The Ironmonger
The greatest living designer of popular cars, Sir Alec Issigonis , describes himself as an ironmonger who built tin boxes to get people from A to B. Working on the backs of envelopes and on restaurant tablecloths, he conceived the two most successful British cars of all time - the Morris Minor and the Mini. On his 80th birthday he reflects ruefully on a motor industry dominated by computers and committees. 'All cars look exactly the same now,' he insists, 'except the Mini.' Sir Alec's arrogant and autocratic approach to his work was the key to his success, but, as Maxwell Boyd reveals, it was also the cause of his downfall. Producer BRIAN KING. BBC Pebble Mill