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 1989,

and the presenter was Sue Lolly. My castaway this week is the son and air to a dynastic empire. His profession is catering, his world,

a battleground of acquisition. In 1934, his father opened a milk bar in Regent Street in London. Six years ago he handed to his

son the largest hotel and catering chain in Britain, the second largest in the world, worth

more than a billion pounds and embracing everything from motorway cafes

to some of the grandest hotels in London and Paris.

But one prize still eludes the family's grasp.

Try as they might, they have not been able to buy the Savoy group.

The son who now does battle on their behalf is the chief executive of Trust House Forte, Rocco Forte.

It is impossible to introduce you without mentioning your father,

which must have been the case all of your life. Do you find that very annoying?

Not at all. I've been very close to my father all through my life.

He had a lot to do with bringing me up and he's still very much involved.

I'm always very happy to hear him mentioned.

So you don't feel that you've led your life or are leading your life in his shadow as it were?

Not at all. I mean I think other people may think that but I certainly don't look at it that way.

He's given me an opportunity which I can take advantage of or not as the case may be.

You say he handed over to me in your introductory remarks, but he hasn't quite done that.

He's still very much around and still an inspiration to us all is

chairman of the company and still comes into the office every day. We've talked more

...