(135) Bad Fathers

On the morning of June 25th 1997 I joked with my wife something about gardening and fathering. She asked in reply whether I was saying that I was a bad gardener. I replied that I was actually stating that I was a bad father.
I then moved into the front room and switched on the TV to see the Kilroy programme.

The host, Robert Kilroy-Silk, introduced it and said that today’s topic was Bad Fathers.
He then spoke to several men who described themselves in those terms, including three who blamed a gambling addiction for their misdemeanours.
I, along with Adam Black (see Entry 120) had recently been invited on to this show and had appeared on an issue that was taped on June 12th and was to be broadcast on June 27th.

I had also noted in The Sunday Times of June 22nd 1997 a profile of Kilroy-Silk in which I was surprised to read that in 1995 a tabloid newspaper had run a story revealing that in 1985 he had fathered an illegitimate son, whose mother was in receipt of £200 a month from Kilroy-Silk.

It was also mentioned that on the day that story had broken the TV presenter was hosting a show on the theme of Absent Fathers.

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