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 29th December: Sir Richard Branson
After last year's success of inviting well known people to be a guest editor on the Today programme, we thought we'd do it all over again. Today Sir Richard Branson took the reins...
Much of Sir Richard Branson's programme focused on education. Why? "Because," said Sir Richard, "I have two children who are of university age and I spend a lot of time with their friends and as a result believe that university education seems to be more designed for the convenience of the tutors and professors than the students." Jeff Randall, our business editor, was commissioned to investigate.
It wasn't just higher education Sir Richard wanted to question. He also believes secondary education fails to foster entrepreneurial ambition. He left school at 15. Minister Margaret Hodge was called on to defend the school system. Sir Richard also thinks too much received wisdom is allowed to shape the curriculum. Why, for example, is French still taught in schools when Spanish is easier and more useful? We heard from both sides of that argument.
Sir Richard asked us to look at whether a Risk Commission could or should be created to make difficult decisions, considering all possible consequences. Such a commission might have helped handle BSE, Foot and Mouth or even the aftermath of the Hatfield rail crash more effectively. Our reporter Roger Harrabin was asked to explore the idea. How Africa deals with malaria is one example of a problem which could benefit from the advice of a Risk Commission.
Following our guest editor's instructions, we spoke to workers at a malaria project in Mozambique. Finally, we looked at the economy. What can Britain expect from 2005?
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