The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the Chairman of the National Westminster Bank Lord Alexander.

He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about how he began his career as a jobbing barrister, doing all manner of work on the western circuit where he earned a reputation which took him to the top of his profession. Among many others, he won cases for Jeffrey Archer and Kerry Packer, and lost one for Ken Livingstone's GLC. In the 1980s he moved to the City as Chairman of the Takeover Panel and then, to his surprise, he was invited to become Chairman of the National Westminster Bank. Tipped by those who know him well to become the next Lord Chancellor if the Conservatives stay in power, he'll be discussing his past, present and future and contemplating castaway life.

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

Favourite track: Do You Hear The People Sing? by Claude-Michel Schonberg