Branson says Virgin Atlantic was the first airline in the world to introduce seatback videos.
“we were the first airline to introduce seatback videos in the world.”
Person
Richard Branson
1 episodes · 23 quoted claims
Richard Branson's mother, Eve, made table mats and pictures from cut-out book illustrations to sell to stores such as Harrods and Harvey Nichols.
“she was, um, making table mats and, you know, cutting out pretty pictures from books.”
Branson says his mother decided he would one day become prime minister of Britain.
“she decided that I was gonna be prime minister of, uh, Britain one day”
Branson left school at fifteen to create a magazine.
“it ended with me rebelling from actually staying at school and leaving school at fifteen”
Branson's student magazine grew into a student advisory centre offering advice on subjects such as venereal disease, contraception, abortion and mental health.
“we ended up setting up as as a student advisory centre, uh, where we would, um, uh, give people advice on venereal disease”
Branson says that at about age fifty he still did not know the difference between net and gross profit.
“I was in a board meeting, uh, when I was about fifty years old”
Branson says Virgin Atlantic was saved during Covid by selling Virgin Galactic shares.
“I mean, being able to sell, sell Virgin Galactic shares”
Branson spent one night in prison over unpaid tax on records exported to Europe, a tax he says applied at the time.
“I spent one night in prison. I, um, in those days, you had to pay tax on um records if you shipped them to Europe.”
Branson says Virgin expanded quickly to generate the turnover needed to pay off the fine, which it repaid within three years.
“and yes, we expanded fast in order to pay pay off the fine”
Branson says Virgin Atlantic took British Airways to court over its dirty tricks campaign and won the biggest libel damages in history.
“we took the a to court and we won the biggest libel damages in history”
Virgin launched the cruise line Virgin Voyages during Covid, and the ships had to be mothballed for two years.
“famously during Covid, uh, launched a new cruise line, Virgin Voyages”
After Branson's record-attempt boat sank in the Atlantic, British Airways ran a full-page ad reading 'Next time, Richard, take the plane'.
“the ad said, Next time, Richard, take the plane”
Branson says competition from Virgin Atlantic made British Airways a better company.
“I think British Airways is a better company today than it was, um, you know, uh, thirty eight years ago when we started.”
Branson says he sold Virgin Records to raise a war chest to fight British Airways and its dirty tricks campaign.
“I needed a war chest, um, to combat British Airways”
Branson says the HBO docuseries on his life was made by the director Chris Smith, and that Branson had no input into it.
“a really good documentary maker, and and Chris Smith is one of the best in the world”
Branson says his main house was burnt down once and blown down in a hurricane, which made archive footage hard to find for the docuseries.
“we'd had my my main house burnt down, um, my my main house blown down in a hurricane, um, twice”
Branson says Mikhail Gorbachev invited him to fly in a Russian spaceship for about $60 million, which he declined, prompting him to think about building his own.
“he invited me to come to Russia to be the first person to go up in a Russian, um, spaceship, um, but it would have meant, uh, a big check, um, you know, 60 million”
Branson registered Virgin Galactic Airways and searched the world for someone to build a spaceship.
“we registered Virgin Galactic Airways, and um, and I was set up, went, went around the world trying to see if we could find somebody to build us a spaceship”
Branson found the aircraft designer Burt Rutan to build a spaceship.
“and then just found this genius, Burt Rutan.”
Branson says a Virgin train derailed, killing one woman, and that he drove through the night to reach the scene and meet the relatives.
“and one of our trains had come off the track”
Branson says Virgin Galactic's spacecraft can automatically shut down its engine if something goes wrong with the rocket motor.
“we can automatically switch off a, um, uh, an engine if, uh, you know, if if anything's wrong goes wrong with the rocket motor”
Before his Pacific hot air balloon attempt, a television journalist from ITN was finishing an obituary for Branson in case he did not return.
“Thurgood from I T N was just finishing editing my obituary, um, in case I didn't come back”
Branson met his wife Joan about forty-five years before the interview at a recording studio called The Manor.
“I was lucky enough to meet her forty five years ago in a recording studio, um, uh, called The Manor”