Desert Island Discs

By BBC Radio 4

Personal Journals Society & Culture

What's Desert Island Discs about?

Eight tracks, a book and a luxury: what would you take to a desert island? Guests share the soundtrack of their lives.

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Sonia Boyce, artist

03.26.2023

In 2022 Sonia Boyce became the first Black British woman to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale exhibition. She also took home the coveted Golden Lion Award for her installation Feeling Her Way, which combined video and collage with improvised ...

Desert Island Discs episodes:

03.26.2023 Sonia Boyce, artist In 2022 Sonia Boyce became the first Black British woman to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale exhibition. She also took home the coveted Golden Lion Award for her installation Feeling Her Way, which combined video and collage with improvised ...
03.19.2023 Jenny Beavan, costume designer Jenny Beavan has won three Oscars for her costumes for the films Room with a View, Mad Max: Fury Road and Cruella, and has received nine further Academy Award nominations. She was born in London, and her parents were both ...
03.12.2023 David Sedaris, writer David Sedaris is a writer whose humorous stories and wry takes on everyday encounters have led to 13 bestselling books and many radio programmes including Meet David Sedaris on BBC Radio 4. His work is based on his own life ...
03.05.2023 Lesley Manville, actor Lesley Manville made her debut on the West End stage as a teenager in 1972, and since then has taken on a wide range of roles on stage and screen, including an Oscar-nominated performance in the film Phantom Thread. She ...
02.26.2023 Professor Corinne Le Quéré, climate scientist Corinne Le Quéré is the Royal Society Research Professor of Climate Change Science at the University of East Anglia where she studies the way marine ecosystems respond to climate change. She uses computer simulators of the ocean to assess how ...
02.19.2023 Michael Pollan, writer Michael Pollan’s award-winning writing about plants, nature and food combines anthropology and philosophy with culture, health and natural history. Time Magazine has named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world and his maxim to ‘Eat food. ...
02.12.2023 Gabby Logan, broadcaster Gabby Logan presents a range of popular BBC sports programmes and hosts high-profile sporting events including the Olympics, Premiership football and the World Cup. Gabby was born in Leeds and her father Terry Yorath is a former footballer and manager ...
02.05.2023 Sir Malcolm Walker, retailer Sir Malcolm Walker is the chairman and co-founder of the frozen food supermarket chain Iceland. He was brought up in Grange Moor, West Yorkshire. He was just 14 when his father died, and he helped his mother run a smallholding, ...
01.22.2023 Kirsty Young, broadcaster Kirsty Young was the award-winning presenter of Desert Island Discs between 2006 and 2018, interviewing 496 castaways. Her TV work includes BAFTA-winning coverage of events marking the centenary of World War One, and memorable live presentation from Windsor of the ...
01.15.2023 Steven Spielberg, director Steven Spielberg is the most successful director of his generation and the highest-grossing director of all time: his films have taken more than $10 billion worldwide. From Jaws to E.T. and Jurassic Park to Schindler’s List, his storytelling has captivated ...
01.08.2023 Cate Blanchett, actor Cate Blanchett is arguably the most celebrated Australian actor ever, winning two Academy Awards, three BAFTAs, three Golden Globes and dozens of other honours around the world. She grew up in Melbourne, and although she enjoyed music and drama at ...
01.01.2023 Edward Enninful, editor Edward Enninful is the editor-in-chief of British Vogue and the editorial director of Vogue in Europe. Edward was born in the port city of Takoradi in Ghana in 1972. His father was a major in the Ghanaian army and, following ...
12.25.2022 Baz Luhrmann, director Baz Luhrmann is an Australian director whose debut film, Strictly Ballroom, became one of Australia’s most successful releases, and also inspired the title of the BBC’s popular Saturday night dance show. He went on to direct Romeo + Juliet, Moulin ...
12.18.2022 Barry Hearn, sports promoter Barry Hearn is a promoter who has been at the forefront of some of the biggest snooker, boxing and darts events in the last 40 years. He played a central role in turning snooker into a television phenomenon, and as ...
12.11.2022 Professor Jean Golding, epidemiologist Professor Jean Golding is an epidemiologist who is best known for founding the Children of the Nineties study - more formally known as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. The most detailed project of its kind anywhere in ...
12.04.2022 Richard E Grant, actor Richard E Grant was born in Swaziland, now Eswatini, one of the smallest countries in Africa, and took his first steps as an actor as a teenager in the local amateur theatre company. He studied Drama and English at Cape ...
11.27.2022 Professor Angela Gallop, forensic scientist Professor Angela Gallop is a forensic scientist who has helped solve some of the most notorious violent crimes in recent British history including the killings of Stephen Lawrence, Damilola Taylor and Rachel Nickell. After completing a degree in botany and ...
11.20.2022 Rick Rubin, music producer Rick Rubin is a multiple Grammy-winning record producer who has worked with a wide range of artists including Adele, the Beastie Boys and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He also reinvigorated the career of Johnny Cash in the 1990s, with ...
11.13.2022 Maxine Peake, actor Maxine Peake is an actor and writer who first came to public attention in 1998 as Twinkle in the Victoria Wood sitcom Dinnerladies. She went on to play Veronica in Paul Abbott’s series Shameless and later became known for playing ...
11.06.2022 Kevin Sinfield, rugby player Kevin Sinfield OBE is one of the most decorated players in the history of English rugby league. He captained Leeds Rhinos and the England team, and was runner-up in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year poll in 2015. He ...
10.30.2022 Dr Waheed Arian, doctor Dr Waheed Arian is a radiologist who set up a charity called Arian Teleheal in 2015. The charity enables volunteer doctors in the west to advise colleagues in conflict zones using smartphone technology. The charity has helped save many lives ...
10.23.2022 Jay Blades, presenter and furniture restorer Jay Blades is a furniture restorer who is best known for presenting the Repair Shop on BBC One. The programme, which attracts many millions of viewers, brings old and damaged family treasures back to life and has been praised for ...
10.16.2022 Sue Barker, presenter and tennis player Sue Barker is a television presenter and former professional tennis player. She presented the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage for nearly three decades, before stepping down this year, when she received a standing ovation. Sue was born in Devon in 1956, and ...
10.14.2022 Dame Alicia Markova Dame Alicia Markova was born Lilian Alice Marks in December 1910, in a two-bedroom flat in Finsbury Park, London. She began ballet classes because she was flat footed and knock kneed. Her natural talent, when she was ten, was spotted ...
10.14.2022 Sir John Gielgud Roy Plomley's castaway is actor Sir John Gielgud. Favourite track: Double Concerto in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu by Marcel Proust
10.09.2022 Classic Desert Island Discs - Andrea Levy Kirsty Young’s castaway is the writer Andrea Levy, in a programme first broadcast in 2011. Andrea died in 2019, aged 62.
10.02.2022 Classic Desert Island Discs - Stephen Graham Lauren Laverne’s castaway is the actor Stephen Graham, in a programme first broadcast in 2019.
09.25.2022 Classic Desert Island Discs - Raymond Briggs Sue Lawley’s castaway is the writer and illustrator Raymond Briggs, in a programme first broadcast in 2005. Raymond died in August 2022, aged 88.
09.18.2022 Classic Desert Island Discs - Kay Mellor Kirsty Young casts away Kay Mellor, who died in May this year at the age of 71.
09.11.2022 Classic Desert Island Discs - Baroness Sue Campbell Lauren Laverne's castaway is Baroness Sue Campbell, Director of Women's Football at the FA. First broadcast in 2020.
09.03.2022 John Legend, musician The American singer and songwriter John Legend has won two Emmys, 12 Grammys, an Oscar and a Tony award – making him one of only 16 living artists to have won all four honours. One of his songs, All of ...
08.28.2022 Clare Smyth, chef Clare Smyth is a highly acclaimed chef and is the first British woman to win the coveted three Michelin stars for her work. She opened her London restaurant, Core, in 2017, and before that she ran Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, which ...
08.21.2022 Kate Moss, model Kate Moss came to fame in the 1990s, and her distinctive look went on to embody the era of Cool Britannia. She has appeared on the cover of hundreds of magazines and starred in campaigns for many of the top ...
08.13.2022 Kate Ewart-Biggs, Deputy Chief Executive, British Council Kate Ewart-Biggs is the deputy chief executive of the British Council, which aims to build connections between the UK and countries worldwide, through education programmes, language learning and cultural activities. Kate was born into a diplomatic family and her early ...
08.06.2022 Andrew Ramroop, tailor Andrew Ramroop is a Savile Row tailor, whose international client list has included film stars and royalty. Andrew grew up in a remote village in Trinidad and sewed his first garment at the age of nine, creating a simple pair ...
07.31.2022 Adele, singer and songwriter Adele is a singer and songwriter who has achieved record-breaking sales and global recognition for her four albums which document her life from the age of 19 onwards. Her cache of awards includes 15 Grammys and nine BRITs. She also ...
07.24.2022 Bono, singer and songwriter Bono is a singer, songwriter and the frontman of U2, one of the most recognisable and successful bands in music history. They have sold over 170 million albums, won 22 Grammys – more than any other band – and two ...
07.17.2022 Rita Tushingham, actor Rita Tushingham first won international acclaim as a teenager, playing Jo in the film A Taste of Honey. Her performance in this 1961 kitchen sink drama earned her a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and the Best Actress award at the ...
07.10.2022 Frances O'Grady, General Secretary of the TUC Frances O’Grady is the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the UK's umbrella group for unions, representing millions of workers. She is the first woman in the 154 year history of the TUC to hold this post, which ...
07.03.2022 Jon Ronson, writer and broadcaster Jon Ronson is a writer and broadcaster whose award-winning podcast and Radio 4 series Things Fell Apart investigated the stories behind today’s culture wars. His television programmes and books – from Them: Adventures with Extremists to So You’ve Been Publicly ...
06.26.2022 David Harewood, actor and presenter David Harewood is a British actor and presenter who found global fame playing the CIA director David Estes in the acclaimed TV drama series Homeland. He was the first black actor to play Othello at the National theatre in 1997 ...
06.18.2022 Ellie Simmonds, swimmer Ellie Simmonds has competed at four Paralympic Games, winning five gold medals and breaking world records on the way. She first came to national attention at the age of 13, when she won two golds at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, ...
06.12.2022 Bradley Walsh, presenter and actor Bradley Walsh is a familiar face to many millions of TV viewers, as the host of quiz shows including The Chase and Blankety-Blank, and as an actor in dramas such as Doctor Who and The Larkins. Bradley was born in ...
06.05.2022 Fiona Hill, foreign affairs specialist Fiona Hill is a foreign affairs specialist who advised Presidents George W Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. She came to wider public attention in 2019 when she testified against President Trump during his first impeachment. Fiona was born in ...
05.29.2022 Desert Island Discoveries - Lauren Laverne and Vick Hope Lauren shares handpicked gems from the Desert Island Discs back-catalogue with Radio 1 presenter Vick Hope, including Bob Mortimer, Maya Angelou, Joe Wicks, Sophia Loren, Tom Hanks, Dame Pat McGrath and Sinéad Burke.
05.22.2022 Classic Desert Island Discs - George Michael Kirsty Young's castaway this week is George Michael, in a programme first broadcast in 2007. As a singer and songwriter he has enjoyed massive global success for a quarter of a century. He's sold more than 100 million records, won ...
05.15.2022 Classic Desert Island Discs - Maya Angelou The writer Maya Angelou talks to Michael Parkinson, in a programme first broadcast in 1988. Maya Angelou died in 2014, at the age of 86.
05.10.2022 Classic Desert Island Discs - June Brown Kirsty Young talks to June Brown, in a programme first broadcast in 2017. June died at the age of 95 on 3rd April 2022. June enjoyed a very long acting career, initially on stage, and she was best known for ...
05.01.2022 Classic Desert Island Discs - Jens Stoltenberg Jens Stoltenberg is the Secretary General of NATO and a former Prime Minister of Norway. Although he was born into a political family in Norway, he grew up thinking he would become a statistician, before turning to a career in ...
04.24.2022 Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Unaids Winnie Byanyima is a human rights advocate and executive director of Unaids, the joint UN Programme which was set up to eradicate Aids as a threat to public health by 2030. Winnie was born in the village of Ruti, in ...

Older episodes

Desert Island Discs

What's Desert Island Discs about?

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Desert Island Discs episodes:

Sonia Boyce, artist

Jenny Beavan, costume designer

David Sedaris, writer

Lesley Manville, actor

Professor Corinne Le Quéré, climate scientist

Michael Pollan, writer

Gabby Logan, broadcaster

Sir Malcolm Walker, retailer

Kirsty Young, broadcaster

Steven Spielberg, director

Cate Blanchett, actor

Edward Enninful, editor

Baz Luhrmann, director

Barry Hearn, sports promoter

Professor Jean Golding, epidemiologist

Richard E Grant, actor

Professor Angela Gallop, forensic scientist

Rick Rubin, music producer

Maxine Peake, actor

Kevin Sinfield, rugby player

Dr Waheed Arian, doctor

Jay Blades, presenter and furniture restorer

Sue Barker, presenter and tennis player

Dame Alicia Markova

Sir John Gielgud

Classic Desert Island Discs - Andrea Levy

Classic Desert Island Discs - Stephen Graham

Classic Desert Island Discs - Raymond Briggs

Classic Desert Island Discs - Kay Mellor

Classic Desert Island Discs - Baroness Sue Campbell

John Legend, musician

Clare Smyth, chef

Kate Moss, model

Kate Ewart-Biggs, Deputy Chief Executive, British Council

Andrew Ramroop, tailor

Adele, singer and songwriter

Bono, singer and songwriter

Rita Tushingham, actor

Frances O'Grady, General Secretary of the TUC

Jon Ronson, writer and broadcaster

David Harewood, actor and presenter

Ellie Simmonds, swimmer

Bradley Walsh, presenter and actor

Fiona Hill, foreign affairs specialist

Desert Island Discoveries - Lauren Laverne and Vick Hope

Classic Desert Island Discs - George Michael

Classic Desert Island Discs - Maya Angelou

Classic Desert Island Discs - June Brown

Classic Desert Island Discs - Jens Stoltenberg

Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Unaids

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