Denis MacShane, born Josef Denis Matyjaszek on May 21, 1948, in Glasgow, is a British former politician, author, and commentator. He was educated at St Benedict's School, Ealing, and Merton College, Oxford. MacShane began his career at the BBC from 1969 to 1977, working as a newsreader and reporter for BBC Radio Birmingham. He was fired from the BBC after using a fake name to accuse a Conservative politician of being a crook on a radio phone-in program.