BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

Society EN ↓ 2000 episodes

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

Author

BBC Radio 4

Episodes

Sir Frederick Ashton 34:30

Roy Plomley's castaway is choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton. Favourite track: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu by Marcel Proust Luxury: Cards

Buddy Rich 32:02

Roy Plomley's castaway is bandleader and drummer Buddy Rich. Favourite track: The Girl On The Rock by Ralph Brewster Singers Book: The Story of O by Pauline Reage Luxury: Ferrari

Sir John Gielgud 40:55

Roy Plomley's castaway is actor Sir John Gielgud. Favourite track: Double Concerto in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu by Marcel Proust

Edmund Rubbra 34:43

Roy Plomley's castaway is composer Edmund Rubbra. Favourite track: Symphony No .9 In C by Franz Schubert Book: Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne Luxury: Music manuscript paper

Eric Shilling 33:50

Roy Plomley's castaway is bass singer Eric Shilling. Favourite track: Deh Vieni Non Tardar by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Collin's Albatross Book of Verse by Louis Untermeyer Luxury: Astronomical telescope

Rt Hon William Whitelaw 35:52

Roy Plomley's castaway is Home Secretary The Rt Hon William Whitelaw. Favourite track: White Christmas by Bing Crosby Book: The World That Fred Made by Bernard Darwin Luxury: Bath with a hot water system

Richard Leakey 35:40

Roy Plomley's castaway is anthropologist Richard Leakey. Favourite track: Solo Whale by Frank Watlington Book: Touch The Earth by T C McLuhan Luxury: Pillow

Giuseppe Di Stefano 35:12

Roy Plomley's castaway is tenor Giuseppe Di Stefano. Favourite track: Qui La Voce Sua Soave by Vincenzo Bellini Book: Maria by Arianna Stassinopoulos Luxury: Roulette table

Morris West 33:05

Roy Plomley's castaway is writer Morris West. Favourite track: Sinfonia Concertante In E Flat Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Meditations Upon Our Human Condition by John Donne Luxury: Pencils and paper

Gloria Swanson 34:32

Roy Plomley's castaway is actress Gloria Swanson. Favourite track: Un Bel Di Vedremo by Giacomo Puccini Book: The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran Luxury: Telephone

Gillian Lynne 31:40

Roy Plomley's castaway is director Gillian Lynne. Favourite track: Concerto For Double String Orchestra by Michael Tippett Book: French language course Luxury: Eyelash curlers

Carl Sagan 38:44

Roy Plomley's castaway is astronomer Carl Sagan. Favourite track: Partita No. 3 in E by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Boy Scout hand book Luxury: Reflecting telescope

Roger Moore 35:38

Roy Plomley's castaway is actor Roger Moore. Favourite track: New York, New York by Frank Sinatra Book: Nobel House by James Clavell Luxury: Video player and films of family

Julian Lloyd Webber 34:13

Roy Plomley's castaway is cellist Julian Lloyd Webber. Favourite track: Cello Concerto in E Minor by Edward Elgar Book: History of Orient Football Club Luxury: Cello

Terry Hands 29:31

Roy Plomley's castaway is producer Terry Hands. Favourite track: String Quartet in C by Franz Joseph Haydn Book: Dictionary Luxury: Cello

Sebastian Coe 33:22

Roy Plomley's castaway is world champion athlete Sebastian Coe. Favourite track: A Foggy Day by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armsrtong Book: The Penguin Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker Luxury: Bed

Paul Eddington 36:36

Roy Plomley's castaway is actor Paul Eddington. Favourite track: St Matthew Passion No 45-46 by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Experiences of an Irish RM by Martin Ross Luxury: Ivon Hitchens, Boathouse at Dawn

Frank Oz 36:18

Roy Plomley's castaway is puppeteer Frank Oz. Favourite track: Don't Get Around Much Anymore by Mose Allison Book: The complete works by Emily Dickinson Luxury: Clean sheets

Alan Jones 33:21

Roy Plomley's castaway is racing driver Alan Jones. Favourite track: Reminiscing by Little River Band Book: Eagle in the Sky by Wilbur Smith Luxury: Australian lager

Jessye Norman 33:39

Roy Plomley's castaway is soprano Jessye Norman. Favourite track: Love Duet by Richard Wagner Book: Diaries by Virginia Woolf Luxury: Perrier Water

Malcolm Muggeridge 43:54

Roy Plomley's castaway is writer, journalist and broadcaster Malcolm Muggeridge. Favourite track: Exultate Jubilate by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Writings by Dr Samuel Johnson Luxury: Beehive

James Mason 33:57

Roy Plomley's castaway is actor James Mason. Favourite track: My Man by Billie Holiday Book: Ada by Vladimir Nabokov Luxury: Guitar

Beaux Arts Trio 37:37

Roy Plomley's castaways are the musical collective Beaux Arts Trio. Book: Books about gardening, painting and boat handling Luxury: Violin & strings and a piano

Montserrat Caballe 48:10

Roy Plomley's castaway is soprano Montserrat Caballe. Luxury: Record box

Elspeth Huxley 27:46

Roy Plomley's castaway is writer Elspeth Huxley. Favourite track: Piano Concerto in A Minor by Edvard Grieg Book: Novels by P G Wodehouse Luxury: Camera and film