Desert Island Discs – Lesley Smith

This year’s “Desert Island Discs was a very special opportunity – the chance to see Lesley Smith appearing as herself, rather than as one of the historical characters she so brilliantly re-creates
16 of them, she told us.

The committee had expected this event to be popular, but were overwhelmed by the response with some 110 tickets sold, including – for the first time at an event of this kind – to non-members (which may well make this the most profitable event of 2025-6).

The audience were not disappointed: Lesley was her usual inimitable, frank and humorous self, with a fascinating tale to tell, about her family as well as herself.

Her first piece of music was “Double Trouble”, an Elvis Presley track from a 1967 film of the same name, which was accompanied by a slide of a very attractive young woman, her elder sister, who was Elvis’s co-star. She had been spotted in the street and invited for a screen test, but had abandoned film stardom for a return to a quiet life and marriage. Lesley had preceded this slide with a photograph of herself aged 5, and the statement that she was the youngest of 5, and that her mother had described her with the words “The plain one, but she’s doing well at school” – shades of Mrs Bennett!

Her second choice of music was “Nimrod” from “The Enigma Variations”, which she associated particularly with her father, whose career dealing in antiques she had eventually discovered concealed work for MI5, in the section responsible for investigating Soviet penetration; he was involved in the discovery of the Portland spy ring In 1961 (immortalised in the play “Pack of Lies”).

She had grown up near the Horniman Museum and visited it a lot, becoming interested in objects displayed there, and “obsessed by Tudor History by the age of 8”. Her third choice of music reflected this – “The King’s Ballad”, written by Henry VIII. She had not immediately followed an academic route, however, but had worked for a time in advertising – experience which may have been of help when she became lessee of the ruined Tutbury Castle, and set about building its visitor numbers – from 8000 to 120000!

She spoke of 60-80 hour working weeks in doing this, but in 1984 a visit by TV presenter Yvette Fielding led to a new career in TV, working on ghosthunting programmes in particular: this was marked with the music for “Ghostbusters”!

With her next piece of music Lesley returned to family connections – “I Giorni”, which is based on a twelfth century folk song from Mali; this was important to her, as it had provided a bond with her son Henry, who had had speech difficulties which needed significant surgery. The sixth piece was the “Marche pour la ceremonie des Turcs” and had similar personal associations as
it was the music to the accompaniment of which she had entered the church for her second marriage to historian Dr Gareth Williams, an expert on the Vikings.

She chose a Breton melody “Troelienn” to mark their enjoyment of travel; and “Proud”, Heather Small’s first solo track, because she “wanted everybody to be proud of this nation and its people and this beautiful city”.

Damian had started the conversation by reading out some of Lesley’s considerable achievements, and asked her now about her dissertation, which she wrote while undergoing chemotherapy: she said the concentration on that had allowed her not to be frightened.

When asked about a book she would wish to take to the island, she said “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”, which had filled her life when she worried as a child. She was told she could not have the QE2 as a luxury, so opted for a Siamese cat, to be called Snuffbox, after one she had had previously. And a single record she would save above all, would be “I Giorni”, to keep her close to her son.

Fascinating insights into a very interesting lady! Thank you, Lesley!

Adrienne Swallow