Desert Island Discs

Latest Episodes:

George MacDonald Fraser Jan 14, 2001

Show notes

This week Sue Lawley's castaway is the writer George MacDonald Fraser. When George MacDonald Fraser decided to write about Flashman, the well-known bully in Tom Brown's Schooldays, he found the perfect star for a series of Victorian adventures - from the Opium Wars and Custer's Last Stand to the Charge of the Light Brigade. Eleven books later, the caddish Flashman now boasts a huge following all over the world.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Title Music for the Adventures of Robin Hood by Erich Wolfgang Korngold Book: Complete Oxford English Dictionary Luxury: Typewriter

Marquess Of Bath Jan 07, 2001

Show notes

Sue Lawley's castaway is the owner of Longleat, the Marquess Of Bath.

Favourite track: The Ode to Joy (Symphony No 9) by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Combined dictionary and thesaurus Luxury: Laptop computer

Stephen Sondheim Dec 31, 2000

Show notes

Sue Lawley's castaway is composer Stephen Sondheim.

Favourite track: Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess? by George Gershwin Book: The collected works by E B White Luxury: Piano

Norman Painting Dec 26, 2000

Show notes

Sue Lawley's castaway for this special edition of Desert Island Discs is Norman Painting, who has played Phil Archer in The Archers ever since its first episode in January 1951. He chooses eight records to take with him to the mythical island.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: 2nd movement of Shubert's String Quintet in C by Shubert Book: The Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley Luxury: An orrary - an electronic toy for looking at the sky

Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell Dec 24, 2000

Show notes

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the astrophysicist Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell. Jocelyn Bell Burnell was only twenty-four when she made the discovery of a lifetime: As she was mapping the universe for her PhD, she chanced upon the radio signal for a totally new kind of star, known as a 'pulsar'. Her find is seen as one of the most important contributions to astrophysics in the twentieth century.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves by Giuseppe Verdi Book: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Luxury: Book on how to sketch and some paper and pens

Richard Briers Dec 17, 2000

Show notes

Sue Lawley's castaway is actor Richard Briers.

Favourite track: The Cuckoo and the Nightingale by George Frideric Handel Book: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Luxury: A huge supply of Chardonnay

Tim Smit Dec 10, 2000

Show notes

This week Sue Lawley's castaway is Tim Smit, the co-founder of the Eden Project in Cornwall. Before Tim Smit thought of building the largest greenhouse in the world, he had already attracted public attention by resurrecting The Lost Gardens of Heligan. Before that he'd enjoyed a successful music career, writing songs and working with - among others - Barry Manilow and the Nolan Sisters.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Dancing in the Street by David Bowie and Mick Jagger Book: Book with plain pages Luxury: Piano

Tina Brown Dec 03, 2000

Show notes

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is the editor of Talk magazine, Tina Brown. Her reputation as a formidable magazine editor spans both sides of the Atlantic - with the revamp of Tatler, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, raising eyebrows as well as circulation figures. In conversation with Sue Lawley, she talks about her life and work and chooses eight records to take to the mythical island.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Chan Chan by The Buena Vista Social Club Book: Middlemarch by George Eliot Luxury: Rollercoaster

Albie Sachs Nov 26, 2000

Show notes

This week Sue Lawley's castaway is judge Albie Sachs. The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs, his account of being placed in solitary confinement by the South African authorities, highlighted the dangers of campaigning against apartheid in the 1960s. After a long exile in Britain, Albie Sachs returned to his homeland in the 1990s to help shape its new constitution and become one of its most senior judges.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: The Hammerklavier-Piano Sonata No.29 in B Flat by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Charterhouse of Palma by Stendhal Luxury: Little bottle of aftershave

Des Lynam Nov 19, 2000

Show notes

Sue Lawley's castaway is sports presenter Des Lynam.

Favourite track: In Party mood by West End Celebrity Orchestra Book: Encyclopaedia of Natural Medicine Luxury: A drumkit

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