Gates from the beginning

So tonight in the UK the BBC Money Programme take a look at Microsoft and Bill’s career

BBC 2 - Friday 20 June 7:00pm - 8:00pm

Overview

Full marks to The Money Programme for landing an exclusive interview with Gates. He even lets the cameras in on meetings, where we get a glimpse of his famously tetchy business manner. The trouble is, Gates is also a guarded interviewee and despite hopeful prodding from Fiona Bruce (see above), he plays a straight bat to every question. The best contributions, at least in the part available for preview, come from friends and colleagues. "He has taken over the world, end of story. Live with it," says Sir Alan Sugar, pleasingly frank about how he himself misunderstood the importance of software from the word go. There are flashes of revelation, like the way Gates fires off "suggestions" about the Outlook email programme to underlings. And what comes through loud and clear is that under the nerdy surface - 30 billion pounds and the label still sticks out the back of his v-neck - he's terrifyingly clever and, of course, quite ruthless.

A preview view of this interesting insight is availably here