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Desert Island Discs — Personal Journals
Desert Island Discs

Eight tracks, a book and a luxury: what would you take to a desert island? Guests share the soundtrack of their lives.

Copyright: © (C) BBC 2023

Latest Episodes:

Dick Francis Dec 13, 1998

Show notes

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the novelist Dick Francis. In what he calls "the best years of my life" as a professional jockey, he broke his nose, his collarbone, his wrist and his skull but also won 345 of the 2,305 races he ran. Now a best-selling author of 37 novels, he 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: Chatanooga Choo Choo by Glenn Miller Orchestra Book: Men and Horses I Have Known by George Lampton Luxury: Waterbed

John Keegan Dec 06, 1998

Show notes

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the military historian John Keegan. As a boy, he would listen to his father's tales of war on the Western Front. Disabled because of a childhood illness, he was unable to become a soldier himself, and so chose to document their history instead.

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

Favourite track: An die Musik by Franz Schubert Book: The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan Luxury: French-speaking man robot

Eileen Atkins Nov 29, 1998

Show notes

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the actress Eileen Atkins. From dancing in working men's clubs as a child to portraying Virginia Woolf on Broadway and the snobbish Celia for Alan Bennett's Talking Heads monologue, she traces her life as performer and writer.

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

Favourite track: Get off of My Cloud by The Rolling Stones Book: Moments of Being by Virginia Woolf Luxury: An Atkinson Grimshaw painting

Bill Morris Nov 22, 1998

Show notes

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' union, Bill Morris. As a small boy growing up in Jamacia, he bunked off school to play his favourite sport - cricket. His ultimate dream was to become one of the West Indies team. So how did he become leader of one of the biggest unions in the country?

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

Favourite track: Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler Book: Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela Luxury: Cricket bat signed by 'the three Ws' - Sir Frank Warrel, Everton Weeks and Clive Walcot

Nicole Kidman Nov 15, 1998

Show notes

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the actress Nicole Kidman. Fresh from her West End triumph in The Blue Room, she traces her life from her suburban Australian upbringing to the heart of Hollywood and beyond. She 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: What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong Book: Collection of Poems by Emily Dickinson Luxury: Sun block

Joseph Rotblat Nov 08, 1998

Show notes

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the nuclear physicist and Nobel Peace Laureate, Professor Sir Joseph Rotblat. During World War II he quit the notorious Manhattan Project to develop the atom bomb when he realised that 'nothing good can come out of evil'. Fifty years later he is still committed to multilateral disarmament and the pursuit of peace.

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

Favourite track: A Rill will be a Stream, a Stream will be a Flood by Swedish Physicians in Concert for the Prevention of Nuclear War Book: Encyclopaedia Britannica on CD-Rom Luxury: Solar-powered laptop

Paul Daniel Nov 01, 1998

Show notes

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the conductor Paul Daniel. Within weeks of becoming Music Director of the English National Opera his boss had resigned and there was talk of its merging with Covent Garden. He recalls how he won the war for the ENO's survival and the musical experiences which led him there.

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

Favourite track: Irrlicht from Winterreise. by Franz Schubert Book: Beautifully bound blank book Luxury: Cello and music for Bach's cello suites

Lucy Gannon Aug 30, 1998

Show notes

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the television script writer Lucy Gannon. Her life informs much of her work. When she created Soldier Soldier she used her experience of the military police. In The Gift she drew on her grief when her mother died. And Trip Trap reflected the violence of her first marriage. She started writing by chance when she entered a competition and won first prize - writer in residence at the RSC.

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

Favourite track: The Best by Tina Turner Book: The Faber Book of Reportage by John Carey Luxury: Jaguar XK8

Ralph Koltai Aug 23, 1998

Show notes

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the stage designer Ralph Koltai. He says his work is not about art, but about ideas. His stage sets are a metaphor for the whole play. Thus he thrilled Ken Russell by building him four stages each resembling different parts of a woman's body. His aim? To represent the degradation of women in the 18th century.

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

Favourite track: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor by Max Bruch Book: French dictionary Luxury: Cigars

Les Murray Aug 16, 1998

Show notes

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the Australian poet Les Murray. He began writing when he realised that poetry didn't have to be about daffodils in a far off English field but could reflect the world around him; from the sheep and cows on the family farm, to the wallabies in the outback. His most powerful subject though, is his own depression which has dogged him for more than 50 years.

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

Favourite track: La Valse a Mille Temps by Jacques Brel Book: Blank, lined book Luxury: Marble four-poster bed

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