George VI had been my hero since childhood because I was such a terrible stutterer. We had been evacuated from England to the US and during the war, particularly the latter stages, my parents would encourage me to listen to the king's speeches on the wireless. "Listen, David," they'd say, "he was a far worse stutterer than you, and listen to him now. He's not perfect but he can give these magnificent stirring speeche…
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 07:00PM on February 10, 2012