In 'Tales from the Cutting Floor', first broadcast as part of The Westminster Hour in January and February 2002, the acclaimed television documentary maker Michael Cockerell tells the inside story of his TV encounters with the colourful figures who lit up the political scene over six decades.

These were his four subjects:

Michael Cockerell with Alan Clark, at his Saltwood Castle home.

Alan Clark: the maverick Tory minister, candid diarist, serial adulterer and racing demon. Clark died in 1999 after a career marked out by a spell in the ministerial limelight, but more remembered for the words he wrote and uttered.

Click here to Cockerell on Clark

Baroness Castle speaking to the Labour conference in 2000

Barbara Castle: the pioneering woman cabinet minister, the diva of the left, the diarist with a distinctive touch, the Baroness who was never afraid to say what she thought. Castle died in 2002 after being a high-profile and much loved member of the Labour Party for more than half-a-century.

Click here to Cockerell on Castle

Enoch Powell in 1976

Enoch Powell: the up-and-coming Tory minister, the populist who was sacked by Edward Heath, the enigma who ended his political life in Northern Ireland. Powell became a hate figure for many because of his 'Rivers of Blood' speech in the late sixties.

Click here to Cockerell on Powell

Lord Deedes

Bill Deedes: legendary reporter, 'Daily Telegraph' editor, Conservative cabinet minister and recipient of the 'Dear Bill' letters. Now Lord Deedes, he continues to work as a journalist.

Click here to Cockerell on Deedes