Biography
Bragg understand Modern History at Wadham College, Oxford.

He began his career inside 1961 as a producer at the BBC; he moved into his role when writer & broadcaster in 1967.

He is known for the London Weekend Television (LWT) arts programme The South Bank Show, which he has written, edited and produced since 1978. He has been Controller of Arts at LWT since 1990 (including a stint when Head of Arts from either 1982 to 1990). He is besides known for his several programmes in BBC Radio 4, including Start the Week, which he presented for ten years, In Our Time, and The Routes of English, a history of the English language.

He was appointed to the House of Lords in 1998 as a Labour life peer, under the title Baron Bragg, of Wigton in the County of Cumbria. He occurs as friend of Tony Blair, the todays Labour Prime Minister.

Around 1999 he became Chancellor of Leeds University. Bragg is likewise President of the National Campaign for the Arts (since 1986) and the Governor of the London School of Economics (since 1997). He was mass produced Domus Fellow, St Catherine's College, Oxford, in 1990. He became the member of the Arts Council Literature Panel in 1969 and has since become President.

Bragg occurs as prolific novelist and writer of non-fiction, & has written the total of television and film screenplays.

Bibliography
Fiction
For Want of a Nail (1965) The Second Inheritance (1966) The Cumbrian Trilogy: The Hired Man (1969) A Place in England (1970) Kingdom Come (1980) The Nerve (1971) Josh Lawton (1972) The Silken Net (1974) Autumn Manoevres (1978) Love and Glory (1983) The Maid of Buttermere (1987) Without a City Wall (1988) The Second Inheritance (1990) A Time to Dance (1990) Crystal Rooms (1992) Credo (1996) also referred to as A Blade & a Miracle The Soldier's Return Trilogy: ''The Soldier's Return (1999) A Son of War (2001) Crossing the Lines (2003)

Non-fiction
Speak For England (1976) Land of The Lakes (1983) Laurence Olivier (1984) Cumbria in Verse (editor) (1984) Rich: The Life of Richard Burton (1988) King Lear in New York (1994) On Giants' Shoulders (1998) Two Thousand Years Part 1: The Birth of Christ to the Crusades (1999) Two Thousand Years Part 2 (1999) The Routes of English (2001) The Adventure of English (2003)

Children's books
A Christmas Child (1977) My Favourite Stories of Lakeland (editor) (1981)

Filmography
When film writer: "Jesus Christ Superstar" (1973) "The Music Lovers" (1970) (aka "Ken Russell's Film on Tchaikovsky and the Music Lovers") "Isadora (1968) (with Clive Exton and Margaret Drabble) "Play Dirty" (1968)

Prizes and awards
Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for Without a City Wall (1968) Time/Life Silver Pen Award for The Hired Man (1970) Bad Sex in Fiction Award for A Time to Dance (1993) BAFTA TV Award for An Interview with Dennis Potter (1995) WH Smith Literary Award for ''The Soldier's Return'' (2000)

Recognition
On October 17 2005 Bragg officially opened the "Melvyn Bragg Drama Studio", named in his honour, at Millom School, Millom, Cumbria.