Sir John Hurt recalls the creativity of Old Soho in 1959

The play Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell is coming to Radio 4, with Sir John Hurt playing his old friend Jeff Bernard.

Sir John took James Naughtie on a stroll around old Soho of the 1950s, where life was populated by colourful characters.

'Don't imagine it, simply because of the stories you hear, as some sort of crazy dissipation. There was a bit, sure. We knew how to get drunk. But at the same time the intellectual vigour was extraordinary: feverish conversation,' said Sir John.