Sir Ernest Hall
04/26/98 • 37 min
Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the businessman Sir Ernest Hall.
His life is like a fairytale. From a sickly boy, living in the one room he and his family shared, he became a successful businessman and millionaire - and all because of an inspirational piece of music. Today on the site of an old carpet factory in Halifax, he's brought together his two loves - business and the arts - to form an environment in which plastic-bag manufacturers and building societies draw inspiration from the painters and sculptors who work alongside. At the age of 68 he has also realised his ambition to be a professional pianist.
[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]
Favourite track: Piano Trio in B Major by Franz Schubert Book: The collected works by William Blake Luxury: Piano
Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the businessman Sir Ernest Hall.
His life is like a fairytale. From a sickly boy, living in the one room he and his family shared, he became a successful businessman and millionaire - and all because of an inspirational piece of music. Today on the site of an old carpet factory in Halifax, he's brought together his two loves - business and the arts - to form an environment in which plastic-bag manufacturers and building societies draw inspiration from the painters and sculptors who work alongside. At the age of 68 he has also realised his ambition to be a professional pianist.
[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]
Favourite track: Piano Trio in B Major by Franz Schubert Book: The collected works by William Blake Luxury: Piano
Previous Episode
Sir Terry Frost
Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the abstract artist Sir Terry Frost.
He first became interested in art as a prisoner of war, when lack of food and freedom enhanced the beauty of a single leaf. On his return to Britain, nature continued to fascinate him and inform his work; bright circles of colour inspired by the Sun and Moon, or patterns of white-on-white remembered from a snowy landscape. Now 83, he's never been so busy. A good thing, he says, because it keeps the aches and pains away.
[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]
Favourite track: Tea For Two by Max Bygraves Book: Blank sheets to write his thoughts on imagination and memory Luxury: Mirror (for company)
Next Episode
Susan Blackmore
Sue Lawley's castaway this week says changing her mind was one of the most difficult things she's ever had to do. After an out-of-body experience, psychologist Susan Blackmore set out to study and prove the existence of the paranormal. Twenty years on, she's a convinced sceptic.
She continues, however, to be fascinated by the question of consciousness. In particular, the new theory of memes which examines how habits and beliefs are passed on from one person to another. At their worst, she says, they're evident in fascism or religious fundamentalism. At their best, they're responsible for our co-operation and kindness.
[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]
Favourite track: Not Fade Away by Grateful Dead Book: Origin of Species by Charles Darwin Luxury: A handful of cannabis seeds
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