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Oral history projects undertaken to record the memories of staff who have worked for either the Guardian or the Observer.

Includes oral history interviews undertaken between 1998-2002 as part of the project to create the Guardian and Observer Archive Visitor Centre; interviews conducted with Guardian staff who covered the March 2003 invasion of Iraq and interviews with staff in the Guardian's bicentenary year, 2021.

Staff interviewed include editorial staff such as journalists and photographers, as well as production and administrative staff. Production staff interviewed include a printer, compositors and a designer. Administrative staff include secretaries, a marketing manager, librarians and head of workplace, whilst journalists interviewed include correspondents covering war, health, politics, film and television, data, visuals and technology.

Topics covered include the Guardian's move from Manchester offices to production in London, the launch of the Guardian's women's page, changes in ownership of the Observer newspaper, covering the 2003 Iraq War, digital first publishing and the bicentenary of the Guardian.

Recordings between 1998-2012 were originally recorded on minidisc or audio cassette, and later transferred to CD, these oral history recordings are now available to researchers via the GNM Digital Repository. All recording from 2012 onwards were created and are held digitally.

Many of the recordings between 1998-2003 include a data cover sheet completed at the time of the interview which contains biographical details about the subject and information about the recording.
Creator: Guardian News & Media Ltd (2006-)
Creator: Guardian Newspapers Limited (1967-2006)

Interview with Michael Adams, foreign correspondent for the Guardian. Conducted by Brian Whitaker on 27 July 2001. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording and notes made during the interview.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

Disc 1
Track 1:
00.50 Hired by Manchester Guardian - very excited "just wanted someone with an open mind"
02.20 Middle East
03.20 Suez Crisis
06.50 Nasser's qualities
10.00 More on Suez Crisis - "July….nothing happens in July"

12.30 Secret signal to occupy the canal "Ferdinand de Lesops"
19.30 Guardian's stance on Suez and differences between then and now (has sons who are reporters)

Track 2:
00.30 Feedback - went to Glasgow and received bizarre advice
02.25 Story concerning flat and TASS correspondent
05.20 Surveillance on journalists
06.20 Expelled from Egypt at the end of the Suez crisis
07.50 Internment

11.20 Guardian's finances - £50 per month expenses, hitching a lift with the UN
14.00 Wadsworth "man of very few words"
15.06 Hetherington, fell-walkers on the Guardian - would always pay for drinks

Track 3:
05.25 Hetherington announces closure of Rome post by letter - very direct man

Track 4:
02.24 Leaving the staff
03.19 Dropping "Manchester" from the title

Disc 2
Track 1:
00.01 1967 War - Guardian editorial line
06.44 Guardian on Israel

Track 2:
05.12 Treatment of Palestinians on Gaza strip
05.48 Hetherington's regret about sentence used in a report by Adams
07.40 Falling out with editor over story about 3 villages destroyed by the Israelis near Jerusalem

Track 3:
00.01 Argument with Hetherington. On the perception of Israel and Arabs
07.00 Influences on A Hetherington

15.45 Leaving the Guardian and Harold Jackson's later report

Interview with Derek Bennett, printer for the Guardian. Conducted by Leslie Plommer on 6 December 2002. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording and notes on his career.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

Disc 1
Track 1:
00.44 Born in Manchester 1931, family not in printing
01.17 Got stereotyping apprenticeship at Salford City Reporter, description of duties and printing process
03.03 Description of a 'flong'
06.00 Moved to the Guardian in 1951
08.42 Discussion of his duties and posting to Korea whilst on National Service

10.10 Reunion of troops in combat together in Korea, August 26 2000, and discussion about army career
15.30 Return home from Korea
16.10 Work at Cross Street casting advertisements
16.30 Description about casting - making plates, flongs etc.
18.00 Further casual jobs at City News in Manchester, and Stockport Gazette

20.30 Harold Geldard at City News docked wage by quarter of an hour, dispute led to better contract
23.50 Comparison to Guardian contract
24.20 Discussion about casual work
25.20 Buying a house
25.45 Dispute with Harold Geldard about printing and handing in notice at City News
28.00 Finding replacement Stereotyper at City News, Maurice Brown
29.10 Contacted Percy Martin at Guardian about a job
29.30 Application to go to Australia - Assisted Passage Scheme £10.00, leaving 1st February 1958

30.05 Asked Percy Martin for job for a few months before leaving
30.30 Arriving in Australia with no money
31.10 Finding work at printers - 187 Beckett Street [?White and Gellespie], proprietor - Bert Whitmore
32.00 Holiday in Sydney, discussion about moving to Sydney and finding work
34.15 Bert Whitmore helped find job in Camborne (suburb of Sydney) work in Stereotyping and vinyl plates
36.00 Work found at the Telegraph as Stereoptyper
36.15 Comparisons to Stereotyping in England
38.00 Became Deputy Overseer
38.20 Notice to leave with no prospects of another job
38.40 Went to Daily Mirror
39.50 Leaving Australia

40.40 Back in England, went to work at Guardian in 1962
40.50 Reasons for leaving Australia
42.50 Enjoying work at the Guardian
43.30 Dealing with libelous stories in the newspaper
44.00 Daily Express, [?Carol Sarler] discussion about libels in newspapers
45.40 'Chipping' plates on the press due to libel
48.20 Move to Deansgate, September 1969 printing moved
49.00 Working across two sites - Deansgate and Cross Street

51.00 Dispute with another member of staff about checking copies of Guardian and Daily Mail
54.55 Further discussion about the move to Deansgate, including moving and positioning of printing presses

Track 2:
00.15 Integration with the Daily Mail
02.10 Deputy Overseer position in 1965
03.50 Separating printers from the Daily Mail printers 1974
06.40 Stan Leggett retired 1975-1976, Derek Bennett took position of Overseer
08.15 Saving money on newsprint
13.55 Polymer plates tested

Disc 2
Track 1:
00.15 Polymer plates - reasons for using them, and introducing them into the printing process
02.45 Problems with vacuum in printing
03.00 Visible improvement in quality of print
03.40 Colour printing press bought from Canada
05.20 Vibrations affected colour register, sensors put on
07.05 Role of Overseer

Track 2:
00.10 Responsibilities of role of Overseer
03.25 Discussion about Len Spate, Stereotyper
07.05 Guardian not best paid job in comparison to other newspapers
08.40 Discussion about working with metal (fumes etc.) and conditions in print room

Interview with David Brook, marketing manager for the Guardian. Conducted by Carolyn McCall on 16 July 2002. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording.

Summary of contents of interview (with rough timings):

Track 1:
00.01 Introduction by Carolyn McCall

Track 2:
00.01 Correction of title of his job at Channel 4

Track 3:
00.33 How he came to work for the Guardian in 1987
01.45 Atmosphere at the Guardian after launch of the Independent and his first day
03.00 Individuals and teams involved in the redesign of the paper
03.39 How research for design was done prior to relaunch
04.50 Knew that new design would upset some readers at first
05.35 Discussion of other projects that changed shape of the paper, particularly weekend Guardian
07.50 Launch of 'The Guide' particularly significant for its design
09.34 On the board when the Guardian bought the Observer in 1993

10.47 Discussion of the Guardian's involvement in 'Wired' in 1993
12.45 Didn't work, but started a legacy in digital knowledge at the
13.08 Discussion of his involvement in debate on where Guardian was 'positioned' in the market
16.10 Took quite a while for the Guardian to adjust its target market
17.00 Caught up and overtook the Independent thanks to the Guardian's stance and writers
17.50 Marketing techniques that were used to lure in new readers
18.35 Use of sponsored supplements to advertise the paper
19.10 Discussion of moving Guardian into using colour in its magazines

20.26 Period of 'price cutting wars' in 1993, Guardian did not cut its price
21.25 Discussion of the change in competition between papers
23.10 Discussion of how the Guardian brand changed between 1993 and 1996
25.15 The Guardian a 'paper with a mission'
26.39 Great array of characters on staff at the Guardian and the Observer
29.50 Industrial relations within the paper

Interview with Richard Bourne, journalist for the Guardian. Conducted by Donald Wintersgill on 11 December 2002. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording and notes made during the interview.

Summary of contents of interview (with rough timings):

Track 1
00.38 Introductions and Guardian career 1962 - 1972
01.35 Describes the atmosphere of the Cross Street office in the 1960s
02.35 Tension between Manchester and London offices
03.35 Talented writers working for the paper when he arrived (Peter Eckersley, Dennis Johnson, Arthur Hopcraft)
06.53 Describes Harry Whewell and what he was like to work with
09.15 How he came to work for the Guardian, his Graduate Trainee interview

12.10 Describes Alastair Hetherington and what he was like as an editor
13.35 Discusses Stanley Reynolds, reporter, writer and critic
15.45 Stanley Reynold's description of Peter Preston's style
17.15 More discussion of the Cross Street Leader Writer's Corridor and Paddy Monkhouse, Assistant Editor
19.03 Discusses Alastair Hetherington
19.30 Geoffrey Taylor, Alistair Cooke, Richard Scott and Darsie Gille also writing for paper at the time

20.45 Frank Edmeade's resignation from the Guardian over Hetherington's stance on Vietnam
23.15 John O'Callaghan's resignation over the Guardian's Irish policy in the 1970s
24.25 The Guardian's stance on CND
25.30 Alastair Hetherington's stance on defence and journalists who wrote for him
26.40 Alastair Hetherington and Harold Wilson's closeness
28.16 Reported on Edward Boyle leaving politics during 1970 election campaign

30.55 Beginning of 'Education Guardian', one of the first supplements
34.20 Alastair Hetherington's opinion of Education Guardian
35.32 Life in the London office in Gray's Inn Road, editors' and sub-editors' sections, characters in the office

41.00 Sat with Nicholas De Jongh, Keith Harper.
41.30 Discussion about Peter Harvey, reporter and Australian
43.50 Peter Preston's rise through the ranks
47.33 Speculates as to why Peter Preston got editor's job
48.40 Working from Brazil, incident when round-the-world yachtsman reporting for the Guardian went missing

53.57 Discussion of the 'old Guardian', financial difficulties in the 1960s
54.49 Obituary of Laurence Prestwich Scott
55.30 Feeling of working on a paper with a particular mission
56.30 Campaigns about education and the students causes
57.48 Differing opinions between departments
59.05 Belief that the Guardian attracted 'Lib-Lab' people to its staff

[Technical hitch where contents of interview from this point were cut. Following is Donald Wintersgill recapping on what was missed]
61.03 Sotheby's advertising in the Guardian cancelled because of something Donald Wintersgill wrote
62.19 Bourne getting into trouble over offending an advertiser

Interview with Linda Christmas, journalist for the Guardian. Conducted by Isabel Milner on 18 June 2001. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording. Tracks 2 and 3 on disc 1 are blank.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

Disc 1:
Track 1
07.30 Mary Stott asked "can you write Guardian features in a Guardian way"

11.00 "Something about me and the Guardian that just fitted"
14.40 NUJ meeting about LC and manner which Peter Preston appointed her - "my copy was blacked"
16.00 Intimidating atmosphere at the Guardian was the same for all newspapers

29.00 "Love affair" with Guardian - not a job

Track 2
Test

Track 3
Test

Disc 2:
Track 1
02.30 Mary Stott advised "if it interests you, it interests your readers"' political stance - all journalists against something
11.00 Told by Guardian that she did not need money/decent salary as had high earning husband and no children

22.00 Very defined readership; Peter Preston referred to "fizz" and light-hearted' enormously broad subject matter

30.00 Media responsibility for society not respecting anything

Interview with William Clarke, financial journalist for the Guardian. Conducted by Victor Keegan on 25 July 2001. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

Track 1
Test

Track 2
Test

Track 3
Test

Track 4
Test

Track 5
Test

Track 6:
00.55 Guardian Industrial Survey and its influence on the Bank of England
04.29 Richard Fry joining the MG in 1938
06.30 On City editors
07.42 On joining the Manchester Guardian/RAF experiences
08.56 Actually joined MG
09.44 Advised to read Gibbon [Decline and Fall] and "the Autobiography" [Kim by Rudyard Kipling]

10.55 Discusses what was it like when he joined. Comments on women's editor, Betty Wilson, and Tom Kent
13.59 On London office, 40-43 Fleet Street, 4 people including Raymond Frost
16.03 How often did he see the Manchester editor?
16.24 Was commercial editor in ?London 1 month for 5/6 years
17.20 First meeting with Wadsworth

25.00 On devaluation
30.00 More comments on London office

33.00 Fleet Street office, someone had office on whose door was written "God and Impartial"
36.50 No windows at Fleet Street. On George Gale and other personalities

41.20 Hetherington as future editor
42.30 Suez - feels Guardian got the feeling of the country wrong
45.10 Manchester vs. London - strength of a leader in Manchester
49.50 Guardian vs the Times felt he was "freer on the Guardian" from other people's ambitions

Interview with Terry Coleman, journalist for the Guardian. Conducted by Stephen Moss on 5 March 2002. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

Disc 1:
Track 1
00.20 Began working at the Guardian in 1961
00.43 Originally joined the Guardian as a designer for the features page/women's page
01.08 At that time the Manchester Guardian was aiming to move to London
01.46 'It's a really rather restless newspaper'
02.02 Interview with Alastair Hetherington only lasted 3 minutes - 'I called him Sir of course'
02.53 Didn't think of the Guardian as a radical paper
05.05 After about 18 months in Manchester there was great shift to London
06.15 New features editor John Rosselli arrived
07.34 Rosselli got him a job as reporter in 1964/5, based in London
07.59 The move to London was disliked by many
09.51 Discusses John Rosselli, Mark Arnold Forster, John Anderson and Gerard Fay

15.31 Put in charge of the Miscellany column - wrote a good half of it for about 2 years
17.08 Discusses Philip Hope-Wallace
18.55 One perk of being a theatre critic was seeing D.H. Lawrence plays in London in the 1960s

20.20 Interviewer asks if good writing the essence of the paper?
20.56 Worked for 18 months in the mid seventies for the Daily Mail
22.48 Covered the 1970 and 1974 General Elections for the Guardian
23.22 Two month trip to Australia in 1974 'to report anything that took my fancy'
26.26 In 1974 David English offered Coleman £11,000 to work for The Daily Mail
27.50 Describes his transition from news reporter to feature writer as informal
29.12 The system of 'starred pieces' and how stories were displayed inside the news pages

30.38 Interviewer asks Coleman about 1966 and the uncertain future of the Guardian
32.32 Back to 1974, Coleman agreed to take David English's offer
36.56 Hetherington sent Coleman off with a simple note saying: 'Good luck, you have been good value'
37.50 Returned to the Guardian within two years

40.46 How he asked Peter Preston, then editor of the Guardian, for a job
43.26 There were no formal brainstorming meetings at the Guardian
45.54 Guardian projecting Coleman as a star writer in 1970s with quirky picture by Abu [Abraham]
46.40 Published a book containing various newspaper articles in 1969
48.09 Began to cover larger interviews

51.55 Discusses what changes Peter Preston made
52.19 'Only time I ever found Peter sticky was South Africa'
55.14 Discusses Live Aid piece
58.16 Had you become the politically incorrect figure on the paper?
59.24 Was your job not made easier or harder by abuse?

60.55 Were you writing books by this stage?
63.37 Wrote the history of transatlantic migration in 19th century but always needed the journalism stimulus
64.27 Left England
65.23 After a year in New York he wrote a second novel. Came back in 1981/2 for third stint.
66.42 Harry Jackson was features editor in 1981. Discusses Christopher Driver

70.34 What prompted your third and final departure?
73.40 Went to the Independent expecting it to be independent.

Disc 2:
Track 1
00.22 Differences with Andreas Whittam- Smith
02.05 Feels he should have stayed with the Guardian
02.15 Worked a lot for Night and Day supplement for Daily Mail - big interviews
02.55 Did he ever regret leaving?
04.15 Book writing
05.28 Ever wondered what would have happened if hadn't left paper in 1988?
05.52 Would he have fitted in the nineties Guardian?
06.03 Matthew Engel and Martin Woollacott

Interview with Mary Collingborn, personnel manager for the Guardian. Conducted by Leslie Plommer on 12 December 2001. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

Disc 1:
Track 1
00.10 Joined the Guardian 15 May 1972 as employee assistant manager

Track 2
00.20 Joined advertisement department in Johns Street. Main Guardian offices were in the Sunday Times building
01.10 What she did before and how she came to work at the Guardian
02.30 Differences between secretaries today and then

Track 3
00.20 Smaller Advertising dept - less than fifty members of staff
00.38 Jim Abbiss and Geoffrey Taylor shared offices with their secretaries
01.10 Became secretary to Geoffrey Taylor c.1976
02.42 Description of Geoffrey Taylor
03.45 'Closed Shop' policy of the Guardian and bureaucracy of recruitment
05.50 Describes employees as a fairly restricted pool of people

Track 4
07.06 Anecdote about being in Private Eye
07.35 Description of the card Index system
10.13 Further descriptions of Geoffrey Taylor
11.12 How communication was much slower before computers

Track 5
00.20 Better relations through more personal communication i.e. via telephone
02.09 Guardian paid a less than average wage but this was balanced by the kudos of working for national newspaper
04.15 Description of trade union structure
08.10 Rigid job descriptions
08.48 Racing results in the paper
10.10 Discusses Education Guardian
11.10 Establishment of separate personnel department and becoming personnel manager.
12.55 Move to nine day fortnight

Track 6
00.39 Moved to 119 Farringdon Road from Gray's Inn Road in 1976
03.17 Personnel and recruitment practices in different departments.
05.40 1996 and the new Human Resources Department - descriptions of new responsibilities
09.25 The purchase of the Observer in 1993
13.25 The 1996 IRA bombing of the print plant and the decision to build own press centre
18.25 Bitterness following closure of printing plant
20.21 Using colour in the paper

Track 7
00.20 Introducing Word Processors in the early 1980s and how electric typewriters were restricted to directors' secretaries