Sue Lawley's guest this week is James Dyson. Today he's one of the richest men in Britain, but he began with an idea, a piece of cardboard and some sticky-backed plastic. Five years and more than 5,000 prototypes later, he was confident that he had invented a new type of vacuum cleaner. But that was to prove only the beginning of a long, drawn-out battle to get it licensed.
[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]
Favourite track: Slowdown by Wax On Wax Off
Book: Olives: The Life and Love of a Noble Fruit by Mort Rosenslum
Luxury: Olive Oil
Published on Sunday, 20th June 1999.
Available Podcasts from Desert Island Discs: Archive 1996-2000
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