Close Encounters

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Martha Kearney hosts British celebrities past and present at the National Portrait Gallery

Martha Kearney invites ten leading figures of today to the newly refurbished National Portrait Gallery to champion a favourite picture from the Gallery's star-studded collection.

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Close Encounters: JJ Chalmers & Sir Archibald McIndoe

Sir Paul Smith & Cecil Beaton

JJ Chalmers & Sir Archibald McIndoe

BBC Radio 4 - Close Encounters, JJ Chalmers & Sir Archibald McIndoe

Former Marine and now TV presenter JJ Chalmers joins Martha Kearney to make his selection of a favourite picture from the National Portrait Gallery.

In the eighth episode of Martha Kearney's series Close Encounters, the former soldier and now TV presenter JJ Chalmers joins her in the National portrait gallery to celebrate a painting of Sir Archibald Hector McIndoe.  McIndoe is known by many as the father of plastic surgery. His work during the second world war, on young airman who had suffered terrible and often disfiguring burns lead to developments in battlefield and cosmetic surgery that JJ reveals were behind his own recovery from serious bomb blast injuries sustained while serving in Afghanistan. 
JJ also talks about McIndoe's 'Guinea Pig Club' made up  of the airman who had come under McIndoe's care, which was the inspiration for JJ forming the Casy-Vac club for modern soldiers who have had to be evacuated from the front line as casualties. 

The Series is a prelude to the re-opening of the National Portrait Gallery later this month after three years of massive renovation.

Producer:  Tom Alban

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JJ Chalmers & Sir Archibald McIndoe

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