´óÏó´«Ã½

"My doctor tells me if I go on drinking and smoking like this I shall drop dead - so I am going to double it".

Simon Fanshawe continues his investigation through the archives to reveal a picture of this clever, amusing and often outrageous broadcaster who had a deeply troubled and unhappy private life.

He was lonely, yet could not bear the thought of sharing his life with anybody. There is no evidence that he had a close relationship with a man or a woman.

Writer Brian Masters remembers staying with him as a young man. "If I had a bath he would come in and hand me a towel and that seemed pretty innocent to me at that age. I could see that it gave him pleasure, so why not?"

The second of a three-part exploration including extracts from:

* GIlbert Harding on ´óÏó´«Ã½ TV's WHAT'S MY LINE hosted by Eamonn Andrews - where he competed with fellow guests Isobel Barnett, David Nixon and Barbara Kelly.

Interviews with:

Gillian Reynolds
Jeffrey Richards
Andy Metcalf
Gavin Henderson
Roger Storey
Brian Masters

Plus ´óÏó´«Ã½ TV's FACE TO FACE interview with John Freeman, where Gilbert Harding wept on camera when the questioner touched a nerve.

Public sympathy for the broadcaster soared after the interview - and then he died on the steps of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ after recording Round Britain Quiz, eight weeks later.

Producer: Mike Greenwood

Made for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in January 2014

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