Historian David Olusoga on Desert Island Discs

Just for clarification- my comment regarding David not having a Geordie accent was in no way a criticism, I love a Geordie accent! Anyway, he could speak double Dutch, I would still be hanging on to his every word ?

I come from the North East, have lived here all my life and have witnessed numerous incidents of racism and I am white. I also dont like this thing that seems to be emerging that people who describe serious incidents in their life are somehow 'using' these incidents for sympathy, they are simply describing their life or part of it anyway.

You can live in the same area and have a totally different upbringing. We had a horrendous childhood with a drunken violent father. We were poverty stricken.
Some children at my school and who lived in the same area came from lovely families and had happy childhoods.

I hate it when people on tv and radio play the sympathy card and say they had a terrible life on a sink estate

David Olusoga is a great contributor to national life. It's awful that him talking about the racism he experienced can be dismissed as playing the sympathy card. That isn't my impression of this historian at all.

David's 'A House In Time' series is a fascinating look at the history of houses and their occupants. Rather depressing that the racism he suffered still goes on.

Living with a single mum in a council house and having bricks thrown through the window by National Front and having to be moved by the council doesn't sound like a salubrious childhood to me But obviously he must be making it all up*harrigran*.

@harrigran, I think the man himself might just be a better judge of whether he’s experienced racism than you. Just a thought.

I hate it when people on radio and TV pull the sympathy card and say they had a terrible life on a sink estate.
If David went to school with Paul Gascoigne then he lived beside my son in law too. My SIL does not talk with a Geordie accent nor were the surrounding areas full of knuckle grazers.
Gateshead, Newcastle and South Shields have always been multi cultural.
I went to school with a now famous author, he made our very middle class area and school sound like the pits. Dragged up by their boot straps, I think not.

I love listening to his voice, it's so relaxing. I wonder why he doesn't have a Geordie accent if he was from Gateshead? Anyway, thanks for the tip regarding the Desert Island Disk website *Kate1949 *- I was sorry to have missed this episode, and pleased to hear that I can now listen to it.

Me too kate
Great way to pass some of these long, lockdown days.

Thanks for this Riverwalk. I often go to the Desert Island Discs website where you can trawl through and listen to any one you fancy, even from years ago. I will listen to this one.