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Jeremy Hutchinson

Kirsty Young talks to Jeremy Hutchinson, former barrister and member of the House of Lords.

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the former barrister and member of The House of Lords, Jeremy Hutchinson.

His life spans eleven decades of British history and he has spent much of it at the very centre of the action. Born during the First World War, he was brought up in the company of some of the greatest artists and writers of the day.

In World War II, he escaped his bombed-out ship clinging to a life raft with Lord Mountbatten.

At the Bar he played a central role in many of the seismic trials of the day - among them defending the novel Lady Chatterley's Lover against obscenity charges and Christine Keeler in the Profumo Affair trial. His brilliance in cross-examination inspired John Mortimer's creation of the character Rumpole of The Bailey.

He enjoyed two long marriages - his first to the actress Peggy Ashcroft, his second, for 40 years, to June Osborn, and he spent 23 years as an active member of The House of Lords.

He says, "I had the luck to live when the world of the Establishment was being dismantled. The whole of one's career was to do with what was going on in society."

Producer: Cathy Drysdale.

Available now

45 minutes

Last on

Fri 25 Oct 2013 09:00

Music Played

  • Lily Morris

    Don't Have any More Mrs Moore

    • Why Am I always the Bridesmaid?.
    • Windyridge.
  • Manuel de Falla

    Dance of the MillerÂ’s Wife

    Performer: Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Performer: Ernest Ansermet.
    • The Three Cornered Hat.
    • Decca.
  • Teddy Wilson

    Tea for Two

    • Of Thee I swing.
    • HEP.
  • Giuseppe Verdi

    Dite alla giovine (from La Traviata)

    Performer: Adriana Guerrini. Performer: Luigi Infantino.
    • La Traviata.
    • PREISER.
  • Original soundtrack orchestra

    The Rumble from West Side Story

    • West Side Story.
    • CBS.
  • Castaway's Favourite

    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

      Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major - 2nd movement

      Performer: English Chamber Orchestra. Performer: Murray Perahia.
      • Piano Concertos Nos. 21 & 9.
      • CBS.
  • Emily Loizeau

    L'autre bout du Monde

    Performer: Emily Loizeau.
    • LÂ’autre bout du Monde.
    • FARGO.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110 - 1st movement

    Performer: Christopher Osborn.
    • PRIVATE TAPE.
  • Book Choice

    • Complete Works - Thomas Hardy

  • Luxury Choice

    • The Tempest by Giorgione

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Kirsty Young
Interviewed Guest Jeremy Hutchinson
Producer Cathy Drysdale

Broadcasts

  • Sun 20 Oct 2013 11:15
  • Fri 25 Oct 2013 09:00

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