Desert Island Discs: Archive 1981-1985

Sheila Steafel, the actress who was born in South Africa, went to drama school in London and had her first big break in the television series The Frost Report. Since then, as she tells Roy Plomley, her career has been extremely varied, including music hall, opera, theatre, a one-woman show and a long spell on Radio 4's Week Ending programme.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Concerto in D Minor For Violin, Oboe & Strings by Johann Sebastian Bach

The Rt Hon David Steel MP has been leader of the Liberal Party since 1976. After leaving university, his first job was with the Scottish Liberal Party as Assistant Secretary. In 1965, he won a seat in the Borders and became the youngest member of that parliament. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about his career and chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Symphony No 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven

Barbara Taylor Bradford's first novel, A Woman of Substance, which was published in 1980, quickly became a huge international success. In conversation with Roy Plomley, she recalls her childhood in Leeds, her first job as a reporter on the Yorkshire Evening Post at the age of 16, becoming a Fleet Street journalist, and her eventual move to New York.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Jerusalem by Blake/Parry

Robert Burchfield, who has been Chief Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary since 1957, was born in New Zealand. After fighting in Italy during the war, he came to England to complete his education and stayed on to be a lecturer at Oxford University. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about his career and discusses the many problems associated with compiling dictionaries.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Joseph Allen, the physicist, joined NASA in 1967 as a scientist astronaut. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he describes his lengthy training as an astronaut, the problems of space flight, and he describes his recent trip in the space shuttle to recover two satellites, which necessitated an unfettered walk in space.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Minor Blue by David Darling

Doris Stokes, the medium, first heard spirit voices when she was only four years old. In conversation with Roy Plomley, she talks about her experiences which include a brief visit to the spirit world, and she explains how she uses her gift to help others by putting them in touch with relations who have passed over.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: One Day At A Time by Lena Martell

Richard Eyre is equally at ease whether he is directing in the theatre, for television or on film. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about some of his successes which have included Guys and Dolls at the National Theatre, the films Laughterhouse and The Ploughman's Lunch, and his period as producer of Play for Today with BBC television.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: El Cant Dels Ocells by Pablo Casals

Gordon Beningfield's designs for postage stamps include a butterfly set and the recently-issued insect set. He is also well-known for his paintings of nature and the countryside. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he describes his first job in studios producing ecclesiastical art, his later concentration on stained glass, and then painting.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: I Vow To Thee, My Country (from The Planets) - Jupiter by Gustav Holst

Alison Lurie is not only a part-time professor of English at Cornell University where she teaches creative writing and children's literature, but she is also a very successful novelist. "Her seven novels", writes Malcolm Bradbury, "collectively form a biting record of American social, moral and sexual mores from the early 1960s to the present." In conversation with Roy Plomley, she talks about her work and she chooses the eight records she would take to the mythical island.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: The Marriage Of Figaro - Overture by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The pianist Jorge Bolet, who was born in Havana, Cuba, was given lessons first by his sister. He went on to study at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and made his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He is now hailed particularly for his interpretation of the music of Liszt. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about his long career, which includes conducting the first performance of The Mikado in Tokyo.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Piano Concerto No 2 in F Minor by Frédéric Chopin