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Anthony Joshua, boxer
21 juli 2024 · 52 min
Beluister deze afleveringAnthony Joshua MBE is a British heavyweight boxer, Olympic gold medallist and two-time former unified world heavyweight champion. Lees meer
Anthony was born in 1989 and grew up in Watford. When he was 11, he moved with his mother to Nigeria, her home country, and attended a boarding school there for several months. When the family returned to Watford, Anthony took part in football and athletics at school, although he recalls that he didn’t enjoy sport in the freezing winter conditions.
After school he briefly studied music technology, and worked as a bricklayer, but mostly drifted. When he found himself banned from Watford town centre, he moved to Edgware and started going to the gym. His cousin Ben Ileyemi, a keen boxer, invited him to his local boxing gym in Finchley. Anthony, then aged 18, and with no boxing experience, decided to enter the ring himself. Within five years, he won a gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics. He turned professional in 2013 and has become one of the most high-profile boxers in the world.
Anthony lives in London.
DISC ONE: Waiting in Vain - Bob Marley & The Wailers
DISC TWO: Hometown Glory - Adele
DISC THREE: Water No Get Enemy - Fela Kuti
DISC FOUR: Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
DISC FIVE: One More Chance Freestyle - Skrapz
DISC SIX: Shut Up - Stormzy
DISC SEVEN: The Godfather Pt. I: Love Theme From "The Godfather" - Nino Rota
DISC EIGHT: Agape - Nicholas BritellBOOK CHOICE: A Bear Grylls survival book
LUXURY ITEM: A punchbag
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Agape - Nicholas BritellPresenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Sarah Taylor -
Clive Myrie, journalist
14 juli 2024 · 52 min
Beluister deze afleveringClive Myrie is an award-winning journalist and news presenter who is one of the BBC’s most experienced foreign correspondents. In 2021 he took over from John Humphrys as Question Master of the quiz show Mastermind and has also presented travel programmes about Italy and the Caribbean. Lees meer
Clive’s parents are from Jamaica and he was born in Farnworth, near Bolton – one of seven children. As a young boy he had a paper round and one of the perks was reading the leftover newspapers which gave him the opportunity to learn about a world beyond Bolton. He loved watching the news on television and his role models were Alan Whicker and Sir Trevor McDonald who inspired him to become a journalist.
After he graduated from university Clive took up a place on the BBC’s reporter training scheme and in 1996 he was sent to Japan - his first posting as a foreign correspondent. During his career he has reported from war zones including Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine.
In 2021 Clive was named Television Journalist of the Year and Network Presenter of the Year at the Royal Television Society Television Journalism Awards.
Clive lives in north London with his wife Catherine.
DISC ONE: String Quartet No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131: VI. Adagio quasi un poco andante. Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven and performed by Kodály Quartet
DISC TWO: Welcome to My World - Jim Reeves
DISC THREE: Così fan tutte ossia La scuola degli amanti, K.588 / Act 1 - Soave sia il vento. Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and performed by Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano), Ann Murray (mezzo soprano), Ferruccio Furlanetto (bass) and Wiener Philharmoniker
DISC FOUR: All Blues - Miles Davis
DISC FIVE: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: I. Prelude. Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and performed by Paul Tortelier
DISC SIX: Slave to the Rhythm - Grace Jones
DISC SEVEN: Long, Long Summer - Dizzy Gillespie
DISC EIGHT: Stomp! - The Brothers JohnsonBOOK CHOICE: The Metropolitan Museum of Art catalogue
LUXURY ITEM: Hot pepp… -
Shirine Khoury-Haq, businesswoman
7 juli 2024 · 50 min
Beluister deze afleveringShirine Khoury-Haq is the chief executive officer of the Co-op Group – the first female chief executive in its 180-year history and the first from an ethnic minority background. Lees meer
Shirine was born in Beirut to a Palestinian father and a Turkish mother. Her father was a geophysicist who worked in the oil industry and his work took the family around the world. By the time Shirine was 12 she had lived on every continent except Antarctica, regularly having to adapt to very different schools and classmates.
She studied for a Bachelor of Commerce in accounting and economics at the Australian National University in Canberra, while taking on a number of jobs to pay her way. In 1996 she joined the McDonald’s Corporation as a finance and operations manager and then joined IBM as an associate partner.
In 2014 she was appointed chief operating officer for Lloyd’s of London and five years later she joined the Co-op as chief financial officer. She became the Group’s CEO in August 2022.
Shirine lives in Cheshire with her husband and two daughters.
DISC ONE: Jamaica Farewell - Harry Belafonte
DISC TWO: Ya Talien Eljabal - Rola Azar
DISC THREE: Better Together - Jack Johnson
DISC FOUR: Fight the Power - Public Enemy
DISC FIVE: Nuthin’ But A “G” Thang - Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg
DISC SIX: Supermassive Black Hole - Muse
DISC SEVEN: How Great Thou Art - Susan Boyle
DISC EIGHT: Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of - U2BOOK CHOICE: The Quran
LUXURY ITEM: A photo frame
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: How Great Thou Art - Susan BoylePresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Rebel Wilson, actor
30 juni 2024 · 49 min
Beluister deze afleveringThe Australian actor Rebel Wilson became an international star with a breakthrough part in the 2011 Hollywood comedy Bridesmaids, opposite Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy. She followed this up playing Fat Amy in the highly successful Pitch Perfect trilogy, which documents the fortunes of a female college acapella group. Lees meer
Rebel was born in Balmain, a suburb of Sydney. Her parents bred and showed dogs, in particular beagles, and her first brush with showbusiness came when she visited television studios to watch the dogs perform in popular shows. The dogs were so successful they even had their own agents.
She studied for a combined arts and law degree and then joined the Australian Theatre for Young People. At the age of 29 she sold everything she had and left Sydney to try her luck in Hollywood where she slept on a friend’s sofa for the first few months. She gave herself a year to make it and Bridesmaids came at just the right time – she never looked back.
Rebel recently made her debut as a director with the Deb, a musical set in Australia.
DISC ONE: Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars
DISC TWO: Greatest Love of All - Whitney Houston
DISC THREE: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life - Monty Python
DISC FOUR: I Missed the Bus - Kris Kross
DISC FIVE: We Belong - Pat Benatar
DISC SIX: Let Me Entertain You - Robbie Williams
DISC SEVEN: Can You Feel the Love Tonight? - Elton John
DISC EIGHT: Here Comes The Sun - The BeatlesBOOK CHOICE: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
LUXURY ITEM: A bath tub and bath salts
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life - Monty PythonPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
John Boyne, writer
23 juni 2024 · 52 min
Beluister deze afleveringThe Irish writer John Boyne is best known for his 2006 novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, which became a literary phenomenon, selling more than 11 million copies around the world. It was translated into 60 languages and adapted into a film, a play, a ballet and an opera. He has written more than two dozen books, including a number of titles for younger readers. Lees meer
He was born in Dublin in 1971, and had ambitions to become a writer from an early age. He studied English Literature at Trinity College Dublin, followed by a Master’s degree in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. From the mid-1990s, he spent seven years working at a bookshop in Dublin, while trying to launch his literary career.
Many of his books have historical settings: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is the story of two boys – one German, one Jewish – during the Holocaust; other books have taken inspiration from the Mutiny on the Bounty and Tsarist Russia. More recently, he’s addressed sexual and physical abuse within the Catholic church in Ireland, drawing in part on his own experiences at school.
He lives in Dublin, not far from where he grew up.
DISC ONE: Bright Eyes - Art Garfunkel
DISC TWO: The Sound of Music - Julie Andrews
DISC THREE: Elton's Song - Elton John
DISC FOUR: Take on Me - A-ha
DISC FIVE: Lullaby for Cain (Instrumental) - Sinéad O'Connor
DISC SIX: Extract from String Quartet No. 4, composed by Noah Max and performed by The Tippett Quartet
DISC SEVEN: Make Your Own Kind of Music - Mama Cass
DISC EIGHT: Night of the Swallow - Kate BushBOOK CHOICE: The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot
LUXURY ITEM: A cinema screen showing The Devil Wears Prada
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Night of the Swallow - Kate BushPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor -
Dame Sarah Storey, athlete
16 juni 2024 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringDame Sarah Storey is Great Britain’s most successful Paralympian, winning 17 gold, eight silver and three bronze medals. She was just 14 when she took two weeks off school to compete as a swimmer in the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics, where she won her first two gold medals. Since then, she has competed in a further seven Paralympics, switching to cycling from 2005. Lees meer
A TV documentary inspired Sarah's childhood ambition to take part in the Paralympics, even though her swimming club coach told her that it was too late - at the age of 10 - to start training for an elite career.
After competing in four Paralympics in the pool, she decided to try cycling after persistent ear infections and chronic fatigue. She was immediately successful and has continued to win medals at both the Paralympics and World Championships in numerous events, breaking many world records. She is supported on and off the track by her husband, Barney Storey, who is also a gold medal-winning cyclist. They have two children, who were born in 2013 and 2017.
Sarah is the Active Travel Commissioner in her home city of Manchester, and is still training with the aim of competing in the 2024 Paralympics in Paris – which would be her ninth games, at the age of 46.
DISC ONE: Livin’ on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
DISC TWO: Spinning Around – Kylie Minogue
DISC THREE: It Only Takes a Minute - Take That
DISC FOUR: A Different Beat - Boyzone
DISC FIVE: This is the One - The Stone Roses
DISC SIX: Heroes - David Bowie
DISC SEVEN: Wannabe - Spice Girls
DISC EIGHT: Step On – Happy MondaysBOOK CHOICE: The Chimp Paradox by Professor Steve Peters
LUXURY ITEM: A snorkel and mask
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Livin’ on a Prayer - Bon JoviPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor -
Greg Davies, comedian
9 juni 2024 · 50 min
Beluister deze afleveringGreg Davies is a familiar face on television as the host of Taskmaster, the BAFTA-winning game show, and he has achieved sell out national arena tours as a stand-up. His on-screen breakthrough came in 2008 when he played the head of the sixth form, Mr Gilbert, in the highly successful teenage comedy series the Inbetweeners. He wrote and starred in the black comedy the Cleaner and co-wrote the sitcom Man Down in which he played a man in the grip of a midlife crisis. Lees meer
Greg was born in St Asaph in north Wales and grew up in Shropshire. At school he gravitated towards what he calls the silly boys who created characters and devised comedy sketches in the playground. When he was 18 he discovered Eddie Murphy whose stand-up routines about his relatives spurred Greg to look to his own family as comedic source material.
Greg spent 13 years as an English and Drama teacher – a time he looks back on with mixed emotions and which he has mined for his stage act. When he was 33 he left teaching and started performing stand-up gigs and performed his first solo stand-up show at the Edinburgh Festival in 2010.
Greg lives in south London.
DISC ONE: Baggy Trousers - Madness
DISC TWO: Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
DISC THREE: 100% Endurance - Yard Act
DISC FOUR: Circlesquare - The Wonder Stuff
DISC FIVE: Cemetry Gates - The Smiths
DISC SIX: Consider Yourself - Jack Wild (The Artful Dodger) and The Orchestra, conducted by John Green. From Oliver! [An Original Soundtrack Recording]
DISC SEVEN: She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult
DISC EIGHT: The Next Episode - Dr. Dre featuring Snoop DoggBOOK CHOICE: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
LUXURY ITEM: Sausages
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: 100% Endurance - Yard ActPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Professor Tim Spector, scientist
28 april 2024 · 49 min
Beluister deze afleveringTim 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. Lees meer
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 PresleyBOOK CHOICE: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
LUXURY ITEM: A fermenting set
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: All of Me (live) - Louis ArmstrongPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor -
Professor Alice Roberts, scientist and broadcaster
21 april 2024 · 37 min
Beluister deze afleveringProfessor 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. Lees meer
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 MacfarlaneBOOK CHOICE: Middlemarch by George Eliot
LUXURY ITEM: A kayak
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. Composed by Ryuichi Sakomoto and performed by Phoebe StevensPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Jenny Sealey, theatre director
14 april 2024 · 35 min
Beluister deze afleveringJenny 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. Lees meer
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 MacCollBOOK CHOICE: The Complete Works of Armistead Maupin
LUXURY ITEM: A photography kit
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Handel: Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 2: No. 44, Chorus. Hal… -
James Graham, playwright
7 april 2024 · 51 min
Beluister deze afleveringJames 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? Lees meer
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 WainwrightBOOK 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 BowiePresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Rita Rae, Lady Rae, lawyer and judge
31 maart 2024 · 38 min
Beluister deze afleveringThe Honourable Lady Rita Rae is a lawyer and judge, and the current Rector of the University of Glasgow. Early in her career she was a rare woman in the heavily male-dominated legal world. She went on to work on many high profile criminal cases over five decades as a solicitor, an advocate and subsequently a judge in Scotland’s Supreme Court. Lees meer
Rita grew up in Plains, Airdrie, to the east of Glasgow. She was a shy child but earned the nickname ‘The Last Word’ from her parents because of her need to argue her case when she felt something wasn’t right. She was inspired to become a lawyer by her maternal grandfather, a noted advocate and anti-fascist from Naples.
Her parents met in a munitions factory in Italy where her mother was working. Her father was a Scottish bomb disposal expert helping to dismantle munitions after the war. They married and moved to Scotland, but Rita and her brother were not accepted by her Scottish family because of their Catholicism.
Rita became a solicitor in 1974, entering a world dominated by men. When told by a senior colleague that women were ‘emotionally unsuitable for court work’, she set about proving him wrong. She became a partner in her firm at the age of 27, and was called to the bar in 1982, one of just 13 female advocates in Scotland at the time. She was made a Sheriff in 1997 and a Judge of the Supreme Courts in 2014.
In 2021 she was elected Rector of the University of Glasgow, the first female working rector in the university’s 570-year history.
DISC ONE: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 - III. Allegro scherzando. Composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff, performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano) and London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by André Previn
DISC TWO: “Ah! Dite alla giovine” from Act 2 of La Traviata. Composed by Giuseppe Verdi, performed by Angela Gheorghiu (soprano), Leo Nucci (baritone) and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, conducted by Sir Georg Solti
DISC THREE: Mamma - Beniamino Gigli
DISC FOU… -
Sandy Powell, costume designer
24 maart 2024 · 36 min
Beluister deze afleveringSandy Powell won her first Academy Award for dressing Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love, and has since won two more Oscars - along with a further dozen nominations - and three BAFTAs. Her credits range from Gangs of New York for Martin Scorsese to Mary Poppins Returns for Disney, and she's worked with many of the biggest current screen stars, including Leonardo di Caprio, Cate Blanchett and Al Pacino. Lees meer
Sandy was born in south London and completed an art foundation course at St Martin’s School of Art. In 1981 she got her first job designing costumes for the choreographer Lindsay Kemp’s show Nijinsky at La Scala in Milan. She later worked for the director Derek Jarman on his film Caravaggio and continued to collaborate with him until his death in 1994. She has also enjoyed long working relationships with Martin Scorsese and Todd Haynes.
Sandy has won acclaim for her designs on films with historical settings, including The Wings of the Dove, The Young Victoria and The Favourite starring Olivia Colman, as well as the flamboyant glam rock world of Velvet Goldmine and the fairy-tale fantasy of Cinderella, starring Lily James.
In 2011 she was awarded an OBE for services for the film industry and in 2023 she became the first costume designer to receive a BAFTA Fellowship.
DISC ONE: Jeepster - T Rex
DISC TWO: Adagietto, Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor. Composed by Gustav Mahler and performed by Orchestre de l'Académie de Santa Cécilia and conducted by Franco Mannino
DISC THREE: Life on Mars? - David Bowie
DISC FOUR: La Vie en Rose - Alan Dunn
DISC FIVE: I’ll Never Fall in Love Again - Bobbi Gentry
DISC SIX: Satellite of Love - Lou Reed
DISC SEVEN: Where Love Lives (Come On In) - Alison Limerick
DISC EIGHT: I Left My Heart in San Francisco - Tony BennettBOOK CHOICE: Josef Koudelka: Gypsies
LUXURY ITEM: A lemon tree
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Life on Mars? - David BowiePresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Clive Oppenheimer, volcanologist
17 maart 2024 · 38 min
Beluister deze afleveringClive Oppenheimer is a volcanologist, filmmaker and Professor of Volcanology at the University of Cambridge. His research has taken him on expeditions across the world, from Antarctica, where he discovered the camp of Captain Scott’s attempt to reach the South Pole, to Ethiopia where he was held at gunpoint by rebels. Lees meer
Clive was born in London, and fell in love with rocks and the stories they tell on visits to what is now the Natural History Museum. His mother survived the Blitz in London and his father escaped persecution by the Nazis in Germany in the 1930s. On a gap year trip to Indonesia, Clive saw his first volcanoes and realised both their natural power and their significance in human lives. He studied at the University of Cambridge, and completed a PhD at the Open University.
He has taken part in and led expeditions to volcanoes all over the world, including Indonesia, Italy and Ethiopia. He is one of few Westerners to have worked in North Korea, where he was invited by the government to study volcanic activity at the culturally significant Mount Baekdu.
He has also made three documentaries with filmmaker Werner Herzog about volcanoes and their scientific, cultural and spiritual significance.
DISC ONE: Blue Rondo a la Turk - Dave Brubeck Quartet
DISC TWO: Love Hangover - Diana Ross
DISC THREE: Autobahn - Kraftwerk
DISC FOUR: Lava - The B-52's
DISC FIVE: Debaser - Pixies
DISC SIX: Turangalîla-symphonie, Part VI Jardin du sommeil d’amour. Composed by Olivier Messiaen and performed by the Orchestre de l’Opéra Bastille, cond Myung-Whun Chung, with Yvonne Loriod (piano) and Jeanne Loriod (ondes martenot)
DISC SEVEN: T’zeta - Bezawork Asfew
DISC EIGHT: Hymn for the Dormition of the Mother of God - The Sixteen and Harry ChristophersBOOK CHOICE: The Vivisector by Patrick White
LUXURY ITEM: A seismometer
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Debaser – PixiesPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producers Sarah Taylor and Tim Bano -
Cillian Murphy, actor
10 maart 2024 · 36 min
Beluister deze afleveringCillian Murphy has received global acclaim for his performance in the title role of Christopher Nolan’s epic film Oppenheimer. He has been nominated for an Oscar, which follows the best actor award he picked up at this year’s Golden Globes. On the small screen he played the Birmingham gangster Thomas Shelby for a decade in the BAFTA-winning Peaky Blinders, which made him a household name. Lees meer
Cillian was born in Cork in 1976 and initially music was his creative outlet. His band Sons of Mr Green Genes, which he formed with his younger brother, was offered a five album record deal, but the boys’ parents thought his brother was too young and vetoed a career in music.
Cillian changed tack and in 1996 was cast as Pig in Enda Walsh’s play Disco Pigs, reprising the role in a film version in 2001. His breakthrough film role came playing Jim the bicycle courier in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later in 2002 which he followed up with a starring role in Ken Loach’s the Wind that Shakes the Barley.
In 2005 he played Dr Jonathan Crane - Scarecrow - in Christopher Nolan’s film Batman Begins, which was the start of their continuing creative collaboration.
Cillian lives in Ireland with his wife, the artist Yvonne McGuinness, and their two sons.
DISC ONE: The Boy in the Bubble - Paul Simon
DISC TWO: The Wandering Minstrel - Séamus Ennis
DISC THREE: Walter’s Trip - The Frank and Walters
DISC FOUR: Bullet the Blue Sky - U2
DISC FIVE: Somebody to Love - Queen
DISC SIX: Everything in its Right Place - Radiohead
DISC SEVEN: We Can Work it Out - The Beatles
DISC EIGHT: If I Was A Painter - Lisa O’NeillBOOK CHOICE: Samuel Beckett: The Complete Dramatic Works
LUXURY ITEM: An acoustic guitar and strings
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: We Can Work it Out - The BeatlesPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Val Wilmer, writer and photographer
3 maart 2024 · 39 min
Beluister deze afleveringVal Wilmer has photographed and interviewed many of the most significant musicians of the post-war years, including Duke Ellington, Muddy Waters, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin and many more. Lees meer
Val grew up in Streatham in South London, where a local record shop helped to nurture her love of music, especially jazz. Her lifelong passion for jazz and photography began at an early age: when she was just 14 years old, she persuaded her mother to take her to London Airport to see off the jazz legend Louis Armstrong who had been playing in the UK. She asked him for an autograph, then took a picture of him as he broke into a huge smile. The image was the first of many classic shots.
Alongside her work as a photographer, Val has written extensively about music, as a journalist for numerous publications and as an author: her book As Serious As Your Life, examining the evolution of free jazz within the wider context of racial and sexual politics, has been widely acclaimed as a classic text.
In 1983 she co-founded Format, the first all-female photographic agency, which aimed to champion women photographers and to widen the range of images available to newspapers and magazines.
Her photographs are held in the collections of the V&A and the National Portrait Gallery.
DISC ONE: Potato Head Blues - Louis Armstrong & His Hot Seven
DISC TWO: Black, Brown And White - Big Bill Broonzy
DISC THREE: Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8_1. By Kodaly, First movement performed by Janos Starker
DISC FOUR: The Weary Blues – Langston Hughes
DISC FIVE: My Lovely Elizabeth - S.E. Rogie
DISC SIX: Criss Cross - Thelonious Monk
DISC SEVEN: Dogon A D - Julius Hemphill
DISC EIGHT: Love and Affection - Joan ArmatradingBOOK CHOICE: The Collective Works of Langston Hughes
LUXURY ITEM: Nail scissors
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Criss Cross - Thelonious MonkPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producers Tim Bano and Sarah Taylor -
Jamie Dornan, actor
25 februari 2024 · 36 min
Beluister deze afleveringJamie Dornan is an actor who first came to the attention of television audiences in 2013 when he played serial killer Paul Spector in the BBC series the Fall. Two years later he starred alongside Dakota Johnson in the film Fifty Shades of Grey and went on to play the same part in the rest of the trilogy. In 2022 he was the lead in the BBC drama the Tourist which was watched by millions of viewers and recently returned for its second season. Lees meer
Jamie was born in Holywood in County Down. At 10 he played Widow Twankey in the school pantomime - a defining moment for him when he experienced the thrill of playing to a live audience.
After dropping out of university Jamie became a model and worked on big campaigns for some leading fashion brands before landing his first acting part in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette in 2006. His role in the Fall was his big break and the Fifty Shades films catapulted him to movie star status.
In 2021 he played Pa in the film Belfast which was written and directed by Kenneth Branagh about his own childhood, growing up at the beginning of the Troubles.
Jamie is married to the musician and composer Amelia Warner and they have three children.
DISC ONE: Caravan - Van Morrison
DISC TWO: Violin Concerto No. 1: II. Composed by Philip Glass and performed by Adele Anthony (violin) and Ulster Orchestra, conducted by Takuo Yuasa
DISC THREE: Hoppípolla - Sigur Rós
DISC FOUR: Bridge over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel
DISC FIVE: Metarie - Brendan Benson
DISC SIX: Forever – The Beach Boys
DISC SEVEN: Something - The Beatles
DISC EIGHT: The Whole of the Moon – The WaterboysBOOK CHOICE: Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
LUXURY ITEM: A golf club and balls
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Forever – The Beach BoysPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cellist
18 februari 2024 · 38 min
Beluister deze afleveringSheku Kanneh-Mason is a cellist who came to international attention when he performed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. Still only 24, he has performed at a series of high profile locations including the Hollywood Bowl and Downing Street. Last year he was a soloist at the Last Night of the Proms. Lees meer
Sheku was brought up in Nottingham along with his six siblings who are also extremely talented musicians. At six-years-old he went to a concert by the Nottingham Youth Orchestra where he was transfixed by the cello section. He started having lessons not long afterwards and by the age of nine he’d completed all of his music grades – receiving the highest marks in the country. At 17 he won the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition.
He went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music and made his debut at the BBC Proms as a soloist with the Chineke! Orchestra in 2017.
In 2020 he was appointed an MBE for services to music and two years later became the Royal Academy of Music’s first Menuhin Visiting Professor of Performance Mentoring.
DISC ONE: Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.85 - 1st movement: Adagio – Moderato. Composed by Edward Elgar and performed by Jacqueline du Pré, with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir John Barbirolli
DISC TWO: Rivers of Babylon -The Melodians
DISC THREE: Dat - Pluto Shervington
DISC FOUR: String Quartet in C major, Op 20 No. 2, Capriccio: Adagio. Composed by Joseph Haydn and performed by The London Haydn Quartet
DISC FIVE: Chances Are - Bob Marley
DISC SIX: Requiem in D minor, K. 626 , Introitus 1 – Requiem. Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and performed by the Monteverdi Choir
DISC SEVEN: Symphony No.11 'The Year 1905' - II. The 9th January; Adagio. Composed by Dmitri Shostakovich and performed by The Moscow Philharmonic, conducted by Kirill Kondrashin
DISC EIGHT: Largo from Organ Sonata No.5 in C major, BWV 529. Composed by Johan Sebastian Bach and performed by Samuel FeinbergBook: The Feynman Lecture…
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Guli Francis-Dehqani, Church of England Bishop
11 februari 2024 · 37 min
Beluister deze afleveringThe Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani is the Bishop of Chelmsford. She also sits in Parliament as a Lord Spiritual and last year she played a prominent role in the Coronation, administering Holy Communion to the King and Queen. Lees meer
She was born in Isfahan, central Iran, the youngest of four children to Hassan Dehqani-Tafti, the first ethnic Iranian Anglican Bishop of his country, and his wife Margaret. In 1980, in the wake of the Islamic Revolution, her family were targeted and forced to leave the country. She arrived in the UK aged 13 as a refugee. Four decades on, Guli has yet to set foot on Iranian soil.
She was ordained as a deacon in 1998 and a priest the following year. She was consecrated a bishop in November 2017, making her the first woman from a minority ethnic background to be ordained as an Anglican bishop in the UK.
She is the lead Bishop for Housing for the Church of England and is a contributor to BBC Radio 4s Thought for the Day. She is married to Lee, who is a priest, and they have three children.
DISC ONE: Requiem in D Minor, Op. 48: VI. Libera me. Composed by Gabriel Fauré and performed by Stephen Varcoe (baritone), The Cambridge Singers, conducted by John Rutter
DISC TWO: Morgh-e Sahar - Homayoun Shajarian and Dastan Ensemble
DISC THREE: Ride on Time - Black Box
DISC FOUR: Miniatures for Piano Trio. Set 2: No. 4, Romance. Composed by Frank Bridge and performed by Alexander Chaushian and Ashley Wass
DISC FIVE: Variations on Bahram’s Melody. Composed by Bahram Dehqani-Tafti and performed by Gabriel Francis-Dehqani with Fiona Sweeney, Krystof Kohout and Will Harmer
DISC SIX: Take me to Church - Sinead O’Connor
DISC SEVEN: Sovereign Light Café - Keane
DISC EIGHT: Mahi - Golnar Shahyar, Mahan Mirarab, (feat. Luis Guerra)BOOK CHOICE: The Book of Kings
LUXURY ITEM: Photo albums
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Requiem in D Minor, Op. 48: VI. Libera me. Composed by Gabriel Fauré and performed by Stephen Varcoe (baritone), The Cambridge Singers, conducted by John R… -
Graham Nash, musician
4 februari 2024 · 36 min
Beluister deze afleveringGraham William Nash is a musician, singer, songwriter and photographer. He had his first musical success as a member of the UK band The Hollies before his move to America when he sang as part of Crosby, Stills and Nash. Lees meer
Graham was born in 1942 and grew up in Salford. He found his singing voice at the age of six when he realised that not only could he sing, but he had the ability to harmonise any melody.
He is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Over the years, Graham has written many hit songs for The Hollies and Crosby, Stills and Nash including Our House and Marrakesh Express. Alongside his critically acclaimed musical career, Graham is also a successful photographer. His photos have been on show in galleries and museums around the world.
He lives in New York with his third wife.
DISC ONE: Be-bop-a-Lula - Gene Vincent
DISC TWO: Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
DISC THREE: Maybe Baby - Buddy Holly and the Crickets
DISC FOUR: Bye Bye Love - The Everly Brothers
DISC FIVE: God Only Knows - The Beach Boys
DISC SIX: Adagio for Strings, composed by Samuel Barber and performed by City of London Sinfonia conducted, by Richard Hickox
DISC SEVEN: Don't Give Up - Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush
DISC EIGHT: A Day In The Life - The BeatlesBOOK CHOICE: The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto
LUXURY ITEM: A sleeping bag
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: A Day In The Life - The BeatlesPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor -
Delia Smith, CH, CBE, cookery writer and broadcaster
21 januari 2024 · 38 min
Beluister deze afleveringDelia Smith CH CBE is one of Britain’s most popular and successful cookery writers and broadcasters. Lees meer
Her first book, How to Cheat at Cooking, was published in 1971 and she presented her first television series, Family Fare, two years later. Since then she has presented many more series and her books have sold more than 21 million copies in the UK alone. Her widespread influence has led to the phrase ‘the Delia effect’, when large numbers of shoppers sought out her recommendations.
Delia was born in Woking in 1941, and grew up in Bexleyheath. She attended the local secondary modern school, but left without any qualifications. She eventually found work as a pot washer and then a waitress in a French restaurant in London, where the chef encouraged her interest in cooking and food.
In 1969 she landed the job of cookery writer on the Daily Mirror’s new colour supplement. There she honed her simple, no-nonsense instructions and met her husband, Michael Wynn-Jones.
She hung up her apron in 2013 to spend more time on her other passion - football. Delia and Michael have been long-standing supporters – and, since 1996, majority shareholders - of Norwich City FC. She lives in Suffolk countryside in the same cottage she and Michael bought as their first home.
DISC ONE: The Sound of Silence - Paul Simon
DISC TWO: Within You Without You - The Beatles
DISC THREE: Gnossienne No 1. Composed by Erik Satie and performed by Alexandre Tharaud
DISC FOUR: Caruso – composed by Lucio Dalla and performed by Luciano Pavarotti
DISC FIVE: Kyrie: Call To Prayer – Muezzin from the Muhammad Ali Mosque, Cairo. Performed by Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, Choristers of St. George's Chapel, Windsor and composed by David Fanshawe
DISC SIX: This Woman's Work - Kate Bush
DISC SEVEN: He Moved Through the Fair - Sinéad O'Connor
DISC EIGHT: Happy - Pharrell WilliamsBOOK CHOICE: Sister Wendy’s 100 Best-loved Paintings by Wendy Beckett
LUXURY ITEM: The Desert Island Discs archive
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: K… -
Greta Gerwig, writer and director
14 januari 2024 · 36 min
Beluister deze afleveringGreta Gerwig is the director of the feature film Barbie - the first woman in cinematic history to have the sole director’s credit for a billion dollar blockbuster. Her previous films include Lady Bird, inspired in part by her own childhood, and Little Women, a widely acclaimed adaptation of the much-loved novel. Lees meer
Greta was born and brought up in Sacramento in California. Her parents encouraged her love of the arts and she started trying to direct her friends in productions while she was still in kindergarten. She studied English and Philosophy at Barnard College in New York where she started acting and writing.
After she graduated she appeared in a series of low budget, improvised, so-called mumblecore films, noted for their often low-key naturalistic style. Her solo directorial debut came in 2017 with Lady Bird, starring Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf. The film won two Golden Globe Awards and was nominated for five Academy Awards. Her follow up film, Little Women, received six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Greta has been named president of the jury for next year's Cannes Film Festival. She lives with her partner, the writer and director Noah Baumbach, and two sons in Manhattan.
DISC ONE: Opening: I Hope I Get It - Don Pippin, A Chorus Line Orchestra, A Chorus Line Ensemble
DISC TWO: Pinball Wizard - The Who
DISC THREE: Sleigh Ride - Johnny Mathis, Percy Faith & His Orchestra
DISC FOUR: And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind - Elvis Presley
DISC FIVE: Moonage Daydream - David Bowie
DISC SIX: Top Hat, White Tie and Tails - Johnny Green & His Orchestra, Fred Astaire
DISC SEVEN: Camelot: Finale Ultimo - Camelot Orchestra conducted by Franz Allers, Original Broadway Cast of Camelot
DISC EIGHT: Ain't Got No / I Got Life - Nina SimoneBOOK CHOICE: The Complete Poems: Emily Dickinson
LUXURY ITEM: A writing set
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Sleigh Ride - Johnny Mathis, Percy Faith & His OrchestraPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Pau… -
Shirley Ballas, dance judge
7 januari 2024 · 36 min
Beluister deze afleveringShirley Ballas is the head judge on Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC’s Saturday night entertainment show, which regularly attracts an audience of many millions. Known as the Queen of Latin dancing, she joined the show in 2017 after a long career as a competitive dancer and teacher. Lees meer
Shirley was born in Wallasey in 1960. She discovered dance as a seven-year-old when she started taking classes in her local church hall. With a combination of natural flair and hard graft she began winning competitions with her partners. In 1980, while she was still an amateur, she met Sammy Stopford who was ranked seventh in the world as a professional Latin dancer. Together they shot up the rankings and became known as the ‘non-stop Stopfords’.
In 1984 she divorced Sammy and the following year she married Corky Ballas, an amateur dancer from Houston. Shirley set about training Corky to become a professional and in 1995 they won the British Open to the World Championships – a feat they repeated the following year.
In 1996 Shirley retired from competitive dancing to concentrate on coaching dancers and judging competitions. In 2017 she joined Strictly Come Dancing, replacing her friend and former teacher Len Goodman as head judge.
Shirley lives in south London with her mother Audrey and her boyfriend, the actor Danny Taylor.
DISC ONE: Get Lucky - Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers
DISC TWO: Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash
DISC THREE: Moon River - Frank Sinatra
DISC FOUR: Sherry - The Four Seasons
DISC FIVE: Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
DISC SIX: You To Me Are Everything - The Real Thing
DISC SEVEN: Highs and Lows - Alexander Jean
DISC EIGHT: We’ve Only Just Begun - The CarpentersBOOK CHOICE: Unleash the Power Within by Tony Robbins
LUXURY ITEM: Cotton knickers
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Highs and Lows - Alexander JeanPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Marina Abramović, performance artist
31 december 2023 · 39 min
Beluister deze afleveringMarina Abramović is an artist renowned for performances and feats of endurance, in which her body is pushed to its limits. She has moved, scandalised and delighted audiences for half a century, and is now celebrated by world-leading galleries and institutions. Lees meer
Marina was born in Belgrade in 1946. Her parents were honoured as war heroes for their work for the Partisan resistance movement, and both took up senior roles in the post-war Yugoslav government. Marina became interested in painting during her childhood, and went on to study art.
She first made her name as a performance artist in her 20s, creating events which often shocked viewers – and were equally traumatic for her. In 1974 she placed 72 objects, including sharp tools, a whip and a loaded pistol, on a table and invited gallery goers to use them on her, however they wished. She was attacked and left scarred, and part of her hair went white. For many years she led a nomadic existence, creating works with her partner, the German artist Ulay. In 1997, in response to the war in Bosnia, she created a prize-winning work for the Venice Biennale, in which for four days she attempted to scrub the blood from a vast pile of cow bones.
In 2010 her exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York attracted almost a million people, many queuing for hours for a chance to sit opposite her in silence as part of her marathon performance The Artist is Present. More recently her work has been celebrated in a major retrospective exhibition at the Royal Academy in London, along with performances at English National Opera, marking the centenary of Maria Callas.
DISC ONE: Aria from The Goldberg Variations. Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
German composer and musician, performed by Igor Levit
DISC TWO: Norma, Act 1: "Casta diva". Composed by Vincenzo Bellini, performed by Maria Callas (soprano) and Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano
DISC THREE: 4 Degrees - Anohni
DISC FOUR: Paloma Negra - Chavela Vargas
DISC FIVE: Private… -
Dr Nicola Fox, head of science at Nasa
24 december 2023 · 37 min
Beluister deze afleveringDr Nicky Fox is only the second woman to hold the post of Head of Science at NASA since the agency was founded in 1958. She has responsibility for around a hundred missions which are investigating the mysteries of outer space. These missions are tackling questions such as how do hurricanes form and are we alone in the universe. Lees meer
Nicky was born in Hitchin in Hertfordshire and her father introduced her to the wonders of space when she was just a few months old. In 1969 he lifted her out of her cot to watch the television coverage of the Apollo 11 mission when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Nicky’s enduring fascination with the cosmos led her to study physics at Imperial College in London.
After completing her PhD she took up a post-doctoral fellowship at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre in Maryland. In 2010 she became the project scientist for the Parker Solar Probe, humanity’s first mission to a star, which launched in 2018 and is still flying through the sun’s atmosphere collecting data. Recently she oversaw the Osiris-Rex mission which brought back the first asteroid samples from deep space.
In 2021 Nicky was awarded the American Astronautical Society’s Carl Sagan Memorial Award for her leadership in the field of Heliophysics.
DISC ONE: The Best – Tina Turner
DISC TWO: Livin’ On A Prayer - Bon Jovi
DISC THREE: Lara’s Theme - MGM Studio Orchestra, composed and conducted by Maurice Jarre
DISC FOUR: Danny Boy - Andy Williams
DISC FIVE: When You Know - Shawn Colvin
DISC SIX: (Reach Up for the) Sunrise - Duran Duran
DISC SEVEN: Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day
DISC EIGHT: Canyon Moon - Harry StylesBOOK CHOICE: Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan
LUXURY ITEM: Lego
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green DayPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Pia Sinha, Director Prison Reform Trust
17 december 2023 · 35 min
Beluister deze afleveringPia 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. Lees meer
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 - AdeleBOOK CHOICE: A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
LUXURY ITEM: Chilli sauce
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Kathy’s Song - Simon & GarfunkelPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor -
Peter White, broadcaster
10 december 2023 · 36 min
Beluister deze afleveringPeter White is an award-winning broadcaster. In 2024 he will celebrate 50 years presenting Radio 4’s In Touch, the programme for blind and visually impaired people. He is also one of the presenters of the network’s consumer series, You and Yours. Lees meer
Peter was born in 1947 and has been blind since birth. Like his older brother Colin, he has a rare genetic anomaly that meant his optic nerve hadn’t developed properly. From the age of five he boarded at The Royal School of Industry for the Blind where he excelled at Braille and won national reading competitions for several years running. He completed his secondary education at Worcester College for the Blind.
In 1970 he turned up in the reception for the new local radio station BBC Solent and announced that he wanted to present programmes for them. They took him on and he went on to report and present for Link, the station’s programme for blind people. Years later he presented Viewpoint, a two hour live, mainstream mid-morning programme on Radio Solent. His appointment was featured on the 9 O’clock news as he was the first blind presenter to host a live daily topical programme.
In 1995 he was appointed the BBC's Disability Affairs Correspondent - the first totally blind person to produce as well as present reports for television news. Peter has presented other Radio 4 programmes including No Triumph, No Tragedy and Blind Man on the Rampage.
In 1998 he was appointed MBE for services to broadcasting. Peter lives in Marple, Greater Manchester with his second wife Jackie.
DISC ONE: Somebody Who Loves You - Joan Armatrading
DISC TWO: An extract from Hancock’s Half Hour - Sunday Afternoon at Home with
Tony Hancock. With Sidney James, Bill Kerr, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams
DISC THREE: Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye - Ella Fitzgerald
DISC FOUR: Badge - Cream
DISC FIVE: Albatross - Judy Collins
DISC SIX: The Banks of Green Willow. Composed by George Butterworth and performed by The Academy of St Martin in the Fields, condu… -
Lea Salonga, singer and actor
3 december 2023 · 36 min
Beluister deze afleveringLea Salonga was just 18 when she became an international theatre star, taking a leading role in the world premiere production of the musical Miss Saigon in 1989. Her performance - first in London, then on Broadway - won her Olivier and Tony awards. She has provided the singing voice for two Disney princesses, and has become a strong advocate for better Asian representation on stage and screen. Lees meer
She was born in Manila in the Philippines, where she made her professional stage debut in 1978 at the age of seven in a production of The King and I. Further roles in musicals followed, and she recorded a best-selling solo album when she was 10.
Lea planned to become a doctor before she was invited to audition for Miss Saigon, and her immediate success launched a performing career in which she has made history many times. She was the first Asian woman to win a Tony for an acting role, the first Asian actor to star in Les Misérables, the first Filipino artist to sign a record deal with an international label and the first person to voice two different Disney princesses - Mulan and Jasmine in Aladdin, in which she sang A Whole New World, which won the Oscar for Best Original Song. She has appeared in numerous international stage productions, as well as television shows, films and singing tours.
Earlier this year she starred in and made her debut as a producer on the musical Here Lies Love on Broadway: written by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, it focuses on the life of Imelda Marcos, wife of Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
In September, Lea returned to the London Stage in 'Old Friends' , a musical tribute to Stephen Sondheim.
She has performed for six Filipino and four American presidents.
DISC ONE: Feed The Birds (Tuppence a Bag) - Julie Andrews, The Disney Studio Chorus
DISC TWO: Days and Days -Judy Kuhn
DISC THREE: Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
DISC FOUR: Tsismis - Ryan Cayabyab
DISC FIVE: Gymnopédie No. 1. Composed by Erik Satie and performed by Philippe Entremont… -
Professor Dame Lesley Regan, obstetrician and gynaecologist
26 november 2023 · 37 min
Beluister deze afleveringProfessor Dame Lesley Regan is the Government’s first Women’s Health Ambassador for England. She is one of the main drivers behind the upcoming Women’s Health Strategy which aims to tackle the gender health gap and improve services for women. Lees meer
As a former president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists – only the second woman to hold that post in its 94-year history – she shone a light on historically taboo subjects from period problems and contraception to the menopause.
Lesley was born in London in 1956. When she was seven she told her father that she wanted to be a doctor and although the sciences weren’t her strongest subjects at school, she won a place at the Royal Free Hospital Medical School in London in 1975.
In 1991 she was appointed a senior lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at St Mary’s Hospital in London and consultant at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. The following year she set up the Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic at St Mary’s which is the largest miscarriage referral service in the world.
In 2020 she was appointed a DBE for services to women’s healthcare.
DISC ONE: Mr Bojangles – Nina Simone
DISC TWO: Symphony No. 5 in C Sharp. Composed by Mahler and performed by Berliner Philharmoniker
DISC THREE: Agnus Dei. Composed by Bach and performed by Iestyn Davies, (counter-tenor), The English Consort, conducted by Harry Bicket
DISC FOUR: I Cried for You - Katie Melua
DISC FIVE: Norma: Act I, Scene 1: Casta diva (Norma/Coro) Composed by Vincenzo Bellini and performed by Maria Callas (soprano), The Teatro Alla Scala Orchestra, conducted by Tullio Serafin
DISC SIX: The Best – Tina Turner
DISC SEVEN: Metamorpheme – Shakespeare and the Bible
DISC EIGHT: Clarinet Concerto In A, K. 622 - II. Adagio. Composed by Mozart and performed by Karl Leister (clarinet) and Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Herbert Von KarajanBOOK CHOICE: The Works of George Eliot
LUXURY ITEM: Marmite on toast
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: The Best – Tina Turne… -
Patrick Grant, designer and broadcaster
19 november 2023 · 36 min
Beluister deze afleveringPatrick Grant is a designer, clothing entrepreneur and a judge on the BBC TV programme The Great British Sewing Bee. Lees meer
Patrick was born in Edinburgh in 1972. His interest in clothes and in making things was evident from a very early age, along with a love of sport: his father was a rugby coach and trained Patrick and his friends. Some of his friends went on to represent Scotland and Patrick played for Scotland's under-19 team.
He studied Material Science and Engineering at Leeds University and worked in industry for a decade. Then, after spotting an advertisement in a newspaper, he bought an ailing Savile Row tailoring company. It was almost an impulse buy, at great financial risk. After a shaky start, he turned the business around, and within five years he was named menswear designer of the year at the British Fashion Awards. Patrick went on to buy a factory in Blackburn, Cookson and Clegg. He is passionate about British manufacturing, and set up Community Clothing with the aim of making good quality affordable day wear.
He has been a judge on The Great British Sewing Bee since the programme began in 2013. He divides his time between London, Blackburn and the Highlands.
DISC ONE: Les Fleurs - Minnie Riperton
DISC TWO: My Heart’s in the Highlands - Else Torp and Christopher Bowers-Broadbent
DISC THREE: Do You Wanna Funk - Sylvester
DISC FOUR: Big Time Sensuality, the Fluke Magimix - Björk
DISC FIVE: Harry Patch (In Memory of) - Radiohead
DISC SIX: Kill Dem - Jamie xx
DISC SEVEN: Get Better - alt-J
DISC EIGHT: I Saw - Young FathersBOOK CHOICE: Green Woodwork: Working with Wood the Natural Way by Mike Abbott
LUXURY ITEM: A complete set of woodworking tools
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Kill Dem - Jamie xxPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor -
Dame Donna Langley, film studio executive
12 november 2023 · 36 min
Beluister deze afleveringDame Donna Langley is chairman and chief content officer for the NBC Universal Studio Group, the first British woman in history to run a major Hollywood film studio. She green lit Christopher Nolan’s latest film Oppenheimer and was one of the earliest and most ardent supporters of the Abba movie Mamma Mia. Lees meer
She was born in London and brought up on the Isle of Wight. She always knew she was adopted as a baby, which she says made her feel special within her family. She left London for Los Angeles when she was in her early twenties, looking for adventure rather than following a career plan.
In LA, she worked in a club on Sunset Boulevard before taking up an internship with a film producer. Later she worked as an assistant at the production studio New Line Cinema, and in 2001 she joined Universal Studios as senior vice president of production.
She says her decision to say yes to a film is based on her gut instinct and whether she loves it. She is a champion of original content and early on in her career backed Straight Outta Compton – the story of the hip hop band NWA – and later Get Out, directed by Jordan Peele. She currently oversees major franchises including Fast and Furious, Despicable Me and Jurassic World.
Dame Donna lives in California with her husband and two children.
DISC ONE: Thank You For The Music - Abba
DISC TWO: Zorba the Greek - Mikis Theodorakis
DISC THREE: La Wally - composed by Alfredo Catalani and performed by Wilhelmenia Fernandez
DISC FOUR: This is the Day - The The
DISC FIVE: It Was A Good Day - Ice Cube
DISC SIX: Never Is a Promise - Fiona Apple
DISC SEVEN: All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem
DISC EIGHT: Come Home (feat. André 3000) - Anderson PaakBOOK CHOICE: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
LUXURY ITEM: Tarot cards
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: All My Friends - LCD SoundsystemPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Greg Jackson, entrepreneur
5 november 2023 · 36 min
Beluister deze afleveringGreg Jackson is the founder and CEO of Octopus Energy. The company is the UK’s second largest domestic energy provider with over five million customers and is one of Europe’s leading investors in renewables. Lees meer
Greg was born in Germany in 1971 where his father was a surveyor in the army. The family returned to the UK a few years later and, following his parents’ divorce, Greg and his two younger siblings were brought up by his mother in Halifax. He describes his mother’s fortitude in bringing up three children on a tight budget as inspirational.
Greg left school at 16 to write video games but returned to education a few years later to complete his A-Levels. He went on to study economics at Cambridge University and then joined Procter and Gamble’s graduate scheme where he worked in marketing.
He became managing director of a mirror business when he was still in his twenties and then began flexing his business acumen by investing in a series of tech start-up businesses. In 2015 he secured £10m in investment to start a new energy company.
Greg has two sons and lives in west London.
DISC ONE: The Only Way is Up - Yazz & The Plastic Population
DISC TWO: Run To The Hills - Iron Maiden
DISC THREE: Shipping Forecast (BBC Radio 4) Read by Eugene Fraser
DISC FOUR: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For - U2
DISC FIVE: Dizzy - The Wonder Stuff and Vic Reeves
DISC SIX: The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
DISC SEVEN: One Day Like This - Elbow
DISC EIGHT: Rockaway Beach - MotörheadBOOK CHOICE: The Apollo Guidance Computer: Architecture and Operation by Frank O'Brien
LUXURY ITEM: A pinball machine
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: One Day Like This - ElbowPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Katherine Ryan, comedian
29 oktober 2023 · 37 min
Beluister deze afleveringKatherine Ryan is a Canadian comedian and writer. Her edgy and provocative routines have led to sell-out tours, comedy specials on television and her sitcom series The Duchess. Based on her experience at the time, the Duchess tells the story of a successful, happily single mother and Katherine wrote it out of frustration because she believed no one else was telling a story like hers on screen. Lees meer
Katherine was born in Sarnia in Ontario where she attended a local French-speaking primary school. The school celebrated the arts and Katherine became a musical theatre enthusiast who could sing, dance, write and act.
Later she moved to Toronto where she studied city planning and worked for a branch of the restaurant chain Hooters. She credits the latter with teaching her the value of being entertaining and smart.
In 2008 she relocated to London with her boyfriend and a few years later she got her big break as a comedian, performing on the panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats. By now a single mother to daughter Violet, she developed a rapport with audiences by sharing stories from her own life – both funny and sad. She describes her tendency to connect with her fans in this way as her “language of love”.
In 2019, while filming an episode of the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are in Canada, she met up with her high school boyfriend, Bobby. They hadn’t seen each other for 20 years but the spark was still there and later that year they married in Denmark and went on to have two children together.
The programme was recorded on September 6th.
DISC ONE: Spice Up Your Life - The Spice Girls
DISC TWO: The Real Slim Shady - Eminem
DISC THREE: La Isla Bonita - Madonna
DISC FOUR: Soul One - Blind Melon
DISC FIVE: 22 - Taylor Swift
DISC SIX: Psychic City (Classixx Remix) - Yacht
DISC SEVEN: Crash Into Me - Dave Matthews Band
DISC EIGHT: 16 Shots - Stefflon DonBOOK CHOICE: The Highway Rat by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler
LUXURY ITEM: A hat and skincare set
CASTAWAY'S FAVO… -
Lucinda Russell, horse trainer
22 oktober 2023 · 36 min
Beluister deze afleveringLucinda Russell is a Scottish racehorse trainer. Her stables in Kinross have sent out almost 900 winners, including two Grand National champions. She is one of only two Scottish trainers and four women to have celebrated a Grand National win since the event began in 1839, and her yard is the most successful in the history of Scottish jump racing. Lees meer
Lucinda was born in Edinburgh in 1966. Although she didn’t come from a racing background – her father ran the family’s whisky business – she was obsessed with horses from a very young age. After many years of pleading, she finally got her first pony at the age of 10. A few years later the family moved from Edinburgh to Arlay Farm near Milnathort in Kinross-shire, where she still trains her horses today.
After studying psychology at the University of St Andrews, Lucinda began riding competitively, which she funded by buying and training horses before selling them on. She took out her professional trainer’s licence in 1995 and built up her stables on the family farm.
Lucinda’s first success at the Grand National was in 2017 with One for Arthur, ridden by Derek Fox. She had helped buy the horse for the owners, two self-described ‘golf widows’. She was awarded an OBE for services to horseracing in the Queen’s Birthday Honours the following year. Then in 2023 she won again with Corach Rambler.
Lucinda runs her stables with her partner the former National Hunt jockey Peter Scudamore.
DISC ONE: Some Nights - Fun.
DISC TWO: Forever Young - Alphaville
DISC THREE: Wand'rin' Star - Lee Marvin
DISC FOUR: Piano Man - Billy Joel
DISC FIVE: This Is The Day - The The
DISC SIX: To Win Just Once -The Saw Doctors
DISC SEVEN: Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Andy Williams
DISC EIGHT: Andante, Andante - ABBABOOK CHOICE: Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery by Andris J. Kaneps, Kenneth William Hinchcliff, and Raymond J. Geor
LUXURY ITEM: A camper van
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Andy WilliamsPresenter Lauren Laverne
Pro… -
Adrian Edmondson, actor, writer
15 oktober 2023 · 1 uur
Beluister deze afleveringAdrian Edmondson first shot to national fame in 1982, playing the studded punk Vyvyan in the TV sitcom The Young Ones, set in a seedy student flat. The cast largely came from the developing alternative comedy scene, and included Rik Mayall and Alexei Sayle. Lees meer
Adrian was born in Bradford in 1957. He spent time as a child in Cyprus, Bahrain and Uganda, following his father who worked as a teacher for the armed forces. He attended a boarding school in Yorkshire from the age of 11, where he often rebelled against its rules and restrictions, but enjoyed performing in school plays.
He headed to Manchester University to study drama, where he soon met Rik Mayall. They bonded over their shared interests in comedy, double acts, violent slapstick and the plays of Samuel Beckett. It was the start of a long performing partnership and friendship, which included the anarchic TV comedy and long-running touring show Bottom and a production of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot on the West End stage.
Adrian has also worked widely as an actor and musician, including an acclaimed appearance as Scrooge for the RSC, and performances with the reunited Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
Adrian married Jennifer Saunders in 1985, and they have three daughters.
DISC ONE: Downtown - Petula Clark
DISC TWO: A Song of the Weather - Flanders & Swann
DISC THREE: Sugar, Sugar - The Archies
DISC FOUR: On My Radio - The Selecter
DISC FIVE: Jole Blon - Vin Bruce
DISC SIX: Saturday Gigs - Mott the Hoople
DISC SEVEN: I’m Bored - Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
DISC EIGHT: Wide Open Spaces - The Chicks (formerly The Dixie Chicks)BOOK CHOICE: Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
LUXURY ITEM: A tab of acid
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Wide Open Spaces - The ChicksPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor -
Shirley Collins, folk singer
3 september 2023 · 37 min
Beluister deze afleveringShirley Collins first enjoyed success as one of the leading figures in the British folk revival of the 1960s. She initially performed with her sister, Dolly Collins, and also collaborated with other folk luminaries to create some of the era’s most beloved albums. In the past decade she has made an acclaimed return to the concert stage and the recording studio. Lees meer
Shirley was born in Sussex in 1935. She can still recall how her grandfather used to sing folk songs to comfort her while they were sheltering during German air raids in the early 1940s.
Alongside her career as a singer, in the 1950s she travelled to the American South with Alan Lomax, where they made field recordings of blues and folk musicians, helping to create a significant archive.
Later in her performing career, Shirley found that she could no longer sing, following a distressing betrayal in her private life. She stepped away from music and was silent for many years, taking on other work, including a stint in a job centre Then, in her 80s, she found her voice again. In 2016 she released her first new album after a gap of almost four decades, and she has since released two more albums.
Shirley lives in Sussex, not far from her childhood home.
DISC ONE: Chiling O Guiry - Concerto Caledonia
DISC TWO: The Birds in the Spring - The Copper Family
DISC THREE: Who Would True Valour See - Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band
DISC FOUR: Dear Father, Pray Build Me a Boat - Sheila Smith
DISC FIVE: 61 Highway Blues - Mississippi Fred McDowell
DISC SIX: Poor Sally Sits a-weeping - Dolly Collins
DISC SEVEN: A Heart Needs A Home - Richard & Linda Thompson
DISC EIGHT: Going Home - Mark KnopflerBOOK CHOICE: A collection of Brodie detective novels by Kate Atkinson
LUXURY ITEM: A solar powered fridge filled with Italian Ice cream and two lipsticks
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Poor Sally Sits a WeepingPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor -
Toto Wolff, Formula 1 executive
27 augustus 2023 · 36 min
Beluister deze afleveringToto Wolff is CEO and Team Principal of the Mercedes Formula 1 motor racing team. He has led the team to an unprecedented seven consecutive drivers’ championships – six with Lewis Hamilton - and eight consecutive constructors' championships. He is the most successful manager in Formula 1 history, and arguably one of the most successful managers in any sport. Lees meer
Toto was born Torger Wolff in Vienna. When he was eight his father was diagnosed with a brain tumour and died when Toto was 15. Toto found himself looking after his mother and sister from a young age which he believes contributed to the strength of character he developed as an adult.
Toto's original ambition in motorsport was to be a driver, and he started competing in his late teens. Following the deaths of drivers Ayrton Senna and then Roland Ratzenberger, his sponsor withdrew support, which forced him to give up his dream. He turned his attention to business and made a fortune as an entrepreneur.
In 2009 he bought a stake in the Williams Formula 1 team and four years later bought a 30% stake in the Mercedes team.
Toto is married to the former racing driver Susie Stoddart and they divide their time between the UK and Monaco. Their six-year-old son Jack is already showing an interest in karting.
DISC ONE: Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack
DISC TWO: Mama - Genesis
DISC THREE: Money Can’t Buy It - Annie Lennox
DISC FOUR: Iron Sky - Paolo Nutini
DISC FIVE: We Are The Champions – Queen
DISC SIX: Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins
DISC SEVEN: Fallen - Lauren Wood
DISC EIGHT: The Power of Love - Frankie Goes to HollywoodBOOK CHOICE: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
LUXURY ITEM: Diving fins and a mask
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Fallen - Lauren WoodPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Simon Woolley, crossbench peer
20 augustus 2023 · 36 min
Beluister deze afleveringSimon Woolley, Lord Woolley of Woodford, is principal of Homerton College at Cambridge University. He is the first black man to head an Oxbridge college. He is a co-founder of Operation Black Vote, which campaigns for greater inclusivity in politics, and became a crossbench peer in 2019. Lees meer
Simon spent his early years in an orphanage in Leicester before being fostered and then adopted by a white couple who also adopted his brother Mick. He left school at 16 to work as a car mechanic and then moved to London where he embarked on a successful career in sales. In 1988 he completed a one year access course which provided the pathway to university and a degree in English and Spanish.
In 1996 Simon was one of the co-founders of Operation Black Vote, a non-partisan organisation which encourages voter registration and community engagement, aiming to give a voice to all sections of society.
He was awarded a knighthood for services to race equality in 2019 and took up his current role as principal of Homerton College in 2021.
DISC ONE: I Want You Back - The Jackson 5
DISC TWO: Green Green Grass of Home - Tom Jones
DISC THREE: Manhattan - Ella Fitzgerald
DISC FOUR: Titanium (Morten Future Rave Mix) - David Guetta (feat Sia)
DISC FIVE: Hagamos Lo Que Diga El Corazón - Grupo Niche
DISC SIX: Dreamland – Composed and performed by Alexis Ffrench and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by James Morgan
DISC SEVEN: Cowboy bebop tank! - Niyari
DISC EIGHT: For Once in My Life - Stevie WonderBOOK CHOICE: Football in Sun and Shadow by Eduardo Galeano
LUXURY ITEM: A razor blade
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: For Once in My Life - Stevie WonderPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Jill Scott, footballer
13 augustus 2023 · 37 min
Beluister deze afleveringJill Scott is the second most capped England footballer ever, playing for her country 161 times. Before her retirement last year, she played in ten major international tournaments and was part of the England team who beat Germany to win the 2022 European Championships. Lees meer
Jill was born and brought up in Sunderland, and excelled in a range of sports from an early age. She won the London mini-marathon when she was 14 but her heart was in football. She played for a boys junior football team until she was asked to leave when she was nine years old. Fortunately her mother found a girls team for her.
She began her senior career when she was a teenager, initially playing for Sunderland before moving on to Everton and then Manchester City, where she won all the domestic trophies. She was renowned as a highly competitive midfield player, who scored 27 goals for England.
She lives in Manchester with her partner Shelly, where they co-own a coffee shop. .
DISC ONE: (Something Inside) So Strong - Labi Siffre
DISC TWO: So Good - Boyzone
DISC THREE: Step by Step - Whitney Houston
DISC FOUR: Sunday Morning - Maroon 5
DISC FIVE: The Climb - Miley Cyrus
DISC SIX: My Love is Your Love - Whitney Houston
DISC SEVEN: Mysterious Girl - Peter Andre
DISC EIGHT: Sweet Caroline - Neil DiamondBOOK CHOICE: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ by Sue Townsend
LUXURY ITEM: A notebook and pens
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: The Climb - Miley CyrusPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor -
Peter Doig, artist
6 augustus 2023 · 36 min
Beluister deze afleveringPeter Doig is one of Britain’s most successful living artists. His paintings have been exhibited at major galleries around the world, winning wide critical acclaim and selling for tens of millions of pounds at auction, setting sales records. Lees meer
Peter was born in Edinburgh in 1959, but grew up in Trinidad and Canada, where his father had chosen to work. Peter was partly educated at a Scottish boarding school, but didn't enjoy the experience. He returned to Canada, dropped out of education, and at the age of 17 found work on a gas rig in the rural west. He decided to move to London, largely attracted by the post-punk music scene, and from 1979 until the late 1980s, he trained as a painter at art schools in the capital, as well as spending time back in Canada.
While his contemporaries among young British artists in the 1990s often created large-scale installations, sculptures or videos, Peter dedicated himself to painting, often working with very large canvases, creating atmospheric, mysterious landscapes acclaimed for their use of colour.
In 2002, echoing his own childhood, he and his family moved to Trinidad, where he set up his studio. The island became his main home for almost two decades, before he moved to London in 2021.
Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor -
Stanley Tucci, actor
30 juli 2023 · 36 min
Beluister deze afleveringStanley Tucci is an actor, director and writer who is known for his roles in a broad range of feature films including the Devil Wears Prada, Julie and Julia and the Hunger Games. More recently he has whetted the appetites of television viewers with his food and travel series Searching for Italy. Lees meer
Stanley’s grandparents left Calabria in southern Italy for a new life in America, where his parents were born. Stanley himself was born in Peekskill, New York, and grew up in the nearby hamlet of Katonah. He studied drama at the State University of New York and in 1985 made his debut in John Huston’s film Prizzi’s Honour.
In 1996 he co-wrote, co-directed and starred in Big Night about two brothers who run a struggling Italian restaurant. The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance film Festival. In 2002 he starred in Sam Mendes’s Road to Perdition and he played a serial killer in Peter Jackson’s film the Lovely Bones. He published his first cookbook in 2012.
Stanley lives in London with his wife, the literary agent Felicity Blunt, and their family.
DISC ONE: Let It Be - The Beatles
DISC TWO: Compared to What (Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival) - Les McCann & Eddie Harris
DISC THREE: Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622 - II. Adagio. Performed by Karl Leister (clarinet) and Academy of St Martin in the Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner
DISC FOUR: The Weakness in Me - Joan Armatrading
DISC FIVE: What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
DISC SIX: Tchaikovsky: Serenade for String Orchestra in C Major, Op. 48, TH 48 - I. Pezzo in forma di sonatina: Andante non troppo - Allegro moderato. Performed by Berliner Philharmoniker and conducted by Herbert von Karajan
DISC SEVEN: A Foggy Day (In London Town) - Frank Sinatra
DISC EIGHT: Not Dark Yet - Bob DylanBOOK CHOICE: Westward Ha! by S J Perelman
LUXURY ITEM: Art supplies
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: What a Wonderful World - Louis ArmstrongPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Kate Mosse, writer
23 juli 2023 · 38 min
Beluister deze afleveringKate Mosse OBE is a British novelist and broadcaster. She is the author of ten novels and short story collections, including The Joubert Family Chronicles and the best-selling Languedoc Trilogy. She has also written four works of non-fiction including her memoir about caring, An Extra Pair of Hands. In 1996 she co-founded the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Lees meer
Born in Chichester, she studied English at Oxford University and had a very successful career in publishing before writing her first book about pregnancy. Her novel, Labyrinth, published in 1995 and set in Carcasonne, became an international bestseller which enabled her to give up her publishing job and write full time.
Kate lives in Chichester with her husband, Greg Mosse, and her mother-in-law, Grannie Rosie. She is a Visiting Professor in Creative Writing at the University of Chichester, a Patron of the Chichester Festival for Music, Dance and Speech, and President of the Festival of Chichester.
She was awarded an OBE in 2013 for services to literature and women.
DISC ONE: Morning Has Broken - Cat Stevens
DISC TWO: These Boots Are Made for Walkin' - Nancy Sinatra
DISC THREE: Station to Station - David Bowie
DISC FOUR: Walls Come Tumbling Down - The Style Council
DISC FIVE: I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
DISC SIX: Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83. Composed by Maurice Ravel. Performed by Martha Argerich and London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Claudio Abbado
DISC SEVEN: Dancing Queen - Abba
DISC EIGHT: La chanson des vieux amants - Jacques BrelBOOK CHOICE: Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot
LUXURY ITEM: A jukebox
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83, composed by Maurice Ravel and performed by Martha Argerich and London Symphony OrchestraPresenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Sarah Taylor -
Adam Kay, writer
16 juli 2023 · 37 min
Beluister deze afleveringAdam Kay is a writer whose memoir This is Going to Hurt; Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor won the Book of the Year prize at the National Book Awards and has sold over three million copies. It was adapted for television as a BBC series that won four BAFTAs this year, including Adam’s award for best drama writer. Lees meer
Adam was born in Brighton in 1980 and studied medicine at Imperial College London. In 2004 he started working as a junior doctor, specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology. In 2010 he left medicine following a catastrophic incident in surgery.
He had kept a diary throughout his medical career, partly to help cope with the long shifts and stressful environment that came with life as a hospital doctor. In 2016 Adam read from his diaries for a show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the positive reception he received from audiences encouraged him to use them as the basis for a memoir. The book became a publishing sensation, and Adam has published further books and enjoyed considerable success with his live performances.
Adam lives in Oxfordshire with his husband James.
DISC ONE: Chopsticks - Liberace
DISC TWO: Mis-shapes - Pulp
DISC THREE: Chopin: Waltz No. 14 in E Minor, Op. posth. (no intro) Composed by Frédéric Chopin and performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy
DISC FOUR: Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat - Stubby Kaye, Original Cast Chorus (from Guys and Dolls)
DISC FIVE: Forgot About Dre - Dr Dre & Eminem
DISC SIX: Poisoning Pigeons - Tom Lehrer
DISC SEVEN: A Lady of a Certain Age - The Divine Comedy
DISC EIGHT: San Diego Serenade - Tom WaitsBOOK CHOICE: York Notes for the Complete Works of Shakespeare
LUXURY ITEM: A diary and pen
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: San Diego Serenade - Tom WaitsPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Claudia Rankine, poet
9 juli 2023 · 37 min
Beluister deze afleveringClaudia Rankine is a poet, essayist and playwright. She is best known for her book Citizen: An American Lyric which combines short stories about everyday injustices experienced by people of colour with poems telling the stories of black men who died during confrontations with the police. The book won several awards in the US and the UK’s Forward Prize for best collection in 2015. Lees meer
Claudia was born in Kingston, Jamaica and at seven followed her parents to New York City where they had emigrated some years before. After graduating from university in 1993, she won a poetry prize for her thesis which became her first book – Nothing in Nature is Private.
In addition to her poetry Claudia has written three plays and has taught at several universities including Yale and New York University. In 2016 she won a prestigious ‘Genius Grant’ from the MacArthur Fellowship which celebrates intellectual and artistic achievement and awards its winners hundreds of thousands of dollars. She used the money to co-found the Racial Imaginary Institute which interrogates notions of race and whiteness.
Claudia lives in Connecticut with her husband, the photographer and filmmaker John Lucas.
DISC ONE: Good as Hell - Lizzo
DISC TWO: Stir It Up - Bob Marley & The Wailers
DISC THREE: Nightshift - Commodores
DISC FOUR: More Than This - Roxy Music
DISC FIVE: Can't Take My Eyes Off of You (I Love You Baby) - Lauryn Hill
DISC SIX: Kiss - Prince & The Revolution
DISC SEVEN: My Favorite Things - John Coltrane
DISC EIGHT: The Rhythm Of The Night - CoronaBOOK CHOICE: As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
LUXURY ITEM: A solar powered television, playing tennis matches
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Good as Hell - LizzoPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Jeremy Bowen, journalist
2 juli 2023 · 38 min
Beluister deze afleveringJeremy Bowen is the BBC’s award-winning international editor. He has been reporting from the world’s conflict zones, including Iraq, Bosnia, the Middle East and Ukraine, for more than 30 years. Lees meer
Jeremy was born in Cardiff in 1960. His father was a journalist for BBC Wales, who covered the Aberfan disaster in 1966, and his mother was a press photographer. In 1984, after university, Jeremy joined the BBC as a news trainee and in 1989 he starting reporting from Afghanistan and El Salvador.
From 1995 to 2000 he was based in Jerusalem as the BBC’s Middle East correspondent. During that time he reported on the assassination of the Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. His coverage of the event won him the Royal Television Society’s Award for Best Breaking News report.
In 2022 Jeremy started reporting on the ground in Ukraine and earlier this year he returned to Iraq to discover how the country was coping, 20 years after the US-led invasion in March 2003.
Jeremy lives in London with his partner Julia.
DISC ONE: Let’s Stay Together - Al Green
DISC TWO: Symphony No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 63: II. Larghetto. Composed by Edward Elgar and performed by Hallé Orchestra, conducted by Sir John Barbirolli
DISC THREE: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op 18. Composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff and performed by Vladimir Ashkenazi (piano) with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by André Previn
DISC FOUR: America - Simon & Garfunkel
DISC FIVE: La bohème: O soave fanciulla. Composed by Giacomo Puccini and performed by Plácido Domingo, Montserrat Caballé, London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Georg Solti
DISC SIX: Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras. Composed by Johannes Brahms and performed by Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Herbert von Karajan
DISC SEVEN: In My Life – The Beatles
DISC EIGHT: Waterloo Sunset - The KinksBOOK CHOICE: The Complete Novels of George Orwell
LUXURY ITEM: A manual typewriter
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Symphony No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 63: II. La… -
Ronnie O'Sullivan, snooker player
25 juni 2023 · 55 min
Beluister deze afleveringRonnie O’Sullivan OBE is currently ranked the number one snooker player in the world, and is widely regarded as one of the finest players in the history of the sport. Lees meer
He has won the Masters a record seven times and he jointly holds the record for winning the World Snooker Championship seven times. Since 1997 he has held the world record for the fastest 147 break, leading to his nickname 'the Rocket'.
Ronnie grew up in Essex and his father gave him his first snooker cue when he was seven. He took to the game immediately: he was playing on a full size snooker table when he was just eight, and two years later he was beating adult players. By the age of 12, he was winning cash prizes in local tournaments, and was soon earning more than his teachers.
Ronnie turned professional when he was 16, and quickly established himself as a star player and a fans' favourite - but he has also made headlines away from the snooker table, with accounts of his depression and struggles with alcohol and drugs. For many years he has kept his physical and mental health in check through his passion for running.
He received an OBE in 2016 for services to snooker.
DISC ONE: Lose Yourself - Eminem
DISC TWO: Careless Whisper - Wham!
DISC THREE: Step by Step - Whitney Houston
DISC FOUR: Real Gone Kid - Deacon Blue
DISC FIVE: You’re So Vain - Carly Simon
DISC SIX: Maybe Tomorrow - Stereophonics
DISC SEVEN: Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) - Train
DISC EIGHT: That’s All - GenesisBOOK CHOICE: Running with the Kenyans by Adharanand Finn
LUXURY ITEM: A painting set
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: That’s All - GenesisPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor -
Professor Sharon Peacock, scientist
18 juni 2023 · 38 min
Beluister deze afleveringProfessor Sharon Peacock is professor of public health and microbiology at Cambridge University. In March 2020 she set up the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium to map the genetic sequence of the virus as it spread and mutated. Within a year COG-UK was leading the world in identifying mutant COVID strains, and this data was instrumental in helping the development of vaccines and treatments. Lees meer
Sharon was born in Margate and left school at 16 to work in her local corner shop. She moved on to become a dental nurse the following year and after that she trained to be a nurse at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. After studying for A levels at evening classes, in 1983 she won a place to study medicine as a mature student at the University of Southampton.
After further training and several years researching bacterial diseases in Thailand, she returned to the UK where she led the development of the Cambridge Infectious Diseases Initiative.
In 2021 Sharon was awarded the MRC Millennium Medal, the Medical Research Council’s most prestigious prize.
DISC ONE: Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
DISC TWO: A Boy and a Girl - Voces8
DISC THREE: Time Has Told Me - Nick Drake
DISC FOUR: Title: Driving Home for Christmas - Chris Rea
DISC FIVE: Take a Bow - Muse
DISC SIX: Cantique de Jean Racine, Op. 11 (from Fauré’s Requiem) Composed by Gabriel Fauré and performed by Choir of St. John's College, conducted by Andrew Nethsingha
DISC SEVEN: Symphonie Fantastique by Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, composed by Hector Berlioz, performed by Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and conducted by John Eliot Gardiner
DISC EIGHT: The Lark Ascending, composed by Vaughan Williams and performed by Tasmin Little (violin) BBC Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Sir Andrew DavisBOOK CHOICE: Oxford Textbook of Medicine
LUXURY ITEM: A projector and photos
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Time Has Told Me – Nick DrakePresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Simon Pegg, actor
11 juni 2023 · 35 min
Beluister deze afleveringSimon Pegg is an actor and screenwriter who became a household name after appearing in two of Hollywood’s most successful film franchises – Mission: Impossible and Star Trek. He also won many fans for co-creating the so-called Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy of films – Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and the World’s End. Lees meer
Simon was born in Gloucester and studied theatre, film and television at the University of Bristol. As a student he started performing stand-up routines with his pet goldfish called Roger who was a Marxist poet – albeit a silent one.
Simon first appeared on television in the mid-1990s and made a name for himself by co-creating the sitcom Spaced with the actor Jessica Hynes and the director Edgar Wright. He is one of the few performers to have achieved what Radio Times calls the “Holy Grail of Nerdom” – playing roles in Doctor Who, Star Trek – as Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott – and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He also co-wrote the screenplay for Star Trek Beyond.
In 2006 Simon played the British technician Benji Dunn in Mission: Impossible III and has appeared in every Mission: Impossible film since. He is currently filming the eighth instalment alongside Tom Cruise.
Simon lives in Hertfordshire with his wife Maureen, daughter Tilly and their dogs.
DISC ONE: A Day in the Life – The Beatles
DISC TWO: Rosalinda’s Eyes – Billy Joel
DISC THREE: The Asteroid Field. Composed and conducted by John Williams and performed by London Symphony Orchestra
DISC FOUR: Accept Yourself – The Smiths
DISC FIVE: Marian (Version) – The Sisters of Mercy
DISC SIX: I Feel For You – Chaka Khan
DISC SEVEN: I Bloom Blaum – Coldplay
DISC EIGHT: Salt In The Wound - BoygeniusBOOK CHOICE: The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
LUXURY ITEM: A coffee maker
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: A Day in the Life – The BeatlesPresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley -
Professor Peter Hennessy, historian
4 juni 2023 · 37 min
Beluister deze afleveringProfessor Peter Hennessy is one of the UK’s leading contemporary historians. He has written acclaimed and important books about politics, the civil service, the intelligence agencies and the British constitution on which he is an expert. Lees meer
Peter was born in London in 1947 and read history at St John’s College, Cambridge. He started writing for the Times in the mid-1970s, covering the inner workings of Whitehall whose activities at that time were shrouded in secrecy. Peter says he approached his journalism like an amateur anthropologist trying to discover more about an unknown culture. His reports were viewed with suspicion by some members of the civil service and Harold Wilson, the then prime minister, issued an edit banning them from talking to him.
In 1986 Peter co-founded the Institute of Contemporary British History, and in 1992 he moved from journalism to academia at Queen Mary, University of London where he is Attlee professor of contemporary British history. He is a fellow of the British Academy and was made a crossbench life peer in 2010. During the COVID-19 pandemic he started keeping a diary which he describes as an “aid to humility” with the aim of assessing post-world war history as BC (Before Covid) or AC (After Covid).
Peter lives in London with his wife Enid.
DISC ONE: Slow Train - Flanders & Swann
DISC TWO: Italian Concerto in F, BWV 971, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and performed by George Malcolm
DISC THREE: Why Don’t Women Like Me? - George Formby
DISC FOUR: Schubert String Quintet In C Major,D. 956 - 2. Adagio, composed by Franz Schubert, performed by Robert Cohen (cello) and Amadeus Quartet
DISC FIVE: The Elements - Tom Lehrer
DISC SIX: London Girls - Chas & Dave
DISC SEVEN: Skye Boat Song - The Pipes and Drums Of Leanisch
DISC EIGHT: How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place, composed by Johannes Brahms, performed by Festival Choir And Orchestra, conducted by Thomas D. RossinBOOK CHOICE: Poetry in the Making by Ted Hughes
LUXURY ITEM: A founta… -
Dara Ó Briain, comedian and television presenter
23 april 2023 · 38 min
Beluister deze afleveringDara Ó Briain has toured the world as a stand-up comedian, and hosted the BBC’s satirical series Mock the Week for 17 years. A science graduate with a love of astronomy, he co-presented the BBC series Stargazing Live with Professor Brian Cox, and is a regular guest on television quizzes and panel shows. Lees meer
Dara grew up in Bray, County Wicklow and attended Irish language schools, playing for the Gaelic football and hurling teams. He studied mathematical physics at University College Dublin where he took part in debating competitions and discovered a flair for getting laughs from an audience.
In 2001 he moved to the UK and, alongside performing at comedy gigs, he started appearing on television shows including Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Have I Got News For You. His love of mathematics came to the fore when he presented the game show School of Hard Sums and he has gone on to write popular science books for children.
Dara continues to perform stand-up and, when he’s not touring what he calls his conversational and whimsical style of comedy, he lives in London with his wife and three children.
DISC ONE: Kiss - Prince & The Revolution
DISC TWO: Requiem in D Minor, K. 626: No 1, Introitus and Kyrie - Requiem and Kyrie. Composed by Mozart and performed by London Symphony Orchestra and London Symphony chorus, conducted by Sir Colin Davis
DISC THREE: Glanfaidh Mé - Kíla
DISC FOUR: Groove is in the Heart - Deee-Lite
DISC FIVE: Cuba Libre - Gloria Estefan
DISC SIX: All About My Girl - Jimmy McGriff
DISC SEVEN: Piazza, New York Catcher - Belle and Sebastian
DISC EIGHT: Adagio for Strings. Composed by Samuel Barber and performed by Berliner Symphoniker, conducted by Sir Simon RattleBOOK CHOICE: The Feynman Lectures on Physics by Richard Feynman
LUXURY ITEM: Astrophotography equipment
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Groove is in the Heart - Deee-LitePresenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley