Desert Island Discs

Latest Episodes:

Sir Sydney Kentridge Mar 31, 2013

Show notes

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is Sir Sydney Kentridge QC.

Widely regarded as a leading advocate of the 20th century, he continues to make his mark in the 21st; he recently appeared for the first time in the European Court of Justice and at the end of last year he spent the actual day of his 90th birthday working in the English Supreme Court.

Born in South Africa, he was first called to the bar there at the end of the 1940s and played a leading role in some of the most significant political trials of the apartheid era. 'Understated, controlled, relentlessly rational' - and with devastating cross-examination skills - the verdict of one of his clients - Nelson Mandela.

He himself says "I hope there's only one thing about my professional life of which I've boasted and which I think, as a lawyer, is unique on my part - I have acted as an advocate for three winners of The Nobel Peace Prize. I don't think anyone else has done that."

Producer: Isabel Sargent.

Jasvinder Sanghera Mar 24, 2013

Show notes

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the writer and campaigner Jasvinder Sanghera.

She has counselled government and travelled widely advising on how to put a stop to forced marriage and so called honour violence.

At 14, Jasvinder was shown a picture of the stranger thousands of miles away she was to marry and in the face of intimidation she fled her family, chose her own husbands and gained a first class degree. Her books have shone a piercing light on the veiled world of shame, brutality and coercion that some young women endure whilst Karma Nirvana, the pioneering charity she set up and runs, offers refuge and practical help.

She says, "my life has had to take paths where responsibility was the key thing. Now I'm at a point in my life where I'm more content than I've ever been. I've reconciled the disownment."

Producer: Cathy Drysdale.

Julie Goodyear Mar 17, 2013

Show notes

Actress Julie Goodyear is castaway by Kirsty Young.

For a quarter of a century, Julie's Coronation Street TV character Bet Lynch set the gold plated standard for big, brassy, back chatting blondes. Behind the bar of the Rovers Return her bosom swathed in leopard-print and her head piled high with platinum curls she was Manchester's answer to Mae West.

Her MBE was awarded for her services to drama - and when she left the series in 1995, her departure pulled in 19 million viewers.

Yet whatever the scriptwriters came up with it was never as dramatic as the life she's lived beyond The Street.

Julie got pregnant at 17, her second husband abandoned her for their best man, and in 1979 she was diagnosed with cancer and told she'd a year to live. She's now married to her fourth husband.

She says, "If anyone should be interested in an epitaph for my life, I would like them to consider, 'At least she tried."

DISC ONE: Nancy Sinatra - These Boots are Made for Walkin’ DISC TWO: Eileen Wilson - A You're Adorable DISC THREE: Nat King Cole - Blue Moon DISC FOUR: Bill Haley and His Comets - Rock Around The Clock DISC FIVE: Barry Manilow - I made it through the Rain DISC SIX: Johnny Mathis - When A Child Is Born DISC SEVEN: Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes - (I've Had) The Time Of My Life DISC EIGHT: Tina Turner - Simply the Best

CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes - (I've Had) The Time Of My Life BOOK CHOICE: Jonathan Livingston Seagull LUXURY CHOICE: Her mother's bus pass

Producer: Cathy Drysdale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2013.

David Almond Mar 10, 2013

Show notes

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the writer David Almond.

Most of his work is for children but the adults who populate the juries of heavyweight literary prizes really like it too. The accolades began with his first novel Skellig published in 1998 when he was 47; it won the mighty "Whitbread Children's" award and then many others besides.

Ever since, he's been acclaimed for his ability to craft complex, philosophical narratives with strikingly down to earth characterisations.

He grew up just outside Newcastle in a big, Catholic family and his childhood features heavily in his stories.

He says "Each of my books has had to be written - there was something that had to come out."

Producer: Alison Hughes.

Rankin Mar 03, 2013

Show notes

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the photographer Rankin.

He started out doing fashion shoots and is very good at making pretty young things look even prettier. But his work and influence have spread well beyond the glossy pages of style bibles. From Congolese war widows to canoodling pensioners his skill is capturing a moment of spontaneous and often surprising truth. He should really been doing peoples' tax returns - he went to college to study accountancy - but his head was turned in his halls of residence where the arts students seemed to be having all the fun. Within a few years Kate Moss was posing for him in nothing but a fedora and leather boots. However his reputation for raunch was put on the back burner the day he photographed Her Majesty The Queen - his picture of a serene and smiling monarch now hangs in The National Portrait Gallery.

Photography is he says "like a seduction. It's a relationship compressed into a moment."

Producer: Cathy Drysdale.

Uta Frith Feb 24, 2013

Show notes

Professor Uta Frith, developmental psychologist, is interviewed by Kirsty Young for Desert Island Discs.

Uta Frith's groundbreaking work on autism has revolutionized our understanding of the condition; overturning the traditional, long-held belief that the root of the problems are social & emotional; discovering instead that autism is the result of physical differences in the brain.

She arrived in Britain from Germany in the early 60s for a two-week course in English. Half a century later, and groaning under the weight of myriad fellowships and awards, with an honorary DBE to her name, she is one of the grand dames of British science.

In retirement she continues to mentor and encourage fellow women scientists, not least in her networking group "science&shopping" - an aim being to have some fun.

She says her metaphor for the brain "is that of a garden that is full of the most interesting, different things ... that have to be cultivated and constantly checked."

Producer: Alison Hughes.

Jonathan Agnew Feb 17, 2013

Show notes

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew.

Known simply as "Aggers" to the army of fans devoted to Test Match Special, his charm, knowledge and ready wit have gained him a place in the heart of anyone who loves the game.

His own infatuation began as a young boy at boarding school and along with his talent and determination it took him all the way to the top of the sport. He played for Leicestershire and England. His transition from the crease to the commentary box was cemented by one of the most memorable moments in broadcasting history - the notorious "legover" comment that prompted the legendary Brian Johnston to dissolve into helpless, prolonged giggles live on air.

He says "The great thing about our job is that you have no pre-conceived idea about what is going to happen - you have no script - the cricket is the script".

Producer: Cathy Drysdale.

Julie Burchill Feb 10, 2013

Show notes

Kirsty Young's guest is the writer Julie Burchill.

As a columnist and author she is a committed non-conformist - daring the world to take issue with her vociferous life and work and depending on whom you ask is either a 'Marxist critic' or 'a right wing columnist'.

As a child she used to hide away when potential playmates came to call, at 17 she was writing for the NME and in the decades since she's plied her trade at The Times, The Guardian and The Daily Mail amongst others. She's also written twenty odd books and her autobiography is entitled "I Knew I Was Right".

Producer: Cathy Drysdale.

Sir Terry Leahy Feb 03, 2013

Show notes

Kirsty Young's castaway is Sir Terry Leahy, the businessman and former CEO of Tesco.

His first job with the company was as a teenager when he worked as a shelf-stacker, but he made his name transforming the supermarket from a lack-lustre brand into Britain's biggest retailer.

His ascent to the very top was marked by a fundamental understanding of his customers' needs and a single minded determination, powered, he says, by a fear of failure.

He says of himself, "I was a relatively shy guy from a council estate and an unlikely chief executive, I'm quite happy not to be in the limelight".

Aung San Suu Kyi Jan 27, 2013

Show notes

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is Aung San Suu Kyi. The programme was recorded on location in Naypyitaw, Burma in December 2012.

Now Leader of Burma's opposition party, she has dedicated her life to fighting for human rights and democracy in her homeland. A figure of world renown, she is known in Burma as simply "The Lady" and her integrity, determination and grace have provided a beacon of hope to a nation oppressed and exploited by decades of brutal military dictatorship. President Obama says she is an "icon of democracy" and Desmond Tutu calls her "a remarkable woman ... ready to work for the healing of her motherland".

Her renown has come at significant personal sacrifice: she endured nearly 20 years of house arrest and persecution, exiled from her children and apart from her British husband who died from cancer in 1999. She says "It takes courage to feel the truth, to feel one's conscience because once you do, you must engage your fundamental purpose for being alive. You can't just expect to sit idly by and have freedom handed to you."

Producer: Cathy Drysdale

Both the on-demand and the download audio of this programme are an extended edition of the original broadcast.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected