A biography for Alexander Armstronghasn’t been written yet.
“I love food and wine, they are both passions of mine.”
“I suppose I am Scottish - Armstrong. They were thugs, basically, reivers - and I bet they were ravers, too. They lived in what was known as the Debatable Lands, so it didn't have any allegiance to either the English or the Scottish crown.”
“I always think that in nearly every instance things that turn ugly, they almost invariably do so because of a misunderstanding, or because of poor communication.”
“There's this weird thing going on where people think they've worked you out as a certain type of person, but probably better for them if they don't put me in a box, because if they do I am going to disappoint.”
“If you grow up somewhere where the pace of life is very slow you enjoy the gaps between the pulses. I read a lot and, boy, did I practise the piano.”
“My parents were relaxed, but very strict on manners. They encouraged us to follow our instincts and desires, so they were quite bohemian in that sense, but we had to work hard and that included chores.”
“I follow politics avidly. I like sensible people of all political persuasions. My ideal political party would be a pick and mix.”
“I was teased at school for having a posh voice even though there was nothing posh about us.”
“I'm not very religious, but having reached middle age I rather enjoy the quiet and the contemplation of spending an hour in an old building.”
“The problem is you have people who are keenly aware of what their time span is. Governments work towards the next election; BBC governors work for their time there. You have extraordinary regimes that run at the BBC and different people have different outlooks.”
“I'm the youngest of three children. We lived beside a big beech wood, on the edge of the moors, in Northumberland, which was enormously good fun.”
“I'm a trained classical baritone.”
“Durham is the most beautiful place. Whenever I'm on a train going north I have to stand, nose pressed to the window, as we pass Durham. I don't think there's a better view in the world.”
“I no longer have a Maserati - I now have children and a wife.”
“The BBC is a brilliant, infuriating, delightful cornerstone of our culture but it drives me round the twist. I will never forgive them for selling off BBC Centre. It's probably the best studio facility in Europe, possibly the world, and it's being sold off for flats and a luxury hotel.”
“I would love not to be losing my hair.”
“I am very shy with people I don't know. I'm positively awkward.”
“I ended up at Durham School, which was lovely, then Trinity College Cambridge.”
“So, if I ever find myself hankering for the long, respectful silences of the olden days, I remind myself that classical music broadcasting was a whisker away from becoming one long silence itself.”
“I was a chorister at St Mary's Music School, from the ages of 11 to 13, after prep school and before I went to the Durham School. Edinburgh's my favourite city in the whole world. I don't think there's anywhere that comes close to it.”