Person:Leslie Arthur Perowne (1)

Leslie Perowne was the original Producer of Desert Island Discs, the longest running programme in the history of broadcasting which was launched in 1942 and quickly became a British institution. For the past seven decades everyone who is anyone has been cast adrift and washed up on a desert island.

Down Your Way was one another of Britain's long-running radio series. It started in 1946 when Leslie Perowne hit upon the idea of spinning out a popular music programme on the Home Service with short interviews with members of the public. The idea was an instant success, and Down Your Way became a staple of the radio schedules for decades. At the height of its success in the 1950s, when television had yet to make a significant impact, it was attracting 10 million listeners a week.

In 1956 Leslie Perowne was seconded from the BBC to the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service as the first Director of Broadcasting.