lasted just a year due to her infidelities.
Then, in the early Thirties, she had a fling with Randolph Churchill before setting her sights on his father. They met on the French Riviera when Churchill was in his ‘wilderness years’. Approaching 60 and going through a bad patch in his marriage, the fun and flirty Doris provided a welcome relief.
After their holiday Churchill wrote to her calling her a ‘ray of sunshine’ and paid secret visits to her London house in Berkeley Square (bought and paid for by another admirer).
The war put an end to the affair and Doris fled to New York with another wealthy lover. But when he refused to leave his wife she became debt- ridden, depressed and desperate to return to england. In despair she wrote to Churchill, then Prime Minister, for help.
Some suggest there was a hint of blackmail at play. Whatever the case, Churchill provided her with a safe passage home, although he never saw her again.
Rejected by all her ex-lovers, Doris fatally overdosed aged 42 and you couldn’t help but feel sorry for a woman who died penniless and alone in a hotel room while her former lover went on to become one of the nation’s greatest heroes.
The documentary told the story in an enthralling yet sensitive way. ‘enthralling’ was not a word to describe the final of new talent show All Together Now (BBC1). After six weeks of auditions, Michael, a teenage busker from hartlepool, was crowned winner.
The premise of the show was that contestants, many already professional singers, must perform in front of a panel of judges called ‘the 100’. They are also singers from all walks of life who vote by standing up and joining in. Former Spice Girl Geri halliwell was the head of the 100 (yes, that’s right, she was there to judge other
people’s singing). And when she wasn’t doing that, she delivered a stream of psychobabble soundbites. ‘Reach inside all of our hearts and connect it to your heart,’ was one of these gems.
Fortunately compere Rob Beckett did better. his banter with the contestants was often more entertaining than their performance.
To the show’s credit, the sob stories were kept to a minimum, there were no promises of a recording contract or Christmas No 1 and the trophy presentation was all over in 10 seconds. It’s almost as if they knew Michael will never be heard of again
Perhaps it should have been called All Together . . . Now Go Away.’ Christopher Stevens is away.