Desert Island Discs
BBC Radio 4
Eight tracks, a book and a luxury: what would you take to a desert island? Guests share the soundtrack of their lives.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 19, 1980 • 20min
Daley Thompson
Roy Plomley's castaway is World Champion decathlete Daley Thompson.Favourite track: Unchained Melody by George Benson
Book: Novels by John Wyndham
Luxury: Guitar and instruction book
Jul 12, 1980 • 30min
Tom Lehrer
Roy Plomley's castaway is composer Tom Lehrer.Favourite track: Der Rosenkavalier Waltzes by Richard Strauss
Book: The Oxford English Dictionary
Luxury: Piano
Jul 5, 1980 • 35min
V S Naipaul
Roy Plomley's castaway is writer V S Naipaul.Favourite track: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor by Ludwig van Beethoven
Book: Teach yourself mathematics
Luxury: The Enlightened Buddha
Jun 28, 1980 • 32min
Barbara Woodhouse
Roy Plomley's castaway is dog trainer Barbara Woodhouse.Favourite track: Skye Boat Song by Adrian Brett
Book: Talking To Animals by Barbara Woodhouse
Luxury: Mother's ormolu clock
Jun 21, 1980 • 34min
General Sir John Hackett
Roy Plomley's castaway is soldier and writer General Sir John Hackett.Favourite track: String Quartet No. 13 in B Flat Major by Ludwig van Beethoven
Book: 1001 Gems of English Poetry
Luxury: Six dozen bottles of Chateau La Tour 1962
Jun 7, 1980 • 34min
Freddie Jones
Roy Plomley's castaway is actor Freddie Jones.Book: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Luxury: Liebig condenser for distilling gin
May 31, 1980 • 23min
Robert Tear
Roy Plomley's castaway is tenor Robert Tear.Favourite track: Concerto For Double String Orchestra by Michael Tippett
Book: The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts
Luxury: Postcards of paintings with poems on the back
May 24, 1980 • 33min
Earl Hines
Roy Plomley's castaway is jazz pianist Earl Hines.Favourite track: Trust In Me by Dinah Washington & Quincy Jones and his Orchestra
Book: The World of Duke Ellington by Stanley Dance
Luxury: Physical culture equipment
May 17, 1980 • 34min
Rt Hon Lord Denning
Roy Plomley's castaway is Master of the Rolls The Rt Hon Lord Alfred Denning.Favourite track: Fantasia On Greensleeves by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Book: The Golden Treasury by Francis Palgrave
Luxury: Indian tea
May 10, 1980 • 31min
Natalie Wood
Roy Plomley's castaway is actress Natalie Wood.Favourite track: American Pie by Don MacLean
Book: Poetry by e e cummings
Luxury: Piano
