Hello, I'm Kirstie 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 2001, and the presenter was Sue Lolly. My castaway this week was a public servant and is now a banker.

The American economist JK Galbraith called him

the most accomplished negotiator in public affairs of the last 50 years.

He was part of the team which implemented the Marshall Plan. He worked

with Edward Heath on Britain's negotiations to enter the common market and he helped Harold Wilson

and George Brown create that bold but ill-fated initiative, the Department of Economic Affairs.

Altogether a very British Mandarin, you might think, but this distinguished pillar of

public life was born in a remote corner of Eastern Europe. His parents spoke no

English and he only found himself a British citizen after the consequences of the

First World War encouraged him to leave his homeland. Now 93 years old he still travels far and wide on business

and is otherwise at work most days in the city where his negotiating skills remain much respected. It's great fun negotiating, he says, and it helps if you have a sporting instinct.

He is Eric Role.

Lord Role, forgive me, if you will, by first of all pausing to marvel at your age and what you do at it.

You are remarkably active.

Is there an ellicia or a formula that we should know about. I wish I could tell you all I know is that I keep

going and the best way to keep going is to keep going. I think the main thing I can

say is you've got to keep interested.

The minute you don't, you're finished.

I don't know whether you know the version, old bankers never die,

they only lose interest.

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