logo
episode-header-image
Apr 1996
37m 8s

Viscount Rothermere

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is Viscount Rothermere. As proprietor of the Daily Mail, the Mail On Sunday, London's Evening Standard and a string of regional newspapers, he is the last of the hereditary grandees who once dominated the newspaper industry. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his family's long involvement with newspapers, about his own views on the ethical problems facing the press today and about his ability to see into the future.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: How Ya Gonna Keep Em Down On The Farm by Eddie Cantor Book: Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri Luxury: A pair of scissors

Up next
Dec 1996
Martin Amis
Sue Lawley's guest on Desert Island Discs today is the writer Martin Amis. He describes his books as comedies, but, like London Fields and Other People, they are frequently dark and disturbing.He says that he has no choice as to the subjects of his books. "They come from nowhere ... Show More
37m 31s
Dec 1996
Jennifer Saunders
The castaway on Desert Island Discs this week is Absolutely Fabulous! Jennifer Saunders began "doing funny things with props" in the early 1980s. With her stage partner Dawn French, she toured the clubs and comedy venues making people laugh with acts like The Menopause Sisters. A ... Show More
32m 15s
Dec 1996
Ian Dury
Today's castaway on Desert Island Discs confused the rock critics in the late 1970s with songs like Sweet Gene Vincent, Reasons to be Cheerful and outraged the BBC with Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll. Ian Dury and the Blockheads were part vaudeville act and part punk rock band. ... Show More
34m 9s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
Britain's Best-Connected Editor
During his long career in Fleet Street, Geordie Greig has occupied the editor’s chair at some of the country’s biggest news titles including The Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday, The Evening Standard, Tatler magazine and, since January 2023, The Independent. He joins Katie Razzall ... Show More
27m 55s
Nov 1988
Stephen Fry
The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is a man who prefers to shun any sort of label, but has already attracted quite a number of them - writer, actor, raconteur, wit - but it is as a so-called 'alternative comedian' that Stephen Fry has been most remarkable, and he'll ... Show More
35m 11s
Apr 2021
Roula Khalaf, editor of The Financial Times
The biggest political story of the year - David Cameron's involvement with the failed financial company Greensill - began as a scoop in The Financial Times. The newspaper has gained a reputation lately for its long-form investigations into poverty, deprivation and capitalist exce ... Show More
32m 24s
Dec 2021
Richard Osman, writer and broadcaster
Richard Osman is a broadcaster, TV producer and writer who co-presents the quiz show Pointless on BBC One. His first novel, The Thursday Murder Club, was a publishing phenomenon, selling more than a million copies, and the follow-up became one of the fastest-selling titles since ... Show More
35 m
Jul 2022
Jon Ronson, writer and broadcaster
Jon Ronson is a writer and broadcaster whose award-winning podcast and Radio 4 series Things Fell Apart investigated the stories behind today’s culture wars. His television programmes and books – from Them: Adventures with Extremists to So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed - explore wh ... Show More
34m 52s
Oct 1999
Ralph Fiennes
Sue Lawley's guest this week is Ralph Fiennes. His first Hollywood film role was as the Nazi concentration camp leader in Schindler's List, a part which, he says, had a profoundly disturbing effect on him. His latest project, playing the jaded hero Onegin, is the culmination of a ... Show More
35m 42s
Jan 2023
11 - The Past Times with Al Madrigal
Since the first American newspaper was published in 1690, millions more have been printed.  This week Dave Anthony picks a paper from a day in history and reads it to co-host Gareth Reynolds and actor, writer, and comedian Al Madrigal. New episodes of The Past Times will be right ... Show More
1h 3m
Feb 2024
Prince Harry's dispute with the tabloids - who's next?
Last week Prince Harry settled his outstanding claims with the Mirror titles – but only after he took them to court – where a judge ruled the Prince had been the subject of extensive phone hacking by Mirror Group Newspapers. We explore the meaning of the verdict and the resulting ... Show More
28m 8s
Apr 2021
Classic Desert Island Discs - Russell T Davies
Russell T Davies is one of the U.K.'s most successful television writers. He spent his teenage years learning his dramatic craft with the West Glamorgan Youth Theatre, and his career in television began in the children's department at the BBC. His first solo hit TV series was the ... Show More
42m 54s