The Lifeline

Phyllis Bottome was a highly regarded prolific author in the mid 20th century. With her husband Ernan Forbes Dennis, a former diplomat and spy, she set up a school in Kitzbühel, Austria and it was there, after he was thrown out of Eton, that she taught Ian Fleming to write. Amongst her many bestsellers was The Mortal Storm made into a prescient anti-fascist film which became a Hollywood blockbuster starring James Stewart. She died in London in 1963.

Miles has contributed to a number of BBC Radio 4 shows including The News Quiz, which he hosted for four years, his own sketch series Whatever Next and In And Out Of The Kitchen, which he wrote and created. He is the author of three books, the most recent of which is a novel, History

David Stenhouse is Chief Executive of the John Schofield Trust, a media charity that works hard to diversify the world of journalism. He has also worked as a journalist for many years, most recently as a broadcaster and producer with the BBC in the UK and US.