Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Actress and writer, known for her work in theatre and as a prolific author of memoirs.
On the island
Eight records
to waken me up in the morning in the absence of husband or alarm clock
Mad Scene from Lucia di Lammermoor
I want this particularly because she not only has a beautiful voice, Joan Salon, she's a very, very hard worker.
Scottish Fantasia - third movement
I chose this record because at home, when we're a wee bit homesick, this is the one we put on. And I want the nice. Third movement, which is described as evocative, nostalgic, and I can lose myself with misty dreams of the Highlands and Islands.
When I was in this war factory, I became great friends with one of the other girls in the typing pool, Mary, whom I'm still friendly with. And one night a week, she always came up to our house and we tried to work miracles with a packet of dried egg, you know. Well one night we came in and we switched on the radio. and suddenly out floated this beautiful voice. We both sat down. We didn't utter a word, and in silence we walked into the kitchen, tears rolling down our cheeks, because it said everything.
Duetto buffo di due gatti (Cat Duet)
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Victoria de los Ángeles
Record number six is one which always makes me laugh. I love this record. I remember I was ironing the first time I heard it, and I very nearly burned the shirts, I was so excited. Couldn't believe that two such musical singers could lend themselves to such comedy singing.
This is a beautiful record with warm, thrilling singing. I love the human voice, as you've probably gathered by this time.
All in the April EveningFavourite
Although this might seem a contradiction, this one always reminds me of Christmas, because every Christmas we used to have my dear friend Miss Cree to spend Christmas with us. And after the Queen's speech we used to sit in the firelight and we'd a tray of tea, a piece of Christmas cake and some shortbread. And the record that she always wanted to hear, because it reminded her from Scotland, she was from Aberdeen, was All in the April Evening. Any time I hear this, instantly this scene is conjured before me.
In conversation
Presenter asks
1:12Could you adjust yourself to solitude?
Yes, I think I could. I think a writer has got to have a lot of solitude, and although I am a very gregarious person, I'm also a very solitary person.
Presenter asks
2:28Your mother was widowed, and I believe the days of your childhood were rather a struggle.
They were a struggle, but they were extremely happy. We were a very happy household, and of course, as I always say, we never knew we were poor, so we didn't know we'd anything to worry about.
Presenter asks
5:44So what did you do when you left school?
When I left school, I went to business college because I had a marvellous little school teacher. I wanted to work in the cooperative. That was my mother's ambition for me. And when I told the teacher, the head teacher, this, she was absolutely furious, just oh, we must get something better for you than that. … She saw that I sat for a scholarship to college and I studied the whole full business training. Including shorthand, and I was so enthralled with the mere idea of anybody teaching me shorthand, I didn't even pay anything. I was like [Lester] Piggott waiting for the tapes to go up. … I was able to write shorthand eventually at three hundred words a minute.
The keepsakes
The book
Compton Mackenzie
I've cheated a wee bit in this because I'd like to take Compton Mackenzie's The Four Winds of Love and of course they occupy four boots. Can I have the all four of them?
The luxury
a typewriter with a nice supply of ribbons and a lovely supply of paper
Oh, without a doubt. I've no absolutely no indecision in this. It's going to be a typewriter with a nice supply of ribbons and a lovely supply of paper, because if I can write, I'm never really lonely.
Presenter asks
7:10What was your first job?
My first job was in a law office. I was very, very lucky. It was a small law office and of course absolute accuracy was demanded in those days because it was a very old fashioned office and they had one of these almost Dickensian presses where you put the letter in and damp sheets of flannel and then another oilskin sheet and pressed it down under a great heavy press so that there was no question of carbons and rubbing out. It was indelible. And this taught me tremendous accuracy, made me a very good worker.
Presenter asks
8:07And then you were discovered.
It was discovered by Carol Levis. Yes, he came to Glasgow looking for discoveries and my brother saw this advert. He had a little dance band at the time and had a microphone which he'd sent me through to test out. And I just did little impersonations. And so I did those impersonations for Carol Levis and I came in second and that resulted in my first broadcast from London.
Presenter asks
8:51And then the war came along. You stayed in Glasgow, didn't you?
I did. And because of my shorthand, of course, I went into a war factory because I reckoned the actresses were ten a penny, but three hundred words a minute writers were very scarce in the ground and I thought I might beat Hitler better that way.
“We never knew we were poor, so we didn't know we'd anything to worry about.”
“I was the doyene of the backcourt concerts.”
“I was so enthralled with the mere idea of anybody teaching me shorthand, I didn't even pay anything. I was like Lester Piggott waiting for the tapes to go up.”
“I thought I might beat Hitler better that way.”
“We didn't utter a word, and in silence we walked into the kitchen, tears rolling down our cheeks, because it said everything.”
“If I can write, I'm never really lonely.”