Max Mosley will be interviewed by John Humphrys in the first of BBC Radio 4's new series of On the Ropes. The programme will be broadcast twice today (1st March), at 9.00 am and again at 9.30 pm (and then presumably on iPlayer). According to the trailer the interview will concentrate on the spanking incident and its effect on Mosley's life.

He sounded in denial to me, though felt sorry for his wife. Nice of him...

No, Hosni Mubarak is in denial - so they say

Undecided as to whether his honesty and dignity impressed me, or his sheer selfishness towards his family.

Available on the iPlayer by the way: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00yyflw

He doesn't really have all that much choice though does he, what else can he do?

It's all pretty similar in tone to a long and wholly unapologetic interview that appeared in the Financial Times two or three weeks ago, one unspoken theme of which was that his wife doesn't want him under her roof. This is no doubt why he's bought himself a second house not too far away, where apparently he lives all alone, though in his case, I doubt if this necessitates two mortgages.

What a strange man.

Well that's between him and his wife really. I'm sure he has made his apologies to those close to him privately a long time ago. I'm not sure he needs to do so again on Radio 4. If he lives in another house to his wife then so be it. Sometimes couples who have been together a long time decide to do that. But his point is that's their business not ours. We've no right to judge him on that or even be told about it. I would suggest if a man is being spanked with a whip once a week or whatever, he perhaps doesn't have the closest of physical relationships with his wife anyway.. otherwise she would have asked 'why is your backside the colour of a beetroot' a long time ago.

I think he answered all the questions put to him and he had a good case. There was no nazi element. There was no full sex. It was just a bit of spanking and role play. He had done it for years and it was doing no one any harm. It wasn't having any impact on his job or role at the FIA. The story being printed caused lots of harm. He is clearly very open about the subject.. to a point where I suspect he may even be enjoying talking about it all, but then people who are interested in BDSM etc are generally open about the subject of sex anyway.

I think the NOTW seriously under estimated his character and how far he would push this. One call to Bernie would have tipped them off that he would take a hold of this story and not let go for a long time. I hope he gets success. I felt the story was an invasion of privacy at the time and I still do. It changed nothing other than selling more papers and causing his family distress. The 'well he shouldn't have been doing it anyway' argument doesn't excuse the publishing imho.

If that's all it's about then I won't bother. That's Max's personal business and I couldn't care less.

I do reserve the right to poke fun at him about it though.

I hate him for the damage he's done to motorsport. What he does in the bedroom is his problem.

I think it's worth the effort, Red. For once, the BBC trailer undersells a programme. John Humphries often drives me crackers but this time I thought he handled things very cleverly, letting Max talk and then probing into areas that his interviewee skirted around. pRy makes some valid points but Max was a willing participant, keen to explain not just his behaviour but the importance, in his eyes, of his battle to change privacy laws around Europe (and the world?...I missed a bit, the cat needed feeding). Rather like dank though, I was left impressed on the one hand by Max's composure, but convinced too that there's a huge flaw in his psyche. He doesn't seem to appreciate the impact that his past and present actions have on those close to him.

As opposed to the wealth of good that the previous incumbent of the post bought to the job?

Mild case of narcissism on show by Maxie, I think.

Well hardly, the first I knew of him being kicked out of his own home was when Max chose to reveal it to the world in that recent Financial Times interview, in which he also chose, no-one was holding a gun to his head, to reveal that and a great deal more besides. Until he told all, it was indeed largely between Max and his wife.

The whole rather grubby story would have died if Max had allowed it to, and I think Terry Walker has it exactly right.

A lawyer first and last.

I'd say a frustrated politician first and last.

Surely they're the best kind.

He is such a hypocrite. He is banging on about protecting his privacy and pursuing legal action about that and yet here he is voluntarily going on national radio to yet again wash his dirty linen in public.

Still, heads Max loses, tails the NotW loses, so its a win-win situation for decent folk.

Well, let's be fair, 90% of the attention around this was caused by the NOTW; once it became public I could only admire Max for not backing down.

Given Max's history; the Mosleys and Mitfords were scarcely ideals as functional and conventional families; his early days in the care of the Mitfords while his parents were jailed; it's hardly surprising that he developed some rather unconventional lifestyle choices.

And I imagine the "tall poppy" syndrome was applied to him.........in his younger days he was undoubtedly good looking; hard-working; innovative and intelligent...... all characteristics that tend to provoke envy AND emnity amongst those lesser endowed.

ISTR that Max never lacked in personal courage either, as exemplified by his physical defence of his father during a rather boisterous political rally.

All in all a VERY complex personality....and as one contributor has already mentioned..... if not Max then who..?

As a newcomer here, welcome, albeit as one who chooses to hide behind the anonymity of no personal details, so whose views may count for little among some of the members here.
However, you use strong language about Max. Perhaps you would like to expand and justify your views. I believe a more relevant final word in your second one-liner would be " business".
Roger Lund

So, just the middle bit was the problem then.

By chance his Aunt Debbo (The Dowager Duchess of Devonshire) was on the BBC2 books programme this evening, and although she had an unconventional start to her life she transcended that and still (as the only surviving Mitford Sister) could give a lucid account of whatever she needed to talk about. So very unlike Max's mother.

Interesting precis of the man so far. I'm not sure how much further this story will continue to interest the public, like most failed lawyers, if that even is an accurate description. It seems to me like he can't stand the idea of fading into obscurity and must keep breathing life into the episode of his greatest infamy. His grand designs of reshaping British law to protect his ilk I think is a bit of OTT aggrandisement. As much as "tabloid journalism" most of us find somewhat disgusting the freedom of the media is as essential as the worst excesses are offensive.

I haven't found anywhere to hear this latest outburst as BBC podcasts are restricted to British audiences. I won't lose any sleep over it though.

(EDIT - Wrong, that's video podcasts only.) Amusing but sad his dismissal of his wife's sufferings of humiliation over the publicity - "these things happen in life". On a positive note, I prefer to now think of Max's positive contributions to the sport in overthrowing the JMB reign.

Frankly, one can make the argument that Mosley made Jean-Marie Balestre look good...

Max who?