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.
Episodes
The writer Marian Keyes was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2017.
It’s thirty years since she published her first novel, Watermelon. Her books have sold in their millions, and many of her bestsellers have been adapted for the screen.
She spoke to Kirsty about how she feels when she’s finished writing a book.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
The footballer David Beckham was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2017.
Born and raised in East London, he spent hours as a child kicking a ball around at the local park with his father. At the age of seven, he played for his first team, Ridgeway Rovers, before coming to the attention of Manchester United.
He spoke to Kirsty about how his love of football – and fashion – started at an early age.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC S...
The great American writer Maya Angelou was cast away back in 1987.
She told Michael Parkinson about the disturbing reason she became temporarily mute during her childhood, which in turn led to her love of poetry. Some listeners may find her description of events upsetting.
You can find the full episode on BBC Sounds.
Details of organisations offering information and support with child sexual abuse are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline...
The surgeon David Nott was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2016 shortly after returning from war-torn Syria.
He spoke to Kirsty about his experiences of working in a warzone for the first time back in the early 90s.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
The actor Dame Judi Dench has been cast away to the desert island three times, most recently in 2015.
She spoke to Kirsty Young about her first performances in an amateur dramatic group which included her parents as members.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
The singer Adele was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2022.
In 2008, she released her debut album, 19, and the following year she won the first of many Grammys. Her next three albums, 21, 25 and 30, consolidated her superstar status.
She told Lauren about the day she signed her first record deal.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
In 2015, the forensic anthropologist, Professor Dame Sue Black, was cast away by Kirsty Young.
Brought up on the west coast of Scotland and in Inverness, she fell in love with biology at secondary school and read Human Anatomy at the University of Aberdeen. After graduation, she worked at London's St Thomas' Hospital as an anatomist, and police began to call on her to help identify bones.
She spoke to Kirsty about the mysteries of th...
The poet Lemm Sissay was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2015.
As a poet, writer and playwright, much of his work tells the story of his search for his birth parents. Born to a young Ethiopian woman who wanted him temporarily looked after while she completed her studies, he was with a foster family until he was 12.
Lemn told Kirsty how he felt after his foster family broke ties with him.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
The former footballer Jill Scott was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2023.
Jill was part of the Lionesses’ winning team at the Euros 2022.
When Jill was starting out in her career, the women players had to settle for second-hand kit and miserly wages.
She spoke to Lauren about the challenges she faced when she started her senior career at Sunderland aged 17.
You can find the full episode on BBC Sounds.
In 2023, the comedian and writer Adrian Edmondson was cast away by Lauren Laverne.
Adrian met his comedy partner, the late Rik Mayall, at university. They bonded over their shared interests in double acts, violent slapstick and the plays of Samuel Beckett. It was the start of a long performing partnership and friendship.
Adrian spoke to Lauren about the creative process behind the anarchic TV comedy and long-running touring show Bott...
After completing her PhD, Dr Fox 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.
Shortly after she began working on the Parker Solar Probe project, she was away on work business when her husband died suddenly, leaving their very young children home alone. She told Lauren about that fateful d...
As a singer and songwriter, George sold more than 100 million records, won two Grammy awards and notched up countless number one hits.
He told Kirsty about how an accident played a pivotal role in his love for music.
You can listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds.
Davina is best known as the host of popular TV shows such as Big Brother, Long Lost Family and Streetmate.
She spoke to Kirsty about how she struggled with drugs in her teenage years.
You can find the full episode on BBC Sounds.
Before his career in broadcasting, Ade was an international wheelchair basketball player who won a gold medal at the 2005 Paralympic World Cup.
He spoke to Kirsty about a fashion faux pas he made on his first day at school.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
Ruth is perhaps best known as Nessa from Gavin and Stacey, the show she co-created with James Corden.
She told Lauren about her early career struggles and how she got her foot on the acting ladder.
You can listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds.
The Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2016.
Tom’s parents split up when he was five, and he went to live with his father. By the age of 10 he'd lived in 10 different houses in five different cities.Tom spoke to Kirsty about his complicated childhood, his parents’ divorce and how he managed his overwhelming feelings of loneliness.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
In 2013 the Scottish writer Val McDermid was cast away by Kirsty Young.
Crime fiction is Val's chosen genre, and the millions of novels she sells examine and dissect the darkest recesses of human behaviour. Val spoke to Kirsty about her childhood love of libraries.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
The activist Malala Yousafzai was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2021.
Malala was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize when she was 17, becoming the youngest winner in its history. She spoke to Lauren about why equal access to education for girls matters so much to her and her family.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
In 2016 the novelist Jilly Cooper was cast away by Kirsty Young.
Jilly is perhaps best known as the author of Rivals but her writing career also spans newspaper columns, non-fiction books on class, marriage and animals in war, and novels that sell in their millions. Jilly told Kirsty Young about her theory on what makes a successful marriage.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.
The former footballer and pundit Ian Wright was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2020.
Born to Jamaican parents in south-east London, Ian grew up with his mother and stepfather. His biological father had left the family before Ian was two years old. Things at home were difficult, and Ian spent as much time as possible outside playing football. Ian spoke to Lauren about his childhood love of football and how one inspirational teacher, ...
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