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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Robert Macfarlane, writer

07.25.2021

Robert Macfarlane is a writer whose books about the natural world, including The Wild Places and The Old Ways, have won many prizes and taken root in the best-seller charts. He was born into a family of enthusiastic amateur climbers ...

Desert Island Discs episodes:

07.25.2021 Robert Macfarlane, writer Robert Macfarlane is a writer whose books about the natural world, including The Wild Places and The Old Ways, have won many prizes and taken root in the best-seller charts. He was born into a family of enthusiastic amateur climbers ...
07.18.2021 Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, athlete Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill is an Olympic gold medallist and three-time world champion heptathlete, and is one of the most successful women in British sporting history. She was the face of Team GB during the 2012 London Olympics, and her image ...
07.12.2021 Professor Noel Fitzpatrick, veterinary surgeon. Professor Noel Fitzpatrick is a veterinary surgeon who presents the television series The Supervet. He has pushed the boundaries of treatment available to animals and has developed ground breaking surgery including fitting the world’s first bionic leg on a dog. ...
07.04.2021 Paul Costelloe, fashion designer Paul Costelloe is a fashion designer who recently celebrated his 36th year showing at London Fashion Week, making him the event’s longest-standing designer. Paul was born in Dublin where his father ran a successful company making raincoats. He studied at ...
06.27.2021 Margaret Busby, publisher Margaret Busby is a publisher and editor who was the chair of the Booker Prize jury in 2020. She has spent a life time in the literary world and was the youngest person and first black woman to set up ...
06.20.2021 Richard Wilson, actor and director Richard Wilson is an actor and director who became a household name when he played the part of Victor Meldrew in the BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave. Richard was born in Greenock in Scotland in 1936. As a ...
06.13.2021 Yo-Yo Ma, musician Yo-Yo Ma is a cellist and one of the world's most high-profile classical musicians. He has performed for eight US Presidents, appeared in concert halls across the globe and reached new audiences through film soundtracks and TV shows including The ...
06.06.2021 Heather Hallett, former judge and crossbench peer Heather Hallett, Baroness Hallett of Rye, is a former judge and a cross-bench peer. Called to the Bar in 1972, Heather practised family, civil and criminal law, eventually specialising in criminal law. In 1989 she became a QC and was ...
05.30.2021 Amanda Khozi Mukwashi, charity CEO Amanda Khozi Mukwashi is the chief executive of Christian Aid, leading development and humanitarian work in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean. Amanda was born in Twickenham and grew up in Zambia and Rome where ...
05.23.2021 Alexei Sayle, comedian Alexei Sayle is a comedian and writer, who began his career just over 40 years ago at the small Comedy Store venue in London, which proved a launch-pad for a new generation of comic stars. Alexei was born in Liverpool, ...
05.16.2021 Brian Greene Brian Greene is a theoretical physicist, mathematician and writer, whose area of research is string theory. His books and broadcasts distil the complexities of science for a general audience, leading one critic to say appreciatively “he speaks maths, physics and ...
05.09.2021 Billie Piper, actor Billie Piper is an Olivier Award winning actor and former pop star. She was born in Swindon in September 1982, and her parents nurtured her interests in dance and drama from a young age. After a winning a scholarship to ...
05.02.2021 Classic Desert Island Discs - Desmond Tutu Sue Lawley talks to former Archbishop of Capetown Desmond Tutu in a programme first broadcast in 1994. Desmond Tutu celebrates his 90th birthday this year.
04.22.2021 Classic Desert Island Discs - Helen McCrory Lauren Laverne talks to the actress Helen McCrory, in a programme first broadcast in 2020. Helen McCrory died in April 2021, at the age of 52.
04.18.2021 Classic Desert Island Discs - Kathleen Turner Sue Lawley interviews the actor Kathleen Turner in a programme first broadcast in 2000.
04.11.2021 Classic Desert Island Discs - Russell T Davies Russell T Davies is one of the U.K.'s most successful television writers. He spent his teenage years learning his dramatic craft with the West Glamorgan Youth Theatre, and his career in television began in the children's department at the BBC. ...
04.04.2021 Classic Desert Island Discs - Murray Walker Kirsty Young talks to motor racing commentator Murray Walker, in a programme first broadcast in 2014. Murray Walker died in March 2021, at the age of 97.
03.28.2021 Professor Sir Simon Wessely Professor Sir Simon Wessely is the first ever psychiatrist to be awarded a Regius professorship – an honour bestowed by the Queen. He is professor of psychological medicine at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London, ...
03.21.2021 Maggie O'Farrell, writer Maggie O’Farrell has written eight novels, a memoir and a children’s book. In 2020 her novel Hamnet won the Women’s Prize for Fiction, and was also named Waterstones Book of the Year. Maggie was born in Northern Ireland. Her parents ...
03.14.2021 Dame Louise Casey, crossbench peer Baroness Casey of Blackstock is a former civil servant specialising in social welfare, who has worked under five prime ministers. She has taken on some of UK society’s most difficult issues, including homelessness, anti-social behaviour and family breakdown, and has ...
03.07.2021 Mark Strong, actor Mark Strong has appeared in more than 60 films, along with numerous TV dramas and plays. His career took off after he won a leading role in the landmark 1996 BBC series Our Friends in the North, and since then ...
02.28.2021 Claire Horton, charity worker Claire Horton is the former chief executive of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, and is currently director general of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. She joined Battersea in 2010 during its landmark 150th year, spearheading a campaign which transformed the ...
02.21.2021 Sophia Loren Sophia Loren is the first performer to win the Best Actress Academy Award for a role in a foreign language film. She won in 1962 for her performance in Vittorio De Sica’s film Two Women in which she played a ...
02.14.2021 Malala Yousafzai, activist Malala Yousafzai is an activist who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize when she was 17 - becoming the youngest winner in its history. Today she is known globally for her human rights advocacy and her ongoing campaign to ensure ...
02.07.2021 George McGavin, entomologist and broadcaster George McGavin is an entomologist, explorer and broadcaster, who has spread the word about the importance of insects to audiences in their millions. Born in Glasgow, he grew up in Edinburgh where he studied zoology at university. Following a PhD ...
01.31.2021 Monica Galetti, chef and restaurateur Monica Galetti is a chef, restaurateur and cook book writer, who is also known as a judge on the television series MasterChef: the Professionals. Born on the island of Upolu in Western Samoa, she grew up on the family plantation ...
01.24.2021 Tim Peake, astronaut Major Tim Peake, is an Army Air Corps officer and a European Space Agency astronaut. He was the first British astronaut to carry out a spacewalk. As a child, he became interested in aviation, visiting air shows with his father ...
01.17.2021 Samantha Power Samantha Power was the USA's youngest ever ambassador to the UN, during President Barack Obama’s second term, and is a writer and academic. She has just been invited to join president-elect Joe Biden's administration. Samantha was born in London but ...
01.10.2021 David Olusoga, historian and broadcaster David Olusoga is a historian, writer and broadcaster who has presented a range of programmes including the BBC’s A House Through Time and Civilisations. He is currently professor of public history at Manchester University. Born in Lagos, the second child ...
12.27.2020 Colonel Lucy Giles Colonel Lucy Giles is an officer of the British Army’s Royal Logistic Corps and is currently President of the Army Officer Selection Board - the first woman to take on this role. After attending her local comprehensive school in Wincanton, ...
12.20.2020 Sir Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard makes a second trip to the island he first visited 60 years ago, when he had just turned 20, but had already topped the UK charts three times. Over the course of his career, Sir Cliff has ...
12.13.2020 Minette Batters Minette Batters is the first woman to become President of the National Farmers' Union, representing 47,000 members. She was first elected to the post in 2018 for two years, and was re-elected in March 2020. Minette runs a tenanted family ...
12.06.2020 Professor Sir Jeremy Farrar Professor Sir Jeremy Farrar is Director of the Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation which funds scientific research. He is a member of Sage, the scientific group currently advising the government on Covid-19. He is the youngest of six children ...
11.29.2020 Helen Oxenbury Helen Oxenbury is an illustrator of children’s books whose work has featured in many very popular titles for younger readers including the award-winning We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, by Michael Rosen. Helen has won the Kate Greenaway Medal twice ...
11.22.2020 Arsène Wenger, former football manager Arsène Wenger was the manager of Arsenal FC for 22 years, becoming the longest-serving and most successful manager in the club’s history. He was born in Strasbourg in 1949 and grew up as the youngest of three children in the ...
11.15.2020 Sir Keir Starmer, Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer is the leader of the Labour Party, and the leader of the opposition. Named after Keir Hardie, a founding father of the Labour party, he was elected leader seven months ago in the wake of Labour’s heavy ...
11.13.2020 David Mitchell, novelist David Mitchell has published eight novels, two of which – number9dream and Cloud Atlas – have been shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He has also translated two books on autism from Japanese, working with his Japanese wife: their son is ...
11.01.2020 Hilary McGrady, Director General of the National Trust Hilary McGrady is Director General of the National Trust. She was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, in 1966, where her father was a builder while her mother looked after Hilary and her two older siblings. She spent her childhood roaming ...
10.25.2020 Chris Boardman, cyclist Chris Boardman is an Olympic cyclist, businessman and the Cycling and Walking Commissioner for Greater Manchester. Both his parents were keen competitive amateur cyclists and they backed Chris as he gradually became interested in the sport as a teenager. He ...
10.18.2020 Professor Averil Mansfield, retired surgeon Averil Mansfield is a retired vascular surgeon and was the first female Professor of Surgery in the UK when she was appointed in 1993. She was born in 1937 in Blackpool, where her father worked as a welder on the ...
10.15.2020 Baroness Floella Benjamin, DBE Baroness Floella Benjamin DBE is a Trinidadian-British broadcaster, writer and politician. She became a familiar face to millions of viewers through her work on children's television, most notably on Play School, which she first presented in 1976. She was born ...
10.04.2020 Samantha Morton, actor Samantha Morton is an actor and director. She has appeared in films directed by Woody Allen and Steven Spielberg, and is also known for her work on independent productions, often with serious themes such as prostitution and bereavement. She has ...
09.27.2020 Yusuf Cat Stevens, musician Yusuf Cat Stevens is a singer-songwriter who first enjoyed success more than 50 years ago. He was born Steven Demetre Georgiou in July 1948. His Greek Cypriot father and his Swedish mother ran a restaurant in the West End of ...
09.20.2020 Bernardine Evaristo, writer Bernardine Evaristo won the Booker Prize in 2019 for her novel, Girl, Woman, Other. She is Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University London. Bernardine was born in May 1959, the fourth of eight children, to an English mother and ...
09.13.2020 Classic Desert Island Discs - Jack Charlton The ball rolled past the gap between him and Gordon Banks and into the back of the net. The Germans were one goal up. Jack Charlton, Sue Lawley's castaway, recalls the match which was to bring him to his knees ...
09.06.2020 Classic Desert Island Discs - Liz Smith Kirsty Young's castaway is the actress Liz Smith. Her story is a triumph of talent and perseverance over circumstance. Her mother died when she was tiny, her father walked out of her life and for many years she was brought ...
08.30.2020 Classic Desert Island Discs - Terry Jones Roy Plomley's castaway is the Monty Python comedian Terry Jones, in a programme first broadcast in 1983. Terry Jones died in January 2020, at the age of 77.
08.23.2020 Classic Desert Island Discs - Wendy Cope Wendy Cope is one of England’s most popular and widely-read contemporary poets. Wendy was born in Erith, Kent. Her father was 29 years older than her mother and she was sent to boarding school at the age of seven. Although ...
08.16.2020 Classic Desert Island Discs - Bryan Stevenson Kirsty Young's castaway is Bryan Stevenson. An American lawyer, he is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a private, not-for-profit organisation working on death penalty cases, cases of children sentenced as adults, prison and sentencing reform, ...
08.10.2020 Maria Balshaw, Director of Tate Maria Balshaw is the Director of Tate, overseeing four major art galleries: Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, Tate Modern and Tate St Ives. Maria was born in 1970 in Birmingham, and grew up in Northampton, where her father, Walter, was a ...

Older episodes

Desert Island Discs

What's Desert Island Discs about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Desert Island Discs episodes:

Robert Macfarlane, writer

Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, athlete

Professor Noel Fitzpatrick, veterinary surgeon.

Paul Costelloe, fashion designer

Margaret Busby, publisher

Richard Wilson, actor and director

Yo-Yo Ma, musician

Heather Hallett, former judge and crossbench peer

Amanda Khozi Mukwashi, charity CEO

Alexei Sayle, comedian

Brian Greene

Billie Piper, actor

Classic Desert Island Discs - Desmond Tutu

Classic Desert Island Discs - Helen McCrory

Classic Desert Island Discs - Kathleen Turner

Classic Desert Island Discs - Russell T Davies

Classic Desert Island Discs - Murray Walker

Professor Sir Simon Wessely

Maggie O'Farrell, writer

Dame Louise Casey, crossbench peer

Mark Strong, actor

Claire Horton, charity worker

Sophia Loren

Malala Yousafzai, activist

George McGavin, entomologist and broadcaster

Monica Galetti, chef and restaurateur

Tim Peake, astronaut

Samantha Power

David Olusoga, historian and broadcaster

Colonel Lucy Giles

Sir Cliff Richard

Minette Batters

Professor Sir Jeremy Farrar

Helen Oxenbury

Arsène Wenger, former football manager

Sir Keir Starmer, Leader of the Opposition

David Mitchell, novelist

Hilary McGrady, Director General of the National Trust

Chris Boardman, cyclist

Professor Averil Mansfield, retired surgeon

Baroness Floella Benjamin, DBE

Samantha Morton, actor

Yusuf Cat Stevens, musician

Bernardine Evaristo, writer

Classic Desert Island Discs - Jack Charlton

Classic Desert Island Discs - Liz Smith

Classic Desert Island Discs - Terry Jones

Classic Desert Island Discs - Wendy Cope

Classic Desert Island Discs - Bryan Stevenson

Maria Balshaw, Director of Tate

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