Robert Peston & Eddie Mair interview - Julian Barnes

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Just listened to this on i player. Very moving. The concept of the programme is that one week RP picks a guest, next week EM does - in the week they're not doing the picking they don't know who the interviewee is till they start recording. Wasn't sure about the concept but in this case it worked. Julian Barnes lost his wife 7 years ago and has written about grief. Robert Peston's wife died 3 years ago and he has also written about it. The main focus of the interview was the two widowers comparing notes, with just the odd interjection from Eddie Mair. It's unusual to hear two men talking about loss and grief as candidly and thoughtfully as this. Well worth catching up with.

thanks for the reminder
i like all three of them a lot, so will definitely have a listen on iplayer. i read an article that Barnes wrote about his the loss of his wife a while back and it really stayed with me.

This is the link.

thanks - i've just finished listening. it was a really thought-provoking programme

It was, wasn't it. I've been thinking about it on and off all day.

I love Eddie Mair, I listened to an interview he did about two years aho with a father who had lost his son in Iraq and his questioning was lovely.

Who picked the guest for the Julian Barnes interview?

Robert Peston.

Loved it. I like both of them as characters and voices and love EM's interviewing style. Think they complement each other well and I like the element of surprise. Well done whoever came up with the idea.

Yes, I thought it was thought provoking and very sad. Not sure that this choice of guest really gave EM any chance at all but let's see what happens in the next episode

Did anyone hear it last night with Esther Rantzen?

No, was it good?

I've just listened to it, Failing. What did you think? I still think the programme is fantastic but I wasn't convinced by ER but whether that's down to the marmite effect I'm not sure.

I thought the first episode was great. It's a pleasure to hear RP so relaxed and more in conversation as it were, rather than doing his journo stuff on the news. There have been a couple of tiny quips from EM that I thought were just a bit weak, for want of a better word, but on the whole I think the whole thing is great radio.

Oh, I do like this series too. I liked last night's one - with Denis Norden. In fact I heard it twice as DH missed the first playing so we LA'd together. Some of you might be too young to remember him. Though I am not! RP sounded genuinely pleased to meet him, I thought.

I liked the Esther Rantzen one- though I could never be bothered with her programme whose name escapes me, I like her for all the subsequent campaigning work. I wonder who the next guest will be .... Presumably RP will choose next.