Hello, I'm Krestey Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive.

For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

The program was originally broadcast in 1990, and the presenter was Sue Lawley. My castaway this week is a journalist and a broadcaster. His achievements are distinguished. He it was who made the unique journey

from newscaster to director general of the BBC. He left school at 16 and worked as a copy boy on the daily sketch from those small traditional

beginnings. He moved ever upwards via the Yorkshire Post, news reading at ITN, and eventually

held in succession the three top jobs at the BBC.

Since leaving the office of DG eight years ago,

he has indulged his passion for racing

as chairman of the horse race betting levy board

and maintained his connections with

broadcasting as chairman of Thames Television. He is Sir Ian Truthowan.

Serena, I'm right, aunt I that you're the only television presenter performer to rise to the very top behind

the scenes? Yes, I think that is the case. You in fact piped Robin Day to the post, I think, didn't you?

Yes, I did at that time. I think didn't you? Yes I did at that time I think I had inevitably the edge

because I'd already been a managing director of radio and their managing director of

television so I'd had several years experience of top management.

So you weren't trying to make the leap in one which perhaps Robin was doing?

Which Robin was doing? Which I think would have been very difficult. I mean I have to say that when I first came into this building

a Broadcasting House as Managing Director of Radio I was very raw and I remember Charles

Curran who is the new Director General ringing me up and saying,

would you be interested in being the Managing Director of BBC Radio?

And I said, but Charles, I know nothing about management and nothing about radio.

...