Desert Island Discs

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.

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

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.

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.

Roy Plomley interviewing Gregory Peck is lovely.

Granted, I really want to fuck Gregory Peck

Link didn't work

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.

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

R4 - what did Richard Dreyfus say?

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.

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."

Thank you, R11.

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

Here is Sue Lawley interviewing Lady Diana Mosley

American actress of Kathleen Turner

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

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.

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

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.

Emma Thompson's Desert Island Disc

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

Dame Edna … hilarious

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Princess Margaret

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

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

Kate Ewart-Biggs, Deputy Chief Executive, British Council

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

And her song choices were incredible.

[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.

Anyone got the link to Maggie Thatcher's?

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

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.

[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.

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.

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.

[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?

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!

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.

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.

Love that Sahdie Shaw picked 2 of her own songs.

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

Blimey! DL's gone very Anglo today,

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

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

R48 what?

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!

[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".

R51 I don't see the issue?

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

[quote]I don’t see the issue?

Really?!!

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?

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

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

What are your Desert Island Discs?

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....

[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?

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

No. YOU're not getting it.

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.

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 .

^ you mean NOT agree with YOU.

R63 See. There we go arguing again

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

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.

*type = the

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.

[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.

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.

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

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

Another classy episode

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.

R74 I don't believe that

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).

R76 hilarious.

Please share other favorite episodes

Ranking the presenters:

Roy Plomley

Kirsty Young

Sue Lawley

Lauren Laverne

Michael Parkinson