Christopher Chataway

That's true.

However, Christopher Chataway, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, who we're gonna hear from again shortly, said in Parliament, "It is the government's intention to enlarge choice wherever possible." As regards use of the fourth channel, Chataway said that the ITA, which was the Independent Television Authority, was to give him its views towards the end of the year about a possible ITV2, and he would consider them at that point.

When you think about ITV2 actually is now, it's quite a different [laughs] proposition.

[laughs]

Chaired by Robin Day, this was a sprawling live discussion attempting to hammer out what was considered to be, in his words, "The most important peacetime issue facing the British nation in this century," namely whether or not the country should join the Common Market.

And sprawling is absolutely the right word for this show, Graham.

In the studio, leading the case for the motion was Christopher Chataway, joined in a cross-party coalition with former Labour Treasury minister Harold Lever and David Steel, Liberal Chief Whip.

And for the case against, we had Barbara Castle, former Labour Secretary of State for Employment, flanked by Edward Taylor, former Conservative Under Secretary at the Scottish Office, who had recently resigned from Edward Heath's government over this very issue, and Peter Shore, former Labour Secretary of State for Economic Affairs.

So I completely believe that.

Obviously, looking at your father as well, Chris, he obviously helped Roger Bannister to run the four-minute mile.

Was that a moment that allowed you perhaps to, as a sort of young person, to believe in the extraordinary motivation to fight sort of boundaries at the time?

Uh, no, because I was minus 10 at the time.

Uh, so I wasn't, I wasn't, yeah, I think, I think no, even looking back the first time I even knew that my father had pacemakes for Roger Bannister was at school, um, aged, um, 10.

Um, so, uh, it was 1974, which shows how old I am.

And school did a 20th anniversary of the four-minute mile.

So I think...

So Alan Wells, I'm, I'm not sure I've seen him since, but that, we was, we met him there.

We also met, um, Chris Chataway.

I think that was in Glas- oh, you didn't, well, you didn't come to Glasgow indoors, did you? Not that time, no.

We also met Chris Chataway there.

Oh, wow.

Was that 1956, um, Steeplechase championships? Steeplechase.

Um.

[laughs] I'm not sure.

He did not want to be famous on the back of, um, something that he believed that many athletes could have done with that pacing.

Um, I think he downplayed the part that, um, you know, he and Roger were great friends, as, as were Chris Chataway.

They trained together.

Um, they had a coach, Frank Stampfl, who was a most brilliant coach, an Austrian.

[applause] David Edwards, you start this round.

Can you tell me what Christopher Chataway and Christopher Brasher were assisting with in Oxford on the 6th of May, 1954?

The first successful attempt at a four-minute mile.

By?

Stop.

Don't complain if it's more than... unless it's been more than one year," and this guy's winning global titles.

I love your attachment to this seven months and five days thing.

That's something you intentionally edited into my article.

But enough about my quibbles over editing.

Uh, let's talk about the meet.

Well, I, I wanna start by asking you guys the question.

I mean, I'm, was watching it from afar.