Simon Murray

Desert Island Discs

BBC

Society & Culture, Music Commentary, Music, Personal Journals

4.4 • 13.7K Ratings

🗓️ 4 January 2009

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the adventurer and businessman Simon Murray. What many of us would struggle to do over three life-times he has managed in one - as a teenager, nursing a broken heart and determined to prove himself, he joined the French Foreign Legion. Fighting in the Algerian war, he risked his life many times over; combat was at close quarters and was very bloody.

Next, he set his sights on business - he ran some of the most well-known companies in South East Asia and was one of Chris Patten's key allies during the handover of Hong Kong. Then, in his 60s and looking for a new challenge, he chanced upon the idea of polar adventure, and went on to become the oldest person to walk unsupported to the South Pole. But after all this, his greatest achievement, he says, is his marriage. Perhaps it's no surprise that his wife of 43 years, Jennifer, is the first woman to have flown a helicopter solo around the world. These days their three children try to curb their enthusiasm for dangerous pursuits. But, Simon snorts, the couple simply say: "we're not listening."

This programme contains descriptions that some listeners may find disturbing.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: O Soave Fanciulla (Oh beautiful maiden) by Giacomo Puccini Book: Cautionary Tales by Hilaire Belloc Luxury: Lots of paper, pencil and pencil sharpener.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Krestey Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive.
0:05.0	For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.
0:08.0	Elements of this program may offend or upset some listeners.
0:11.0	The program was originally broadcast in 2009. My castaway this week is the businessman and adventurer Simon Murray.
0:35.0	What many of us would struggle to do over three lifetimes he has managed in one.
0:40.0	As a teenager nursing a broken heart and determined to prove himself, he joined the French
0:45.4	foreign legion. He risked his life many times over. Combat was at close quarters and was very
0:50.8	bloody, but after five years he was discharged with honor.
0:55.0	Next he set his sights on business. He ran some of the most well-known companies in Southeast Asia
1:00.0	and was one of Chris Patton's key allies during the handover of Hong Kong to China.
1:05.0	Then in his 60s, and looking for a new challenge, he chanced upon the idea of Polar Adventure.
1:11.0	He is now the oldest person to walk unsupported to the South Pole. But after all
1:15.3	this, his greatest achievement he says is his marriage. I should add his wife of 43 years
1:21.2	Jennifer is the first woman to have flown a helicopter
1:24.0	solo around the world and Simon Murray is it fair to say that you're one half
1:27.6	then of a rather competitive couple? There is a little bit of competition in there.
1:34.0	All my family say I'm very competitive.
1:36.0	I'm actually not competitive at all.
1:38.0	But between my wife and I don't, I like to think that I am not competitive,
1:42.0	but the little bit there that I see and her sometimes.
1:45.6	So let me get this right. She's competitive but you're not. You got it. You got it. I see where we're going with this.
1:50.7	So at what point had you met Jennifer? You met her very early on.
	...

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