Alle afleveringen
2.000 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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T C Fairbairn
2 november 2026 · 27 min
Beluister deze afleveringPlomley's castaway is impresario T C Fairbairn. Lees meer
Favourite track: Prize Song by Richard Wagner
Book: The complete works by John Milton
Luxury: Tape recorder -
Pam Ayres
2 november 2026 · 29 min
Beluister deze afleveringRoy Plomley's castaway is poet and broadcaster Pam Ayres. Lees meer
Favourite track: The New St George by John & Chris Leslie
Book: The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
Luxury: Large basket of sugared almonds -
Jimmy Mulville
2 november 2026 · 36 min
Beluister deze afleveringKirsty Young's castaway is Jimmy Mulville. Lees meer
He began his life in comedy as a performer and writer but success in front of the camera clearly wasn't enough - he set up the production company Hat Trick and has turned out a huge number of hits, including "Have I Got News for You", "Father Ted" "Room 101" and "Outnumbered".
But he says that for many years he was a ticking time bomb - he became addicted to drugs and alcohol and, after triumphing over them, also fought cancer. These days, he is the father to four children and says he looks back with an overwhelming sense of gratitude at how his life has unfolded.
Producer: Leanne Buckle
Record: In My Life - The Beatles
Book: The Complete works of P G Wodehouse
Luxury: A solar powered espresso machine. -
Professor Dame Parveen Kumar
1 november 2026 · 52 min
Beluister deze afleveringProfessor Dame Parveen Kumar is a gastroenterologist and co-author of one of the most influential medical textbooks in the world - Kumar & Clark’s Clinical Medicine. Lees meer
She was born in Lahore (then still in British India) in June 1942, one of three children to Cyril and Grace Kumar. When Parveen was four and her hometown was gripped by violence ahead of the 1947 Partition of the country into India and Pakistan, her mother packed up the family and fled to Delhi, then on to Simla, and later still to China before returning to India.
Parveen was educated at the Lawrence School in Sanawar and then, following her mother’s decision to move to England, at Paddington and Maida Vale High School before she began studying at Barts Medical School. She specialised in gastroenterology, with a particular interest in coeliac disease, and, in 1982, was appointed one of the first women consultants at St Bartholomew’s Hospital.
In 1987, Parveen published Kumar & Clark’s Clinical Medicine, co-edited with her supervisor, Mike Clark. She is a former President of the British Medical Association and the Royal Society of Medicine, a founding non-executive director of NICE, former chair of the Medicines Commission UK, and the recipient of many honours including a Dame Grand Cross (GBE).
Professor Dame Parveen Kumar lives in Epsom, Surrey, and has two daughters with her late husband, David Leaver.
DISC ONE: Cavalleria rusticana: Intermezzo. Composed by Pietro Mascagni and performed by Wiener Philharmoniker, conducted by Herbert von Karajan
DISC TWO: Abide with Me performed by Ian Wells (organist) Liverpool Cathedral Choir and Massed Choirs from Merseyside, conducted by Ian Tracey
DISC THREE: Never Give In - The pupils of The Lawrence School, Sanawar
DISC FOUR: Ce Monde - Richard Anthony
DISC FIVE: Verdi: Un ballo in maschera / Act 2: \"Teco io sto...M'ami, m'ami\". Composed by Giuseppe Verdi and performed by Luciano Pavarotti (tenor), Margaret Price (soprano) National Philharmonic Orchestra… -
Matt Haig, writer
25 oktober 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringMatt Haig is the bestselling writer, whose work ranges from magical realism to memoir. His novel The Midnight Library became a global phenomenon, selling 15 million copies, while his memoir Reasons to Stay Alive has provided comfort to millions around the world. Lees meer
He grew up in Newark-on-Trent in a loving family, though his mother struggled with post-natal depression. Difficulties at school and the death of his grandmother led to a period of teenage rebellion. Matt met his future wife, Andrea, at university and credits her with helping him through the most dangerous period of his life. In their early twenties they spent summers in Ibiza, culminating in Matt’s mental breakdown, and an intense three-year recovery.
In 2015 he published Reasons to Stay Alive, a memoir based on his breakdown. It became a bestseller and transformed his public profile, though the way he handled his newfound success has become one of his biggest regrets. Further literary success came in 2020 with his novel The Midnight Library, which has been published in 56 languages and is being adapted into a film starring Florence Pugh. His children’s book, A Boy Called Christmas, was also turned into a film starring Maggie Smith, Sally Hawkins, and Jim Broadbent.
Matt Haig lives in Brighton with his wife, Andrea, and they have two children.
DISC ONE: Here, There and Everywhere - The Beatles
DISC TWO: The flying theme from E.T. - John Williams
DISC THREE: A Forest – The Cure
DISC FOUR: Adagio for Strings.(Ferry Corsten Mix) Composed by Samuel Barber and performed by William Orbit
DISC FIVE: The Boys of Summer - Don Henley
DISC SIX: O-o-h Child - The Five Stairsteps
DISC SEVEN: The Mother We Share – CHVRCHES
DISC EIGHT: You Make It Easy – AirBOOK CHOICE: The Diaries of Samuel Pepys
LUXURY ITEM: An unlimited A4 refill pad and pens
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Here, There and Everywhere - The BeatlesPresenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Hannah HuffordDesert Island Discs has cast away other writers to the i…
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Richard Osman on managing his eating disorder
23 oktober 2026 · 3 min
Beluister deze afleveringThe writer and broadcaster Richard Osman was cast away by Lauren Laverne. Lees meer
He is the author of the Thursday Murder Club series and has presented popular BBC shows including Pointless and Richard Osman's House of Games. When he appeared on Desert Island Discs in 2021, he revealed that at a time when his career was going well, he was struggling with an eating disorder. It's something he continues to manage day by day, but says he no longer feels any shame about.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
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Penelope Keith on knowing her Shakespeare
22 oktober 2026 · 3 min
Beluister deze afleveringThe actress Penelope Keith, who died earlier this year, was cast away by Roy Plomley in 1976. Lees meer
She became best known for her roles in the BBC sitcoms The Good Life and To the Manor Born, but Penelope Keith began her career in repertory theatre. In 1963, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, getting notices as a very enthusiastic 16th citizen in Julius Caesar.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
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Anthony Joshua on his love for his mother
21 oktober 2026 · 4 min
Beluister deze afleveringThe boxer Anthony Joshua was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2024. Lees meer
He is a two-time heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medallist who was raised by his mother after his parents divorced when he was 12. He credits her with much of his success, but says that she can't watch his fights, staying in her hotel room to pray for him instead.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
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Kathy Burke on being saved by punk as a moody teenager
20 oktober 2026 · 3 min
Beluister deze afleveringThe actor and comedian Kathy Burke was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2010. Lees meer
She came to prominence when she appeared in Kevin and Perry TV sketches opposite Harry Enfield. Perry, the prepubescent schoolboy, was a role she was able to draw on from her own years as a teenager. What saved her, she says, was the arrival of punk music.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
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Stephen Mangan on why he'll never be Bond
19 oktober 2026 · 3 min
Beluister deze afleveringThe actor Stephen Mangan was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2025. Lees meer
He made his breakthrough on television playing Adrian Mole in The Cappuccino Years in 2001. Although he was glad to get the part, he describes being cast by Adrian Mole's creator, Sue Townsend, as a somewhat disconcerting experience.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
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How Nick Cave's songs reveal themselves painfully to him
16 oktober 2026 · 4 min
Beluister deze afleveringThe singer songwriter Nick Cave was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2025. Lees meer
He has written huge hits such as "Into My Arms" and "Where the Wild Roses Grow", but songwriting doesn't come easily to him. His notebooks are full of what he describes as "bad stuff", and he'd like them to be burned after his death, thank you very much. The best way to approach the job, he says, is in office hours and wearing a suit.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
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Meera Syal on holding up a mirror to British society in Goodness Gracious Me
15 oktober 2026 · 2 min
Beluister deze afleveringThe actor and writer Meera Syal was cast away by Sue Lawley in 2003. Lees meer
She was awarded a Damehood earlier this year, but Meera Syal rose to prominence as one of the writers of the TV series Goodness Gracious Me. It came at a time in the 1990s when the perception of the British Asian experience was changing and, she says, held a mirror up to British society.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
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Why Lyse Doucet doesn't want to be called a war reporter
14 oktober 2026 · 2 min
Beluister deze afleveringThe BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2022. Lees meer
She has reported from many war-torn countries, including Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, but says she doesn't want to be defined by war. Instead, she is interested in the human cost of conflict. When she arrives in a place, she embeds herself in the lives of the local people; discovering what she calls the “heat and dust” of a society helps her to tell their stories.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
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Gareth Southgate on putting on the England shirt for the first time
13 oktober 2026 · 4 min
Beluister deze afleveringThe former England manager Gareth Southgate was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2024. Lees meer
He was 25 when he made his debut for the England team. By the time he retired from international football, he had been capped 57 times. As England manager, he led the team to two finals in the European Championships, further than they had come in more than five decades since 1966.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
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Michael Sheen on his father's time as a Jack Nicholson impersonator
12 oktober 2026 · 3 min
Beluister deze afleveringThe actor Michael Sheen was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2025. Lees meer
He has portrayed many real people on stage including Tony Blair, Brian Clough and David Frost, though never Jack Nicholson. That was his father's department, who had a second career impersonating the actor, which started around the time Nicholson played the Joker in the 1989 Batman film.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
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Rick Rubin on finding the magic in music
9 oktober 2026 · 3 min
Beluister deze afleveringRecord producer Rick Rubin was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2022. Lees meer
He is responsible for shaping the sound of artists such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Beastie Boys and is credited with reinvigorating the career of Johnny Cash in the 1990s, but you're more likely to see him reclining on a sofa than hunched over a mixing desk when he's hard at work. He explains what he listens for in a piece of music.
You can hear the full episode on BBC Sounds.
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Caitlin Moran on the smells that defined her childhood
8 oktober 2026 · 2 min
Beluister deze afleveringThe writer and journalist Caitlin Moran was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2017. Lees meer
Her journey took her from a three-bedroom council house in Wolverhampton, where she lived with her parents and seven siblings, to becoming a columnist for The Times newspaper and writing her own sitcom. She explains why she feels it's important to highlight the experience of those raised on benefits like herself.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
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Romesh Ranganathan on finding his comedy sweet spot
7 oktober 2026 · 3 min
Beluister deze afleveringThe comedian Romesh Ranganathan was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2025. Lees meer
He’s a BAFTA-winning broadcaster, standup, actor and writer who has been a fixture on British TV screens for the past decade. He talks about finding the sweet spot in his comedy and how discussing the perils of parenting on stage has resulted in cult hero status for his middle son.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
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Tanni Grey-Thompson on winning four Olympic golds in Sydney
6 oktober 2026 · 3 min
Beluister deze afleveringThe wheelchair athlete Tanni Grey-Thompson was cast away by Sue Lawley in 2001. Lees meer
She recalls the pressure to do well at the Sydney Olympics and the relief when she managed to clinch four gold medals, but the long-distance phone call home to live-stream the medal ceremony nearly broke the bank.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
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Chaka Khan, singer and songwriter
13 september 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringChaka Khan’s unmistakeable voice and musical versatility have made her one of the most influential musicians of the past six decades, with an estimated 70 million records sold. Whether fronting the band Rufus or performing as a solo artist, she's moved effortlessly between funk, soul, jazz, and pop, creating era-defining hits including I'm Every Woman, Ain't Nobody and I Feel For You. Lees meer
She grew up in Chicago, in an artistic family where she was surrounded by music. As a teenager, she became involved with the Affro-Arts Theater, where she was given the Yoruba name Chaka, and a political awakening led her to join the Black Panther Party.
By her late teens, she had joined Rufus, whose breakthrough hit Tell Me Something Good launched the band to international success and marked the beginning of her recording career. She has since won 11 Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2026, been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and collaborated with some of music’s modern greats, including Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell and Prince.
Chaka lives on a farm in Georgia, surrounded by family.
DISC ONE: What Is and What Should Never Be - Led Zeppelin
DISC TWO: Good Times - Aretha Franklin
DISC THREE: Tomaas - Miles Davis
DISC FOUR: California - Joni Mitchell
DISC FIVE: Tell Me Something Good - Rufus, Chaka Khan
DISC SIX: A Woman in a Man's World - Chaka Khan
DISC SEVEN: Cool Water - Joni Mitchell (duet with Willie Nelson)
DISC EIGHT: Precious Is Your Name - Richard Smallwood featuring Chaka KhanBOOK CHOICE: The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
LUXURY ITEM: A gigantic sandalwood and oud candle
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Precious Is Your Name - Richard Smallwood featuring Chaka KhanPresenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Hannah Hufford & Tim BanoDesert Island Discs has cast away other music legends to the island over the years including Nile Rogers and Cher. Chaka Khan’s records have been chosen by previous castaways including Simon Pegg and David Harewood…
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Professor Dame Pamela Shaw
6 september 2026 · 52 min
Beluister deze afleveringProfessor Dame Pamela Shaw is a pioneering Neurologists and a leading figure in tackling motor neurone disease or MND. She is the founder and Director of SITran – the World leading Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, which is slowly but surely unlocking the secrets of MND and other devastating neurological conditions. Lees meer
Pam was born in Rothbury, Northumberland, in 1955, and at three moved to Kuwait when her father took up the position of harbour master. She lived there until she was eleven, but with no suitable secondary school available locally, she was sent back to Northumberland to board at Our Lady's Convent High School in Alnwick.
She studied medicine at Newcastle University and began her clinical training in the North-east. Following her appointment as a consultant neurologist she developed an interest in Motor Neurone Disease.
A chance meeting with a recently dignosed MND patient led to Pam founding the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience in 2010. She was made a Dame in 2014.
Pam lives in Sheffield with her husband Paul. They have a grown-up daughter, Sophie.
DISC ONE: Messiah HWV 56, "Hallelujah Chorus". Composed by George Frideric Händel and performed by The London Philharmonic Orchestra, The London Philharmonic Chorus, conducted by Douglas Gamley
DISC TWO: Somethin’ Stupid - Frank Sinatra / Nancy Sinatra
DISC THREE: Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell
DISC FOUR: Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K.622: II. Adagio. Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and performed by Thea King (clarinet), English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Alun Francis
DISC FIVE: Sweet and Dandy - Toots and the Maytals
DISC SIX: The Marriage of Figaro / \"Duettino\" Sull 'Aria. Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and performed by Edith Mathis, Gundula Janowitz (sopranos) The Orchestra of Deutsche Oper Berlin, conducted by Karl Böhm
DISC SEVEN: Ashokan Farewell - The Band of H.M. Royal Marines
DISC EIGHT: The Lucky One - Alison Krauss & Union StationBOOK CHOI…
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Emma Grede, businesswoman
30 augustus 2026 · 52 min
Beluister deze afleveringEmma Grede is the businesswoman behind major fashion brands including Skims and Good American, which she co-founded with Kim Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian, respectively. Last year Forbes included her on their list of America's Richest Self-Made Women, with an estimated net worth of $405 million. Lees meer
She grew up in Plaistow, East London, the eldest of four daughters. Her parents separated when she was five and she was raised by her mum, who worked long hours as a trader at an investment bank. Emma took on a lot of the responsibility at home caring for her sisters. Dyslexia meant she struggled at school, but she found satisfaction in a string of part-time jobs, from delivering newspapers to making sandwiches in a deli. She later dropped out of the London College of Fashion to pursue a career in the industry, and by her mid-twenties she had founded her first company.
She made her name brokering deals between celebrities and brands that included signing Natalie Portman as the face of Dior. In 2016 she founded an inclusive denim brand called Good American with Khloé Kardashian, and in 2019 she launched the shapewear brand Skims with Kim Kardashian.
Lately her success has led her out of the boardroom and into the spotlight with guest appearances on Dragon’s Den, and the US equivalent Shark Tank, as well as launching a podcast and writing a memoir.
Emma lives in Los Angeles with her husband and business partner Jens, and they have four children.
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Hannah Hufford and Christine PawlowskyDesert Island Discs has cast away many fashion leaders to the island over the years including Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.
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Sir Roger Deakins, cinematographer
23 augustus 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringSir Roger Deakins is an acclaimed cinematographer who is known for his visual artistry on films including The Shawshank Redemption, 1917, Fargo, Skyfall and Blade Runner 2049. His talents have been acknowledged with a knighthood, five BAFTAs and two Oscars. Lees meer
Roger was born in Torquay, Devon in 1949. In 1968 he attended the Bath Academy of Art where he was inspired by one of his tutors, the street photographer Roger Mayne, to go out with his camera and capture what he saw. Roger Deakins followed this advice and spent his weekends shooting people and places in British seaside towns.
In 1975 Roger graduated from the National Film School in Beaconsfield and started work as a cameraman – making documentaries and music videos. His first feature film was Cruel Passion which came out in 1977. In 1984 he worked on Michael Radford’s film adaptation of George Orwell’s novel 1984, starring Richard Burton and John Hurt.
The first of Roger’s collaborations with filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen started in 1991 with the film Barton Fink. The three of them went on to make 12 films together including O Brother, Where Art Thou? Fargo and The Big Lebowski.
In 2018 Roger won his first Academy Award for Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve. He was knighted for services to film in 2021.
Roger lives in California with his wife James. They also have a home in Devon.
DISC ONE: One of Us Cannot Be Wrong - Leonard Cohen
DISC TWO: Aqaba - June Tabor
DISC THREE: 21st Century Schizoid Man - King Crimson
DISC FOUR: Soldier’s Song - Lucinda Williams
DISC FIVE: Bat Out of Hell - Meat Loaf
DISC SIX: The Island - Paul Brady
DISC SEVEN: Sun Comes Up, It's Tuesday Morning - Cowboy Junkies
DISC EIGHT: Isn’t it a Pity - Nina SimoneBOOK CHOICE: Moby Dick by Herman Melville
LUXURY ITEM: Fishing tackle
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Aqaba - June TaborPresenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley -
Shania Twain, musician
16 augustus 2026 · 50 min
Beluister deze afleveringShania Twain is a singer and songwriter and one of only two artists in history to have three consecutive diamond albums. Lees meer
By the time she was eight years old, she had a repertoire of one hundred songs which she would sing in bars. She began to write her own songs at the age of ten. Her mother was convinced that she was going to be a star and took her to perform in smoky clubs.
Off stage, all was not well in the family home and Shania grew up in a turbulent household where there was much fighting. When she was thirteen years old, she persuaded her mother to drive Shania and her sisters to Toronto to a women’s shelter.
Her parents eventually reunited and then were both killed in a car accident when Shania was twenty-two years old. She then became the guardian of her younger siblings and put her music dreams on hold to look after them.
Eventually she got a job in a golf resort singing and came to the attention of a Nashville music executive and was offered a recording contract when she was thirty.
She was enjoying a record-breaking global musical career when disaster struck. She was bitten by a tick and contracted Lyme disease which prevented her from singing for the best part of a decade. She announced her return in 2011 and returned to the stage in 2012.
Shania lives in Switzerland with her second husband.
DISC ONE: We’ve Only Just Begun - Carpenters
DISC TWO: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
DISC THREE: Dust in the Wind - Kansas
DISC FOUR: El Paso - Marty Robbins
DISC FIVE: Gabriel’s Oboe - Ennio Morricone
DISC SIX: Gentle on my Mind - Glen Campbell
DISC SEVEN: Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
DISC EIGHT: Ode to Billie Joe - Bobbie GentryBOOK CHOICE: Life is Fair by Brian Hines
LUXURY ITEM: Insect Repellent
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Dust in the Wind - KansasPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah TaylorDesert Island Discs has cast other musicians away over the years including Adele, Cher, Kylie Minogue and Cyndi Lauper. You can hear their programmes if you se…
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Paul Farmer, charity leader
9 augustus 2026 · 50 min
Beluister deze afleveringPaul Farmer is a charity leader who has spent his life campaigning, fundraising and changing the national conversation around some of the most challenging issues in our society. Currently at the helm of Age UK, he previously spent 16 years as the CEO of Mind, the UK’s largest mental health charity. Lees meer
Paul was born in Oxford, the son of a former Benedictine monk and a former nun. He read history at St Peter’s College, Oxford, where he met his future wife, Claire. After graduating, he found a role working for a heritage centre and fell in love with the charity sector, moving to the Samaritans. His experiences taking calls from those struggling with their mental health awakened a passion for working in the mental health sector.
In 2006 he moved Mind, where he became CEO. He led a fifteen-year campaign that helped to change legislation, and the national conversation around mental health. For the past few years, he has campaigned for older people as Chief Executive at Age UK, and encouraged the public to prepare and plan for a happier, healthier later life.
Paul lost his wife, Claire, to cancer in 2019. He lives in West London.
DISC ONE: Think - Aretha Franklin
DISC TWO: Part of the Agnus Dei from the Mass for Five Voices, performed by The Sixteen with Harry Christophers conducting - William Byrd
DISC THREE: Don’t Leave Me This Way - The Communards
DISC FOUR: Rotterdam (Or Anywhere) - The Beautiful South
DISC FIVE: Feeling Good - Nina Simone
DISC SIX: Into My Arms - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
DISC SEVEN: Drunk Surfer - Westside Cowboy
DISC EIGHT: Sunshine on Leith - The ProclaimersBOOK: A collection of Simon Armitage’s poetry
LUXURY: A bowling machine with a combination of cricket and tennis balls
CASTAWAY’S FAVOURITE: Sunshine on Leith - The ProclaimersPresenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Sarah Taylor and Hannah HuffordDesert Island Discs has cast away many campaigners to the island over the years including Marjorie Wallace, Julia Cleverdon, and Sue Ryder, Barone…
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Professor Liz Morris, glaciologist
2 augustus 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringProfessor Liz Morris is a glaciologist whose work in some of the earth’s most inhospitable environments has broadened humanity’s understanding of climate change and polar science. Her accolades include the prestigious Polar Medal and an OBE for services to Polar Science. Lees meer
Liz was born in London in 1946 and family legend has it that she fell in love with snow and ice the following year during what was known as the Big Freeze - one of the most severe and punishing winters in British history.
She studied physics at Bristol University and applied for a role at the British Antarctic Survey in the early Seventies. At that time the institute did not have any female scientists working in the field and her application was rejected.
Liz bided her time and eventually did get to work at the BAS, becoming head of the Ice and Climate Division in 1986. The following year she became the first British woman to undertake tent-based research in Antarctica, arriving just as the ozone hole discovery was breaking.
Liz completed her last field trip in 2014. In 2020 the Antarctic Place-Names Committee named a glacier in her honour.
Liz divides her time between the Cotswolds and Scotland.
DISC ONE: Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 \"Pastoral\": V. Hirtengesang. Frohe und dankbare Gefühle nach dem Sturm. Allegretto (Recorded 1976) performed by Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Herbert von Karajan
DISC TWO: Swing Low Sweet Chariot - Paul Robeson
DISC THREE: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue No. 9 in E Major, BWV 878. Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and performed by Glenn Gould
DISC FOUR: Calon Lân - The Treorchy Male Choir
DISC FIVE: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 1, Scene 5: Duet. "He Shall Feed His Flock". Composed by George Frideric Handel and performed by Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, conducted by David Willcocks, James Bowman (Counter Tenor) Robert Tear (Tenor)
DISC SIX: Ol’ 55 - Tom Waits
DISC SEVEN: Gracias a la Vida - Roy … -
Norman Cook, DJ and musician
26 juli 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringNorman Cook is a musician and DJ also widely known as Fatboy Slim. Lees meer
As a DJ, he has played everywhere from Bondi Beach and the Great Wall of China to the House of Commons and a fish and chip shop. His many accolades include a world record for the most number one singles by one musician in different acts. He has had a number of musical aliases including Pizzaman, Cheeky Boy and Beats International. He was also a member of the Housemartins.
He was christened Quentin by his parents and changed his name to Norman when he embarked on his musical career. His passion for music and collecting records led him down the path of becoming a DJ and his outdoor gigs, particularly in Brighton, saw him play to crowds of over a quarter of a million people.
He has been married twice, his second wife was the DJ and radio presenter, Zoe Ball. Norman lives in Brighton
DISC ONE: The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel - Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
DISC TWO: Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight - The Beatles
DISC THREE: Rainbow Connection - The Muppets
DISC FOUR: (White Man) in Hammersmith Palais - The Clash
DISC FIVE: I Feel Love - Donna Summer
DISC SIX: Satisfied ‘N’ Tickled Too - Taj Mahal
DISC SEVEN: I Must Be In a Good Place Now - Bobby Charles
DISC EIGHT: Born Slippy (Nuxx) - UnderworldBOOK CHOICE: The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell
LUXURY ITEM: A label maker
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: I Feel Love - Donna SummerPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah TaylorDesert Island Discs has cast other musicians away over the years including Norman’s former neighbour Sir Paul McCartney and David Bryne. His former wife, Zoe Ball is in the Desert Island archive along with his former classmate, Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.
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Jo Nesbø, writer
19 juli 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringJo Nesbø is a writer, known as the king of 'Nordic Noir'. His internationally bestselling crime thrillers following the exploits of detective Harry Hole have been translated into fifty languages, sold over sixty million copies and have been adapted for film and TV. Lees meer
Being a bestselling author was not his first job. As a teenager, he played football professionally before an injury put paid to his sporting career. He played guitar and wrote songs for a band which then became very successful in Norway and he combined his gigging nightlife with a day job on Norway’s stock market.
His relentless schedule led to him taking time off from both the band and the stock market and whilst he was travelling on a plane to Australia, he wrote his first draft of his debut Harry Hole novel. He has since gone on to write thirteen Harry Hole novels along with children’s stories and other standalone books.
Jo lives in Oslo.
DISC ONE: Perfect Skin - Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
DISC TWO: Ticket To Ride - The Beatles
DISC THREE: Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) - Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
DISC FOUR: I Can’t Be Satisfied – Muddy Waters
DISC FIVE: Bus to Baton Rouge - Lucinda Williams
DISC SIX: Hand of God - Nick Cave, Warren Ellis
DISC SEVEN: Swamp - Talking Heads
DISC EIGHT: Independence Day - Bruce SpringsteenBOOK CHOICE: Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski
LUXURY ITEM: A shoehorn
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Independence Day - Bruce SpringsteenPresenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Sarah TaylorDesert Island Discs has cast other writers away over the years including Lee Child, Steven King and Martina Cole. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.
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Anna Maxwell Martin, actor
12 juli 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringAnna Maxwell Martin is an award-winning actor whose versatility is evident from the breadth of parts she has played in popular television programmes including Motherland, Ludwig and Line of Duty. Lees meer
Anna was born and brought up in Yorkshire and loved acting and performing from a young age putting on shows with her friends in the cul-de-sac where they all lived. She read history at Liverpool University and then won a place at LAMDA.
She made her professional debut in the Little Foxes at the Donmar Warehouse directed by Marianne Elliott. Her breakthrough came in 2003 playing Lyra Belacqua in the National Theatre’s landmark production of His Dark Materials.
In recent years she has become an advocate for vulnerable children and their families – especially those navigating the SEND – special educational needs and/or disabilities – system in schools. She was motivated to take on this role after struggling to get help for her daughters who were struggling with profound grief following the death of their father.
Anna lives in London with her daughters.
DISC ONE: I Love To Boogie – T. Rex
DISC TWO: The Greatest Love of All - Whitney Houston
DISC THREE: Together In Electric Dreams - Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder
DISC FOUR: Gianni Schicchi: "O mio babbino caro" (Lauretta) Composed by Giacomo Puccini and performed by Maria Callas (soprano) and Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Tullio Serafin
DISC FIVE: When A Knight Won His Spurs – The Choir of Salisbury Cathedral, directed by David Halls
DISC SIX: Dry Your Eyes - The Streets
DISC SEVEN: Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell
DISC EIGHT: Tell Him - Lauryn HillBOOK CHOICE: Jackson Brodie Series by Kate Atkinson
LUXURY ITEM: Anna’s lucky conker
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: The Greatest Love of All - Whitney HoustonPresenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinleyDesert Island Discs has cast away many actors to the island over the years including Julie Walters, Jessie Buckley and Adeel Aktar. You can hea…
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Peter Layton, artist
5 juli 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringPeter Layton is a pioneering British glass artist and the founder of London Glassblowing, one of the most influential glass studios and galleries in the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the development of the studio glass movement, helping to establish glass as an artistic medium. Lees meer
Born in Prague to Jewish parents, he and his family escaped in 1939 and settled in Bradford, where Peter counted the artist David Hockney among his friends. A trip to the United States in the 1960s to teach ceramics led him to his first encounter with glassblowing, and when he returned to the UK he set up a studio called London Glassblowing. Its ethos of collaboration and openness remains the same 50 years after its founding, and members of the public are welcome to see Peter and his colleagues create spectacular pieces of art out of glass.
Peter’s work is influenced by many things: early pieces tackled political issues, and he finds clouds, pebbles and other natural forms particularly inspiring. Peter lives in London with his wife Ann. He has three children and seven grandchildren.
DISC ONE: When I’m Cleaning Windows - George Formby
DISC TWO: Kol Nidrei, Op. 4, composed by Max Bruch, performed by Jacqueline du Pré (cello) and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Barenboim
DISC THREE: Take Five - Dave Brubeck
DISC FOUR: Blowin’ in the Wind - Bob Dylan
DISC FIVE: White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane
DISC SIX: Lute Concerto in D Major, RV 93: II. Largo, composed by Antonio Vivaldi, performed by Paul O'Dette (lute) The Parley of Instruments conducted by Peter Holman
DISC SEVEN: Suzanne - Nina Simone
DISC EIGHT: Elegy for the Arctic - Ludovico EinaudiBOOK CHOICE: The Choice by Edith Eger
LUXURY ITEM: A solar-powered digital picture frame
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Suzanne - Nina SimonePresenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Tim BanoDesert Island Discs has cast away many artists to the island over the years, including Peter’s friend David Hockney, as well as the sculptor …
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Guy Martin, presenter and former motorcycle racer
28 juni 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringGuy Martin is a television presenter, mechanic and former motorcycle racer. During his career he achieved 17 podium finishes at the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) Races – one of the most prestigious and dangerous motorcycling events in the world. His television programmes often focus on his daredevil nature and combine two of his greatest loves - engineering and history. Lees meer
Guy was brought up in the village of Kirmington in North Lincolnshire. When he was five his father, who raced bikes himself, bought him his first motorcycle which he promptly crashed into the rose garden. His father is a mechanic and Guy used to sit and watch him at work in the shed from a young age and at 12 he began working for him at weekends and during school holidays.
Guy’s first race meeting was at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire when he was 19. Less than a minute into the race he crashed. He was not badly injured but the bike was destroyed in the process. In 2004 he made his debut at the biggest road race of them all – the Isle of Man TT, finishing seventh in the Senior race and winning the Newcomers Trophy.
Guy retired from racing in 2015 after a very bad crash at the Ulster Grand Prix. After that he turned to his bicycle and has taken part in several endurance cycling events, including the Tour Divide, to test his resolve and stamina and fill the adrenaline gap.
Guy lives in Lincolnshire with his wife Sharon, their daughter Dottie and three dogs.
DISC ONE: Bam Ba Lam (Here Comes Daddy) - Alabama 3
DISC TWO: Testify - Rage Against the Machine
DISC THREE: Blinded by the Light - The Streets
DISC FOUR: Getaway - The Music
DISC FIVE: Me and my Monkey - Robbie Williams
DISC SIX: Hurt – Johnny Cash
DISC SEVEN: The Day is My Enemy - The Prodigy
DISC EIGHT: With or Without You - U2BOOK CHOICE: Stealing Speed by Mat Oxley
LUXURY ITEM: The back catalogue of Race Engine Technology magazine
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: With or Without You - U2Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley -
Emily Watson, actor
21 juni 2026 · 53 min
Beluister deze afleveringEmily Watson is an award-winning actor, widely regarded as one of the finest character actors of her generation. Lees meer
She began her career on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company before rising to prominence in 1996, when she was cast as Bess McNeill in Lars von Trier’s Breaking the Waves. The role earned her an Academy Award nomination. She received a second Oscar nomination for Hilary and Jackie, for which she learned to play the cello to portray Jacqueline du Pré.
Watson has built a reputation for a level of commitment that is as intense as it is acclaimed. She describes her craft not merely as a profession but as a profound internal necessity, stating: "I love the sense of creating and inhabiting something. That feeling of making it feel magically real. That's the addiction".
She grew up in London and was a passionate reader before leaving home to study English at Bristol University. Her parents were members of the School of Economic Science which proscribed that followers eschew TV and popular culture. Emily joined in with the university drama productions and followed her passion, with her parents’ blessing, to pursue a career in acting.
Emily Watson lives in London with her husband, and they have two children.
Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah TaylorDesert Island Discs has cast other actors away over the years including Emily’s fellow actor from Hamnet, Jessie Buckley. The writer, Maggie O’Farrell is in there too along with Emily’s friend from university, the writer David Nicholls. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.
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Gary O'Donoghue, journalist
14 juni 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringJournalist Gary O’Donoghue is the Chief North America Correspondent for BBC News. Last year his coverage of the 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump won the Royal Television Society Breaking News Award. He made the news himself in 2025 when he secured a 20-minute exclusive phone interview with Trump who was by then the US President. Lees meer
Gary was born in London and brought up in Essex. When he was eight he lost his sight and attended specialist schools for blind and partially sighted children. He read philosophy and modern languages at the University of Oxford before embarking on his BBC career.
He has reported on mass shootings, filed stories from the Macedonian border during the Kosovo conflict, covered the Iraq War and chronicled seven British general elections. He became the BBC’s Washington correspondent in 2014 and, as well as Donald Trump’s two terms, has covered the administrations of Presidents Obama and Biden.
Gary is based in Washington DC and when in the UK lives in West Yorkshire with his partner Sarah.
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinleyDesert Island Discs has cast other journalists away to the island over the years including Lyse Doucet, Clive Myrie and Lindsey Hilsum, You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.
This episode was recorded before the shooting at the White House Correspondent's Dinner on 25th April 2026.
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David Morrissey, actor
7 juni 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringDavid Morrissey is an actor who grew up in Liverpool. Lees meer
His screen work ranges from playing a ruthless survivor of the zombie apocalypse in The Walking Dead to a troubled police officer in James Graham’s Sherwood.
His television debut performance came playing a teenager in the Channel 4 series One Summer. Since then his career has seen him win awards including the Royal Television Society award for Best Male Actor for his role as Gordon Brown in The Deal.
Morrissey’s interest in acting started in primary school, when he was cast as the Scarecrow in a production of The Wizard of Oz. As a teenager, he developed his passion further at the Everyman Youth Theatre in Liverpool, where he took guidance from professional actors.
After his first TV role, he went on to train at RADA. He is best known for portraying complex and troubled characters, and in more recent years has also demonstrated a flair for comedy in series such as Daddy Issues.
David lives in London.
Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah TaylorDesert Island Discs has cast other actors away over the years including David’s fellow actors in Sherwood, Monica Dolan and Lesley Manville. The writer, James Graham is in there too. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.
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Si King, cook
26 april 2026 · 50 min
Beluister deze afleveringSi King is a broadcaster and cook, best known as one half of the duo The Hairy Bikers. Lees meer
Together with his onscreen cooking partner and real-life best friend Dave Myers, the pair travelled over 650,000 miles around the world on motor bikes filming their cooking exploits and they also wrote a number of bestselling cookbooks.
Si was born in a pit village near Gateshead, the youngest child of three. His father had served in the arctic convoys and had met his wife whilst on shore leave in Newcastle when she was singing with a big band.
Si’s father died when he was eight years old and Si and his mum, Stella, bonded by cooking together which led to his lifelong appreciation of food.
His love of motorcycles started early when his uncle introduced him to his garage full of broken motorbikes that he enjoyed tinkering around with. Si fell in love with motorbikes and as a teenager used to give him mum a lift back from the shops.
After leaving school, Si played drums in a band to earn a living, during which time he met his former wife, Jane. He became a father at 23 and soon began his television career as a runner on the children’s series Byker Grove. This opened the door to work in TV and film as a location manager, where he met make up artist Dave Myers on the set of a Catherine Cookson drama. After discovering they shared a passion for food and motorbikes, the pair developed the idea for a TV show that would see these two rather hairy motorcyclists travel around the world cooking for people.
After Dave’s death in 2024, Si was involved in two commemorative “Dave Days” in which many thousands of riders from the motorbike community showed their support for Dave and his family by travelling in convoy from London to Dave’s home town of Barrow in Furness.
Si King lives in the North East.
DISC ONE: Winter Song - Lindisfarne
DISC TWO: Boil the Breakfast Early - The Chieftains
DISC THREE: Anonymous: Liturgy of Saint Anthony - Ad Missam - Introitus: Os justi meditabitur - Coro … -
Sara Pascoe, comedian and writer
19 april 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringSara Pascoe is a comedian and writer who has appeared on programmes including QI, Taskmaster and the Great British Sewing Bee. She is also a screenwriter and the author of three books including her debut novel Weirdo which won the inaugural Jilly Cooper Prize for fiction last year. Lees meer
Sara was born in Dagenham and grew up in Romford. She joined a drama club when she was 14 and set her heart on an acting career but failed to get a place at drama school. She read English Literature at the University of Sussex and after graduating took on various jobs to make ends meet including a stint as a London tour bus guide.
In 2007 she performed her first comedy gig to an audience of 12 people in a south London pub. Even though no-one laughed at her jokes, she was well and truly bitten by the stand-up bug and the following year was joint runner-up at the Funny Women Awards. In 2010 she performed her first show at the Edinburgh Festival and appeared on the BBC’s Live at the Apollo two years later.
She is currently touring her latest stand-up tour, I Am A Strange Gloop. Sara lives in London with her husband Steen Raskopoulos and their two children.
DISC ONE: Rhythm Of Life - Sammy Davis Jr. And Ensemble (from Sweet Charity)
DISC TWO: Never Forget - Take That
DISC THREE: Telemachus - Pascoe & Martin
DISC FOUR: Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
DISC FIVE: Gett Off - Prince & The New Power Generation
DISC SIX: Rock Star - N.E.R.D
DISC SEVEN: Best Friend - 50 Cent
DISC EIGHT: Wizardry - Self EsteemBOOK CHOICE: 1984 by George Orwell
LUXURY ITEM: A typewriter
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Telemachus - Pascoe & MartinPresenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley -
Professor Stephen Westaby, surgeon and writer
12 april 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringProfessor Stephen Westaby is a former heart surgeon and writer. During his career he performed over 11,000 operations and pioneered the use of life long artificial hearts as an alternative to donor transplants. Lees meer
Stephen was born in Scunthorpe in 1948 and went to medical school at Charing Cross Hospital in 1966. The following year he suffered a serious head injury during a rugby match which had a major impact on his personality. He changed from being a shy person lacking in confidence into a fearless, ambitious operator – qualities, he believes, made him entirely suited to being a surgeon.
In 1981 he took up a Research Fellowship in Alabama with John Kirklin, the first surgeon to successfully perform a series of open-heart operations using a heart-lung machine. During his time there Stephen discovered that medical nylon caused some patients to die of post-perfusion syndrome. Following his discovery, the manufacturers of the equipment removed it from the circuit which led to a substantial drop in cardiac surgical mortality.
In 2000 he implanted a revolutionary new heart pump into a man who was terminally ill with heart failure using a device called the Jarvik 2000. Temporary devices – known as bridge to transplant devices – had been used to stabilise patients while they waited for a donor heart but this surgery – transplanting a permanent artificial heart instead of a donor heart was the first of its kind.
Stephen retired from the NHS in 2016. The following year he published Fragile Lives: A Heart Surgeon’s Stories of Life and Death on the Operating Theatre which won the BMA President’s Award.
Stephen has two children and lives with his wife in Oxfordshire.
DISC ONE: Wonderful Land - The Shadows
DISC TWO: Viva La Vida - Coldplay
DISC THREE: Baker Street – Gerry Rafferty
DISC FOUR: America - Simon & Garfunkel
DISC FIVE: Forever Autumn - Justin Hayward
DISC SIX: Moonlight Shadow - Mike Oldfield
DISC SEVEN: Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac
DISC EIGHT: Rachmaninoff: … -
Jessie Buckley, actor
5 april 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringJessie Buckley is an actor and singer. She recently won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe Award for her critically acclaimed role playing Shakespeare’s wife Agnes in Chloé Zhao’s film Hamnet. Her performance has also garnered her an Academy Award nomination. Lees meer
Jessie won an Olivier Award for her portrayal of Sally Bowles in a 2021 West End revival of Cabaret. Her breakout film role came in 2018 when she played an aspiring country music singer in the musical Wild Rose.
Jessie was born in Killarney in County Kerry to creative parents. Her mother trained as a singer and harpist and her father, who ran a guest house when she was growing up, writes poetry. As a child Jessie and her siblings put on Irish dancing performances for people who stayed in the guest house.
In 2008 she appeared in the BBC talent show I’d Do Anything – the televised search to find a Nancy for a West End production of Oliver! Jessie came second in the competition and afterwards Sir Cameron Mackintosh, one of the judges, sent her on a Shakespeare workshop at RADA which she says changed her life.
She made her professional stage debut as Anne Egerman in the 2008/2009 revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music at London's Menier Chocolate Factory. In 2010 she stepped away from professional work and enrolled at RADA where she studied for three years.
After graduating she performed on stage, screen and television. She received her first Oscar nomination playing opposite Olivia Colman in the 2021 film the Lost Daughter.
Jessie lives in Norfolk with her husband and their baby daughter.
DISC ONE: Samhradh Samhradh - The Gloaming
DISC TWO: O Holy Night. Composed by Adolph Adam and performed by Marina Cassidy
DISC THREE: Who Knows Where the Time Goes (Live at Philharmonic Hall, New York, NY - October 1969) - Nina Simone
DISC FOUR: Troy - Sinéad O'Connor
DISC FIVE: Send In the Clowns – Judi Dench
DISC SIX: Shobis Galoba (Christmas Song) - Basiani Ensemble
DISC SEVEN: The Red Shoes - Kate Bush
DISC EIGHT… -
Dwayne Fields, explorer
29 maart 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringDwayne Fields is an explorer and broadcaster who was appointed the UK’s Chief Scout in 2024. He is the first black Briton to reach the Magnetic North Pole. His television work includes fronting the series 7 Toughest Days and co-presenting Endurance: Race to the Pole, and Expedition: Search for the Nile, with fellow adventurer Ben Fogle. Lees meer
Dwayne was born in Jamaica and was brought up by his great-grandmother for the first few years of his life. When he was six he moved to north London to live with his mother. He struggled to adapt to his new surroundings until he found his way to a Cub Scouts meeting where he experienced a sense of belonging for the first time since his arrival.
As a teenager, he grew up surrounded by gang violence and experienced a serious knife attack when he was 19. A few years later, during a heated confrontation, he had a gun pointed at him. The gun misfired twice and he survived. This shocking incident spurred Dwayne to change his life and challenge himself to inspire other young people to do the same.
In 2010, he walked 400 nautical miles to reach the Magnetic North Pole. In 2019, he co‑founded the WeTwo Foundation with explorer and wild camper Phoebe Smith. The Foundation gives young people from challenging backgrounds the chance to experience life‑changing adventures
Dwayne lives in Peterborough with his wife Angelique, and their five children.
DISC ONE: Three Little Birds - Bob Marley And The Wailers
DISC TWO: Dance With My Father - Luther Vandross
DISC THREE: I Miss You - DMX feat. Faith Evans
DISC FOUR: The Loco-motion - Kylie Minogue
DISC FIVE: Here I Come - Dennis Brown
DISC SIX: You’re the Apple of My Eye - Louis Armstrong and Velma Middleton
DISC SEVEN: Roar - Katy Perry
DISC EIGHT: I'm Still Standing - Elton JohnBOOK CHOICE: The Untold Railway Stories: Celebrating 200 Years of Passenger Railways edited by Monisha Rajesh
LUXURY ITEM: A multi-functional pocket knife
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Three Little Birds - Bob Marley And The W… -
Roula Khalaf, journalist
22 maart 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringRoula Khalaf is a journalist and the first woman to serve as editor of the Financial Times in its 138‑year history. She joined the paper in 1995 as North Africa correspondent, covering the Algerian civil war before reporting more broadly across the Middle East, including Syria, Iran and Iraq, and later the Arab Spring. Lees meer
Roula was born in Beirut and grew up there during the Lebanese civil war which began in 1975. She studied communications at Syracuse University in New York State and then completed a Master’s degree in International Affairs at Columbia University.
She joined Forbes Magazine in 1989 before relocating to the UK. Her work has earned several awards, including Foreign Commentator of the Year at the Editorial Intelligence Comment in 2016 Awards and the Foreign Press Association’s Feature Story of the Year for her reporting on Qatar in 2013.
Roula has two children with her husband Assaad and lives in London.
DISC ONE: Misunderstanding - Genesis
DISC TWO: Dernière Danse - Indila
DISC THREE: Oghneyat Al Bostah - Ziad Rahbani
DISC FOUR: Feeling Good - Nina Simone
DISC FIVE: Zina - Babylone
DISC SIX: Ya Laure Houbbouki - Fairuz
DISC SEVEN: Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Green Day
DISC EIGHT: 7 Seconds - Youssou N’Dour ft Neneh CherryBOOK CHOICE: A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East by David Fromkin
LUXURY ITEM: A notebook and pen
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Ya Laure Houbbouki - FairuzPresenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley -
Richard Young, photographer
15 maart 2026 · 50 min
Beluister deze afleveringRichard Young is a photographer who was once known as the “king of the paparazzi”. Lees meer
His portfolio is a who’s who of some of the biggest stars in film, music, stage and popular culture from the past fifty years. From gatecrashing Elizabeth Taylor’s party for Richard Burton’s 50th at the Dorchester to later being invited to photograph her Damehood celebrations. He can count the first photographs of Paul Getty Jr. after his kidnapping as just one of his many scoops.
He was born in Hackney to a Jewish family and his father ran a hosiery stall in Berwick Street market for more than sixty years. Richard has dyslexia and after being expelled from school at fourteen, he went to Soho and landed a job in fashionable clothes shop frequented by Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, David Hockney and Francis Bacon.
A two-year stint in New York followed, working as a studio assistant at Electric Lady Studios, before he returned to London and found himself in a bookshop handed a camera and told to get on with photographing authors.
For the past fifty years, he has lived a nocturnal, high octane life of private jets, parties and exclusive events, eventually becoming as much a fixture in the world of celebrity as the people he photographed.
Richard lives in London with his wife Susan. His photography gallery is in London and has visitors from around the world.
DISC ONE: Rehab - Amy Winehouse
DISC TWO: Just Walkin’ in the Rain - Johnny Ray
DISC THREE: Cosmic Dancer - T. Rex
DISC FOUR: Positively 4th Street - Bob Dylan
DISC FIVE: Point Blank - Bruce Springsteen
DISC SIX: Isn’t It a Pity - George Harrison
DISC SEVEN: A Beautiful Day - Queen
DISC EIGHT: The Gypsy’s Wife - Leonard CohenBOOK CHOICE: Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
LUXURY ITEM: Caviar
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Point Blank - Bruce SpringsteenPresenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Sarah TaylorDesert Island Discs has cast other photographers away to the island over the years including David Bailey, Sally Mann and Vanley Burke. You can he…
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Tahra Zafar, costume and effects designer
8 maart 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringTahra Zafar is a costume and creature effects designer. Lees meer
She designed the Paddington Bear puppet featured in the hit West End production Paddington: The Musical.
Born into a theatre family, she grew up with an Armenian American father who worked as a choreographer in the first West End production of West Side Story, and a mother who moved from a career as a ballerina to theatre work around the world. Her interest in making began early, helping her father with practical projects such as restoring their house, even learning to build walls and spending her spare time model making, with Airfix creations suspended from her bedroom ceiling.
After studying theatre design at Central Saint Martins, she began her career making theatre costumes. She spent some time at the Jim Henson creature workshop where she made some of the creatures for the first Harry Potter film including Hedwig the owl and Scabbers the rat.
After her daughter was born, Tahra worked on some of the characters for In the Night Garden with her daughter, a willing judge of what worked for toddlers.
In 2012, Tahra was in charge of 23,000 costumes for the London 2012 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies. This role included an audience with the late Queen to ensure the wig and dress were correct for Her Majesty’s stunt double when that iconic skydive was performed at the Olympic opening ceremony.Tahra lives in London with her daughter.
DISC ONE: Thunderbirds (Main Theme) - The Barry Gray Orchestra
DISC TWO: Gee, Officer Krupke. Composed by Leonard Bernstein and performed by Leo Kharibian, Norman Furber and Vince Logan
DISC THREE: Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 In D Minor (movement six) Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven and performed by Berlin Philharmoniker, Wiener Singverein and conducted by Herbert von Karajan
DISC FOUR: Brazil – Geoff Muldaur
DISC FIVE: Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
DISC SIX: Groove Is in the Heart - Deee-Lite
DISC SEVEN: Eclipse - Pink Floyd
DISC EIGHT: Take Five - Dave BrubeckBOOK CHOICE: …
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Professor Michele Dougherty, scientist
1 maart 2026 · 52 min
Beluister deze afleveringProfessor Michele Dougherty is President of the Institute of Physics and Professor of Space Physics at Imperial College London. She was appointed Astronomer Royal last year – the first woman to hold the post in its 350-year history. Lees meer
She was brought up in Durban in South Africa and studied for a Bachelor of Science degree in applied maths at Natal University. After completing a Master’s and PhD she took up a fellowship at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany where she investigated solar wind and galactic wind outflows.
In 1991 she joined Imperial College London where she helped devise a magnetic field model for the Ulysses mission. In 1997 she became principal investigator for the magnetometer instrument on board the Cassini probe which was sent to study Saturn and its system.
She is currently lead investigator for the J-MAG magnetometer instrument on the European Space Agency's JUICE mission (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) which launched in 2023. It will reach Jupiter in 2031 and spend at least three years observing the planet and three of its largest moons, Ganymede, Callisto and Europa.
Michele was appointed CBE in the 2018 New Years Honours List for services to UK Physical Science Research.
DISC ONE: Puccini: Turandot, Act III: Nessun dorma! Performed by Luciano Pavarotti (tenor), John Alldis Choir, Wandsworth School Boys Choir and London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Zubin Mehta
DISC TWO: Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85: III. Adagio. Composed by Elgar. Performed by Jacqueline du Pré (cello) and London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir John Barbirolli
DISC THREE: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19: III. Moderato. Composed by Tchaikovsky. Performed by Frank Peters Zimmerman (violin), and Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Lorin Maazel
DISC FOUR: We Three Kings of Orient Are - Robert Shaw Chamber Singers
DISC FIVE: Dancing Queen - ABBA
DISC SIX: Dance With My Father - Luther Vandross
DISC SEVEN: Franck: Panis Angelicus. Performe… -
Kemi Badenoch MP, leader of the opposition
22 februari 2026 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringKemi Badenoch is the Conservative MP for North West Essex and the Leader of the Opposition. Lees meer
Since winning her seat in 2017, she has held cabinet positions as Minister of State for Equalities under Boris Johnson and Secretary of State for International Trade under Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. She became leader of the Conservative Party in 2024 after Rishi Sunak’s resignation and is the first black person to lead a political party in Britain.
Her Nigerian parents came to Britain for medical treatment and Kemi was born in a private hospital in Wimbledon in January 1980. Her parents returned with their newborn daughter, and she was brought up in Nigeria in an affluent suburb of Lagos.
After a series of military coups and economic downturns, her family, along with many other middle-class families in Nigeria saw their wealth decline and Kemi was sent to London to study for her A levels.
Instead of following her parents into medicine, she chose to pursue Computer Systems Engineering and went to Sussex University. A well-paid career in IT followed and she joined the Conservative Party aged twenty-five where she also met her husband, Hamish.
Her first attempt at becoming an MP was in 2010 in Dame Tessa Jowell’s former constituency of Dulwich and West Norwood constituency in London. She finished third behind the Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates.
In 2017, she was selected for the Saffron Walden seat and became an MP.
She lives in London with her husband and three children and divides her time between Westminster and her constituency of North West Essex.
DISC ONE: The Story of Tonight - Lin-Manuel Miranda, Okieriete Onaodowan, Daveed Diggs, Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton
DISC TWO: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
DISC THREE: Wonderful World - Sam Cooke
DISC FOUR: Be Still - Aled Jones and English Session Orchestra
DISC FIVE: Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen) - Baz Luhrmann
DISC SIX: Love is All Around - Wet Wet Wet
DISC SEVEN: Carry You Home … -
Adeel Akhtar, actor
15 februari 2026 · 50 min
Beluister deze afleveringAdeel Akhtar is an award-winning actor whose breakthrough role came in 2010 when he starred in Chris Morris’s black comedy Four Lions. Lees meer
He won his first BAFTA for Best Actor in 2017 for his role in the BBC drama Murdered by My Father. His second, for Best Supporting Actor, came in 2023 playing Andy Fisher in the BBC series Sherwood.
Adeel was born in Hounslow in West London and grew up in Buckinghamshire. He discovered a love of acting at school when he and a group of friends put on a production of Harold Pinter’s play The Homecoming. He read law at university but in 2002 followed his true passion and took a drama course at The Actors Studio in New York.
He got his first screen part playing one of the four hijackers of United Airlines Flight 93 in the television docudrama Let’s Roll: the Story of Flight 93. He has gone on to stretch his talents playing roles in the television series Fool Me Once, The Night Manager and Killing Eve. More recently he appeared on stage in The Cherry Orchard and a new play called The Estate.
Adeel lives in London with his wife, documentary maker Alexis Burke, and their two children.
DISC ONE: The Weight - Aretha Franklin
DISC TWO: Jamaica Farewell - Harry Belafonte
DISC THREE: Danny Nedelko - Idles
DISC FOUR: First Big Weekend - Arab Strap
DISC FIVE: After Hours - Velvet Underground
DISC SIX: Time to Pretend - MGMT
DISC SEVEN: People’s Faces - Kae Tempest
DISC EIGHT: Do You Realize?? - The Flaming LipsBOOK CHOICE: A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders
LUXURY ITEM: A solar-powered air fryer
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Do You Realize?? - The Flaming LipsPresenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinleyDesert Island Discs has cast many actors away to the island over the years including Cillian Murphy, Stephen Graham, Lesley Manville and Helen McCrory. Adeel’s friend Meera Syall is in our archive too. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.
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Jesse Armstrong, writer
8 februari 2026 · 49 min
Beluister deze afleveringJesse Armstrong is a British author, screenwriter, and producer. Lees meer
He has written several award-winning TV comedies and satirical dramas and won many accolades for his work including two BAFTA TV Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and three Writers Guild of America Awards. His hit HBO series Succession has won nineteen Emmys.
Jesse was born and educated in Oswestry, Shropshire, and attended Manchester University where he studied American Studies as an undergraduate and American History for his Masters. After university, he worked as a researcher for a Labour Member of Parliament for a couple of years it was an experience that would later inform his time as a writer on The Thick of It.
He met his writing partner, Sam Bain, at Manchester University and together they created and co-wrote 9 seasons of Channel 4’s BAFTA-winning comedy Peep Show and 4 seasons of the student comedy Fresh Meat.
During this time, he also wrote for the political satire series The Thick of It and co-wrote the film In the Loop, the latter of which earned him Oscar and BAFTA nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also co-wrote the films Four Lions and Downhill and wrote and directed the television film, Mountainhead.
He was the creator and show-runner of the hit HBO TV show Succession, a drama about a fictional powerful media family with the plot centring around which child would succeed the father played by Brian Cox. Succession won a total of 19 Emmys including Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for each of Succession’s four seasons.
He lives in London with his wife and has two children in their twenties.
DISC ONE: A Day in the Life - The Beatles
DISC TWO: Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
DISC THREE: Debaser - Pixies
DISC FOUR: Georgia on my Mind - Billie Holiday
DISC FIVE: The Magic Number - De La Soul
DISC SIX: New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down - LCD Sound System
DISC SEVEN: Dream Song 28: Snow Line. Written and read by John Berryman
DISC EIGHT: Violin Con… -
Jojo Moyes, writer
25 januari 2026 · 50 min
Beluister deze afleveringJojo Moyes is a British novelist and screenwriter. Lees meer
She began her writing career as a journalist and worked at the Egham and Staines News, Independent and South China Morning Post.
Whilst working nightshifts on the Independent, she pursued her novel writing ambitions and wrote books by day. Her first few books were well received but did not topple the best seller lists. That all changed in 2012 when her novel You Before Me was published. Readers fell in love with the story of Louisa Clark, who takes a job looking after an angry young quadriplegic man. The book sold fifteen million copies, was made into a film and Jojo wrote two sequels. Her novels are beloved of book clubs and have sold in excess of fifty seven million copies and have been translated into forty-six languages.
Jojo lives in London.
DISC ONE: Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Laughing Version) (Live) - Elvis Presley
DISC TWO: Golden Slumbers - The Beatles
DISC THREE: Silly Games - Janet Kay
DISC FOUR: The Art Teacher - Rufus Wainwright
DISC FIVE: Mozart: Vesperae solennes de confessore in C, K.339: 5. Laudate Dominum omnes gentes (Ps. 116/117) Composed by Mozart and performed by Edith Mathis (soprano), MDR Rundfunkchor Leipzig (choir), Staatskapelle Dresden (orchestra), conducted by Peter Schreier
DISC SIX: Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell
DISC SEVEN: A Better Time to Meet - Adrianne Lenker & Buck Meek
DISC EIGHT: Je L’Aime à Mourir - Francis CabrelBOOK CHOICE: The complete works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky
LUXURY ITEM: A mechanical horse
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Laughing Version - Live) - Elvis PresleyPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah TaylorDesert Island Discs has cast many writers away to the island over the years including Helen Fielding, Marian Keyes and Dame Jilly Cooper. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.
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Kate Winslet, actor
18 januari 2026 · 52 min
Beluister deze afleveringKate Winslet is an actor who achieved global fame playing Rose DeWitt Bukater, opposite Leonard DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, in the 1997 James Cameron epic Titanic. During her career she has won five BAFTAs, two Emmys, five Golden Globes and an Academy Award for her role in the Reader. Lees meer
Kate was born in Reading in 1975 and attended Redroofs School for the Performing Arts in Maidenhead, Berkshire. Her film debut came in 1994 when she played a teenage killer in Peter Jackson’s film Heavenly Creatures. The following year she played Marianne Dashwood opposite Emma Thompson’s Elinor in Sense and Sensibility, directed by Ang Lee. Kate’s performance earned her a BAFTA for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
She went on to consolidate her reputation as one of the most versatile actors of her generation by starring in a list of popular and critically acclaimed films including Hideous Kinky, Iris, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Holiday.
Last year Kate directed her first film, Goodbye June, starring Helen Mirren, Timothy Spall and Andrea Riseborough.
Kate has three children and lives in West Sussex with her husband Ned and her family.
DISC ONE: Georgia on my Mind - Roger Winslet and Sophie Breakenridge
DISC TWO: Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs - Brian and Michael
DISC THREE: Kiss from a Rose - Seal
DISC FOUR: Summertime - Ella Fitzgerald
DISC FIVE: Nuvole Bianche - Ludovico Einaudi
DISC SIX: Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi - Radiohead
DISC SEVEN: Blue Ridge Mountains - Fleet Foxes
DISC EIGHT: Pump up the Jam - TechnotronicBOOK CHOICE: Outside: Recipes for a Wilder Way of Eating by Gill Meller
LUXURY ITEM: Freshly ground coffee
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Georgia on my Mind – Roger Winslet and Sophie BreakenridgePresenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinleyDesert Island Discs has cast many actors away over the years including Dame Emma Thompson, Cate Blanchett and Dame Helen Mirren. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own …
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Lee Child, writer
11 januari 2026 · 53 min
Beluister deze afleveringLee Child is a writer who is best known for his series of bestselling novels featuring Jack Reacher. Reacher is an enigmatic 6ft 5in, 17-stone ex-military police major who rights wrongs before disappearing off into the sunset. The books have sold in their millions around the world and have inspired two films starring Tom Cruise and a television series. Lees meer
Lee Child was born James - Jim - Grant in 1954 and grew up in Birmingham. He studied Law at the University of Sheffield and then joined the presentation department at Granada Television where he was a shop steward and became a thorn in the side of the management.
At 40 he was made redundant and sat down to write his first Reacher novel Killing Floor. He found himself an agent and the novel was published in March 1997 - the franchise was up and running. In the UK Lee outsells both Stephen King and John Grisham and worldwide he sells between 12 and 15 million copies a year.
In 2020 Lee announced that he was handing over the Reacher franchise to his younger brother Andrew Grant. The two brothers have worked on several novels since then and the thirtieth Reacher title features both brothers’ names on the cover.
Lee Child was appointed CBE in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
He lives in the Lake District with his wife Jane. They have one daughter.
DISC ONE: She Loves You - The Beatles
DISC TWO: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones
DISC THREE: So What - Miles Davis
DISC FOUR: Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23: I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso – Allegro con spirito. Performed by Stephen Hough (piano) and Minnesota Orchestra, conducted by Osmo Vänskä
DISC FIVE: Joe’s Blues - Joe Pass
DISC SIX: The Lemon Song - Led Zeppelin
DISC SEVEN: Für Elise (Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor) Composed by Ludwig Beethoven and performed by Lang Lang
DISC EIGHT: Delibes: Lakmé / Act 1: \"Sous le dôme épais\" (Flower Duet) Performed by Renée Fleming (soprano), Susan Graham (mezzo soprano), Philha… -
Margaret Atwood
4 januari 2026 · 54 min
Beluister deze afleveringWriter Margaret Atwood is castaway by Lauren Laverne. Lees meer
Margaret is a Canadian writer. She has published more than sixty books spanning novels, poetry, short stories, non-fiction, children’s literature, and graphic novels, and has been called “one of the sharpest and most imaginative novelists writing in English”.
She is one of only four writers to have won the Booker Prize twice: for The Blind Assassin in 2000 and for her 2019 follow-up to The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments.
Margaret was born in Ottawa in November 1939, shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, the second of three children to Carl Atwood, an entomologist.
During her early life, she would spend the warmer months in the remote forests of northern Quebec and Ontario where her father tracked insect infestations, and the winters in the city (first Ottawa, later Toronto). She didn’t attend school for a full year until the age of twelve.
Her childhood scribblings – a “novel” about an ant called Annie, a volume of rhyming poems about cats, and a play about a giant – turned into a more serious ambition to become a writer when Margaret was sixteen.
After studying English at the University of Toronto, where she began publishing poems in the college magazine, her first novel, The Edible Woman, came out in 1969, following five collections of poetry.
Her most famous work, The Handmaid’s Tale, was published in 1985 and depicted a dystopian vision of the United States as a patriarchal and totalitarian place called Gilead.
Although it was written during the Reagan era, it has become eerily relevant again in the wake of the election of Donald Trump.
Margaret lost her life partner, the writer Graeme Gibson, in 2019. She lives in Toronto.
DISC ONE: Anchors Aweigh - US Navy Band
DISC TWO: Hearts of Stone - The Charms
DISC THREE: Offenbach: Les contes d'Hoffmann, Giulietta Act: Barcarolle. Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour. Performed by Joan Sutherland (soprano) Huguette Tourangeau (soprano), Plácido Doming…