Professor Peter Hennessy, historian
Professor Peter Hennessy, historian, shares the eight tracks, book and luxury item he would take with him if cast away to a desert island. With Lauren Laverne.
Professor Peter Hennessy is one of the UK鈥檚 leading contemporary historians. He has written acclaimed and important books about politics, the civil service, the intelligence agencies and the British constitution on which he is an expert.
Peter was born in London in 1947 and read history at St John鈥檚 College, Cambridge. He started writing for the Times in the mid-1970s, covering the inner workings of Whitehall whose activities at that time were shrouded in secrecy. Peter says he approached his journalism like an amateur anthropologist trying to discover more about an unknown culture. His reports were viewed with suspicion by some members of the civil service and Harold Wilson, the then prime minister, issued an edit banning them from talking to him.
In 1986 Peter co-founded the Institute of Contemporary British History, and in 1992 he moved from journalism to academia at Queen Mary, University of London where he is Attlee professor of contemporary British history. He is a fellow of the British Academy and was made a crossbench life peer in 2010. During the COVID-19 pandemic he started keeping a diary which he describes as an 鈥渁id to humility鈥� with the aim of assessing post-world war history as BC (Before Covid) or AC (After Covid).
Peter lives in London with his wife Enid.
DISC ONE: Slow Train - Flanders & Swann
DISC TWO: Italian Concerto in F, BWV 971, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and performed by George Malcolm
DISC THREE: Why Don鈥檛 Women Like Me? - George Formby
DISC FOUR: Schubert String Quintet In C Major,D. 956 - 2. Adagio, composed by Franz Schubert, performed by Robert Cohen (cello) and Amadeus Quartet
DISC FIVE: The Elements - Tom Lehrer
DISC SIX: London Girls - Chas & Dave
DISC SEVEN: Skye Boat Song - The Pipes and Drums Of Leanisch
DISC EIGHT: How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place, composed by Johannes Brahms, performed by Festival Choir And Orchestra, conducted by Thomas D. Rossin
BOOK CHOICE: Poetry in the Making by Ted Hughes
LUXURY ITEM: A fountain pen, ink and paper
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: London Girls - Chas & Dave
Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley
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Music Played
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Michael Flanders and Donald Swann
Slow train
Ensemble: Michael Flanders and Donald Swann.- The Complete Flanders & Swann.
- Parlophone UK.
- 12.
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Johann Sebastian Bach
Italian Concerto in F, BWV 971
Performer: George Malcolm.- Scarlatti: Sonatas / Bach: Italian Concerto; Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue.
- Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd..
- 17.
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George Formby
Why Don't Women Like Me?
- Heroes Collection - George Formby.
- Pegasus Entertainment.
- 45.
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Franz Schubert
Schubert String Quintet In C Major,D. 956 - 2. Adagio
Performer: Robert Cohen. Ensemble: Amadeus Quartet.- Schubert - Streichquintett.
- Deutsche Grammophon.
- 3.
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Tom Lehrer
The Elements
- Tom Lehrer In Concert.
- Decca Music Group Ltd..
- 4.
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Chas & Dave
London Girls
- The Best of Chas & Dave.
- Music Club.
- 18.
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The Pipes and Drums Of Leanisch
Skye Boat Song
- Spirit of Scotland - Essential Bagpipe Anthems.
- Rel Records - X5 Music Group.
- 11.
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Johannes Brahms
How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place
Orchestra: Festival Choir And Orchestra.- Masterworks of Worship Series Volume 1 - Brahms: Requiem.
- Classic Fox Records.
- 4.
Broadcasts
- Sun 7 May 2023 11:15大象传媒 Radio 4
- Fri 12 May 2023 09:00大象传媒 Radio 4
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