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Richard Ingrams

Kirsty Young's castaway is journalist and satirist Richard Ingrams.

Kirsty Young's guest on Desert Island Discs this week is Richard Ingrams. Former editor and a founder of the satirical magazine Private Eye, he's one of the godfathers of contemporary British satire. Pseud's Corner, Dear Bill, and Colemanballs all originated with him at the helm. Now editor of The Oldie, he's still taking part in regular ideas meetings at Private Eye and says he wouldn't know what to do if he stopped working.

From a privileged and well-connected background he seemed an unlikely outsider, yet he's spent a lifetime pulling the rug from under the feet of the great and the good. It's often proved a risky route, bringing him into conflict with army recruiting sergeants, cabinet ministers and billionaire industrialists alike. One of four boys, his favourite childhood memories are of accompanying his mother on the piano while she played the violin. He met Willie Rushton at school when they worked on the school magazine and at Oxford he met Paul Foot and other Private Eye regulars contributing to more magazines - Parson's Pleasure and Mesopotamia.

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

Favourite track: The Gloria from Mass in B Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach
Book: Teach yourself piano tuning
Luxury: Grand piano.

Available now

45 minutes

Last on

Fri 8 Aug 2008 09:00
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

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Music Played

  • Sergey Rachmaninov

    Cello Sonata in G minor - 3rd movement

    Soloist: Paul Tortelier, Aldo Ciccolini

    • Rachmaninov & Chopin: Cello Sonatas.
    • EMI.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major, Op. 12/1 - 2nd movement

    Soloist: Yehudi Menuhin with Hephzibah Menuhin

    • Naxos Historical: Menuhin: Mozart.Beethoven: Violin Sonatas..
    • Naxos.

  • Fats Waller

    Handful of Keys

    • Classics 1927-29.
    • Classics.

  • William Walton

    March (from the Battle of Britain)

    Orchestra: The Academy of St Martin in the Fields Conductor: Sir Neville Mariner

    • Walton: Battle of Britain Suite.
    • EMI.

  • Peter Cook & Dudley Moore

    Goodbyee

    • The Clean Tapes.
    • CUBE Records.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    String Quintet No. 4 in G minor - 3rd movement

    Orchestra: The Heutling String Quartet

    • Mozart String Quintets, Vol 1.
    • HMV.

  • Castaway's Favourite

    • Johann Sebastian Bach

      Mass in B minor - Gloria in excelsis

      Orchestra: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Eugen Jochum

      • Bach: Mass in B Minor.
      • EMI.

  • Robert Schumann

    Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen (from Dichterliebe)

    Soloist: Peter Schreier accompanied by Christoph Eschenbach

    • Schumann: Lieder.
    • Teldec.

  • Book Choice

    • Teach yourself piano tuning

  • Luxury Choice

    • Grand piano

Credits

Presenter Kirsty Young
Interviewed Guest Richard Ingrams

Broadcasts

  • Sun 3 Aug 2008 11:15
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 FM
  • Fri 8 Aug 2008 09:00
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

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