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Desert Island Discs

Does anyone else love Desert Island Discs?

Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the program, is asked to choose eight recordings, a book, and a luxury item that they would take if they were to be cast away on a desert island, whilst discussing their life and the reasons for their choices.

Roy Plomley was the host from 1942-1985; Michael Parkinsons 1985-1988; Sue Lawley 1988-2006; Kristy Young 2006-2018; Lauren Laverne 2018- present.

Who is your favorite host? Favorite guests? Do you think DID has been consistent in programming or has gown downhill like most shows.

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by Anonymousreply 93July 4, 2023 7:16 PM

Loved Sue Lawley and Kirsty Young, but can’t stand Lauren Laverne’s voice. I barely ever listen any more because it’s so grating.

by Anonymousreply 1September 16, 2022 6:22 PM

I never miss it. I’ve listened to it all my life.

by Anonymousreply 2September 16, 2022 6:23 PM

I enjoy it, OP. Then again I faithfully vote in Classic FM polls every year so it is very much my demographic.

It’s fun to hear what songs are selected by politicians because it is obviously selected by a committee of advisors. 5 classical selections, often containing The Lark Ascending or the duet from the Pearl Fishers, one rock song from their youth, one jazz standard and one quirky family favourite, like George Formby, a Christmas carol or something by Willie Nelson.

I read somewhere that the luxury item is most commonly a bed or sleeping pills. Can’t argue with that.

by Anonymousreply 3September 16, 2022 6:23 PM

I like both Roy Plomley and Sue Lawley equally for different reasons.

Plomely was the old guard. His interviews with John Gielgud, James Mason, Alec Guinness, etc. are delightful. His interview of American actors Christopher Reeve, Lauren Bacall, and Jimmy Stewart are fun. He evens interviewed Princess Margaret.

Lawley does not hold back. She is great interviewer. Listen to her ask Lady Diana Mosley about her Holocaust denial is spectacular. Lawley talked to Richard Dreyfuss about his blame game, Britt Ekland on her being man hungry, American actress Kathleen Turner on her disease, and many more great episodes.

by Anonymousreply 4September 16, 2022 6:24 PM

Roy Plomley interviewing Gregory Peck is lovely.

Granted, I really want to fuck Gregory Peck

by Anonymousreply 5September 16, 2022 6:27 PM

Link didn't work

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by Anonymousreply 6September 16, 2022 6:27 PM

I didn’t like Sue Lawley. She always sounded annoyed with the guests. Kirsty Young was my favourite presenter, but I think Lauren Laverne is not far behind her.

The archive on BBC iPlayer is fascinating as as it goes back so many years.

by Anonymousreply 7September 16, 2022 6:29 PM

Of course, no such thing exists in the USA. I'm sure I'd watch it if it did.

by Anonymousreply 8September 16, 2022 6:32 PM

R4 - what did Richard Dreyfus say?

by Anonymousreply 9September 16, 2022 6:32 PM

R7 Sue Lawley was not annoyed. She asked tough questions that got to the heart of issues.

Her interview with Jeremy Irons is a lot of fun. Especially when he mentions that Claus von Bulow was curious if he was going to play Leona Helmsley since Dershowitz represented her too.

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by Anonymousreply 10September 16, 2022 6:33 PM

R8 You can listen on Apple Podcasts or on the links I have picked. I'm American and listen.

R9 You will have to listen for yourself. It is pretentious as hell though. He uses the term "preponderance of history."

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by Anonymousreply 11September 16, 2022 6:34 PM

Thank you, R11.

by Anonymousreply 12September 16, 2022 6:35 PM

The classiest episode of all time. Roy Plomley interviews Mr. James Mason.

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by Anonymousreply 13September 16, 2022 6:41 PM

Here is Sue Lawley interviewing Lady Diana Mosley

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by Anonymousreply 14September 16, 2022 6:42 PM

American actress of Kathleen Turner

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by Anonymousreply 15September 16, 2022 6:43 PM

American actor Christopher Reeve, appearing in the new film, "The Bostonians."

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by Anonymousreply 16September 16, 2022 6:46 PM

I listen to a lot of Radio 4 programmes. I especially like In Our Time and Great Lives. I listen to Today every morning. I have never been able to listen to The Archers for more than a few minutes as the acting is dreadful and the storylines are twee. I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue and the News Quiz are big favourites, but much of the other comedy is shite.

by Anonymousreply 17September 16, 2022 7:04 PM

I just listened to Richard Dreyfus. I excepted much worse, TBH.

by Anonymousreply 18September 16, 2022 7:21 PM

R18 What were your thoughts? He had some good musical selections like Beethoven's 6th and the violin concerto. He is pretentious sounding and blames others though.

by Anonymousreply 19September 16, 2022 7:43 PM

Emma Thompson's Desert Island Disc

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by Anonymousreply 20September 16, 2022 8:31 PM

Yes! I adore Desert Island Discs! On Spotify they have their entire archives available.

by Anonymousreply 21September 16, 2022 8:41 PM

Dame Edna … hilarious

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by Anonymousreply 22September 16, 2022 8:43 PM

Episodes I’ve listened to lately and loved: Jennifer Saunders, Pete Waterman, Omar Sharif, Tennessee Williams, Joanna Lumley, Shirley MacLaine, Paul McCartney, David Gilmour, John Schlesinger, Jeremy Irons. So many to choose from and I’ve discovered lots of music I’d never heard of before and liked.

by Anonymousreply 23September 16, 2022 8:46 PM

Betty Bacall had some good selections. She is very wry and witty, too!

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by Anonymousreply 24September 16, 2022 8:49 PM

R24 yes and I bought a John Cheever short story collection based on her suggestion and I was not disappointed

by Anonymousreply 25September 16, 2022 9:10 PM

There are 2 types of guests on DID.

The first type pick 8 song they love and can’t bear to be without. These are more authentic to me.

The other type pick songs that remind them of things in their life and are presented almost in a chronological order. ‘And then my mum died. My mum always loved this song. And then I got married and we danced to this song at our wedding’.

The politician interviews are a real test of sincerity. If a politician is able to talk about why they love a particular song and what it means to them then you know if they’re a liar or trustworthy..

It was clear that Ed Miliband was a wrong un by the choices he made.

by Anonymousreply 26September 16, 2022 9:34 PM

Also Sue Lawley is a cunt. She clearly loathed some of her interviewees. She was such a snob to Nigel Slater going on about the size of his house.

Kirsty Young was great and Lauren Laverne has learned to listen.

by Anonymousreply 27September 16, 2022 9:37 PM

R27 who else? I have never felt she was snooty or loathing the interviewee.

I do judge some people by the songs they pick. At least have one or two classical selections. Have some class.

by Anonymousreply 28September 16, 2022 10:20 PM

R25 seriously though, I never heard of Brahms violin concerto until her DID, so at least one thing is nice.

by Anonymousreply 29September 16, 2022 10:22 PM

DID is not afraid of getting high ranking politicians:

Sir James Callaghan

Margaret Thatcher

John Major

Tony Blair

Gordon Brown

David Cameron

Theresa May

Boris Johnson

by Anonymousreply 30September 16, 2022 10:27 PM

Princess Margaret

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by Anonymousreply 31September 16, 2022 10:27 PM

They have the most BORING people in the world on most of the time, I mean, just browsing the list >

Ellie Simmonds, swimmer

Frances O'Grady, General Secretary of the TUC

Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Unaids

Oti Mabuse, dancer

John Caudwell, businessman

Carl Hester, dressage rider

Tom Ilube, entrepreneur

by Anonymousreply 32September 17, 2022 4:49 AM

here's another I can't wait to listen to

Kate Ewart-Biggs, Deputy Chief Executive, British Council

by Anonymousreply 33September 17, 2022 4:51 AM

Oti Mabuse is one of the most famous women in the UK right now.

And her song choices were incredible.

by Anonymousreply 34September 17, 2022 6:09 AM

[quote][R27] who else? I have never felt she was snooty or loathing the interviewee.

From memory AA Gill found her quite offensive. I find Lawley very hard to listen to.

Her TV interviews are also infamous. She was awful to Christine Keeler and fatshamed Pauline Collins when she was promoting Shirley Valentine.

by Anonymousreply 35September 17, 2022 6:47 AM

Anyone got the link to Maggie Thatcher's?

R35 Shirley Valentine is one of my favourite movies! Sorry if she was rude to Pauline

by Anonymousreply 36September 17, 2022 7:01 AM

I too disliked Lawley. She so obviously had her favourites. She was all over Jack Lemmon, for instance; but found the need to press Gordon Brown again and again about his sexuality. Not the time or the place to come on like an ambitious tabloid hack. When she left a radio critic wrote, 'She won't be missed', and nor was she. Kirsty Young was a great improvement.

by Anonymousreply 37September 17, 2022 7:02 AM

[quote][R35] Shirley Valentine is one of my favourite movies! Sorry if she was rude to Pauline

French and Saunders did a sketch based on the Pauline interview.

Lawley mocked Pauline because of the brief topless seen in Shirley, when Pauline was both OLD (late 40s) and OBESE (normal weight) and should have spent the film dressed in a poncho.

by Anonymousreply 38September 17, 2022 7:30 AM

Lawley was a bitch. I remember her interviewing Christine Keller (of Profumo scandal fame) when they made a film about it, 25 years after the event and she was snooty and dismissive of her on live TV.

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by Anonymousreply 39September 17, 2022 7:34 AM

I don’t like the noise of spittle slicking about in Lawley’s mouths.

[quote] Her TV interviews are also infamous. She was awful to Christine Keeler and fatshamed Pauline Collins when she was promoting Shirley Valentine.

It’s a very 1970s1990s style of journalism, very Barbara Walters and Jeremy Paxman trying to wheedle a reaction with mock incredulity, cod psychology and a zinger. In a conversation style interview like DID, as a listener, it is discomforting listening TBH.

Sure, Richard Dreyfuss is your classic selfish addict and low-self-esteem luvvie, but he came off as almost gracious by joking away her diagnoses.

by Anonymousreply 40September 17, 2022 9:43 AM

[quote] Lawley mocked Pauline because of the brief topless seen in Shirley, when Pauline was both OLD (late 40s) and OBESE (normal weight) and should have spent the film dressed in a poncho.

Did she… not realise the POINT of Shirley Valentine?

by Anonymousreply 41September 17, 2022 9:45 AM

Just looked on Twitter to see if anyone had ever commented about the Pauline Collins interview and there was this tweet.

PEOPLE HATE YOU, SUE LAWLEY, THEY HATE YOU!

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by Anonymousreply 42September 17, 2022 10:44 AM

I need to listen to Kenny Everett now

[quote]Basically, before Everett even had a chance to speak, Lawley said something along the lines of "He's got the HIV virus", and launched straight into her first question which was, "In fact, Kenny you've had the virus for some time now". Kenny's reply was "Yes, that's right, Sue. [To listeners] Hello, by the way". He was dead 18 months later.

[quote]Lawley didn't clock her insensitivity though - her second question was 'Whenever you get a cold, do you always think 'this time it might be fully-blown AIDS'?'. Horrible woman.

And Hugh Laurie

[quote]Lawley's worst moment? The Kenny Everett intro must be up there, but I'd like to select Hugh Laurie (1996) getting audibly fucked off by being persistently asked about "what Stephen must have been feeling like in Belgium". Really rude. You can hear the snap when he switches from a friendly but cautious "You'd have to get him in this room really" to essentially "I can't speak for him". On hearing that, I'd like to think a nation cheered.

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by Anonymousreply 43September 17, 2022 10:50 AM

Also quite funny about DID is that during his tenure as leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn was never invited on. Diane Abbott had appeared in 2008 but Corbyn was never invited on.

When Keir Starmer was invited on in November 2020 Corbyn and his supporters were FURIOUS, they were SEETHING so they arranged a "Castaway with Corbyn" event a few days after Starmer's episode aired where Corbyn picked 10 songs to be castaway with. Starmer came across very well but the Grenfell Fire track was an awful choice.

And to make matters worse the following week it was Arsene Wenger - Starmer and Corbyn both support Arsenal. Wenger was one of the worse interviewees, it coincided with the publication of his book he was promoting and it was clear he has no interest in music. Imagine by John Lennon?? FUCK OFF.

by Anonymousreply 44September 17, 2022 11:01 AM

Love that Sahdie Shaw picked 2 of her own songs.

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by Anonymousreply 45September 17, 2022 11:30 AM

[quote]Love that Sahdie Shaw picked 2 of her own songs.

Blimey! DL's gone very Anglo today,

by Anonymousreply 46September 17, 2022 12:32 PM

R36 Attached. You can Google "X Desert Island Disc" and it will show up.

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by Anonymousreply 47September 17, 2022 2:02 PM

Ohhhh, so Sue Lawley was the woman behind the “I was pooped!” interview with Karen Carpenter?

by Anonymousreply 48September 17, 2022 3:12 PM

R48 what?

by Anonymousreply 49September 17, 2022 3:18 PM

Sondheim did DID twice, the second time with pariah Lawley. As I recall, she didn't dare go for the jugular with God. He chose three of his own works!

by Anonymousreply 50September 17, 2022 3:26 PM

[quote]Ohhhh, so Sue Lawley was the woman behind the “I was pooped!” interview with Karen Carpenter?

[quote][R48] what?

Sue Lawley interviewed The Carpenters in 1981 - Lawley askes Karen at 1 minute in if she's had anorexia and Karen replies "I was pooped".

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by Anonymousreply 51September 17, 2022 3:52 PM

R51 I don't see the issue?

Lawley heard rumors and was curious if it was true. She is a reporter lol

by Anonymousreply 52September 17, 2022 3:56 PM

[quote]I don’t see the issue?

Really?!!

by Anonymousreply 53September 17, 2022 4:30 PM

Anyway, MY desert island discs, should anyone care are:

1. Pet Shop Boys: Left To My Own Devices (Introspective album version)

2. Neneh Cherry: Buffalo Stance

3. Kylie Minogue: Step Back In Time

4. The Bangles: Ride The Ride

5. Prefab Sprout: We Let The Stars Go

6. Kirsty MacColl: Soho Square

7. Girls Aloud: Untouchable

8. Belinda Carlisle: Circle In The Sand

I CHOOSE MY CHOICE. I CHOSE MY CHOICES, OKAY?

by Anonymousreply 54September 17, 2022 4:52 PM

WOW! that's the gayest selection of songs I've ever seen - you're obviously proud of.

by Anonymousreply 55September 17, 2022 5:05 PM

Mine:

1. Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto

2. Amarillo by Morning by George Straight (I'm a Texan, so it would make me think of home).

3. Brahms' Piano Concerto No 1

4. Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No 1

5. Wagner's Tannhauser Overture

6. Un bel de from Madama Butterfly, sung my Leontyne Price

7. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony

8. Mahler's Fifth Symphony

Book: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Luxury: endless case of Bordeaux

by Anonymousreply 56September 17, 2022 5:56 PM

What are your Desert Island Discs?

by Anonymousreply 57September 18, 2022 2:24 PM

DIDs isn't just a list your fave songs or music, it's the songs of your life....they need to tell a story. You start in childhood....

by Anonymousreply 58September 18, 2022 3:40 PM

[quote]DIDs isn't just a list your fave songs or music, it's the songs of your life....they need to tell a story. You start in childhood....

The point of the show is that you're stuck on a desert island for however long, so what are the 8 songs you have to take with you.

The people who pick songs that remind them of events in their life have misunderstood the brief. You picked Donna Summer's Hot Stuff because it reminds you of your mother crying as she washed the blood out of her hair after your dad had punched her because the mashed potatoes were lumpy. Why the fuck would you want that memory on a desert island?

by Anonymousreply 59September 18, 2022 4:00 PM

[quote]The people who pick songs that remind them of events in their life have misunderstood the brief.

No. YOU're not getting it.

by Anonymousreply 60September 18, 2022 4:03 PM

I chose eight songs/pieces I love and would never get tired of. For example, I can find something new in Tchaikovsky that Donna Summer could not offer me.

by Anonymousreply 61September 18, 2022 4:08 PM

Typical DL. We cannot have a nice conversation about Desert Island Discs and the songs/pieces you would pick WITHOUT someone wanting to fucking argue .

by Anonymousreply 62September 18, 2022 4:10 PM

^ you mean NOT agree with YOU.

by Anonymousreply 63September 18, 2022 4:18 PM

R63 See. There we go arguing again

by Anonymousreply 64September 18, 2022 4:27 PM

Others post their eight songs, book, and luxury. Let's keep this thread going

by Anonymousreply 65September 18, 2022 6:12 PM

R58, that’s a different show, Private Passions on Radio 3 which is more of a biographical conversation punctuated by type music that informed the subject’s life at various points. It’s less of the interrogatory quality of DID and is often more personal.

And then there is the much shorter Inheritance Tracks, in which subjects pick two pieces: one song they “inherited” in their youth, and one they want to pass on to the next generation.

I’m not British BTW, I listen to these through the Apple podcasts app.

by Anonymousreply 66September 18, 2022 7:45 PM

*type = the

by Anonymousreply 67September 18, 2022 8:21 PM

I like how DID keeps a distance. Roy Plomley didn't give a damn with who you slept with. He wanted to discuss your career, politics, history, science, good music, and literature all over a good laugh and a whiskey.

by Anonymousreply 68September 18, 2022 8:37 PM

[quote][R58], that’s a different show, Private Passions on Radio 3 which is more of a biographical conversation punctuated by type music that informed the subject’s life at various points. It’s less of the interrogatory quality of DID and is often more personal.

[quote]And then there is the much shorter Inheritance Tracks, in which subjects pick two pieces: one song they “inherited” in their youth, and one they want to pass on to the next generation.

There's also a show called Tracks Of My Years where people pick songs that they associate with a specific time of their lives.

by Anonymousreply 69September 19, 2022 7:10 AM

George Henry Hubert Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, KBE, AM (7 February 1923 – 11 July 2011) was a really good episode. The Earl talked about WWII and The British Royal Family. The Earl is George V's eldest grandchild and one of the first in the QEII's near family to get a divorce. He made his career in opera so his music selections were interesting.

Footnote: His eldest son, David Lascelles, 8th Earl of Harewood, was the Executive Producer for Inspector Morse for two years 1990-1991.

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by Anonymousreply 70September 19, 2022 3:20 PM

Gordon Ramsay's DID. Interesting musical selections. Very 1980's and 1990's.

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by Anonymousreply 71January 22, 2023 3:41 PM

Sir Christopher Lee's DID is a real treat. So classy and witty. LOVE his opera selections and stories

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by Anonymousreply 72January 22, 2023 3:42 PM

Another classy episode

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by Anonymousreply 73January 22, 2023 3:46 PM

a friend who used to work f9r the BBC said Sue Lawley was notorious fo9r basically dragging workmen and junior staff into the loos to have sex with her. 'Fuck me till I fart!' was allegedly heard down the corridor on one occasion.

by Anonymousreply 74January 22, 2023 5:27 PM

R74 I don't believe that

by Anonymousreply 75January 22, 2023 7:09 PM

just reporting what I was told, R75. However an episode of the newsroom comedy series Drop the Dead Donkey did feature a scene supposedly derived from the story (not with the quote, though with the cubicle sex).

by Anonymousreply 76January 22, 2023 7:19 PM

R76 hilarious.

Please share other favorite episodes

by Anonymousreply 77February 1, 2023 6:39 AM

Ranking the presenters:

Roy Plomley

Kirsty Young

Sue Lawley

Lauren Laverne

Michael Parkinson

by Anonymousreply 78February 1, 2023 1:34 PM

Graham Norton on DID. This is a fun episode

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by Anonymousreply 79May 1, 2023 10:30 PM

Joan Collins

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by Anonymousreply 80May 1, 2023 10:33 PM

Jerry Springer

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by Anonymousreply 81May 1, 2023 10:37 PM

Joanna Lumley's second episode of DID is my favorite. A mix of high and low brow, from Turandot to George Michael.

by Anonymousreply 82May 2, 2023 3:56 PM

R82 this one?

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by Anonymousreply 83May 2, 2023 10:08 PM

Mel Brooks has the stoic Roy Plomley in stitches the entire time. Mel also comes off as intelligent and cultured, which he is.

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by Anonymousreply 84May 11, 2023 3:35 PM

Today's episode with Stanley Tucci is very good.

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by Anonymousreply 85July 2, 2023 8:04 PM

Stanley Tucci was the guest this week.

by Anonymousreply 86July 2, 2023 8:09 PM

So many wonderful episodes, but Tennessee Williams (already mentioned above) was one of my favorites.

by Anonymousreply 87July 2, 2023 8:13 PM

I guess R86 has blocked me!

by Anonymousreply 88July 2, 2023 8:15 PM

I love the episodes with people who have led extraordinary lives, but who remained happily anonymous. Desert Island Discs introduced me to Eric Brown, whose life events are too many to fit into the programme. The BBC actually made another programme to record his memories as a pilot in The Fleet Air Arm, holding the world record for the most flight deck landings - 2,407 - for over 65 years. He was one of only two men on his ship to survive a German U-boat bombing.

He attended the Berlin Olympics in 1936, was at the liberation of the Belsen concentration camp, met George VI, interrogated Goering after the war, failed to recognise Neil Armstrong and went on to form a close friendship with him.

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by Anonymousreply 89July 2, 2023 8:39 PM

The Hon. Margaret Rhodes, cousin to the late Queen, worked for MI6 during WWII and lived at Buckingham Palace. She somehow ended up sitting out a military coup in Bhutan/Nepal in the company of Ms Shirley Maclaine…

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by Anonymousreply 90July 2, 2023 8:45 PM

Mama lived Deshert Island Dishcs!

by Anonymousreply 91July 2, 2023 8:49 PM

Scotland here. A question for US listeners to Radio 4:

Which programmes do you enjoy, and why?

by Anonymousreply 92July 4, 2023 5:26 PM

Princess Margaret, my favorite guest of all time.

She was so Princess Margaret-y that I can't take it Unintentionally hilarious.

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by Anonymousreply 93July 4, 2023 7:16 PM
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