Podcasts about prime minister john major

Matthew Bannister onLord Fellowes, who was private secretary to Queen Elizabeth during the 1990s.Professor Helen Whitwell, the forensic pathologist who inspired the central character in the TV series “Silent Witness”.David Power, the Irish businessman who co-founded one of the world's biggest gambling companies – Paddy Power.Irène Schweizer, the pianist and feminist who made a big impact in the male-dominated world of jazz.Interviewee: Hugo Vickers Interviewee: Katy Thorne KC Interviewee: Nigel McCrery Interviewee: Paddy Power Interviewee: Kevin Le Gendre Interviewee: Maggie Nicols Producer: Gareth Nelson-DaviesArchive used: Queen Elizabeth speech, PM, BBC Radio 4, 24/11/1992; Windsor Castle news report, BBC News 20/11/1992; Prime Minister John Major, House of Commons, Separation of Prince and Princess of Wales, 09/12/1992; Death of Diana, Princess of Wales, News Bulletin, BBC Radio, 31/08/1997; Silent Witness Theme (Silencium), Silent Witness, BBC ONE, John Harle; Paddy Power advert, YouTube upload 05/05/2013; Camden Jazz Festival, London Jazz Composers Orchestra, Directed by Barry Guy, 01/07/1991; Irène Schweizer, Schaffhauser Jazz festival, uploaded to YouTube 18/July/2016;

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comDanny is a journalist, politician, and old friend. Formerly an adviser to Prime Minister John Major, he was appointed to the House of Lords in 2013. He's a former executive editor of The Times of London and is still there as a weekly political columnist. He's also a director of Chelsea Football Club. His latest book is Two Roads Home: Hitler, Stalin, and the Miraculous Survival of My Family (the title in the UK is way, way better: Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad). It's an astonishingly well-researched thriller of a story.For two clips of our convo — comparing the horrors of the Soviets and the Nazis, and whether Anne Frank would have been a Justin Bieber fan — pop over to our YouTube page. Other topics: growing up in Hendon (“my parents chose it because it wasn't exciting”); his grandfather Alfred as “one of the great archivists of the 20th century”; his work contributed to the Nuremberg and Eichmann trials; The Protocols of the Elders of Zion; the Hitler/Stalin pact; their carving up of Poland; the purging of the bourgeois; “If you spoke Esperanto or had stamp collection you were considered a spy”; the horrific cattle-trucks into the Soviet interior meant to cull the weak; the gulags; the state collective farms; working for your food; keeping captives on the bring of starvation; the Katyn Massacre; the devastation in Ukraine; Danny's relatives who knew Anne Frank as a neighbor in Amsterdam; the dangerous extremes of group identity; “the liberating value of truth”; the main crime of the Jews was their success; the question of Zionism; the Jewish Labour tradition; Danny's experience as a Jewish Tory; and his mum attending his induction into the House of Lords.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy (the first 102 are free in their entirety — subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: Neil J. Young on his history of the gay right, Eli Lake on Israel and foreign affairs, Adam Moss on the artistic process, Johann Hari on weight-loss drugs, Bill Maher on everything, George Will on Trump and conservatism, and Nellie Bowles on the woke revolution. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other pod comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

EPISODE 1836: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Daniel Finkelstein, author of HITLER, STALIN, MUM AND DAD: A FAMILY MEMOIR OF MIRACULOUS SURVIVAL, about the extraordinary coincidences enabling the survival of his family in World War TwoDANIEL FINKELSTEIN is a weekly political columnist at The Times of London. Formerly an adviser to Prime Minister John Major, he was appointed to the House of Lords in 2013. He recently became a director of Chelsea Football Club. He is married with three children and lives in Pinner, a suburb of London. He is grandson of Dr. Alfred Wiener, founder of the Wiener Library, the world's oldest Holocaust archive, where he is a patron.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Economist, commentator and podcaster Chris Johns talks to Eamon about English nationalism as represented by the British Government, and former Prime Minister John Major's appearance the House of Commons Northern Ireland Committee.Recorded Wednesday 8th February 2023. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/the-stand-with-eamon-dunphy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The ‘broadcasting ban' on 11 Northern Irish organizations including Sinn Fein was finally lifted by Prime Minister John Major on 16th September, 1994, one fortnight after an IRA ceasefire had been achieved. The regulations, implemented six years earlier by Margaret Thatcher and her Home Secretary Douglas Hurd, prevented British TV networks from broadcasting interviews with Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, lest they drum up sympathy for Republicanist terrorism. So the broadcasters found a workaround: they employed voice actors to dub over the interviews. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly re-examine some of the absurd circumstances in which the ban was implemented and avoided; consider the pushback to the policy from the Labour party and miffed BBC staffers; and explain how the ban played into Cuba's hands…  Further Reading: • ‘Northern Ireland, the BBC, and Censorship in Thatcher's Britain By Robert J. Savage' (Oxford University Press, 2022): https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Northern_Ireland_the_BBC_and_Censorship/UJtjEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%27sinn+fein%27+and+%27broadcast+ban%27&printsec=frontcover • ‘The 'broadcast ban' on Sinn Fein' (BBC News, 2005): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/4409447.stm • ‘Sinn Fein Leader Gerry Adams Voiced By An Actor' (BBC): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdf4xOdas1g For bonus material and to support the show, visit Patreon.com/Retrospectors We'll be back on Monday! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/Retrospectors The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill. Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Liam talks to Former Conservative Cabinet Minister Sir John Redwood MP. After an early career in academia and finance, John Redwood was chosen as the Head of Margaret Thatcher's Policy Unit in 1983 – becoming an architect of the Tories' privatisation programme. After entering the Commons as MP for Wokingham in Berkshire in 1987, John Redwood challenged Prime Minister John Major for the Tory leadership in 1995 – and has since remained a leading voice on free market economics, Brexit, business regulation and taxation in Parliament and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Edwina Currie is a British writer, broadcaster and former politician, serving as Conservative Party Member of Parliament for South Derbyshire from 1983 until 1997. For two years, she was a Junior Health Minister, resigning in 1988 during the salmonella-in-eggs controversy.By the time Currie lost her seat as an MP in 1997, she had begun a new career as a novelist and broadcaster. She is the author of six novels and has also written four nonfiction works. In September 2002, the publication of Currie's Diaries (1987–92) caused a sensation, as they revealed a four-year affair with a colleague (and later Prime Minister) John Major between 1984 and 1988.She remains an outspoken public figure, with a reputation for being "highly opinionated," and currently earns her living as an author and media personality. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Here we are in 2022 navigating cancel culture, Brexit, identity politics, war in Europe. How did we get here? Did we miss something? Robert Carlyle, who played the wildcard Begbie in the '90s hit Trainspotting, is here to show us that we did. That the world we live in was shaped by the forgotten decade: the 1990s. Episode 6: The Maastricht Treaty In this programme Robert returns to the controversial Maastricht Treaty of 1992 which transformed Europe into a political union rather than just an economic one. This unleashed a civil war in the Conservative Party which has echoed down the ages and arguably resulted in Brexit. David Davies MP was in the thick of that battle as Chief Whip to Prime Minister John Major. He takes us back to pivotal moments of that drama when the future of the country hung in the balance and the consequences of which we're living with today. Historical Consultant Anand Menon Music and Sound Design Phil Channell Producer Neil McCarthy"

Jack Blanchard speaks to some of the key U.K. players involved in the passage of the Maastricht Treaty and ponders whether this was the moment which set Britain on the path to Brexit.Former British diplomat John Kerr recalls the epic all-night negotiations in Holland, including a session where he hid under a table to offer secret advice to Prime Minister John Major. Treasury Minister Francis Maude tells how he was dispatched to sign the treaty by his then-boss, Chancellor Norman Lamont, who seemingly did not want his own name enshrined upon the document.Rebel MPs Iain Duncan Smith and Bill Cash recall the heated debates in parliament which then followed, with Tory Euroskeptics working hand in glove with opposition Labour MPs led by shadow Europe minister George Robertson, who also appears on the podcast.Former Tory whip Andrew Mitchell recalls the Major government's valiant but ultimately abortive attempts to push the rebel MPs back into line. And Cambridge University's Professor Catherine Barnard explains the wider significance of the Maastricht Treaty and its impact upon Britain, 30 years on. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Like her sense of style, Irish Country Living beauty columnist Dolly Buckley has had a colourful life. She tells of how she went from being a makeup artist in London to celebrities and Prime Minister John Major, to living on a Co Offaly farm.

Will Self, the author, political commentator and one of the liveliest and most interesting thinkers and writers in the UK today, speaks to Eve Jackson about his addiction memoir "Will" that's just been translated into French. They also talk about him once being notorious for taking heroin on Prime Minister John Major's plane while covering the 1997 election campaign, how rehab helped his writing and how Britain's successful vaccination programme could cut it off from Europe even more.

In today's episode of 15 Minutes of Fame, Barnaby reads a hilarious parody article written by John Crace in The Guardian where he brings Edwina Currie's memoir of her affair with Prime Minister John Major down to a manageable 400 words.If you like what you hear please click the subscribe button, send us any thoughts or questions you have in the comments section and rate the podcast out of 5 stars. Thanks so much for listening!Follow Almost Famous on:Twitter: @podalmostfamousInstagram: almostfamousthepodcastMore info at www.almostfamousthepodcast.comEnquiries: almostpodcastfamous@gmail.comListen to Barnaby's other podcast It's Your FuneralLink: https://bit.ly/34JPC77 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In Episode 43 Derek is joined by Sunday Times Best-Selling author & former journalist Craig Robertson. Craig, who is born and bred in Stirling, talks about his 20 year career in journalism from interviewing Prime Minister John Major then Margaret Thatcher to travelling to the USA to interview Kenny Richy who was on Death Row. The pair go on to talk about some of the major stories Craig attended including 9/11 & the Omagh bombing. Craig details his experience of talking with the families who lost loved ones and how he gained their trust. On a lighter note Craig talks about his love for black pudding before discussing his books; from his debut novel Random through the years to his most recent release The Photographer. Craig talks about when writing Murderabilia he purchased a letter from Ian Brady in order to understand what it felt like to hold a letter written by a murderer. The pair note that Scotland is blessed with fantastic crime writers and Craig emphasises the supportive community in which they exist.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament for part of the run-up to the Oct. 31 Brexit deadline faces mounting legal and political challenges ahead of a weekend of planned street protests.There are three ongoing court tests to Johnson's plan, which he says is routine but which will shorten the time in which opponents in Parliament could seek to pass legislation blocking a disorderly "no deal" departure from the European Union.A Scottish judge Friday declined to issue an immediate injunction to block the suspension of Parliament but set up a full hearing Tuesday on the legal bid launched by cross-party legislators determined to keep Parliament in session.A separate case in London has also received the heavyweight backing of former Prime Minister John Major — a fellow Conservative from Johnson's party — and from Tom Watson, the deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party.Major hopes to formally join the case started by activist Gina Miller so he can argue that Johnson has exceeded his authority by asking Queen Elizabeth II to shutter Parliament for several weeks during the crucial period before the Brexit deadline."If granted permission to intervene, I intend to seek to assist the court from the perspective of having served in government as a minister and prime minister, and also in Parliament for many years as a member of the House of Commons," he said.A case is being heard in Northern Ireland, as well.The various courts are being asked to intervene in what is seen by Johnson's opponents as a power grab that undercuts the sovereignty of Parliament.It is too early to gauge the possible impact of street protests planned for Saturday in London and other major British cities. Activists hope a massive turnout could influence vacillating members of Parliament when it reconvenes on Tuesday after a summer recess.Organizers say more than 30 protests have been planned in cities throughout the United Kingdom.Opponents of a possible "no deal" Brexit will have to hustle to craft a bill in the constrained time period. Success may depend on whether a significant number of legislators from Johnson's Conservative Party are willing to join forces with Labour and other parties to frustrate the prime minister's oft-stated goal of taking Britain out of the EU on Oct. 31 regardless of whether a deal is in place.Shami Chakrabarti, a senior adviser to the Labour Party on justice issues, told BBC radio that she is hopeful there is enough opposition in Parliament to block Johnson from carrying out a "no deal" departure."If they try any more of this stuff we will use any means necessary to prevent this undemocratic behavior — that includes people taking to the streets, that includes people taking to the airwaves, that includes people going to court."In Scotland, Judge Raymond Doherty turned down a bid for an immediate intervention but said a "substantive" hearing Tuesday would allow the case to be heard in a timely fashion. He did agree to move the full hearing from Sept. 6 to Tuesday to speed up the process."It's in the interest of justice that it proceeds sooner rather than later," he said.The case was brought by a cross-party group of roughly 70 legislators seeking to broaden the period for parliamentary debate in a bid to prevent a disorderly departure by Britain from the European Union.The legislators backing the legal bid want Johnson to submit a sworn affidavit explaining his reasons for suspending Parliament. It is not clear if such a statement will be required.The defiant prime minister warned Friday that opposition to his plans is weakening Britain's negotiating position by giving EU leaders the impression that Parliament may step in to block Brexit."I'm afraid that the more our friends and partners think, at the back of their mind, that Brexit could be stopped, that the U.K. could be kept in by Parliament, the less likely they are to give us the deal that we need," Johnson told Sky News. H...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament for part of the run-up to the Oct. 31 Brexit deadline faces mounting legal and political challenges ahead of a weekend of planned street protests.There are three ongoing court tests to Johnson's plan, which he says is routine but which will shorten the time in which opponents in Parliament could seek to pass legislation blocking a disorderly "no deal" departure from the European Union.A Scottish judge Friday declined to issue an immediate injunction to block the suspension of Parliament but set up a full hearing Tuesday on the legal bid launched by cross-party legislators determined to keep Parliament in session.A separate case in London has also received the heavyweight backing of former Prime Minister John Major — a fellow Conservative from Johnson's party — and from Tom Watson, the deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party.Major hopes to formally join the case started by activist Gina Miller so he can argue that Johnson has exceeded his authority by asking Queen Elizabeth II to shutter Parliament for several weeks during the crucial period before the Brexit deadline."If granted permission to intervene, I intend to seek to assist the court from the perspective of having served in government as a minister and prime minister, and also in Parliament for many years as a member of the House of Commons," he said.A case is being heard in Northern Ireland, as well.The various courts are being asked to intervene in what is seen by Johnson's opponents as a power grab that undercuts the sovereignty of Parliament.It is too early to gauge the possible impact of street protests planned for Saturday in London and other major British cities. Activists hope a massive turnout could influence vacillating members of Parliament when it reconvenes on Tuesday after a summer recess.Organizers say more than 30 protests have been planned in cities throughout the United Kingdom.Opponents of a possible "no deal" Brexit will have to hustle to craft a bill in the constrained time period. Success may depend on whether a significant number of legislators from Johnson's Conservative Party are willing to join forces with Labour and other parties to frustrate the prime minister's oft-stated goal of taking Britain out of the EU on Oct. 31 regardless of whether a deal is in place.Shami Chakrabarti, a senior adviser to the Labour Party on justice issues, told BBC radio that she is hopeful there is enough opposition in Parliament to block Johnson from carrying out a "no deal" departure."If they try any more of this stuff we will use any means necessary to prevent this undemocratic behavior — that includes people taking to the streets, that includes people taking to the airwaves, that includes people going to court."In Scotland, Judge Raymond Doherty turned down a bid for an immediate intervention but said a "substantive" hearing Tuesday would allow the case to be heard in a timely fashion. He did agree to move the full hearing from Sept. 6 to Tuesday to speed up the process."It's in the interest of justice that it proceeds sooner rather than later," he said.The case was brought by a cross-party group of roughly 70 legislators seeking to broaden the period for parliamentary debate in a bid to prevent a disorderly departure by Britain from the European Union.The legislators backing the legal bid want Johnson to submit a sworn affidavit explaining his reasons for suspending Parliament. It is not clear if such a statement will be required.The defiant prime minister warned Friday that opposition to his plans is weakening Britain's negotiating position by giving EU leaders the impression that Parliament may step in to block Brexit."I'm afraid that the more our friends and partners think, at the back of their mind, that Brexit could be stopped, that the U.K. could be kept in by Parliament, the less likely they are to give us the deal that we need," Johnson told Sky News. H...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament for part of the run-up to the Oct. 31 Brexit deadline faces mounting legal and political challenges ahead of a weekend of planned street protests.There are three ongoing court tests to Johnson's plan, which he says is routine but which will shorten the time in which opponents in Parliament could seek to pass legislation blocking a disorderly "no deal" departure from the European Union.A Scottish judge Friday declined to issue an immediate injunction to block the suspension of Parliament but set up a full hearing Tuesday on the legal bid launched by cross-party legislators determined to keep Parliament in session.A separate case in London has also received the heavyweight backing of former Prime Minister John Major — a fellow Conservative from Johnson's party — and from Tom Watson, the deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party.Major hopes to formally join the case started by activist Gina Miller so he can argue that Johnson has exceeded his authority by asking Queen Elizabeth II to shutter Parliament for several weeks during the crucial period before the Brexit deadline."If granted permission to intervene, I intend to seek to assist the court from the perspective of having served in government as a minister and prime minister, and also in Parliament for many years as a member of the House of Commons," he said.A case is being heard in Northern Ireland, as well.The various courts are being asked to intervene in what is seen by Johnson's opponents as a power grab that undercuts the sovereignty of Parliament.It is too early to gauge the possible impact of street protests planned for Saturday in London and other major British cities. Activists hope a massive turnout could influence vacillating members of Parliament when it reconvenes on Tuesday after a summer recess.Organizers say more than 30 protests have been planned in cities throughout the United Kingdom.Opponents of a possible "no deal" Brexit will have to hustle to craft a bill in the constrained time period. Success may depend on whether a significant number of legislators from Johnson's Conservative Party are willing to join forces with Labour and other parties to frustrate the prime minister's oft-stated goal of taking Britain out of the EU on Oct. 31 regardless of whether a deal is in place.Shami Chakrabarti, a senior adviser to the Labour Party on justice issues, told BBC radio that she is hopeful there is enough opposition in Parliament to block Johnson from carrying out a "no deal" departure."If they try any more of this stuff we will use any means necessary to prevent this undemocratic behavior — that includes people taking to the streets, that includes people taking to the airwaves, that includes people going to court."In Scotland, Judge Raymond Doherty turned down a bid for an immediate intervention but said a "substantive" hearing Tuesday would allow the case to be heard in a timely fashion. He did agree to move the full hearing from Sept. 6 to Tuesday to speed up the process."It's in the interest of justice that it proceeds sooner rather than later," he said.The case was brought by a cross-party group of roughly 70 legislators seeking to broaden the period for parliamentary debate in a bid to prevent a disorderly departure by Britain from the European Union.The legislators backing the legal bid want Johnson to submit a sworn affidavit explaining his reasons for suspending Parliament. It is not clear if such a statement will be required.The defiant prime minister warned Friday that opposition to his plans is weakening Britain's negotiating position by giving EU leaders the impression that Parliament may step in to block Brexit."I'm afraid that the more our friends and partners think, at the back of their mind, that Brexit could be stopped, that the U.K. could be kept in by Parliament, the less likely they are to give us the deal that we need," Johnson told Sky News. H...

With no clear winner during the first round of indicative votes at the UK Parliament on 27 March 2019 and the Prime Minister's offer to resign if her deal goes through, Daniel Finkelstein, Associate Editor, Columnist and Leader Writer at the The Times joins Paul Butcher, Herbert Smith Freehills' Brexit Director, to share his thoughts on the possible outcomes ahead, including change in the conservative leadership, second referendum, General Election and a "no deal". As former advisor to both the Prime Minister John Major and the Conservative leader William Hague and current member of the House of Lords, Daniel is well-placed to provide a thoughtful insight to the latest events in Westminster. The podcast was recorded on the morning of the 28 March 2019 and takes account of the events as of this date. Speaker info: Paul Butcher: https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/our-people/paul-butcher Daniel Finkelstein: https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-finkelstein/4283

We are back with episode 20 of Queens of the Hungle! This episode we're talking about birth control - from the pill to abortion and everything in between - we look at the effects that birth control has had on our society and on our health. PLUS, Jennifer Lawrence gets the Bae or Nay treatment, Georgie gives us a Melania update, and former Prime Minister John Major gets a surprising mention. Follow us @HungleQueens Follow Georgie @Georgiepokeeye Follow Bradders @SarahBradnum Special thanks to Anthony Pinnick for our music!

Chaired by Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri of SOAS, Sir Roderic Lyne, member of the Iraq inquiry committee and Ms Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government, discuss their views on "The Chilcot Inquiry: Lessons for Strategy?". Sir Roderic Lyne was a member of the committee of 5 Privy Counsellors, chaired by Sir John Chilcot, which conducted the Iraq Inquiry and reported in July 2016. He was a member of the Diplomatic Service from 1970 to 2004, serving as the British Ambassador to the Russian Federation and before that as the UK Permanent Representative to the international organisations in Geneva and as the adviser to Prime Minister John Major on foreign and defence affairs and Northern Ireland. From 2009-16 he was Deputy Chairman of Chatham House. ​ Bronwen Maddox is the new ​Director of the Institute for Government. For the previous five and a half years, she was editor and chief executive of Prospect Magazine, the UK’s leading current affairs and culture monthly title. Previously, in 14 years at the Times, she was the paper’s Chief Foreign Commentator, Foreign Editor, and US Editor and Washington Bureau Chief. She is also the author of In Defence of America. In her writing, Ms Maddox has won access to some of the most influential figures in the British government and the Obama Administrations, and in governments across Europe, the Middle East, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. She also appears frequently on television and radio in the UK and US, particularly the BBC’s Today programme, Newsnight and Daily Politics. This talk was recorded at SOAS University of London, Dec 5th, 2016.

This week we mark significant places in the lives of three-time Oscar-winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis, former Prime Minister John Major and penal transportee Mary Wade. We also give ourselves one, because if we don't, who will?

On 3/26/12 Sir Christopher Meyer, KCMG, former United Kingdom Ambassador to the United States (1997-2003), former press secretary to Prime Minister John Major, former Chair of the United Kingdom Press Complaints Commission gave the kick-off keynote presentation for International Law Week. He spoke on his career in diplomacy and his current documentary focusing on the six cities which constitute the hubs of power in the world and how the world of diplomacy is changing, or not.

This week Sue Lawley's castaway is the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission Sir Christopher Meyer. Sir Christopher joined the PCC earlier this year after a glittering career in the diplomatic service. His last posting as Ambassador to Washington covered the September 11th attacks and the Monica Lewinsky scandal. In all he spent 36 years with the Foreign Office during which time he held postings to key missions in Washington, Moscow, Madrid and Brussels. He worked as Foreign Office spokesman for Geoffrey Howe in the 1980s and as Press Secretary to the former Prime Minister John Major in the mid 1990s.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]Favourite track: Cross Road Blues by Robert Johnson Book: The Four Adventures of Richard Hannay: The 39 Steps, Greenmantle, Mr Standfast, the Three Hostages by John Buchan Luxury: A jukebox

This week Sue Lawley's castaway is the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission Sir Christopher Meyer. Sir Christopher joined the PCC earlier this year after a glittering career in the diplomatic service. His last posting as Ambassador to Washington covered the September 11th attacks and the Monica Lewinsky scandal. In all he spent 36 years with the Foreign Office during which time he held postings to key missions in Washington, Moscow, Madrid and Brussels. He worked as Foreign Office spokesman for Geoffrey Howe in the 1980s and as Press Secretary to the former Prime Minister John Major in the mid 1990s. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Cross Road Blues by Robert Johnson Book: The Four Adventures of Richard Hannay: The 39 Steps, Greenmantle, Mr Standfast, the Three Hostages by John Buchan Luxury: A jukebox

Few people will be surprised to hear that the castaway in this week's special 50th anniversary edition of Desert Island Discs is the Prime Minister John Major. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his very happy childhood years, his more traumatic adolescence and his transformation into the perfect Conservative parliamentary candidate. He'll also be discussing his love of music and books, and revealing the luxury that was a surprise even to Sue Lawley.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: O Giusto Cielo (Lucia Di Lammermoor) by Gaetano Donizetti Book: The Small House At Allington by Anthony Trollope Luxury: Oval cricket ground replica and bowling machine

Few people will be surprised to hear that the castaway in this week's special 50th anniversary edition of Desert Island Discs is the Prime Minister John Major. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his very happy childhood years, his more traumatic adolescence and his transformation into the perfect Conservative parliamentary candidate. He'll also be discussing his love of music and books, and revealing the luxury that was a surprise even to Sue Lawley. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: O Giusto Cielo (Lucia Di Lammermoor) by Gaetano Donizetti Book: The Small House At Allington by Anthony Trollope Luxury: Oval cricket ground replica and bowling machine