Podcasts by Desert Island Discs: Archive 1996-2000

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber from 1999-12-31T09:00

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. His musicals dominate London's West End, including Cats, Phantom of the Opera and Starlight Express. He traces a career which began more ...

Michael Crawford from 1999-12-24T09:00

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Michael Crawford. Renowned for his attention to detail, he has always performed his own stunts - whether roller-skating under moving lorries in Some Mothers Do Ha...

Michael Nyman from 1999-12-19T11:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Michael Nyman. Said to be the best-selling classical composer in Britain, as a child visiting the opera or concert hall his imagination would be caught by a parti...

Oz Clarke from 1999-12-12T11:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Oz Clarke. As a wine expert, he has sipped, slurped and spat his way through thousands of vintages from around the world. Renowned for his enthusiasm for trying n...

Sir Richard Sykes from 1999-12-05T11:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Sir Richard Sykes. The chairman of Glaxo Welcome, as a boy he was not a natural scholar, until he went to work at the pathology laboratory of his local hospital. ...

Warren Mitchell from 1999-11-28T11:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Warren Mitchell. Arthur Miller praised his portrayal of Willie Loman in Death of a Salesman. His King Lear and Shylock won critical acclaim. But he will always be...

Clarissa Dickson Wright from 1999-11-21T11:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Clarissa Dickson Wright.

Born into a home where caviar was more common than fish paste, she has always been surrounded by fine food. Yet she came to cooking...

William Gibson from 1999-11-19T09:00

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is William Gibson. Long before the existence of the Internet, he wrote about 'cyberspace', a boundless world reached only through computers. Externa...

Willard White from 1999-11-07T11:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Willard White.

Teased as a child for his deep bass voice, it has made him one of the most popular opera stars today. Happy to sing Wagner or Gershwin, he's ...

Ralph Fiennes from 1999-10-31T11:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Ralph Fiennes. His first Hollywood film role was as the Nazi concentration camp leader in Schindler's List, a part which, he says, had a profoundly disturbing eff...

Rolf Harris from 1999-08-29T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Rolf Harris. He's the presenter of one of the most popular television programmes, Animal Hospital, but he's an artist and a musician too. He shot to the top of th...

Rita Dove from 1999-08-22T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the poet Rita Dove. The first African-American to become the US Poet Laureate, Rita Dove was brought up to believe that education was the key to the Great America...

Sir Roger Norrington from 1999-08-15T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the conductor Sir Roger Norrington. Known for conducting music at a cracking pace, he argues that it's the way the great composers would have played it. Music sho...

Patricia Routledge from 1999-08-08T10:15

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is Patricia Routledge. Once voted the nation's favourite actress for her television roles as Hyacinth Bucket and Hetty Wainthrop, she has also been ...

Rick Stein from 1999-08-01T10:15

The castaway on this week's Desert Island Discs is Rick Stein.

When the police closed his discotheque down because of too many fights on a Saturday night, all he had left was his restaura...

Rod Steiger from 1999-07-25T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Rod Steiger. He talks about The Method, Marlon Brando and the depression which dogged him for nearly a decade. And he confesses why he couldn't go to the desert i...

Martin Pipe from 1999-07-18T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Martin Pipe. He has turned horse training into a science. His animals have the choice of a swimming pool, indoor canter and walking machine, while the on-site lab...

Paddy Moloney from 1999-07-11T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Paddy Moloney. As the founder of the Chieftains he has taken Irish folk music around the world. No purist, some of his most popular pieces are influenced by other...

Igor Aleksander from 1999-07-04T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Profesor Igor Aleksander. He has been researching artificial conciousness for over 30 years. His first machine, Wisard, could recognise faces. His latest, Magnus,...

Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe MP from 1999-06-27T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the Shadow Home Secretary Ann Widdecombe. Since the last election she has used her free time to write a novel, but has no plans to become a full time author since...

James Dyson from 1999-06-20T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is James Dyson. Today he's one of the richest men in Britain, but he began with an idea, a piece of cardboard and some sticky-backed plastic. Five years and more tha...

John Barry from 1999-06-13T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the film composer John Barry. The Pope is said to adore his soundtrack to Dances with Wolves. Although he's probably best known for the theme tunes he wrote for t...

Chris Bonington from 1999-06-06T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Chris Bonington. In a climbing career spanning 48 years he has stood astride British mountaineering 'like a hairy colossus', climbing and leading expeditions as w...

Anthony Howard from 1999-05-30T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the journalist Anthony Howard. He's worked on The New Statesman, The Observer and The Sunday Times, where as Obituaries Editor, he turned a previously dead-end jo...

Christopher Bruce from 1999-05-23T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the artistic director of the Rambert Dance Company Christopher Bruce. As a child he was sent to dance lessons to strengthen his legs after polio had left them sev...

Michael Green from 1999-05-16T10:15

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is Michael Green. As Chairman of Carlton Communications he is one of the most powerful men in British television and the driving force behind digita...

Richard Dreyfuss from 1999-05-09T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Richard Dreyfuss. He was already the youngest actor ever to win an Oscar when he starred in the phenomenally successful Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kin...

Helen Bamber from 1999-05-02T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Helen Bamber. In 1945, at the age of 20, she travelled to Belsen with the Jewish Relief agency. There she learnt how important it is to listen to those who have s...

Stan Tracey from 1999-04-25T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the jazz musician Stan Tracey. He's been at the heart of the British Jazz scene since the 1960s when he was resident pianist at Ronnie Scotts. It was at that time...

Ken Loach from 1999-04-18T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the film director Ken Loach. Probably best known for his film Kes, his recent film, My Name Is Joe has just won the award for best actor at Cannes. He learnt his ...

Paco Peña from 1999-04-11T10:15

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is the flamenco guitarist Paco Peña. Celebrated thoughout the world for his authentic performances, he was born into a poor family in Southern Spain...

Richard Dunwoody from 1999-04-04T10:15

"Sue Lawley's guest this week is the jockey Richard Dunwoody. He's been champion jockey three times and has won the Grand National twice. Now he's hot on the heels of Peter Scudamore's record fo...

Luise Rainer from 1999-03-28T10:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the actress Luise Rainer who recently appeared in the film The Gambler. In 1936 she won the first of two Oscars for her telephone scene in the film The Great Zeig...

Rt Hon Mo Mowlam MP from 1999-03-21T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway is Northern Ireland secretary Mo Mowlam.

Favourite track: Chicago by Frank Sinatra Book: The collected works by Seamus Heaney Luxury: A globe

Fay Maschler from 1999-03-14T11:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the award-winning restaurant critic Fay Maschler. Twenty-seven years after she won a competition to write a column for the Evening Standard, she is still eating o...

Richard Curtis from 1999-02-28T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway is scriptwriter & Comic Relief founder Richard Curtis.

Favourite track: And I Love Her by The Beatles Book: Guinness Book of Pop Luxury: Pizza Express in Notting...

Maria Ewing from 1999-02-21T11:15

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is the opera singer Maria Ewing. Renowned for her acting ability as much as her voice - she portrayed Carmen as witty, clever and very very dangerou...

Nina Cassian from 1999-02-14T11:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the Romanian poet Nina Cassian. She was forbidden to return home, after a visit to New York, because of her outspoken critisism the Ceaucescu regime. The loneline...

Andras Schiff from 1999-02-07T11:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the pianist Andras Schiff. Born in Hungary, Bartok was the first composer he fell in love with and his music is still a regular part of his repertoire; despite ma...

Bill Bryson from 1999-01-31T11:15

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 bo...

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from 1999-01-24T11:15

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 i...

David Shepherd from 1999-01-17T11:15

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 me...

Clare Hollingworth from 1999-01-10T11:15

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...

Dave Brubeck from 1999-01-03T11:15

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 Fiv...

David Attenborough from 1998-12-25T10:00

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...

Bob Monkhouse from 1998-12-20T11:15

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...

Dick Francis from 1998-12-13T11:15

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...

John Keegan from 1998-12-06T11:15

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...

Eileen Atkins from 1998-11-29T11:15

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...

Bill Morris from 1998-11-22T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' union, Bill Morris. As a small boy growing up in Jamacia, he bunked off school to play his favou...

Nicole Kidman from 1998-11-15T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the actress Nicole Kidman. Fresh from her West End triumph in The Blue Room, she traces her life from her suburban Australian upbringing to the heart of Hol...

Joseph Rotblat from 1998-11-08T12:04

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the nuclear physicist and Nobel Peace Laureate, Professor Sir Joseph Rotblat. During World War II he quit the notorious Manhattan Project to develop the ato...

Paul Daniel from 1998-11-01T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the conductor Paul Daniel. Within weeks of becoming Music Director of the English National Opera his boss had resigned and there was talk of its merging wit...

Lucy Gannon from 1998-08-30T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the television script writer Lucy Gannon. Her life informs much of her work. When she created Soldier Soldier she used her experience of the military police...

Ralph Koltai from 1998-08-23T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the stage designer Ralph Koltai. He says his work is not about art, but about ideas. His stage sets are a metaphor for the whole play. Thus he thrilled Ken ...

Les Murray from 1998-08-16T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the Australian poet Les Murray. He began writing when he realised that poetry didn't have to be about daffodils in a far off English field but could reflect...

David Hempleman Adams from 1998-08-09T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the explorer David Hempleman Adams. This year he completed the Adventurer's Grand Slam. It took 18 years. When he reached the North Pole this April he had c...

Ralph Steadman from 1998-08-02T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the political cartoonist Ralph Steadman. His career was launched in 1961 with a five-pound cheque from the satirical magazine Private Eye. Later he collabor...

Chris De Burgh from 1998-07-26T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this morning is the singer-songwriter Chris de Burgh. Best known for his ballad Lady in Red, he began his career playing to guests in the crumbling Irish castle which his f...

Howard Brenton from 1998-07-19T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway is the playwright Howard Brenton. In the 1960s he was part of a movement called the New Jacobeans. They took drama out of the drawing room and on to a bigger stage. Often c...

Rt Hon Jack Straw MP from 1998-07-12T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway is Home Secretary Jack Straw.

Favourite track: Soave Sia il Vento by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: The Franco Prussian War - the German Invasion of France 1870-1871 ...

Sybille Bedford from 1998-07-05T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the writer Sybille Bedford. Born the daughter of a German baron in 1911, her childhood brought her into contact with the great literary figures of her age - Al...

Jack Rosenthal from 1998-06-28T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the playwright Jack Rosenthal. Bar Mitzvah Boy, and The Evacuees are among his many successes. His work often reflects his own life. He poured the grief he fel...

John Bird from 1998-06-21T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Big Issue, John Bird. From a childhood in orphanages and approved schools, he has gone on to run the most successful str...

Bill Kenwright from 1998-06-14T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the theatre producer Bill Kenwright. His West End successes include Shirley Valentine, Medea and Stepping Out. A gambler at heart, he continued to run Blood Br...

Geoffrey Smith from 1998-06-07T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the gardener and broadcaster Geoffrey Smith. He learnt his craft at his father's knee growing fruit and vegetables for the stately home where he worked. Later ...

John Harle from 1998-05-24T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the most-recorded saxophonist in the world. Inspired by Duke Ellington and encouraged by Jack Brymer, John Harle is equally at home playing jazz or classical m...

Sir David Willcocks from 1998-05-17T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is 'England's choir master', Sir David Willcocks. For some 38 years he trained the Bach Choir - the most popular amateur choir in Britain. His retirement in 1998 ...

Antony Gormley from 1998-05-10T10:15

"Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the sculptor Antony Gormley.

His Angel of the North towers over the A1 just outside Gateshead. Elsewhere, his figures stand buried in sand at the mouth...

Susan Blackmore from 1998-05-03T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week says changing her mind was one of the most difficult things she's ever had to do. After an out-of-body experience, psychologist Susan Blackmore set out to study a...

Sir Ernest Hall from 1998-04-26T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the businessman Sir Ernest Hall.

His life is like a fairytale. From a sickly boy, living in the one room he and his family shared, he became a successful...

Sir Terry Frost from 1998-04-19T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the abstract artist Sir Terry Frost.

He first became interested in art as a prisoner of war, when lack of food and freedom enhanced the beauty of a singl...

Judi Dench from 1998-04-12T10:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the actress Dame Judi Dench.

She's been delighting audiences for some 40 years, on film, television and the stage. It's partly this versatility that make...

Gavin Bryars from 1998-04-05T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the experimental composer Gavin Bryars. One of his best-known works, The Sinking of the Titanic, pays tribute to the band which continued to play as the ship w...

Alice Thomas Ellis from 1998-03-29T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the novelist Alice Thomas Ellis.

A devout and traditional Catholic, she didn't begin writing until she was 42. The Sin Eater, that first novel, was her r...

Andrew Motion from 1998-03-22T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the poet Andrew Motion.

He describes his writing as a "biological thing" - like developing a headache or the flu - but much, much more pleasurable. Also...

Ian Stewart from 1998-03-15T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week believes he has the answer to "life, the universe and everything". According to mathematician Ian Stewart, it's 137-and-a-half degrees.

He calls it "the gol...

Sir Anthony Dowell from 1998-03-08T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the Artistic Director of the Royal Ballet, Sir Anthony Dowell. His future was determined as a child when he stood before Dame Ninette de Valois with his trouse...

Archie Norman MP from 1998-03-01T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week has turned around a failing supermarket chain by introducing his staff to 'black-bin Mondays' and 'dress-down Fridays'. As the Executive Director, Archie Norman m...

David Pountney from 1998-02-22T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the opera producer David Pountney. Alongside Mark Elder and Peter Jonas at the ENO, he tried to make opera more attractive to a wider audience. The opera stage...

Richard Noble from 1998-02-15T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the man who broke the British land speed records, Richard Noble. His thirst for speed began when he was six years old and saw John Cobb's jet boat Crusader. Th...

Colin Dexter from 1998-02-01T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week has murdered 75 people, and although he wants to retire, his fans are begging him for just one more. He's the creator of Inspector Morse, Colin Dexter. A Classics...

Helena Kennedy QC from 1998-01-25T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the QC Helena Kennedy. In 1992 she published a book which drew attention to the way English law discriminates against women. She called it Eve was Framed. It b...

John Tomlinson from 1998-01-18T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the British bass John Tomlinson. He is most famous as Wotan - ruler of the gods in Wagner's Ring Cycle. In fact, it's a role he has made so much his own that t...

Paul Hogarth from 1998-01-11T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the artist and illustrator Paul Hogarth. He has portrayed A Year in Provence for Peter Mayle, depicted Doris Lessing's Africa and captured Majorca with Robert ...

Professor Heinz Wolff from 1998-01-04T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the scientist Professor Heinz Wolff. He came to public attention when he presented the television programme The Great Egg Race, in which he challenged people t...

Glenda Jackson MP from 1997-12-28T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the politician and Transport Minister Glenda Jackson. Politics is her third job. At 16, she left school to work in Boots. But it was as an actor that she reach...

Sir Harry Secombe from 1997-12-21T12:15

This is an archive edition of Desert Island Discs. What follows is what was said about the programme at the time:

Sue Lawley's castaway this week has celebrated more than 50 years as a pr...

Chris Haskins from 1997-12-14T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the Chairman of Northern Foods, Chris Haskins. Until recently he was something of a curiosity - a big businessman who was also a lifelong supporter of Labour a...

Paula Rego from 1997-12-07T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the artist Paula Rego. Born in Portugal, she was an only child, and spent her days sitting with the maids as they told tales around the kitchen table. Now she ...

Loyd Grossman from 1997-11-30T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the television presenter Loyd Grossman. His career has allowed him to peer through the keyholes of the rich and famous and comment on their homes. He once desc...

Thelma Holt from 1997-11-23T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the theatre producer Thelma Holt. Famed for introducing some of the best international productions to this country, she persuaded Dustin Hoffman to London's We...

Anthony Minghella from 1997-11-09T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the playwright and film director Anthony Minghella. He grew up on the Isle of Wight in a close-knit family of Italian descent, and says that he has never felt ...

John Julius Norwich from 1997-11-02T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the broadcaster and popular historian, John Julius Norwich. Closely associated with Venice, he talks about his love for the city and his battle to protect it f...

Richard Mabey from 1997-10-26T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the naturalist and writer Richard Mabey. A romantic at heart, he regrets that so much written about nature these days concentrates on the scientific. Unlike pa...

Richard Rodney Bennett from 1997-10-19T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the composer and performer Richard Rodney Bennett. A versatile musician, he is equally at home playing jazz, writing film scores or composing for the concert h...

Rose Tremain from 1997-10-12T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the novelist Rose Tremain. She began writing as a child soon after her father left home. It became a kind of therapy for her and she explains it's something sh...

Jools Holland from 1997-10-05T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the musician and presenter Jools Holland. He first shot into the public eye when he made what he still calls "a bit of a verbal slip", and used a four-letter w...

Peter O'Sullevan from 1997-09-28T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week has been the voice of racing for half a century. Due to retire in November 1997, Peter O'Sullevan calculates that he has commentated on some 14,000 races.

...

Mike Leigh OBE from 1997-09-21T11:15

The castaway on Desert Island Discs this week is the filmmaker and director Mike Leigh. He first came to public attention on a dark and stormy evening when 16 million people tuned to BBC1 to wat...

Ursula Owen from 1997-09-14T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the editor and publisher, Ursula Owen. Twenty-five years ago she helped create Virago - the feminist publishing house which promotes women writers. A huge succ...

Sir Frank Kermode from 1997-09-07T11:15

The castaway on Desert Island Discs this week is the literary critic, Sir Frank Kermode. One of the most influential teachers of his age, he is credited with bringing the new literary theory of ...

Cleo Laine from 1997-08-31T11:15

The castaway on Desert Island Discs this week is the jazz singer Cleo Laine. Although driven by a great desire to be a performer, and travelling from one audition to another, she confesses to Su...

Iain Banks from 1997-08-24T11:15

This week's castaway is an author. In his book The Wasp Factory, the teenage protagonist tortures insects, experiments with bombs and kills a brother and a cousin. But, says Iain Banks, that was...

Eric Sykes from 1997-06-22T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway is comedian Eric Sykes.

Favourite track: Messiah Hallelujah by George Frideric Handel Book: Ripley's Believe It Or Not by Ripley Luxury: A sand wedge golf club and a ...

Christina Noble from 1997-06-15T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway is campaigner Christina Noble.

Favourite track: This Is My Life by Shirley Bassey Book: The Book of Kells Luxury: Photo of an Irish cottage

Benjamin Zephaniah from 1997-06-08T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway on this week's Desert Island Discs is dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah. As well as talking about his work as a performance poet often working in prisons or schools, Benjamin rec...

Joanna MacGregor from 1997-06-01T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway on this week's Desert Island Discs is concert pianist Joanna MacGregor. As well as talking about her work as a champion of New Music, Joanna remembers her childhood playing...

Sian Phillips from 1997-05-25T11:15

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is actress Sian Phillips. Sian talks about her award-winning career and her most recent performance as Marlene Dietrich, as well as remembering her ...

Harry Enfield from 1997-05-18T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway on this week's Desert Island Discs is comedian Harry Enfield. As well as talking about characters such as Loadsamoney, Kevin the Teenager and Tory Boy, Harry reveals his re...

David Wynne from 1997-05-11T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway on this week's Desert Island Discs is sculptor David Wynne. As well as talking about his sculptures Boy with a Dolphin and Guy the Gorilla, David explains how he researches...

Sir Martin Rees from 1997-05-04T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway on this week's Desert Island Discs is Astronomer Royal Sir Martin Rees. As well as choosing his eight records, book and luxury, Sir Martin will be discussing his work in co...

Andy Hamilton from 1997-04-27T11:15

Sue Lawley's castaway is comedian and broadcaster Andy Hamilton.

Favourite track: Sloop John B by The Beach Boys Book: The Physics of Immortality by Frank J Tipler Luxury: Football

Saeed Jaffrey from 1997-04-20T11:15

This week's castaway on Desert Island Discs is an actor. In Britain, he's best known for his appearances in My Beautiful Laundrette, The Chess Players and The Jewel in the Crown. In India he's a...

Virginia Ironside from 1997-03-30T11:15

This week's castaway on Desert Island Discs has all the qualifications she needs for her job. A journalist, she learnt her craft in the 1960s when she interviewed rock star legends like Mick Jag...

Peter Blake from 1997-03-23T12:15

Only this week's castaway on Desert Island Discs could place the singer Madonna in the same picture as the Madonna and Child, or follow a painting of the National Gallery's 10 most beautiful fac...

Nina Campbell from 1997-03-16T12:15

When designing the interior of Sunninghill for the Duke and Duchess of York, this week's castaway on Desert Island Discs rummaged through the cellars at Buckingham Palace in search of just the r...

Redmond O'Hanlon from 1997-03-09T12:15

This week's castaway is an adventurer - the travel writer Redmond O'Hanlon. He's trekked to deserted mountain tops for a glimpse of the rare Borneo rhinoceros, paddled through river swamps to fi...

Dr Susan Greenfield from 1997-03-02T12:15

It was while studying for a degree in psychology that this week's castaway decided to change the direction of her life and become a neuroscientist. As she dissected a slice of pickled brain, she...

Nico Ladenis from 1997-02-23T12:15

The castaway on Desert Island Discs this week is a chef. His food is the culinary equivalent of haute couture, but in the 1980s Nico Ladenis was known as much for his temper tantrums as his truf...

Mary Benson from 1997-02-16T12:15

This week's castaway on Desert Island Discs grew up in a conventional white South African family. Shielded from the true history of her country under apartheid, she played in the shadow of a Pre...

Terry Pratchett from 1997-02-09T12:15

He's created a world full of wizards and witches, and his most popular character is Death. The castaway on Desert Island Discs this week is one of Britain's best-selling authors. Terry Pratchett...

Gene Wilder from 1997-02-02T12:15

When this week's castaway was a child his mother had a heart attack. Her doctor gave him two pieces of advice. "Never", he said, "get angry with her. And always try to make her laugh". This was ...

Irene Thomas from 1997-01-26T12:15

She's an expert on sauce bottles, remembers the small print on British Rail timetables, and for 30 years she was a regular contestant on Radio 4's Round Britain Quiz. This week on Desert Island ...

John Cleese from 1997-01-05T12:15

Sue Lawley's castaway is comedian and actor John Cleese.

Favourite track: Easter Hymn from Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni Book: Stand By Your Man by Tammy Wynette Luxury: Michael Palin -...