But by 1974, he was at the point of financial ruin, and faked his death and disappeared. As she sat across the restaurant table from him that evening, my mother had no idea that this would be their last ever anniversary dinner together. Stonehouse was released from prison in 1979 and two years later married his mistress, Sheila Buckley, who gave birth to their son the following year. On November 7, 1978, he underwent a six-hour open heart procedure. Despite the age gap and Stonehouse's frequent philandering, she fell in love with him and married him in 1981 after he divorced his wife Barbara. Keeley Hawes and Matthew Macfadyen play Barbara and John Stonehouse, with Emer Heatley as Johns lover, Sheila Buckley, in ITVs Stonehouse. Today she lives alone in a 700,000 detached home in Romsey on the River Test, the Daily Mail reports. While the Florida coastguards were looking for John Stonehouse or his body, 'Mr Markham' was on a non-stop flight from Miami to San Francisco. His lovercumsecretary, Sheila Buckley, was the only person with whom he maintained contact. He was widely assumed to have died from suicide, with his wife saying: All the evidence that weve had points to the fact he was drowned.. Required fields are marked *. If theyd said, John, wed like you to spy for us, hed have said no. TheCrown and Blakes 7 actor Stephen Greif dies at 78, ITVdramatises life of John Stonehouse MP who faked his death in 1974, John Major dismisses The Crown as a barrel-load of nonsense, Actors pay tribute to warrior woman Kay Mellor, Kenneth Branagh as Boris Johnson revealed in This England teaser, Insulting!: viewers criticise accents in canoe man drama, Only Fools and Horses actor Ron Pember dies aged 87, TheCrowns jewels stolen in Yorkshire raid on TV shows vehicles. . His life was spiralling out of control, and to help cope he was using prescription drugs. My parents, John and Barbara Stonehouse, celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary at their favourite restaurant in London on the evening of November 13, 1974. However, in The Defence of the Realm: The Authorised History of MI5, Professor Christopher Andrew describes Stonehouse as the only British politician (so far as is known) to have acted as a foreign agent while holding ministerial office. The struggle between the two was tearing me to pieces.'. According to the Daily Mail, James visits his elderly mother Sheila who is living a quiet life away from the spotlight and working as a chartered accountant. Stonehouse writer John Preston has revealed the real-life Barbara Stonehouse and Sheila Buckley's reactions to the making of the series. What she hadn't told my mother was that she knew my father was alive, and that he knew she thought she was pregnant because she'd just spent the weekend with him in Copenhagen. He was first elected as Labour Co-operative Member of Parliament (MP) for Wednesbury in Staffordshire in a 1957 . But a slow insidious step-by-step persuasion to cooperate worked. Through his own careless behaviour he had managed to raise the alarm within only 48 hours of his arrival. I just really wanted to give equal weight to all those things.". He then incredibly asked his wife Barbara if both she and Sheila could come out to Australia. For him, a new uncluttered life seemed within reach. Also Read: Maura Tierneys Affair: What Happened in the Show? 4 January 2023. But the net was closing in. He told her he wanted to see her. He had kept from my mother the extent of his money worries. He knew pilots, airport staff and airline executives. It wasn't 'all over'. He is also a regular on Mogadon, a benzodiazepine with well-recognized side effects including depression, impaired judgment, delusions and schizophrenia. According to the Daily Mail, she lives alone in an isolated 700,000 property in the English county Romsey on the chalk stream, River Test. Stonehouse's daughter Julia, author of the forthcoming Stonehouse: My Father, adamantly disputes that her father ever spied for an adversary, as does much of the family, according to Hayes. A lot of sinister mysteries are hidden under her invisible reputation. 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The script was written by John Preston, whose credits include A Very English Scandal, about the Jeremy Thorpe affair, which became a TV drama starring Hugh Grant, and The Dig, about the archaeological site Sutton Hoo, which was made into a 2021 film starring Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan. Towards the end of episode 1, there's some tension between Barbara Stonehouse (his wife) and Sheila Buckley (his secretary). Wednesday, 1st March 2023See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. READ MORE:The true story behind ITV's Stonehouse and MP who faked his own death. But why is everyone so enthusiastic about this series, and who was Sheila Buckley? It's so out of character for the John Stonehouse we knew. Also Read: How To Watch Stonehouse Episodes? I really just wanted to understand how someone could get themselves into this terrible mess. He had a son named James William John with Sheila in December 1982. John Stonehouse's (Matthew Macfadyen) head bobs above the water. In exchange for political inside information, he would eventually be paid a tidy 5,000 (76,000 in today's money), in cash and untraceable. He left behind a tidy mound of garments. She thought it would be dangerous to go against his wishes because of the chance he might attempt suicide. The MP was extradited to the UK six months later, and was held at Brixton Prison until being released, whereupon he resumed duties as the member for Walsall North. Sheila lived in Abbey Wood. Taken with alcohol, it can be fatal. The finger of suspicion was pointed at my father. Streaming Guide. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Stonehouse was accused of being a spy for Czechoslovakia in 1969 by Josef Frolk, a defector from the Czech secret services. He was utterly distraught and incoherent, she said. In those days, doctors carried around small green prescription pads, and when my father saw an MP who was also a GP walking down a corridor in the House of Commons, he'd get a prescription from them as well as his own doctor. Stonehouse was found guilty of fraud and forgery amongst other things, after faking his own death in order to start a new life with Buckley. He was not wearing any kind of disguise. I indulge in all things creative. At Melbourne Airport he showed the documentation proving he didn't have tuberculosis. This three-part series . He expertly dealt one punch to his wife, kids, oppressive work obligations, and other economic and political allegations. She stuck by him through his time in prison, and remained with him until his death. He was once seen as one the the partys most promising prospects, but his career ended in bizarre fashion when he faked his own death in 1974. 'Pressures became far too great. The allegation was levelled after the MP made a series of visits to the country, which was then part of the Soviet Eastern Bloc, but he defended himself and remained in office. It was just impossible,' he told her, according to great nephew Julian Hayes, the author of Stonehouse: Cabinet Minister, Fraudster and Spy. After disappearing in Florida, the dishonest politician, who was in financial distress, reappeared in Australia, where he freed himself from his former family and his financial obligations. ( 2023-01-04) Stonehouse is a British television series dramatising the life and times of disgraced British government minister John Stonehouse, first broadcast from 2 to 4 January 2023. She thought he sounded suicidal. Stonehouse died of a heart attack aged 62 on April 14, 1988, in Southampton. My mother hoped Jim's presence would help her husband maintain his emotional equilibrium. He knew that his wife and children would believe he was dead. She has kept her life very private, and rarely if ever speaks about her relationship. For months he went round London alone, pretending to be Mr Markham or Mr Mildoon: into numerous banks, embassies and government agencies as he prepared for a new life in Australia. On 25 March 1988, Stonehouse collapsed on set during an edition of Central Weekend in Birmingham during the filming of a programme about missing people. Speaking about the show at a press event for the series, John revealed that the two women didn't want "any involvement" in the drama. I didn't talk to Barbara, who is still alive, as is Sheila. Its side effects include depression, anxiety, paranoia, mental confusion, poor decision-making and an increased risk of suicide. Hayes, a lawyer, saw a preview of the first episode of the three-part drama and read the scripts as part of a consultation. She told i last year that she was baffled as to why the word of Josef Frolk and his colleagues was relied upon: These were some of the most dangerous people in the world devious killers.. The disgraced politician was foiled after the police caught him in 1974, believing he was missing aristocrat Lord Lucan. ITVs latest three-part drama Stonehouse tells the true story of Labour MP John Stonehouse, played by Successions Matthew Macfayden, who faked his death to set up a new life in Australia with his secretary Sheila Buckley (Emer Heatley). Stonehouse was quickly caught after being mistaken for another wanted Briton, and spent seven years in prison for fraud, theft, and forgery. Heres the background to the show, and what has happened to the subjects since. As the Czech defector had also not provided any evidence to back up his claim, he said, they should let the matter rest. The former parliamentary secretary is now in her eighties and currently lives in Romsey, Hampshire. 'We thought we might have a big, international criminal on our hands,' said one senior officer later. Back in Melbourne on December 11, there was more crazy banking for my father to do. Sheila is now in her 80s and is said to leave a "sedate life" gardening and helping clients with their tax returns, The Daily Mail reported in 2021. The following evening, John Stonehouse, Labour MP and privy counsellor, walked from his hotel to the beach in Miami, left his clothes with the beach cabana attendant and effectively vanished off the face of the Earth. The tale will be told in three episodes and features many familiar faces. More info. Ms Buckley. He also visited a Mrs Markham, widow of Joseph Markham. Early on the morning of Wednesday, December 4, he phoned Sheila. Emer Heatley (Showtrial) - Plays Sheila Buckley. According to the book Stonehouse: Cabinet Minister, Fraudster and Spy by Johns great nephew Julian Hayes, neither Sheila nor Barbara wanted to let go of the MP despite his misdeeds. Barbara and Sheila met with the younger woman confessing shed been seeing John and admitting she was pregnant with his child. Matthew Macfadyen best known for playing Tom Wambsgans in Succession and Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice plays John Stonehouse, a Labour politician who spent almost two decades as an MP. A brainstorm, as he described it, brought on by the demands of his profession, was what inspired him to his weird escapade. Stonehouse was a member of Harold Wilsons cabinet as aviation minister and postmaster general, but his career crashed when he was named in 1969 as an agent of the Czech secret service. But on other occasions the conflict between his various personas left him emotionally exhausted. Your email address will not be published. Barabara Stonehouse who now identifies herself as Barbara Flexney-Briscoe is the first wife of former UK MP John Stonehouse. John Stonehouse, the Labour MP and cabinet minister who famously faked his own death in the 1970s, is the subject of a new ITV drama series. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. In January 1972, more than 400,000 was presented to the president of Bangladesh. Also Read:How To Watch Trigun Stampede Episodes? She was young, attractive, and she clearly loved him very much.. But they would cast aspersions on his integrity for the rest of his life. The most recent series, Stonehouse, which dramatizes the lives and events surrounding the greatJohn Stonehouse, who has been the Labour minister,has revived memories of the seemingly unforgettably shocking event that shook the nation. According to the series, Stonehouse, a high-ranking official in Harold Wilsons administration, faked his death by swimming into the sea after disappearing from the beach of a lavish resort in Florida circa November 1974. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) On 20 November 1974, he rolled his clothes into a bundle, left them on a beach in Miami to go for a swim, and then vanished. After he failed to return, he was presumed drowned, leaving a wife and three children. He knew what he was doing., Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning, Hayes said he pored over detailed files in Czech archives while researching his biography. He asked for a single room, but they didn't have one so accommodated him for the same price in their best suite, the largest my father had ever seen. Most of the peripheral characters are made up, and very little is factually correct, he said. MORE:Stonehouse star Matthew Macfadyen reveals concerns ahead of working with wife Keeley Hawes. The ITV show stars the real-life married couple Matthew Macfadyen as Stonehouse and Keeley Hawes as Barbara, who was married to the disgraced Labour MP and former cabinet minister at the time of his disappearance. Kevin R McNally ( The Crown) - Plays Harold Wilson. The policeman had been wrong. She was young, attractive, and she clearly loved him very much., Tom Hiddleston Is Officially Returning For 'The Night Manager' Season 2, Michelle Keegan Takes The Lead In Netflix's New Harlan Coben Adaptation, Nicola Coughlan Just Leaked The Funniest BTS Snap From 'Bridgerton' S3, ITVXs 'You & Me' Is A Romantic Drama With A Major Twist. Morgan Phillips And Tahira Yaqoob For Mailonline, Ministers for monstrous deception: A senior Labour MP who was mired in debt, spying for the Czechs, juggling loyal wife and lovers and faked his own drowningthe story of John Stonehouse told by his great-nephew, It's your mistress or me. Given that there were plenty of British passengers on Sheila's flight, and that his face was plastered all over the newspapers, it was a miracle that nobody recognised him. However, his plans to leave behind his wife Barbara Joan Stonehouse (Keeley Hawes) and children for his mistress Shiela Buckley (Emer Heatley) didnt quite pan out. Also read: 100 Best Action TV Shows To Watch on Netflix All About The Plot Of Stonehouse . Side effects include depression, anxiety, paranoia, confusion, poor decision-making and an increased risk of suicide. 48 Sheila Buckley Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 48 Sheila Buckley Premium High Res Photos Browse 48 sheila buckley stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Moreover, Julia recounted how the family was left in a state of disbelief and bafflement when John turned up alive. He was found guilty of various counts of theft, fraud and deception in August 1976, and was sentenced to seven years in prison, serving three. . His father, Stonehouses nephew and business partner, later gave evidence against him in court. He survived, but on April 14 he was admitted to Southampton General hospital. Stonehouses daughter, Julia, dismissed the spy claims in her own book, John Stonehouse, My Father, published in 2021. She now works as a chartered accountant and. Its a classic case of truth being stranger than fiction.. 'Why won't they let him die?' In December 1982, their son James William John was born. ', By We can only attribute it to madness, one symptom of which is that the person does mad things. Our first thought when we heard the shattering news of his disappearance was my father had gone swimming far out from the shore in Miami and had either had a bad case of cramp or a heart attack, or had even been eaten by sharks. . What had begun as a mad escape fantasy was becoming a disturbing reality. John Stonehouse served in Prime Minister Harold Wilson's office as a member of the British Labor and Co-usable parties. On Christmas Eve that year, Mrs Mildoon read on the front page of her local paper that John Stonehouse had been found in Australia using the name Clive Mildoon. Stonehouse was a controlling person. Unfortunately, the lack of that scar brought Stonehouses way to a different kind of problem, which revealed his actual identity. At the beginning of December, my mother Barbara had a call from a newspaper reporter asking about a flat my father rented at Petty France, Westminster. Stonehouse writer reveals real-life Barbara and Sheila's reaction to ITV series Matthew MacFadyen stars in the drama January 05, 2023 - 19:02 GMT Nicky Morris Stonehouse writer John Preston. After a heap of his garments was abandoned on Miami Beach, the government and press assumed the 49-year-old congressman who was committed to his family had perished at sea. Stonehouse was sentenced to seven years in prison, and Buckley received a suspended sentence of two years. After stealing the identities of two deceased . Being Mr Markham or Mr Mildoon was a safety valve, a release, a life-saver. A documentary about the real John Stonehouse is set to air on ITV1 in the UK after the final episode. 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