Archie Norman MP

Archie Norman MP

Author: BBC Radio 4 March 1, 1998 Duration: 36:37

Sue Lawley's castaway this week has turned around a failing supermarket chain by introducing his staff to 'black-bin Mondays' and 'dress-down Fridays'. As the Executive Director, Archie Norman made ASDA one of the top three grocers on the high street.

In the process, he's answered every one of the 40,000 suggestions from his staff - personally. And he's learnt how to keep his colleagues on their toes - he's removed their chairs from the meeting rooms. Now as a new MP and Vice Chairman of the party, can he do the same for the Conservatives?

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

Favourite track: Requiem by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: The Complete Angler by Isaac Walton Luxury: Jar of Marmite


The archived conversations from Desert Island Discs: Archive 1996-2000 offer a unique portal into a specific era, capturing the cultural and personal landscapes of the late twentieth century through a timeless format. This curated collection from BBC Radio 4 presents the original, unedited interviews, allowing listeners to hear the candid reflections of notable guests as they selected the eight pieces of music they would take with them into isolation. The choices themselves become a compelling narrative device, revealing unexpected passions, pivotal life moments, and the soundtracks to both private struggles and public triumphs. Within this podcast, the discussion naturally expands beyond mere musical preference, touching on themes of memory, identity, and resilience. Each episode is more than an interview; it is a biographical sketch painted in sound, where a chosen symphony or pop song can unlock a story of loss, love, or revelation. These archived sessions provide a raw and intimate listening experience, free from contemporary edits or updates, preserving the original tone and context of conversations with figures from the worlds of arts, politics, science, and society. Tuning into this archive is an act of historical listening, where the desert island premise becomes a profound catalyst for self-disclosure and a lasting study of the human condition through the universal language of music.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Desert Island Discs: Archive 1996-2000
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