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Just caught the latest one with Claire Balding which served as a reminder of just how good this show can be.
Seeing as [url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/find-a-castaway ]all old episodes are online[/url] now... who's been your favourite desert islander?
Conrad Anker's is good. Great thread idea...
Tom jones was really interesting. Being brought up in a welsh mining village, saying you wanted to be a singer, and ending up knocking about with Elvis in Vegas.
I bloody love desert island discs! 😀
Sadly lost, but Guy Gibson (of the dam Busters) must have been pretty interesting.
Dawn French. Great woman, moving stuff about her dad.
It's always the ones that surprise you that are best.
Vidal Sassoon sticks in the mind. He spent his youth in street fights with fascist gangs in the East End of London!
If you've read the book(s)/seen the film, then Joe Simpson was interesting, altho his music choice was a bit naff in places(IMO).
Musically, Andy Kershaw was the most interesting for me. Really came across as a nice bloke with a very humane spirit. It was recorded before things went a bit pear shaped for him.
Eno.
Too many to mention but Sister Wendy Beckett stands out. Kirsty Young does seem to get people to open up about their lives.
I have been working my way through them over the last year or so and have a terrible memory but I remember Michael Caine being very good.
Morrissey was a recent favourite.
"Now then Kirstie - do you know Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell?"
"Do I have to take the Bible? Oh well. It is a best seller, I suppose..."
It's always the ones that surprise you that are best.
This is very true. It's often people who I've never heard of, or wouldn't normally listen to, that surprise.
Kenneth Williams is a fantastic one, the way he speaks - unbelievable! Good music too.
I really enjoyed the Danny baker one , he has quite an interesting outlook on life and particularly money
Chris Packham was quite fun of the recent ones.
Whoopi Goldberg was very good, about 6 years ago now I think.
Last week's Ed Millipede one was toe-curlingly embarrassing, because Millipede comes across badly and also because the lovely Kirsty laid into him at every opportunity. "Did you pick these yourself or were they chosen for you?"
Kirsty does get a bit punchy at times*. I rarely catch DID and normally only on a rare long distance journey. Not my favourite but one of the most surprising for me was Eric Pickles. Normally a hate figure, but I found his version (about 15-24 months ago) surpisingly easy to listen to. Milliband's was surprisingly weak but I only caught the 5mins leading up to AHa. I wanted to hear more but dogs were impatient for a walk!!!
*Found the I am gay etc bit with Balding slightly OTT. Can't we move in from this being news. But liked her comments re the Aga Khan and the realisation that she didn't need to impress with her knowledge when interviewing. She is not what it is about. Perhaps Kirtsy could take that lesson on board occassionally?
+1 on Danny Baker
"Did you pick these yourself or were they chosen for you?"
that was dig at cameron - did you see hi s list Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Bob dylan, benny hill, REM and the Smiths - does anyone believe that?
Milliband was sincere but bland because he is
Agree its the unexpected ones that are best
Chris Peckhams was the best recently
I can't remember the name, but it was the head of psychiatry at Broadmoor hospital. Really fascinating stuff about her attitudes to rehabilitating the most dangerous and damaged of people.
that was dig at cameron - did you see hi s list Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Bob dylan, benny hill, REM and the Smiths - does anyone believe that?
That episode was gruesome. Dave saying he'd writen to radio head to tell them how much he liked Fake Plastic Trees (or whatever track it was) then, when he went to see them live, seemed to infer that at his suggestion they'd played it, as if it's a track that would rarely make it onto the set list otherwise. I bet they had to relearn the words and everything.
On now, really is a great show. Thought I'd resurrect the thread with a couple I've enjoyed recently, Ben Ainslie and Dame Elish Angiolini. Well worth a listen.
The singer,Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, chose 7 of her own recordings. Not completely self-obsessed then.
Unfortunately they've never had Mrs Trellis of North Wales on, but she did write one of my favourite ever letters:-
[i]"Dear BBC, have you ever considered doing a celebrity version of Desert Island Discs"?[/i]
Morrissey
Dustin Hoffman
Jimmy Mulville
Last week's Ed Millipede one was toe-curlingly embarrassing, because Millipede comes across badly and also because the lovely Kirsty laid into him at every opportunity. "Did you pick these yourself or were they chosen for you?"
As per jy's post up there ^^, she missed a trick with Cameron and Clegg's obviously focus-grouped selections. Who says the beeb is left-biased? 😆
iirc there was a thread on here back along about Johnny Marr's fury at being on cameron's list.
Chris Packham's was the most recent really great one for me. Poodles, who'd have thought it? 😀