I waltzed in Vienna – now for the tango
CONTINUING our series on the holiday experiences of famous people, Classic FM presenter and former newsreader
JOHN SUCHET, 74, recalls a lifetime of adventures…
First holiday I can remember
Every one spent away from the horrible prep school where I boarded on the Kent coast. It left me with a lifelong habit of counting the days until the end of a holiday.
First time abroad
Travelling to Cape Town in 1947 on a Union-Castle Line ship when I was three. On the journey out, I trod on a lit cigarette end on the deck and I can still feel the pain. On the way back, Mum entered me in a fancy-dress competition as a boxer. She stuck hair on my chest and I can recall the discomfort as she tore it off.
First school trip
I nagged my dad to send me to Vienna. I can’t explain why, but I had to go. I fell in love with Vienna, the capital of music, a feeling which persists to this day. I heard Johann Strauss emanating, it seemed, from every door. While most bought pistachio marzipan and chocolate balls called Mozartkugeln to take home, I bought an LP of Strauss waltzes. We even went to the Vienna State Opera to see Beethoven’s Fidelio. I fell asleep.
My honeymoon
Nula and I didn’t have a honeymoon. I proposed on the plane on the way to a holiday in Kerala. We stayed in a fisherman’s hut on the beach. It was idyllic. We called it our pre-honeymoon.
Best ever holiday…
I had broadcast my Classic FM show live from Adelaide for a week, which meant being on air every evening until 11.30pm. During the day I recorded material for it, so had little or no downtime. So afterwards my wife booked a week in Sydney, which was amazing. We saw koalas and kangaroos in the Blue Mountains, climbed the Harbour Bridge, and saw La Traviata at the Opera House.
... and my worst
In 1998, I had just become a full-time ITN newsreader and really needed a holiday. I booked a week in Seville in October with my late wife Bonnie. We stayed in a former castle, which was cold and soulless, the locals made it clear we were not welcome, and we had a bleak view from our balcony. We sat there under a blanket because it was so chilly.
My essential item
My iPhone. I can’t imagine being away from the news or emails for even an hour.
My dream destination
Argentina. Nula was working there many years ago. One night she went to a sleazy bar with some friends in Buenos Aires. An elderly man took her on to the dancefloor and taught her the tango. He told her it wasn’t a dance, it was life. She says it was an unforgettable experience and wants to do the same with me. Who am I to resist?
Tchaikovsky: The Man Revealed, by John Suchet, is published by Elliott & Thompson, priced £25.