The Lord Mayhew
12 June 1915
7 January 1997 (aged 81)
- Liberal Democrats (1988–1997)
- Liberal (1974–1988)
- Labour (1945–1974)
Early life[edit]
Christopher Paget Mayhew was the son of Sir Basil Mayhew of Felthorpe Hall, Norwich.[2]
Mayhew attended Haileybury and Christ Church, Oxford, as an exhibitioner. In 1934 he holidayed in Moscow. While he was at Oxford, he became President of the Oxford Union. He was commissioned into the Intelligence Corps in 1940, rising to the rank of Major.
Other activities[edit]
Mayhew was also active as an advocate for the mentally ill and served as Chairman of MIND (National Association for Mental Health) from 1992 to 1997.
He wrote several books, including Publish It Not: The Middle East Cover-Up (co-written with Michael Adams, 1975) and his autobiography, Time To Explain (1987).
Panorama experiment[edit]
In 1955 Mayhew took part in an experiment that was intended to form a Panorama special for BBC TV, but was never broadcast. Under the guidance of his friend Humphry Osmond, Mayhew ingested 400 mg of mescaline hydrochloride and allowed himself to be filmed for the duration of the trip.[9] Samples of the audio were used in the psychedelic dance tracks "Mayhew Speaks Out" and "Christopher Mayhew Says" by the band the Shamen. Part of the footage was included in the BBC documentary LSD – The Beyond Within (1986).
Personal life[edit]
In 1949, he married Cicely Ludlam, whom he met when she was one of few women in the diplomatic service, and they had two sons and two daughters.[10]