Mosley

: Life is a battle...

and I generally only pick the fights I can win.

: The Mosley name is in trouble again.

: They sent a video to the FIA.

I'd done no harm to them.

I was just working quietly away

on road safety, motorsport safety.

: This is a man who has called the shots

in world motorsport for decades

and during that time, he's made one or two enemies.

: I got calls every day

saying, "He's gotta go, he's gotta go."

: I've had battles before

and more since

but this was different

because this was the gutter press

trying to destroy all the work that we'd done.

: That's moments where you need your friends.

: People you thought you could count on

you couldn't.

There were some people going around the paddock

saying I ought to resign.

: They obviously didn't know

who they were taking on.

: They think if they attack hard enough I may go away

but actually, for me, it's exactly the opposite.

Probably a defect of character.

But I don't like being pushed.

: These days I'm fighting for road safety

especially in India, where some of the cars are death traps.

: Every year

140,000 people are dying on the Indian roads.

: When a commercial plane crashes

you have 300, 400 people who die.

: You have the same amount of people dying

every day on the roads.

: 2.6 million people get seriously injured every year.

It's a crisis.

Our goal is to get more five-star cars in India.

But first, we've got to get one.

: There are very few names in the global automotive scene

that are more well recognised.

I'm speaking, of course, about the former president

of the Global NCAP, Max Mosley.

: Thank you very much.

For the first time ever

we're going to have a Safer Choice designation

to any car built in India

which can reach the five-star standard.

: Can we start?

Absolutely. Ready when you are.

While we were here, for three days, in India...

more than a thousand people will die on the roads.

I think a huge problem is that

people don't see road deaths in the way they see other deaths.

Yes.

A death is a death, whether it's caused by a war

a terrorist, or a road accident

it makes no difference to the family.

I mean, it's not glamorous, like motorsport

where you maybe save one life every year or two.

But in India

if you could make a tenth of 1% difference

that's 140 people.

So, there's 140 people walking around out there

because you did it.

It really, really matters.

I was influenced by my parents, particularly my father.

I mean, obviously, he's a controversial figure

but everything that he did in his life, he did...

because he thought it would be for the benefit of other people.

My father was Sir Oswald Mosley.

After a major career in conventional politics

he started the British Union of Fascists.

His family had been quite well off

since the 17th, 18th century.

And my mother's family was similar.

If you're lucky enough to have a bit of money

you have an absolute duty to try and do something useful.

My mother's maiden name was Mitford.

She was Diana Mitford.

One of the well-known "Mitford girls."

One of my aunts, Unity

became very friendly with Hitler.

And then my mother met Hitler

and they all became quite friendly.

I think my father only ever met Hitler

twice in his life

and they didn't really get on.

When my parents got married

my father wanted to get married secretly

because there was a lot of, sort of violence

and trouble in England at that time to do with his politics.

So they decided to get married in Germany

and they ended up being married in Goebbels's house

with Hitler present as the sort of main guest.

- -

And on balance, would you say that Hitler was...

It was better or would've not been better

if Hitler had ever existed?

No, certainly better that he should not ever have existed

because his existence led

to 25 million Europeans being killed.

If I had my way

those 25 million would be alive today

including six million Jews

who never would've been killed if there hadn't been a war.

They made the greatest mistake they ever made

when they produced that war.

- - And who was most of all...

: Max's family heritage is a very tough one

for anyone to sort of fully escape from.

His father's politics had become

you know, completely unacceptable

before and then after the Second World War.

: For the first two or three years of my life

I was looked after by a nanny

because my parents were interned

under a wartime regulation.

: What was the effect

of your imprisonment on you?

Were you bitter?

: What?

- Well, bitter, did you say? - Yes.

I don't think I was exactly bitter.

It's... Prison is extremely disagreeable.

Holloway was a very old fashioned...

condemned, I believe, prison.

: I used to visit them

probably three or four times a year.

And I can remember going to the prison and visiting them.

I suppose I assumed

that everybody's parents were locked up

and they went to see them from time to time.

They were released from Holloway prison in 1943

and bought a house in the English countryside.

Eventually, they settled in France.

We had this tutor who then, that stopped when I was 11

and I was allowed to just sort of do a bit of hunting

do a bit of shooting, and that was it.

I got expelled from the German school...

climbing into the girls' part of the school.

I think it's fair to say my education was messed up.

I met Jean, my wife

when I was 17, and she was 17.

We got married at the end of my second year at Oxford.

When I went to Oxford

I still got a degree, but I mean, it wasn't a good one.

So, I came into to Oxford in '58.

The same time as Max

and we both came up to read physics

and he went on to read law.

Max is seriously bright.

At that time in life

Max was still under the shadow of his father

and his father was still trying to get into parliament.

: The 500 police

had their hands full in Trafalgar Square.

Typically, the East Londoners

would come and attack his father

and Max would, of course, protect his father.

: They cried, "Down with Mosley!"

And down he went.

Sir Oswald's son, Max, was among those later arrested.

: Everybody who'd been arrested

had to pitch up in court the next day.

And the man who arrested me was a superintendent.

Of course, he gave evidence

and when I came to cross examine him

I said, "Your father, aged 65

he's an old age pensioner

he's attacked by a group of people.

Are you saying I should just stand there

and say, 'Well, that's alright.

I'm not gonna do anything'?"

And, of course, some found it quite difficult to answer that.

He said, "But Mr Mosley

you knew, when you came to this meeting

that there was gonna be trouble."

I said, "Actually not, and neither did you

because had you known

you'd have had a few more police on the spot to prevent it."

That was it, no more questions, you know

and I was duly acquitted.

In 1963, I realised that

what my father was doing wouldn't go anywhere.

I disagreed with aspects in his politics

but, fundamentally, I lost interest.

I thought, "I want to be my own person"

and it always irritated me

that I used to get "Son of, son of, son of."

You know, I mean, you can't help who your father is.

I had nothing against him.

That's not a criticism, it's just that

I would like to be in a world

where I could sort of get on and do something.

So, I joined the Territorial Army Parachute Regiment.

That was against his wishes.

It's like a part-time army, and I didn't have any money.

I used to teach in the evenings. Law, various kinds.