A 1968 BBC interview with JRR Tolkien, unearthed in 2019, reveals his thoughts on The Lord of the Rings. He called Gollum's near-reformation, thwarted by Sam, the story's most tragic point. Tolkien also discussed how a 1911 Swiss hiking trip inspired The Hobbit and how Finnish shaped his invented languages.
Unearthed Tolkien Interview Reveals 'Most Tragic Moment' in Lord of the Rings
Source: BBC