THE PERFECT SHOT IN THE ARM FOR AN OVERCAST DAY… FRIDAY, OCT 12, 13.20PM

Entrepreneur Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones

So let me spell it out…
C-H-A-R-I-S-M-A-T-I-C.
Now I know that sounds like something “Strictly’s” Craig Revel Horwood might say, but in this instance it isn’t flowery hyperbole but bang on fact: child of the Windrush generation and one of Britain’s most successful black entrepreneurs, Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones IS magnetising.
In conversation with Nick Higham, the BBC’s first media correspondent back in 1988, this was a talk/debate/interview with sly muscle: Higham is hugely likeable and adroit while Emmanuel-Jones is, quite simply, an interviewer’s dream (although it was made clear from the start that he had already laid out the table he wanted Higham to serve from).
In short, this was an hour devoted to talking about belief in dreams - no matter what they may be - while saving the fear of uncertainty for a rainy day.
As he said: “Everything about my life has been about NOT playing it safe”, while going on to criticise a world in which everyone now looks to their computer for the answer rather than trusting to gut instinct instead. And he should know. His life is one of A-Z extremes of extreme poverty, failure and illness, coupled however with astonishing courage and success in the face of almost overwhelming adversity.
And boy does he know how to dress too (elegant Chelsea-style boots, slim tartan trousers, a period red waistcoat, a rakish tie all held neatly together with an irresistible air of carriage).
A perfect blast-off for this year’s festival that - beware other speakers - has really set the bar high.