Desert Island Discs

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the American travel writer Bill Bryson. His inspiration was his father; a great traveller who never quite made it to his intended destination. His best-selling books, Notes from a Small Island and The Lost Continent, chronicle his experiences of facing up to fearsome British landladies and American motels which make the Bates hotel in Psycho look inviting.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: (Sittin' On) The Dock of The Bay by Otis Redding Book: The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson Luxury: Basket ball and hoop, and a little hard standing

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Born in Germany, she came to England as a refugee and moved to India as a young bride where she wrote her first film screenplay in 1961 - in eight days. Since then, she has written over 30 screenplays, all bar one in collaboration with the Merchant-Ivory partnership, including Heat and Dust, A Room with a View and The Remains of the Day.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Sanctus from B Minor Mass by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Luxury: A chaise longue by a window

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the wildlife artist David Shepherd.Rejected from the Slade Art School on the grounds of having 'no talent whatsoever' he was taught to paint by a man he met at a cocktail party who told him "you're going to be painting for the Inland Revenue, the Gas Board and the school fees." Famed now for his paintings of elephants, he is one of the best-selling artists in the world.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Symphony No. 8 by Gustav Mahler Book: Collection by Beatrix Potter Luxury: Wind-up video player

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the war correspondent Clare Hollingworth. In a career spanning 60 years, her scoops have included identifying Kim Philby as 'the third man' and being the first to spot the massing of German tanks on the Polish border in 1939. She chooses eight records to take to the mythical island.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Symphony No.8, the 'Unfinished Symphony' by Franz Schubert Book: History of England by G M Trevelyan Luxury: Paper and pens (with thick nibs)

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is the jazz pianist Dave Brubeck. One of the most successful musicians of our time, it's nearly 40 years since he famously encouraged us to Take Five, and so changed the sound of jazz forever. In conversation with Sue Lawley, he talks about his life and work and chooses eight records to take to the mythical island.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Ode To Joy (Symphony No 9) by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: The Spear in the Sand by Raoul C Faure Luxury: Grand piano

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is Sir David Attenborough. He brought the blue-footed booby into our sitting rooms, and revealed the secret lives of plants. But we remember him best caught in the embrace of a female gorilla.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Adagio from String Quintet in C Major by Franz Schubert Book: Shifts and Expedients of Camp Life by W B Lord Luxury: Guitar

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the comedian and television host Bob Monkhouse. He began his career as a schoolboy writing jokes for established comedians. Later he became a gag writer for radio. But it was television which made his name. From the Golden Shot to Bob's Full House, he reckons he's hosted more than 27 different shows.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Adagio for Strings, Opus 11 by Samuel Barber Book: The Adventures of Alice by Lewis Carroll Luxury: Clarinet

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the novelist Dick Francis. In what he calls "the best years of my life" as a professional jockey, he broke his nose, his collarbone, his wrist and his skull but also won 345 of the 2,305 races he ran. Now a best-selling author of 37 novels, he chooses eight records to take to the mythical island.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Chatanooga Choo Choo by Glenn Miller Orchestra Book: Men and Horses I Have Known by George Lampton Luxury: Waterbed

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the military historian John Keegan. As a boy, he would listen to his father's tales of war on the Western Front. Disabled because of a childhood illness, he was unable to become a soldier himself, and so chose to document their history instead.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: An die Musik by Franz Schubert Book: The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan Luxury: French-speaking man robot

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the actress Eileen Atkins. From dancing in working men's clubs as a child to portraying Virginia Woolf on Broadway and the snobbish Celia for Alan Bennett's Talking Heads monologue, she traces her life as performer and writer.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Get off of My Cloud by The Rolling Stones Book: Moments of Being by Virginia Woolf Luxury: An Atkinson Grimshaw painting