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Raymond Briggs

Sue Lawley's castaway is writer and illustrator Raymond Briggs.

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the writer and illustrator Raymond Briggs. For millions of children, Christmas would be incomplete without Briggs's story The Snowman, which has been shown on television every year since its first release, in 1982, and his enduringly popular Father Christmas.

Raymond was born in 1934 in Wimbledon. His mother, Ethel, was a lady's maid and his father, Ernest, a milkman. He wanted to draw cartoon strips from an early age but, at art school, found his tutors looked down on his aspirations. After leaving, he quickly secured work as a commercial artist, doing illustrations for advertisements, journals and books. He said he was so appalled at the standard of the children's books he was asked to illustrate he thought he could do better himself. And he did - his first attempt was immediately accepted for publication and he went on to twice win the Kate Greenaway Medal - the principal award for illustration.

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

Favourite track: Parce Mihi Domine (from Officium Defunctorum) by Christobal de Morales
Book: Complete Works of Beachcomber by J B Morton
Luxury: A full-size billiard table with Radio 4 built into each of the legs

Available now

45 minutes

Last on

Fri 25 Mar 2005 09:00
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

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Stephen Poliakoff

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Yvonne Brewster

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Music Played

  • The Bonzo Dog Band

    The Intro and The Outro

    • Gorilla.
    • United Artists.

  • Jan Garbarek

    Saga

    • Ragas and Sagas.
    • ECM.

  • The Dufay Collective

    La Rotta

    • A L'Estampida.
    • Contiuum.

  • The Dave Brubeck Quartet

    Unsquare Dance

    • Time Further Out.
    • Columbia.

  • Tom Waits

    Big in Japan

    • Mule Variations.
    • Epitaph.

  • Tasmin Little

    Spiegel im Spiegel

    • Tamsin Little: Fratres.
    • EMI.

  • Nitin Sawhney

    River Pulse Rain Mix

    • Migration.
    • Outcaste Records.

  • Castaway's Favourite

    • CristΓ³bal de Morales

      Parce Mihi Domine (from Officium Defunctorum)

      Soloist: Jan Garbarek Orchestra: The Hilliard Ensemble

      • Officium.
      • ECM New Series.

  • Book Choice

    • Complete Works of Beachcomber - J B Morton

  • Luxury Choice

    • A full-size billiard table with Radio 4 built into each of the legs

Credits

Presenter Sue Lawley
Interviewed Guest Raymond Briggs

Broadcasts

  • Sun 20 Mar 2005 11:15
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
  • Fri 25 Mar 2005 09:00
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

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