大象传媒

This weekend sees a special edition of The Strand, paying tribute to the late Charlie Gillett.

His 大象传媒 World Service series, World of Music launched in 1999 and was known to a dedicated audience of millions across the globe. Mark Coles presents this tribute programme, which boasts a prestigious list of world music artists including Yasmin Levy from Jerusalem, 17 Hippies from Germany, Toumani Diabate from Mali, Novalima from Peru and Fat Freddie's Drop from New Zealand.

During a long and successful career, Charlie was attributed with the discovery of many artists and bands, including the UK's Dire Straits. He decided to play Sultans of Swing, a song from their demo tape, whilst presenting his 大象传媒 Radio London show Honky Tonk and just months later Dire Straits signed a major record deal and were catapulted to world fame. Charlie was hugely influential in the world music industry and championed many well-loved artists including Youssou N'Dour, Salif Keita and Mariza. He also worked as a record label owner, manager, journalist, author and publisher.

In 2006 he was awarded The John Peel Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music Radio by the UK radio industry's organisation, the Radio Academy.