Have I Said Too Much? My Life in Politics & the Media
By Iain Dale
Award-winning broadcaster Iain Dale has led a life full of incident and success but also some very public failures. In this refreshingly honest account of his life and careers in business, politics and media, he tells all for the first time.
With the same raw candour that earns him 750,000 weekly listeners, he recounts his journey from driving a combine harvester at age eight to driving the national conversation on LBC, taking in his encounters with a host of household names, including HM Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Cliff Richard, Kylie Minogue, Joan Rivers, Jennifer Saunders, the Duchess of York, Olivia Newton-John, Terry Pratchett and twelve of our fifty-eight Prime Ministers.
He also reflects movingly on coming out at age forty, coming to terms with his thwarted political aspirations, and the heartbreaking phone-ins that have made him ‘the friend they’ve never met’ to millions.
This is the ultimate insider’s guide to the corridors of power and the pressures of the studio. Whether he’s nearly throwing up on Margaret Thatcher, coming to blows with senior MPs or accidentally calling the Archbishop of Canterbury something less than pious on live radio, this is Iain Dale off-air and unfiltered.
Reviews
“On the contrary, I’m not sure Iain Dale has said enough! He’s one of the sharpest and best-informed commentators, particularly on Conservative politics, with a healthy dose of much-needed common sense. Keep going!”
David Cameron
“I have enjoyed being interviewed hundreds of times, maybe thousands, and Iain stands out among those interviewers. You might ask why. The answer is simple. He is a selfless interviewer who does his research thoroughly and allows the subject to speak without taking over himself.”
Sir Cliff Richard
“Be afraid, very afraid”
Sarah Vine
“Frank, funny and fierce”
Rachel Johnson
“Funny, touching, unflinching – he’s as easy to read as he is to listen to. My kind of book from my kind of broadcaster.”
Gyles Brandreth
“Humanity, wit and warmth – reminds us why Iain Dale is one of the nation’s favourite broadcasters”
Dr Tessa Dunlop
“Serious, funny and real. What a life!”
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
“Iain Dale is one of the real nice guys. One of the smartest interviewers and commentators on UK politics, with a huge backdrop of experience and a huge smattering of fun.”
Sir Brandon Lewis
“Full of fun, insight and warmth, but do please avoid Chapter 6!”
Ann Widdecombe
“The answer to the question is ‘No’ – I can never hear enough from Iain Dale.”
Piers Morgan
“Not only a great broadcaster, commentator and networker but also a remarkably nice bloke for a Tory.”
Jacqui Smith
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- Hardback, 400 pages
- ISBN: 9781837360727
-
15 July 2026
Available to pre-order - £22.00
- eBook
- ISBN: 9781837360741
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15 July 2026
Available to pre-order - £16.99