Desert Island Discs

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Dr Jonathan Sacks Apr 21, 1991

Show notes

Chief Rabbi Elect Dr Jonathan Sacks is the castaway on Desert Island Discs this week. This avowedly 'unconventional' future leader of Britain's Jews was brought up in an Orthodox Jewish household but went to Church of England schools and wanted to be an accountant before deciding that his life's work lay in his faith. Rabbi Sacks reveals how he gained, and many years later lost, his beard as well as what he hopes to achieve in his new role.

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

Favourite track: Tzomoh Lecho Nafshi by The Lubarvitches Chorus Book: The Talmud Luxury: Large supply of pencils

Lord King Apr 14, 1991

Show notes

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week will be the industrialist Lord King of Wartnaby, Chairman of Babcock International and of British Airways. He recalls for Sue Lawley, among other things, his early beginnings in the engineering industry, an unfortunate incident with a small plane he once owned, and what it was which made him want to take over an ailing airline more than 10 years ago.

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

Favourite track: Concerto in A Minor by Edvard Grieg Book: Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable Luxury: Supply of cigars and matches

Naomi Mitchison Apr 07, 1991

Show notes

Sue Lawley's castaway is writer Naomi Mitchison.

Favourite track: Kishmull's Galley by Kenneth McKellar and Orchestra Book: Book of Modern Poetry Luxury: Endless supply of writing materials

Marti Caine Mar 24, 1991

Show notes

This week's castaway in Desert Island Discs is the entertainer Marti Caine. Although her public life is one as comedienne, television presenter, star of a sit-com series, singer and glamorous pantomime performer, Marti Caine's private life is one that is very different. Her father died when she was seven, she was taken into care before she was 10, her first marriage broke up, and then, about four years ago, she was diagnosed as suffering from cancer of the lymph glands. She talks about the way in which she's coped with all these things and the way her sense of humour helped her through.

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

Favourite track: Thanksong by Dave Grusin Book: A DIY manual Luxury: Do-it-yourself solar-powered kit

Sir Trevor Holdsworth Mar 17, 1991

Show notes

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the industrialist and ex-president of the CBI Sir Trevor Holdsworth. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his time at the helm of the giant engineering firm Guest, Keen and Nettleford and his recent involvement with British Satellite Broadcasting - BSB - as well as some of his earlier brushes with history.

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

Favourite track: Vocalise by Sergei Rachmaninov Book: Collected Plays by J B Priestley Luxury: Upright piano

Jeffrey Bernard Mar 10, 1991

Show notes

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the Spectator columnist Jeffrey Bernard. His Low Life column has gained him something of a cult following over the 15 years or so it's been appearing; slightly irregularly. It concentrates on the kind of life in Soho which seems often to revolve solely around drinking, women and gambling - the kind of life Jeffrey Bernard enjoys, by his own admission. And of course, last year Keith Waterhouse turned some of these columns into the highly-successful West End hit Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell - a production starring Peter O'Toole which is about to return to the Shaftesbury Theatre next month.

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

Favourite track: Introitus Requiem Mass by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Complete Sherlock Holmes Short Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Luxury: Hgih-powered hunting rifle and ammunition

Sir Denis Forman Mar 03, 1991

Show notes

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the former Chairman of Granada Television Sir Denis Forman. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the delights and disasters of a highly eccentric upbringing in Scotland and about his experiences in Italy during the war, where he lost a leg. Also, as the first producer of What the Papers Say, and the originator of the highly popular Jewel in the Crown, he'll be discussing the difficulties of making television programmes which are simultaneously popular and good.

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

Favourite track: Concerto No 21 in C Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Raj Quartet by Paul Scott Luxury: Satellite dish and TV set

Ronald Eyre Feb 24, 1991

Show notes

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is theatre and television director Ronald Eyre. A man of great versatility, he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his many outstanding operatic and theatrical productions, as well as his school-teaching days, and his childhood in the Yorkshire mining village of Mapplewell.

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

Favourite track: The Magic Flute - The Trio Soll Ich, Teurer by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: A talking book by Judi Dench Luxury: Supply of flower bulbs

Dame Ninette De Valois Feb 17, 1991

Show notes

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is Britain's most distinguished ballet mistress Dame Ninette de Valois. She first appeared on the professional stage more than 75 years ago, and her contribution to the development of ballet in this country has been phenomenal. Now in her nineties, she'll be talking to Sue Lawley about how she became the first director of the Vic Wells Ballet School in 1931 - a school which grew and changed over the years to become the Royal Ballet in 1956.

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

Favourite track: Nutcracker Suite by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Book: A collection of poems Luxury: An everlasting bottle of sleeping pills

Paddy Ashdown MP Feb 10, 1991

Show notes

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the leader of the Liberal Democrats Paddy Ashdown. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his earliest memories of a childhood in India and a subsequent career which took him through the Royal Marines, into the diplomatic service and finally into the House of Commons just seven and half years ago.

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

Favourite track: Che Gelida Manina (from La Boheme) by Giacomo Puccini Book: The collected works by John Donne Luxury: Laptop computer

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