The writer and broadcaster reveals how she discovered her son’s rare talent – after he took his own life at 23

"A retired BBC mogul explained, with a hand on my thigh, that I should stick to producing because women’s voices were either 'childish, vampy, mumsy or schoolmarm,'" says Libby Purves

"Our poor dear BBC has had a personal crisis lately - it can be hard to love her as we should, and as (remember!) the whole world does"

Arts cuts and Olympics chaos may take their toll, but Libby Purves will be in London's West End next summer