Desert Island Discs

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Desert Island Discs

Genre	Biographical/Musical
Running time	45 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
Home station	BBC Radio 4
Host(s)	Kirsty Young
Creator(s)	Roy Plomley
Producer(s)	Leanne Buckle
Air dates	1942 – Present
Audio format	Stereophonic sound
Opening theme	By The Sleepy Lagoon by Eric Coates
Website	BBC website

Desert Island Discs is a long-running BBC Radio 4 programme. It was first broadcast on January 29, 1942 and is said by the Guinness Book of Records to be the longest-running music programme in the history of radio. Guests are invited to imagine themselves as castaways on a desert island, and asked to choose the eight pieces of music they would take with them; discussion of their choices permits a review of their life. Aside from the music they select, they are also permitted to take one book, excluding the Bible or other religious work and the complete works of Shakespeare, which are deemed to be already present on the island (probably to force castaways to make more interesting choices). They also choose one luxury item which must be inanimate and of no survival value, though large supplies of champagne seem to be allowed.^[1] The names and selections of some of the more recent guests are listed separately.

The last five Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom have all been guests on the programme, although only John Major (choosing Lord's Cricket Ground as his luxury) and Tony Blair appeared while in office. The first "castaway" was Vic Oliver, and other guests have included Noël Coward, Benny Hill, Sid James, Dame Judi Dench, Paul McCartney, John Malkovich, David Cameron, Bobby Robson, John Peel, Princess Margaret, George Clooney, Brian May, George Foreman, Rod Steiger, Billy Connolly, Richard Dawkins, Gene Pitney, Engelbert Humperdinck, Stephen King, Stephen Hawking, Rowan Williams, Jo Brand and Matt Lucas. A number of guests, such as Arthur Askey, have been castaway more than once.

Desert Island Discs was devised by its original presenter, Roy Plomley. After Plomley's death in 1985, it was presented first by Michael Parkinson, and from 1988 by Sue Lawley. Lawley stepped down in August 2006 after 18 years as host. She was replaced by Kirsty Young, who interviewed illustrator Quentin Blake for her first show, broadcast on October 1 2006.

The programme's theme music is By The Sleepy Lagoon composed by Eric Coates in 1930.

Unlike most Radio 4 programmes, Desert Island Discs cannot be heard on the BBC's Listen Again service (which allows most programmes to be listened to up to a week after transmission via the website) because of unresolved rights issues between the BBC and the owners of the format of the programme.