Pia Sinha is the Director of the Prison Reform Trust and a former prison governor.  She was awarded the St Martin’s Award for Prison Governance for her role in turning around HMP Liverpool, which was widely described as Britain’s worst jail in 2018, following a highly critical report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons.   Pia was born in north India and she and her family came to the UK when she was 14. After studying economics and psychology at university, she pursued a career as a psychologist, and her work took into prisons. Whilst she was training, she also ran a London pub with her first husband.  After many years working as a psychologist in male and female prisons she was encouraged to apply for the Senior Prison Manager Programme aimed at training governors of the future. In 2013 she became the governor of HMP Thorn Cross, and was the first Asian woman to a run a prison in England and Wales.  Earlier this year she joined the Prison Reform Trust as its Director.   DISC ONE: Kathy’s Song - Simon & Garfunkel 
DISC TWO: Ek Ladki Ko Dekha - Kumar Sanu 
DISC THREE: Back to Life - Soul II Soul
DISC FOUR: Melt - Leftfield 
DISC FIVE: Andmoreagain - Love  
DISC SIX: Black (featuring Norah Jones) - Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi 
DISC SEVEN: The Power of Love - Frankie Goes to Hollywood 
DISC EIGHT: Hometown Glory - Adele BOOK CHOICE: A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry      
LUXURY ITEM: Chilli sauce 
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Kathy’s Song - Simon & Garfunkel   Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer   Sarah Taylor

Pia Sinha, Director Prison Reform Trust

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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Lauren Laverne talks to the broadcaster Annie Nightingale in a programme first broadcast in 2020. Annie Nightingale died in January 2024 at the age of 83.

Classic Desert Island Discs - Annie Nightingale

Tim Spector is Professor of Genetic Epidemiology and Head of the Department of Twin Research at King’s College London.   He was one of the co-founders of the ZOE Covid Symptom study, which for which he was awarded an OBE. He has also written best-selling books about the relationship between what we eat and our health and well-being.     Tim was born in London in 1958 into a medical family.  His mother was a physiotherapist and his father was an eminent pathologist, although Tim initially resisted his father’s encouragement to follow him into medicine.  Once qualified, Tim specialised in rheumatology before switching to epidemiology.  In 1992, he set up a large-scale research study of twins which now has more than 15,000 identical and non-identical twins taking part. After a health scare in 2011, Tim became more interested in how we can influence the microbes in our gut to help us stay well. He has published several books on the science of eating well and is a pioneer in personalised food nutrition. Tim lives in London with his wife, who is also a doctor.   DISC ONE: Life on Mars - David Bowie 
DISC TWO: Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 / Act 1 - 13. Dance Of The Knights Composed by Sergei Prokofiev and performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy
DISC THREE: Paint it, Black - The Rolling Stones
DISC FOUR: Dreams - Fleetwood Mac 
DISC FIVE: Puttin’ on the Ritz - Gene Wilder playing Dr Frankenstein, Peter Boyle as The Monster and Norbert Schiller as the announcer. Music conducted by John Morris from Young Frankenstein (Original Soundtrack) 
DISC SIX: All of Me (live) - Louis Armstrong 
DISC SEVEN: That’s Entertainment - The Jam 
DISC EIGHT: In the Ghetto - Elvis Presley  BOOK CHOICE:  A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
LUXURY ITEM: A fermenting set
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: All of Me (live) - Louis Armstrong 
 
Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer   Sarah Taylor

Professor Tim Spector, scientist

Professor Alice Roberts is one of the most popular science communicators in Britain today. As the presenter of the BBC archaeology programme Digging for Britain, she reveals the underground mysteries of our collective past to millions of viewers.   Alice was born in Bristol and developed an interest in science from an early age – examining insects under her microscope in order to draw them and digging up bits of pottery in her parents’ vegetable patch. At the age of eight she was entranced as she watched a live feed which showed researchers at Bristol University unwrapping an Egyptian Mummy.    Alice studied medicine in Cardiff and worked as a house officer doing paediatric surgery and then taught anatomy to students at Bristol University. She followed this up with a PhD in paleopathology, the study of disease in old bones, which led to her first television appearance as a bone expert on the Channel 4 series Time Team.  Alice has written several books that explore human evolution and history and in 2012 she was appointed the first Professor of Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham.   DISC ONE: Monkey Gone to Heaven - Pixies
DISC TWO: Temple of Love - Sisters of Mercy 
DISC THREE: Apotheosis - Austin Wintory 
DISC FOUR: Cherub Rock (2011 Remaster) - The Smashing Pumpkins   
DISC FIVE: Times Like These (BBC Radio 1 Stay Home Live Lounge) - Live Lounge Allstars
DISC SIX: Sugar - System Of A Down  
DISC SEVEN: Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. Composed by Ryuichi Sakomoto and performed by Phoebe Stevens
DISC EIGHT: Coins for the Eyes - Johnny Flynn & Robert Macfarlane  BOOK CHOICE: Middlemarch by George Eliot
LUXURY ITEM: A kayak       
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. Composed by Ryuichi Sakomoto and performed by Phoebe Stevens Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer  Paula McGinley

Professor Alice Roberts, scientist and broadcaster

Jenny Sealey has been the artistic director of Graeae Theatre Company since 1997: Graeae is a deaf and disabled-led company and a leader and innovator in accessible theatre. Jenny has directed opera as well as plays, and was the co-director of the 2012 Paralympic opening ceremony.  Jenny was born in Nottingham in 1963, the eldest of four sisters. She lost her hearing at the age of seven following a fall at school in which she banged her head. At that time, deaf children were not encouraged to use British Sign Language, and so she taught herself to lip read, and stayed in a mainstream school, although she often found it challenging. She also continued to take ballet lessons, helped by an inspirational teacher who encouraged her to follow the form and movements of the dancer in front of her. She went on to study dance and choreography at Middlesex Polytechnic. After graduation, Jenny worked as an actor before becoming the artistic director of Graeae. In 2022 she was awarded an OBE for services to disability arts. Most recently she returned to acting and toured the UK with Self Raising, her one-woman autobiographical play.  Jenny lives in London with her son and partner.  DISC ONE: Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 44, Chorus. Hallelujah, for the Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth. Composed by George Frideric Handel and performed by The Sixteen Choir, conducted by Harry Christophers 
DISC TWO: Yesterday - The Beatles       
DISC THREE: Teenage Kicks - The Undertones   
DISC FOUR: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack   
DISC FIVE: Because The Night - Patti Smith Group  
DISC SIX: Spasticus Autisticus – John Kelly and the cast of Reasons to be Cheerful 
DISC SEVEN: If It Can't Be Right Then It Must Be Wrong – John Kelly and the cast of Graeae’s stage production of Reasons To Be Cheerful   
DISC EIGHT: Days – Kirsty MacColl BOOK CHOICE: The Complete Works of Armistead Maupin 
LUXURY ITEM: A photography kit      
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 44, Chorus. Hallelujah, for the Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth. Composed by George Frideric Handel and performed by The Sixteen Choir, conducted by Harry Christophers 
 
Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer   Sarah Taylor

Jenny Sealey, theatre director

James Graham is an award-winning dramatist whose plays include This House, Ink and Dear England starring Joseph Fiennes as the England football manager Gareth Southgate. His acclaimed television productions include Sherwood and Quiz, based on the story of the so-called coughing Major Charles Ingram who was found guilty of cheating on the game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?  James was born in Kirkby-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire in 1982. He was a shy boy who was encouraged to perform in school plays by his teachers. He went on to study drama at Hull University where he wrote his first play Coal Not Dole! He took the play to the Edinburgh fringe and the reception it received from audiences encouraged him to carry on writing. After graduating he worked as a stage doorkeeper at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham where one of his personal highlights was looking after Danny La Rue, the star of the Christmas panto. His first London premiere came in 2005 at the Finborough Theatre in London with Albert’s Boy, which explored the arguments for and against nuclear weapons.   In 2020 James was awarded an OBE for services to drama and young people in British theatre.   DISC ONE: Disco 2000 - Pulp   
DISC TWO: Chatanooga Choo Choo - Glenn Miller 
DISC THREE: Up In Arms - Foo Fighters 
DISC FOUR: Syncopes - Gabriel Yared
DISC FIVE: Your Disco Needs You - Kylie Minogue  
DISC SIX: Where Are We Now? - David Bowie 
DISC SEVEN: If You Came To See Me Cry - Katie Brayben (from Tammy Faye: The Musical)  
DISC EIGHT: Going To A Town - Rufus Wainwright   BOOK CHOICE: A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
LUXURY ITEM: A keg of Single Malt Scotch Whisky
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Where Are We Now? - David Bowie
 
Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer  Paula McGinley

Pia Sinha, Director Prison Reform Trust

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