DR Brian Iddon is best known for being a politician — and for being the first man to have ever legally exploded gunpowder in the Houses of Parliament. But there is much more to the former Bolton South East MP as Saiqa Chaudhari discovers...

LITTLE is known of Brian Iddon's remarkable career as chemist where his research on the brain hormone serotonin led to the discovery of anti-cancer compounds outside the world of academia — and his struggle for an academic education after he failed his 11-plus, to possibly becoming the first in his home village of Tareleton in Lancashire, to go to university.

Dr Iddon explores this side of his life in his memoirs, with volume one of his autobiography Science and Politics — an Unlikely Mixture.

And the 74-year-old married father and grandfather wants his story — which he wrote from memory having never kept diaries —to inspire those who, like him, come from backgrounds that do not usually lead to entry into a university.

Dr Iddon, who still lives in Halliwell, said: "It's a complete autobiography of 70 years my life. It runs from 1940 when I was born through to when I retired from Parliament.

"I know hardly anything about my family, either the paternal or maternal sides, and by the time I started thinking about it everyone had died who could have said anything to to me, my mother and my father, everybody.

"I did some research about my early family. I just wanted to leave something behind for the family. I think I have had an interesting life and I just wanted to get that down on paper as well.

"The other reason for writing was to inspire young people; because I come from fairly humble origins. I can't claim my family were devastatingly poor but they were not rich either and they struggled as you will read in the book."

Dr Iddon tells how his mother — who he describes as one of four most influential people in his life — went to Lancashire County Council and staged in a sit in until it was agreed her son could cross a county boundary and attend a secondary school in Southport.

He said: "I failed the 11 plus and my mother was devastated. She wanted me to get out of the agricultural game because it was hard work."

It was there he developed a love of chemistry — buying chemicals from the local chemist and turning the porch into his laboratory — and worked hard to pursue his interest at the highest possible level.

"I would take chemicals home on the bus — you would not be allowed to to that today, " he said

He studied science at night school while doing his A-levels during the day — not to mention the 10-mile trip home afterwards, which he described as "hard work".

His enthusiasm convinced Hull University to accept as an undergraduate student, despite not having the required foreign language, which he studied for while studying chemistry at degree level.

But he came close to dropping out after his mother died — until his relatives encouraged him to carry on saying it was what his mother would have wanted.

Dr Iddon went on to become an academic at Durham University, after which he went on to become a Reader in chemistry at Salford University — and moved to Bolton because of the friendly nature of the locals.

Dr Iddon has presented the book to the primary school he attended and also to Brandwood Primary School, where he is a governor.

He said: "I want it to show young people from all backgrounds what the opportunities are for everyone.

"I'm always telling them to live the dream. Everything is possible for children at this age.

He added: "You have to be enthusiastic and have to be a doer. I have always been optimistic.

"If I can inspire one person, it's enough, and would have been worth writing this book."

Highlights of his career include his The Magic of Chemistry, a 90 minute demonstration lecture which he presented for 29 years including taking it to Houses of Parliament, dressed as Guy Fawkes — which made headlines.

He writes: "I believe we were the first to legally explode gunpowder in the Houses of Parliament."

Dr Iddon said: "I was born to do chemistry and of course it was a big decision to leave it, but you know I never left it because when I got into Parliament I became an advisor for the Royal Society of Chemistry.

"I am still on the board of the Society of Chemical Industry and am Chairman of the Government affairs committee of the Royal Society of Chemistry."

Dr Iddon, who was a councillor in Bolton and was a political campaigner at university, said: "This book ends at the end of my career at Salford University.

"There is very little politics in the book — there is some but not a lot."

The book, published by Memoirs Publishing in Cirencester, is now on sale and can be ordered from Waterstones and WH Smiths in Bolton town centre.

The recommended retail price is £15.75.