Tim Bell began his career as a post boy at ABC Television at the age of 18 and rose through the ranks of various advertising and PR firms and was involved in creating the “Labour Isn’t Working” campaign that resulted in Margaret Thatcher becoming Prime Minister. This grammar school educated ad man has controversially worked for everyone from Boris Berezovsky to the Pinochet Foundation and claims to be “extremely unprecious”. Twice married Bell was fined for indecency in 1977 and has been described as a “keen luncher in all the best places”. In his 2014 memoirs, he termed Diana, Princess of Wales “a complete bimbo” and Gore Vidal a man “with a seriously nasty snarl”.
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3 comments
It use to be said of Tim that he was so charming that dogs crossed the road to say hello.
Tim Bell is a charming, skilful opportunist. I’ve had many encounters with him over the years, his face wreathed in both a wide smile and pungent cigar smoke. We worked together for Boris Beresovsky promoting the book ‘Blowing Up Russia’ by Alexander Litvinenko and Yuri Felshtinsky.
His greatest talent is finding people cleverer than himself and using them effectively. He did not create the notorious, political poster “Labour isn’t working” as is often claimed. The credit should go to the copywriter Andrew Rutherford and his art director Martyn Walsh. Tim Bell was chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi at the time.
Not so charming now old cock Glenmore. Just like you boy-o.