George Davies's guest appearances

George Davies

Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010

PT Podcast

Sheer Isolation

David Tennant

Karen Armstrong

Patrick Stewart

Margaret Bryant

Ricky Gervais

Mike Williams

David Starkey

Tony Adams

David King

Andy McNab

Stephen King

Sebastian Faulks

Jacqueline Wilson

Anthony Horowitz

Robert Harris

OwlTail

We're joined on this week's Sheer Isolation by an 18 year old who's tipped to become one the UK's premier lighting technicians for live events. Malmesbury based George Davies has already taken the reigns at Minety Festival, and lit up the likes of Republica and Spice Girl, Mel C. He talks about how he started his business at just 16, and what he's planning to do in the coming years. On the music front we play a track from Swindon's own hip-hop reggae collective, The Tribe, and Kieran picks out some math rock from Let's Swim Get Swimming. There's also some exciting news for local musicians as Soundcloud announcing plans to change it's structure for paying artists for streams. This episode was created by Kieran Moore in Trowbridge and Jon Ponting in Cricklade. Don't forget to look for us on the schedule of your local community radio station; we're on the airwaves in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset.

We're joined on this week's Sheer Isolation by an 18 year old who's tipped to become one the UK's premier lighting technicians for live events. Malmesbury based George Davies has already taken the reigns at Minety Festival, and lit up the likes of Republica and Spice Girl, Mel C. He talks about how he started his business at just 16, and what he's planning to do in the coming years. On the music front we play a track from Swindon's own hip-hop reggae collective, The Tribe, and Kieran picks out some math rock from Let's Swim Get Swimming. There's also some exciting news for local musicians as Soundcloud announcing plans to change it's structure for paying artists for streams. This episode was created by Kieran Moore in Trowbridge and Jon Ponting in Cricklade. Don't forget to look for us on the schedule of your local community radio station; we're on the airwaves in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset.

Sheer Isolation 45 - George Davies

I sat down with George in Tacoma, WA. Where did he grow up? How did he get the opportunity to publish his first book? Can he present a lecture while lying on a hospital gurney hooked to an IV?

I sat down with George in Tacoma, WA. Where did he grow up? How did he get the opportunity to publish his first book? Can he present a lecture while lying on a hospital gurney hooked to an IV?

Episode 1: George Davies

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the retail legend George Davies. In the 1980s he changed the shape of our high streets with his chain Next. In the 1990s he made supermarket clothes fashionable with his George range for Asda and in 2001 he launched his Per Una collection in Marks and Spencer - it's credited with helping the store find renewed financial success. He was brought up in Liverpool and showed early promise as a footballer - he was talent-spotted by the legendary Bill Shankly, but wasn't good enough to play at the highest level. Then he nearly became a dentist but, after dropping out of university, found a job with Littlewoods as stock controller in charge of children's ankle socks. From the day he started he says he never looked back - he knew his future lay in retail. His trick is knowing his market, and he does that by carefully studying the details of how his clothes sell. Each week he analyses sales figures for every garment, in every store up and down the country - the result, he says, is that he not only knows what women like, he knows what they think.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]Favourite track: You'll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the PacemakersBook: A book about learning to paint Luxury: A Cannondale Bike

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the retail legend George Davies. In the 1980s he changed the shape of our high streets with his chain Next. In the 1990s he made supermarket clothes fashionable with his George range for Asda and in 2001 he launched his Per Una collection in Marks and Spencer - it's credited with helping the store find renewed financial success. He was brought up in Liverpool and showed early promise as a footballer - he was talent-spotted by the legendary Bill Shankly, but wasn't good enough to play at the highest level. Then he nearly became a dentist but, after dropping out of university, found a job with Littlewoods as stock controller in charge of children's ankle socks. From the day he started he says he never looked back - he knew his future lay in retail. His trick is knowing his market, and he does that by carefully studying the details of how his clothes sell. Each week he analyses sales figures for every garment, in every store up and down the country - the result, he says, is that he not only knows what women like, he knows what they think. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: You'll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers Book: A book about learning to paint Luxury: A Cannondale Bike