Desert Island Discs

Christopher Reeve is probably best-known for his film performances as Superman and Clark Kent, but he has made several other films, including Deathtrap and The Bostonians, and he has appeared on stage many times, particularly in the United States. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about his many activities, which include being a professionally qualified pilot. [Taken from the original pro...

Lucy Irvine has experienced the reality of life on a desert island, although for her year-long sojourn she did have a companion. In conversation with Roy Plomley, she talks about the terrible problems she encountered, particularly the lack of water, and she chooses the eight records she would take if she were to be castaway again. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive editio...

David Lodge, who has written several successful novels, including Changing Places and The British Museum is Falling Down, is Professor of Modern Literature at Birmingham University. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about his work, which also includes writing revues for the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and he chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the...

Leo McKern tried various careers like engineering and art before he decided to become an actor. Although he now concentrates mainly on films and television, he did several seasons at the Old Vic and the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre after the war. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about his career and not forgetting his characterisation of Rumpole of the Bailey. [Taken from the original pr...

Rosalind Plowright, the soprano, began singing professionally with the Glyndebourne Touring Opera Company, but her career did not really take off until she won a competition in Sofia in 1979. In conversation with Roy Plomley, she describes her rise to international recognition, she talks about her role in Verdi's The Sicilian Vespers for the English National Opera and she chooses the eight records...

Hugh Johnson's career was spawned when he became a member of the Wine and Food Society at Cambridge University. He soon made a name for himself as a writer on wine and produced the best-selling World Atlas of Wine in 1971. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about his interest in wine, about his other great enthusiasm - gardening - and he chooses the eight records he would take to the mythi...

Zubin Mehta is the Musical Director of the New York and the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestras. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about his upbringing in India, where his father ran the Bombay Symphony Orchestra, his studies at the Vienna Academy which eventually led to him becoming conductor of the Montreal and Los Angeles orchestras, and he chooses the eight records he would take to the my...

Lord Rothschild has spent much of his life as Assistant Director of the Research Department of Zoology at Cambridge University, but that has not prevented him from taking active roles in industry, heading the government's think tank and writing several books. He talks about the many facets of his career to Roy Plomley, and chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from...

The pianist Vlado Perlemuter, who was born 80 years ago in Lithuania, has spent most of his life in Paris, where he taught at the Conservatoire between concert tours. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he recalls some of the many musicians and composers he knew, including Cortot, Faure, Ravel and Dukas. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Fav...

Natalia Makarova is starring in a revival of the musical On Your Toes, but she trained as a classical ballet dancer at the Kirov School in Leningrad. She tells Roy Plomley about her defection to the West during a tour with the Kirov Ballet in 1970, about her work with the American Ballet Theatre and the Royal Ballet and she chooses the eight records she would take to the mythical island. [Taken fr...

Sir Alfred Ayer, the philosopher who was for many years the Wykeham Professor of Logic at Oxford University, is perhaps best known for Language, Truth and Logic, a book he wrote when he was only 25, and Philosophy in the Twentieth Century. He talks to Roy Plomley about the life of an academic and chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme mat...

Gayatri Devi, the Maharani of Jaipur, was brought up in the sumptuous Palace of Cooch Behar with its staff of 500. She tells Roy Plomley how she shot her first panther at the age of 12, how she became the third wife of the Maharaja of Jaipur, and how, with his encouragement, she won a seat in the Parliament of India. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Is...

Ron Goodwin has composed the scores for many films, including Where Eagles Dare, 633 Squadron and Monte Carlo or Bust, but he started his career in an insurance office. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he describes how his apprenticeship with a music publisher enabled him to become a composer and later a conductor, and he chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from...

Willie Rushton is a cartoonist, actor, writer and a regular member of quiz game panels. He tells Roy Plomley about how he came to be one of the founders of Private Eye, about the early days of the TV programme That Was the Week That Was, and he chooses eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Fa...

The writer Ved Mehta unfortunately lost his sight at the age of four: "Most blind people in India at that time were beggars, or stayed with their relations like wounded animals." He describes to Roy Plomley how, in spite of tremendous odds, he gained an education at Oxford University and Harvard, and went on to become a staff writer for the New Yorker, and he chooses the eight records he would tak...

George Abbott, who is 97 years old, has just directed a revival of his musical On Your Toes. He began his career as an actor, but before long he was also writing plays and staging them. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about his remarkable career and some of his hit shows, including Call Me Madam, The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. [Taken from the original programme material for this arch...

Catherine Cookson is a very successful writer with 61 novels, all in print, to her name. But she was brought up in very poor circumstances on Tyneside by her mother, leaving school at the age of 13. In conversation with Roy Plomley, she talks about her days 'in service', about how she came to run a workhouse laundry, how eventually she became a full-time novelist, and she chooses the eight records...

Gerry Cottle's latest circus is a fast-moving show with no ring-master and no animals, but it is very popular. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he recalls how he ran away from school to join a circus, how he made the jump from being a juggler to being a circus owner who toured many countries, and chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme ma...

Alfred Eisenstadt gave up being a belt-and-button salesman in 1929 to become a professional photographer, concentrating on what is now called 'photojournalism'. Six years later, he moved from Europe to America, where he joined the new Life Magazine for which he has worked ever since. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he describes some of the many stories he has covered, including the rise of Nazis...

John Hurt has built up a tremendous reputation as an actor, particularly for his performances in The Elephant Man, The Naked Civil Servant and Champions. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about his career, including his role in the new film version of 1984, and he chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive e...

John Surman, who plays the baritone saxophone, has acquired an international reputation as a jazz musician and so spends much of his time abroad. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about the various groups he has formed like SOS and the Brass Project, about his work as a composer, including that for the Carolyn Carlson Dance Theatre at the Paris Opera, and he chooses the eight records he w...

Michael Ffolkes, the cartoonist, works principally for the Daily Telegraph and Punch, which first published one of his cartoons when he was only 17 years old. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he recalls his training for the job which included art school, the Royal Navy and the snooker table, and he chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme...

Jonathan Lynn began his acting career in the Footlights at Cambridge University. From 1970 he also began directing plays and, for a while, he ran the Arts Theatre in Cambridge. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about his diverse career, which includes a lot of writing for television, in particular the very successful series Yes, Minister. [Taken from the original programme material for th...

David Rendall, the tenor, is singing in the new production of Madame Butterfly at the Coliseum in London, just one of the many engagements around the world which fill his diary until 1988. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he recalls how, in only six years, he jumped from being a clerk in the BBC Gramophone Library to singing principal roles at Covent Garden, and he chooses the eight records he wo...

Tom Sharpe spent much of his early career in South Africa doing social work, teaching and finally running a photographic studio, until he was deported. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about his experiences in South Africa and how, after lecturing in History at Cambridge, he finally became a full-time novelist, and he chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken...