Hello, I'm Krestey 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 1990, and the presenter was Sue Lawley. My castaway this week is an actor, the son of a long distancedistance lorry driver. He was born and brought up in Lancashire.

He entered drama school at the age of 16 since when he's rarely been out of work.

His versatility as a character actor, he's appeared at the Royal Court Theatre and

with the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as playing many film and television roles, has won him

a distinguished professional reputation. He owes his national popularity, however, to two roles,

the rough, tough Jack Regan in the Sweeney, and the troubled but likable Inspector Morse.

The creator of these much-loved policemen avoids the

stardom his admirers would thrust upon him. Professional satisfaction is what

he seeks. Away from the cameras he prefers a quiet life laced if possible with

plenty of classical music he is John Thor in other words John there's rather more

of Morse in you than Reagan is that? Oh most certainly yes. Do you have a

preference for one of those characters over the other at all? Well at this stage of my

life most certainly Morse because it's less energetic than doing a

steely Jack Reagan you know he leapt over a lot of wars and raced around a lot

old Reagan didn't you yes and when people ask me why don't I do it again I say I'm

too old more suits me fine. Do people write in for Morse's

music that's often played I mean the minute he finds a body there's some music playing

I do get letters from people if there's a nice say Beethoven quartet playing as they

find the body you know in the cupboard or whatever you invariably get letters saying what

was that music you know when Morse found the body it was lovely where

...