Rob Rinder on Jessica Mitford

Great Lives

BBC

History, Documentary, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.2 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 5 January 2021

⏱️ 28 minutes

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Summary

Jessica Mitford was the fifth born of the notorious Mitford Sisters. Born into the aristocracy, as a child she had her own language, collected a running-away fund and fought to set herself apart from her fascist siblings. As an adult she was in turn a communist rebel, an investigative journalist, a civil rights activist and pop singer - opening a gig for Cyndi Lauper and recording an unlikely duet with her friend and fellow mischief maker Maya Angelou. She’s championed by Robert Rinder, the criminal barrister and television personality known to many from the reality courtroom series ‘Judge Rinder’ and more recently, ‘My Family, The Holocaust and Me’ who reveals the impact her story has had on his own life. Robert Rinder is joined by guest expert Laura Thompson, author of the New York Times best seller, 'The Six: The Lives of the Mitford Sisters'. Presented by Matthew Parris Produced By Nicola Humphries for BBC Bristol

Transcript

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0:00.0	Newscast is the unscripted chat behind the headlines.
0:05.6	It's informed, but informal.
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0:12.4	We use our colleagues in the newsroom and
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0:18.0	We sometimes literally run around the BBC building to grab the very best guests.
0:23.4	Join us for daily news chats to get you ready for today's conversations.
0:28.3	Newscast, listen on BBC sounds.
0:36.0	If you've ever fantasised about having your own running away fund, considered organizing a gambling den,
0:39.0	or dreamt of co-owning a bar in Miami,
0:42.0	you'll be in good company today.
0:44.8	Our great life did all these things and much, much more.
0:48.8	She was by turns a communist rebel, an investigative journalist, a civil rights activist and politics. a
0:53.0	Civil Rights activist and pop singer opening a gig with Cindy
0:58.0	and recording an unlikely duet
1:00.0	with her friend and fellow mischief maker, Maya Angelou.
1:04.0	Right, said Fred, both of us together,
1:08.0	one each Jim and Sturby as we go.
1:11.0	Try to shift it, put it even if we was getting nowhere and so we had a cup of the
1:17.0	we had a cup of tea. That was Jessica Mitford.
1:25.0	One of the six fascinating and controversial Mitford sisters,
1:30.0	Robert Rinder, criminal barrister and television personality,
	...

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