I am so excited. I can't tell you how excited I am. I am in North London and I am coming to meet somebody who has really been the soundtrack of my life.

Somebody whose music I first encountered when I was a young grammar school boy in Sheffield learning the fiddle and who transformed my view of what folk music could be

and continues to amaze me with his songwriting.

So it is a red letter day for me.

Music We're in North London, and we're going to revisit the childhood and youth of 70-year-old Richard Thompson

routinely voted one of the greatest guitarists in the world, but in my mind also one of the greatest English language songwriters that has ever lived.

And he grew up round here, he went to school round here,

he shaped his guitar playing and his songwriting around here.

So we're looking to find out more about what makes Richard Thompson tick. So good morning Richard, we are bringing you back to your old school, the William Eddy School in Highgate. We've just walked into the gate.

How does it feel to be coming back after all these years?

It's very strange. I mean, I haven't been back here since I left. I wouldn't say under a cloud,

but ignominiously in 1967. Why you say ignominiously?

I mean, I missed half my exams.

Other things were on your mind, presumably.

Music was on my mind, and I didn't like school.

So it's strange to be back.

I get slight butterflies in my stomach just standing here.

Makes you nervous because you think that somebody's going to tick you off?

Somehow I'm thinking that the old head master is going to suddenly appear.

Should we just walk further into the grounds?

Yeah, absolutely. I think they've given us permission to do that.

So what sort of a kid with you when you first came to the school?

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