Hello, I'm Christy Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs Archive.

For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

The program was originally broadcast in 1978, and the presenter was Roy Plumley.

Our cast away this week is a writer. He's the author of the exceedingly popular

Flashman books, George McDonald Fraser. Is music important in your life?

Yes, I think it's important. It has been since I was very small.

I was taught to play the violin when I was extremely young and have done nothing with it ever since.

But I decided when I was in my early teens that I wanted to be a singer,

and I got very serious about being a great bass baritone.

How do you feel about this Desert Island business? Does the idea fill you with dread or not?

No, not really, I don't think. I've often discovered if I'm in hospital for a period or

anything like that or removed from the scene of events for a time, it's rather pleasant.

After about three or four years, I suspect that like Alexander Selker can be glad to come off.

What would you be happiest to have got away from? The news, newspapers, and being told the news

on BBC and ITV and so on, that I generally find depressing. I would like to hear the news

itself, but I wouldn't like to be depressed by it. What's your first record?

My first record, I said I wanted to be the greatest bass baritone of all time,

so it seemed appropriate to pick one by that very man. In fact, I could settle for eight records

by this singer. Possibly, but I have one, and that is Peter Dawson singing the smuggler song.

Peter Dawson singing the smuggler song with Kippling's words, of course. George,

whereabouts in Scotland were you born? I wasn't, in fact, I was born in Cumberland in Carlyle

of Scottish birds, like a great many Cumberins. Your father was a physician. Did you have any

...