Keeping it in the family...

I’ve just finished listening to a fascinating documentary in which Roddy Forsyth tried to find out more about the publicity shy David Coupar Thomson, the Scottish newspaper proprietor, who founded his empire in 1905. He was the ‘D.C.’ in D.C. Thomson, the publishers of The Sunday Post, The Beano and The Dundee Courier.

“I am my own man and I will run my empire my way” said the man, Roddy described as the Citizen Kane of Tayside.

For me it was a ‘must listen’. Like so many others at the BBC (Jackie Bird, Frieda Morrison and Roddy himself) I got my start in the media at D.C. Thomson. Joining as a fresh faced boy from Aberdeen, have great memories of my grounding there. It was ( and still is) a somewhat old-fashioned, patriarchal organisation run by the Thomson family who are still referred to by staff as ‘Mr Andrew’ and 'Mr Brian’ and ‘Mr Christopher’.

You can listen again here if you missed it.

Incidentally, Roddy Forsyth is also part of a ‘family firm’. He’s the brother of my favourite broadcaster, the talented and lovely Janice Forsyth. ‘Mr Roddy’ covers sport for 5 Live and ‘Ms Janice’ presents The Movie Cafe on Thursday, and on her extended Saturday morning show this week the guests are Robin Gibb of The Bee Gees and the actor Tony Robinson.