The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is television cook Keith Floyd. Renowned for his garrulous charm as much as for his culinary expertise, he'll be describing the chronicle of failure that dogged him through spells in the Army, as a cub reporter, as an antiques dealer and as a restaurateur. He'll also be talking to Sue Lawley about his passion for good food, music and the elusive nature of romantic happiness. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Hey Jude by The Beatles Book: Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake Luxury: Pair of handmade blue suede shoes

Last August the world rejoiced at the liberation of a man who, to all intents and purposes, had vanished from its face more than four years previously. A pale and gaunt Brian Keenan emerged from a captivity of appalling deprivation and isolation after being kidnapped in Beirut by Islamic extremists. This week on Desert Island Discs, he will be talking to Sue Lawley about those lost years, when, often blindfolded, chained and alone, he relived his life, conjuring up forgotten sights and sounds through imagined magical music, or by singing half-remembered lines from songs with John McCarthy when they were allowed to share their captivity. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Dweller On The Threshold by Van Morrison Book: The Life Times and Music of An Irish Harper by Donal O'Sullivan Luxury: Pencil

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is one of the great European artists of today - Eduardo Paolozzi. One of his positions is Her Majesty's Sculptor In-ordinary for Scotland - a post rather like the Poet Laureate for Sculpture, but with no duties attached to it. But such eminence in the artistic world is in stark contrast to Sir Eduardo's humble beginnings as the son of Italian immigrants who had an ice-cream shop in Edinburgh. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his boyhood, when he was sent to Fascist youth camps in Italy for three months at a time, and the subsequent imprisonment and vilification which fell upon him and his family at the outbreak of war in 1940. He'll also be contemplating his years at the Slade and his flight to the artistic freedom of the Paris of Giacometti, Leger and Picasso. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: L'Enfant Et Les Sortileges by Maurice Ravel Book: A tropical plant book in Italian with English gloss Luxury: Hurdy gurdy

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs rejoices in the title of the Baroness Trumpington of Sandwich in the County of Kent. A tireless campaigner on myriad issues, she brings to her work a commodity which is often in short supply in political life - a healthy sense of humour. Among other things, she'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her career, during which she has risen from being Mayor of Cambridge to Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food - all without taking a single exam. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: I'll Follow My Secret Heart by Noel Coward Book: George V by Kenneth Rose Luxury: Crown jewels (so someone will look for her)

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is the black American singer Elisabeth Welch, who, in a career spanning 60 years, made famous such songs as Love For Sale, Soloman and Stormy Weather. Her first big break came in 1931 in the Broadway show The New Yorkers. The show made her a star and also gave her the lasting friendship of Irving Berlin and Cole Porter. Having been the toast of London, Paris and New York in pre-war years, her music still appeals across the generations. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Just One Of Those Things by Frank Sinatra Book: Who's Who In The Theatre Luxury: Photo of mother

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is the Baroness Castle of Blackburn - better known to most people as Barbara Castle. For 34 years she served as the Labour member for the constituency of Blackburn, and she rose to high office in the Wilson governments of the 1960s and 1970s. As the first woman Transport Minister, she introduced, amidst great controversy, the breathalyser and the motorway speed limit. She was also at the centre of legislation over equal pay for women. Then, 10 years ago, she opted out of domestic politics and into the European cauldron. Now retired from that too, and recently having celebrated her 80th birthday, she'll be looking back over her long and passionate political career, and forward to making her mark on the House of Lords. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: I Have A Dream Speech by Martin Luther King Book: The collected works by William Morris Luxury: Typewriter

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is a man who, among many other achievements, gave his name to a famous report in the 1970s on the future of broadcasting - Lord Annan. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his long and distinguished career which has ranged through the Cabinet War Office, King's College Cambridge, The Royal Opera House and London University - as well as recalling many friends and acquaintances from his university days, from EM Forster to the notorious Guy Burgess. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: 7th Symphony Final Movement by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: The Iliad in Greek & English by Homer Luxury: Bath essence

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is the General Director of the South Bank, Nicholas Snowman. Very much a man of the arts, and a determined apostle of all things new, he founded the University Opera Society when he was at Cambridge and the London Sinfonietta when he left. He then moved to Paris, where he was appointed Artistic Director of the Pompidou Centre. His latest post at the South Bank has attracted considerable controversy, with one critic describing his concert programme as "seriously unattractive". He'll be discussing his vision of the South Bank's musical future with Sue Lawley and talking about his achievement of establishing, for the first time, a resident orchestra in Britain's largest arts centre. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: String Quintet No 4 In G Minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Smiley's People by John Le Carre Luxury: Coffee machine

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is comedian Ernie Wise. Since Eric Morecambe's death six years ago, Ernie has had to carve out a show business career on his own, and he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about life as Wise without Morecambe, as well as looking back on the highs and lows of a partnership of nearly fifty years, during which time Morecambe and Wise sang, danced and joked their way to the top of the tree. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Bring Me Sunshine by Morecombe And Wise Book: Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens Luxury: Yellow Rolls Royce

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is one of the most colourful and controversial members of Britain's trade union movement. He is the former General-Secretary of The Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs - Clive Jenkins. Now retired, he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about a career which has encompassed disappointment but also considerable triumph, as well as looking back on his Methodist working-class upbringing in South Wales, and the path he trod from there to a position where he wielded extensive power and influence in the tough world of industrial relations. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Book: Look Homeward Angel by Thomas Wolfe Luxury: Video player and tape of Citizen Kane

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is an actor who rose to fame by portraying two rather different sorts of policemen on the nation's television screens. John Thaw, though a versatile stage actor, having appeared at the Royal Court and played with the Royal Shakespeare Company, is best known for the roles of Jack Reegan in the Sweeney, and, more recently, the morose but music-loving Inspector Morse. A passionate lover of classical music himself, he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his early childhood in Lancashire, his marriage to actress Sheila Hancock and his aversion to the perils of stardom. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Record: Erbarme Dich, Mein Gott (St Matthew Passion) Book: The Wind In The Willows by Kenneth Grahame Luxury: Large comfortable armchair

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is the captain of the England football team Gary Lineker. Apprenticed to Leicester City at the age of 16, he turned professional at 18, then went on to play for England. In 1985 he was bought by Everton for £800,000. One year and 40 goals later, he was bought by Barcelona for more than two million pounds. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his extraordinary skill as a footballer, his reputation for immaculate behaviour both on and off the football field and the agony of England's defeat in this year's World Cup. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Soul Limbo (Sig. Tune For Test Match Special) by Booker T And The MGs Book: Wisden Almanack for cricketers Luxury: Bowling machine

This week's Desert Island Discs castaway is the effervescent actress Barbara Windsor. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her early life in London's East End, the Carry On films for which she is, of course, best known, and the strain of a tumultuous private life often hidden behind the public facade of an irrepressibly good-humoured cockney sparrow. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Extract from The Secret Life Of Anthony Hancock by Galton & Simpson Book: A book about Hollywood Luxury: Writing materials and a Union flag

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is sex therapist Dr Ruth Westheimer. Born in Germany in the late 1920s, her Jewish family sent her out of the country as the Nazis rose to power. Sent to the safe but lonely confines of a Swiss orphanage, she was never to see her family again. Then, after living in Israel and studying in Paris, she eventually took American citizenship. Then, 10 years ago, she emerged from obscurity to become a national celebrity. As an unemployed college lecturer in her early 50s, her appearances on radio and television, where she handed out explicit but common-sense advice on sex and its problems, brought her fame and fortune. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her early life, her adventures in Paris and Israel and the satisfactions of her present job. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: There Was A Time by Joel Westheimer Book: Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell Luxury: Large box of marrons glacés

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is a pillar of the British Establishment, Lord Charteris of Amisfield. Educated at Eton and Sandhurst, he became, at the age of 36, Private Secretary to the young Princess Elizabeth, whom he was to serve for nearly 30 years, retiring only after when, as Queen Elizabeth the Second, she celebrated her Silver Jubilee. After leaving the royal household, he went back to Eton, where he has been Provost for the last 12 years. Among many things, Lord Charteris will be talking to Sue Lawley about the job of Private Secretary to the Queen, and how the Eton of today differs from the Eton he attended as a schoolboy some 50 years ago. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Emperor Concerto by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Luxury: Set of wood-carving tools

The Desert Island Discs guest this week is someone who should be particularly suited to castaway life - Robin Knox-Johnston was the first man to sail single-handedly non-stop around the world. Since then, he has spent much of his time at sea visiting many islands, deserted or otherwise, and recently he undertook a voyage using only those navigational instruments available to sailors 500 years ago. Very much the adventurous master mariner, he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the perils and pleasures of life at sea. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]. Favourite track: Land Of Hope And Glory by Edward Elgar/Benson Book: Books identifying birds and fish Luxury: Video recorder and tapes of Queen Mother's parade

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs claims to be the highest-paid woman journalist in Britain - one of a disappearing species. The star columnist Jean Rook has shared her life for eighteen years with the millions of readers of her national newspaper column. And it's been life that has embraced tragedy as well as triumph - over the last three years she has written in her column about her experiences of breast cancer and widowhood. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the ups and downs of her life and career. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Eton Boating Song by Eton College Book: Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy Luxury: Computer

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is the General Director of the English National Opera Peter Jonas. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his teenage ambition to run a great opera house, his subsequent rejection from the London Coliseum when he applied to sweep the stage there, and his return as its director some 11 years later. He'll also be talking about his fight against Hodgkin's Disease, his eleven years as personal and administrative assistant to Sir Georg Solti in Chicago and his plans for the future of the English National Opera. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Die Meistersinger Act 1 Prelude by Richard Wagner Book: City of God by Saint Augustine Luxury: Cyanide, in a joint, in champagne truffle, in a fridge

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is the man who can be credited with having made knitting glamorous. Designer and knitter Kaffe Fassett will be talking to Sue Lawley about the inspiration for his extraordinary bold and simple designs which have brought him fame and fortune the world over, and also waxing lyrical over the colours and patterns he uses, which reflect Byzantine carpets, Roman glass or just simple fruit, vegetables and shells. He'll also be talking about his bohemian childhood in California and the route which turned him into an Anglophile and led him to an exhibition of his work at the Victoria and Albert Museum. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Vespers by Claudio Monteverdi Book: Reflections by Hermann Hesse Luxury: Diary and pen

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is one of the country's most expensive and sought-after barristers - George Carman QC. A virtuoso of the courtroom, he has made his name successfully defending the famous - from former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe to well-known show business names like Peter Adamson, Maria Aitken and Ken Dodd. He will be talking to Sue Lawley about his perception of the key to successful advocacy and making a definitive judgement on the eight records he would take to his desert island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Violin Concerto in D Major by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: The Golden Treasury by Francis Palgrave Luxury: Painting Of Grand Canal In Venice"

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is theatrical impresario Harold Fielding. The name behind a dazzling array of hit musicals like Half A Sixpence, Charlie Girl, Sweet Charity and Barnum, his failures have been nearly as spectacular as his successes - his production of Ziegfeld crashed two years ago, making a loss of more than two million pounds, and this year his new musical with Petula Clark had to close early. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the highs and lows of show business life and about the stars he has looked after, such as Frank Sinatra, Marlene Dietrich and Ginger Rogers, to name but a few. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Piano Concerto in A Minor - Opening by Robert Schumann Book: Great Murder Trials of 20th Century by Sir David Napley Luxury: Large bag of sugar

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is novelist Maeve Binchy. During her Catholic childhood in a small Irish village, she nurtured an ambition, not just to lead a life of religious devotion, but to become a saint. Later on, she aspired to the legal profession, where her horizons stretched far beyond barristers and briefs to, at the very least, Chief Justice of Ireland. But it was ultimately as a writer that Maeve Binchy achieved enormous success, with novels like Light a Penny Candle and many others making her name as one of the most successful popular authors of her time. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her childhood in Ireland, the loss of her religious faith and her ultimate success as an author of popular fiction. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Brendan Theme by Liam O'Flynn Book: Teach Yourself Bridge Luxury: Photograph album

Tickling sticks, diddy men, Knotty Ash - all these can mean but one thing: that this week's Desert Island Discs castaway is comedian Ken Dodd. Though his professional debut took place some 36 years ago, Mr Dodd still proclaims himself a mere spring chicken of 35 or, at a pinch, 36. As befits most jesters, he has had his share of troubles along with the laughter. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his library of books on humour, the loyalty of his audience through good and bad times and his early years in Knotty Ash, where he still lives in his childhood home. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: For The Good Times by Perry Como Book: Times Atlas of the World Luxury: A box of scented soap

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is a politician. Elected to Sheffield City Council at the age of 22, he went on to become its leader for seven years, after which he made the smooth and successful transition to Parliament, where he now sits on the opposition front bench as local government spokesman. Beside him sits his guide dog Offa, because David Blunkett has been blind since birth. He will be talking to Sue Lawley about his struggles to get his 'O' and 'A' Levels and eventually his degree, his time in local and now national politics and the many problems he has overcome to reach his present position. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Book: Anthology of Verse by Robert Graves Luxury: Radio/cassette machine

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is actor Jonathan Pryce. Since the early 1970s, he has taken on many guises and received many plaudits. He was called the new Brando when he appeared on Broadway, and his Shakespearian roles - Hamlet and Macbeth - elicited comparisons with the late Lord Olivier. Most recently, he has diversified from classical roles, feature films and television plays to take a new path with an all-singing, award-winning performance in the West End's biggest hit of the year - Miss Saigon. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his accidental entry into the acting world and the pitfalls and pleasures of his profession. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Cello Quintet In C by Franz Schubert Book: Short Stories by Bernard MacLaverty Luxury: Endless supply of rum punch

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is one of the most highly acclaimed writers of today. The author of Good Behaviour, Time After Time and Loving and Giving, she began writing in the early 20s using the pseudonym MJ Farrell to conceal her identity from her sporting friends in Ireland, where she was born and grew up. It was a world of snobbery and decaying aristocracy which she portrays in her books with excruciating accuracy. Then, after a period in the early 50s as a successful playwright, she fell silent, to emerge 25 years later under her real name, Molly Keane, and went on to achieve huge success and literary recognition. Now 86, she'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her childhood, her books and her Ireland. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Greensleeves by James Galway Book: A bound copy of the Spectator magazines Luxury: A bed, netted from snakes and flies

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is Prue Leith, professional cook, restaurateur and, most recently, mass caterer, with a brasserie in Hyde Park and cream teas in Hampton Court. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her childhood in South Africa, her family's lack of interest in food, her own conversion to the delights of cooking good food and her early days running a catering company from a bedsit in Earl's Court. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Symphony No 6 (Pastoral) by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Barchester Novels by Anthony Trollope Luxury: Jeroboam of champagne

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is one of the most familiar and best-loved figures of British comedy over the last 40 years - June Whitfield. Whether as Eth, with her boyfriend Ron, in the Glums in the 1950s, or June, with Terry Scott, in Terry and June, her consummate professionalism has brought laughter and fun to millions of people. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her early career as well as her most recent one as what has been described as Britain's answer to Jane Fonda, presenting a keep-fit TV programme for the over-60s. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Trolley Song by Judy Garland Book: A do-it-yourself manual Luxury: Supply of cocoa butter and hat

This week's Desert Island Discs castaway is novelist Mary Wesley. Although she has written poetry and prose throughout her life, it was not until she was a widow in her 70s, struggling to make ends meet, that she had her first book, Jumping the Queue, published. That was eight years ago, and since then she has gone on to write six more best-sellers like The Camomile Lawn and Not That Sort of Girl. Mary Wesley will be talking to Sue Lawley about the pleasures and perils of her late arrival to literary fame and choosing eight records to accompany her to her desert island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Symphony No 7 - Final Movement by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Luxury: Denis Healey or large double bed with pillows

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is Sir Crispin Tickell, Britain's Ambassador to the United Nations. As well as being an ambassador, he is also a passionate meteorologist and conservationist - a cool diplomat who's made himself an expert on global warming. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his many postings, passions and pastimes. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: String Quartet No 1 by Johannes Brahms Book: Guide To Science by Asimov Luxury: Solar-powered telescope

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is the Rt Hon John Biffen MP. One of the most popular men at Westminster and a dedicated parliamentarian, he will be talking to Sue Lawley about his early passion for history and politics, his later dismissal from the cabinet by Mrs Thatcher, and also discussing the current debate surrounding the leadership of the Conservative Party. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The English Character (speech) by Stanley Baldwin Book: 1946 Wisden Almanack for cricketers Luxury: Rain gauge

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is one of Britain's leading and most controversial architects Richard Rogers. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about two of his most celebrated designs - the Pompidou Centre in Paris and the Lloyds Building in London - and describing how his passion for the new and the innovative has brought him into disagreement with many critics, including Prince Charles, with whom he shares a passionate concern for the quality of our built environment. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Piano Concerto No 24 Second Movement by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: The Odyssey by Homer Luxury: His wife, Ruth, but if this is disallowed then a painting

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is scientist Professor Sir George Porter. Currently President of the Royal Society, he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his route from the local school - a tin shack called the Tin Lizzie, in the mining village in which he was born - to Nobel Prize winner for chemistry in 1967, and discussing the parlous state of science and science teaching in the 1990s. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Ode To Joy (Symphony No 9) by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Non-Equilibrium Thermo Dynamics by Prigogine Luxury: Computer, paper and pen

This week's Desert Island Discs castaway is Sir Ian Trethowan. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his days as a copy boy earning 27/6d on the Daily Sketch, his early journalistic career, his transition from television presenter to manager of BBC Radio, and some of the dramas and crises which characterised his days as Director-General of the BBC. A lifelong opera lover, he'll also be choosing eight records for his island idyll. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Der Rosenkavalier (Hab Mirs Gelobt) Final Act by Richard Strauss Book: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Luxury: Champagne

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is, by his own account, very difficult to classify - his talents span comedy, writing, acting and improvisation. He has appeared in the television adaption of Porterhouse Blue and can be heard on Spitting Image as the voice of Norman Tebbitt and Lord Olivier. He has also appeared in the West End as Napoleon, as well as playing nearly forty supporting roles. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his meteoric rise to fame since he abandoned the academic world just eight years ago. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Symphony No 2 -The End by Gustav Mahler Book: David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Luxury: A 78rpm record of The Laughing Policeman (to smash on the rocks)

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the journalist John Pilger. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his arrival in this country from Australia 28 years ago, and how he went on to become one of the best-known and often most contentious foreign correspondents on the Daily Mirror during the 1960s. His reporting of events from all over the world, but most notably Cambodia, has brought him fame and admiration, as well as criticism and controversy for his campaigning style. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about these issues. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Blue Moon Of Kentucky by Elvis Presley Book: Catch 22 by Joseph Heller Luxury: Typewriter

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is the American conductor and virtuoso Michael Tilson Thomas. As well as being an internationally recognised musician, his passion for music and his desire to bring his own enthusiasm to as wide an audience as possible have made him something of a television star in America. In this country, he has been principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra for nearly two years, and has been called the most exciting American conductor since Leonard Bernstein. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Vespers by Claudio Monteverdi Book: Collected Poems by Raine Maria Rilke Luxury: Yamaha computerised concert grand piano

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is the actress Sarah Miles. Discovered at the tender age of 18 by Sir Laurence Olivier, and picked by him to play opposite him in Term of Trial, she went on to entertain and entrance in films like The Servant, Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines and, perhaps most famously, Ryan's Daughter. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her professional and private life - both of which have been characterised by a fair degree of turmoil and turbulence. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Negro Spiritual by Miles Book: I Ching Luxury: Word processor

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is a publisher; a man who came to this country 52 years ago with a 16/6d postal order in his pocket and very poor English. Over half a century later, he is a cultured and successful businessman, renowned for his glittering parties and wide circle of eminent friends, many of whom write books for him. He is Lord Weidenfeld, and he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his rise from being an impoverished immigrant, to becoming one of Britain's leading intellectual and social figures. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Don Giovanni - The Quintet by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens Luxury: Armchair with coffee machine & rescue signal

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is Sir Robin Day. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about going with his father to hear Churchill speak at a political rally when he was a boy, recalling his days at post-war Oxford, the early days at ITN and his long association with politicians in front of the microphone. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Drinking Song by Giuseppe Verdi Book: The Oxford Book of English Verse Luxury: Magnums of champagne

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is Radio 1 disc jockey John Peel. For over 20 years the guru of pop fans, he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his life at public school, his work as a DJ in the States in the early 1960s, his family, his passion for Liverpool Football Club and, of course, his lifelong passion for pop music. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Teenage Kicks by The Undertones Book: Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell Luxury: Football

This week's castaway is Dennis Skinner MP. Recently described as the backbenchers' backbencher, he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about Parliament and politics and choosing eight records to accompany him on his solitary island adventure. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Daddy, What Did You Do in the Strike? by Peggy Seeger Book: Let's Face the Music by Benny Green Luxury: Bike

In this week's edition of Desert Island Discs the castaway is film actor and writer Dirk Bogarde. Among many other things, he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about why life as a national heart-throb has never really suited him, about his many years living in Provence and about the film of which he himself is most proud - Visconti's Death in Venice. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: 5th Symphony 4th Movement by Gustav Mahler Book: Akenfield by Ronald Blythe Luxury: Distillery

The castaway in this week's edition of Desert Island Discs is Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent. After a lifelong devotion to music, she will be whittling down her choice of eight records with great difficulty. Now Patron of the Leeds Piano Competition and the Yehudi Menuhin School, as well as President of the Royal Northern College of Music, the Duchess of Kent studied music herself until she was twenty-five. Her Royal Highness will be talking to Sue Lawley about her love of music, her Yorkshire childhood and her prolific work for charity. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Ave Verum Corpus by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: A do-it-yourself manual Luxury: Lamp with solar batteries

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is actress Pauline Collins. As someone who has been entertaining television audiences for over twenty years in popular series like Emergency Ward 10 and Upstairs, Downstairs, she has simultaneously pursued a theatrical career which recently burgeoned into huge success with her portrayal of Shirley Valentine - the trapped Liverpool housewife who finds escape on a Greek island. It's a part which has won her great acclaim both on the stage and in the recent film version. Pauline Collins will be talking to Sue Lawley about the international star status Shirley Valentine has brought her and recalling milestones and memories of her career. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy Book: Teach yourself physics Luxury: Papers, pencils, paints

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is the former Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his boyhood and his memories of university life, as well as his subsequent journalistic and political experiences, including the more recent upheavals in his political career. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Clarinet Quintet In A Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: The collected works by John Donne Luxury: Radio receiver

This episode of Desert Island Discs exists for reference, as part of the most complete possible archive resource of programmes from the long-running series, and was broadcast in 1989. The castaway is Diana Mosley, a Mitford girl who married Sir Oswald Mosley, the leader of the British Union of Fascists. During the interview with Sue Lawley, Lady Mosley discusses her contentious continued denial of the Holocaust and admiration for Adolf Hitler, along with her and her husband’s imprisonment during most of the war years and her close friendship with the neighbours who shared her subsequent exile in France, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. [Programme information updated February 2022] Favourite track: Die Walküre by Richard Wagner Book: Books by Marcel Proust Luxury: Soft pillow

This week's Desert Island Discs castaway is Seamus Heaney, a Catholic Ulsterman who has been acclaimed by many as the best Irish poet since Yeats. He was recently elected Oxford Professor of Poetry, and he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his idyllic rural childhood as the eldest of nine children, his transition to university life and the sources of his poetic inspiration. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Quartet No 13 in B Flat Major by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Ulysses by James Joyce Luxury: Doc Marten boots

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is theatrical producer Michael Codron. During the 30 years he has been in the business, some of Britain's most eminent modern playwrights - John Mortimer, Alan Ayckbourn and Tom Stoppard for example - started their writing careers under his patronage. He's also turned his hand to popular entertainment in the form of hit plays like Crown Matrimonial and There's a Girl in my Soup. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his successes as well as his failures, and the risky but compulsive character of show business life. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Symphony No 1 in C by Georges Bizet Book: Caroline and Charlotte by Alison Plowman Luxury: Jigsaw puzzles

If you were told that this week's Desert Island Discs castaway took ballet lessons as a child, was a moderately angelic choirboy and now plays golf, badminton and cricket, as well as walking long distances for charity, the name of Ian Botham might well not spring immediately to mind. But it will indeed be Mr Ian Botham who'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his exploits on and off the cricket field, as well as discussing his ambition to captain the England team again. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: I'm Still Standing by Elton John Book: Encyclopaedia of species of fish of the world Luxury: Fishing rod

The castaway on this week's Desert Island Discs is novelist and travel writer Colin Thubron. Author of books on the Middle East, China and Russia, he will be divulging to Sue Lawley some of the delights and dangers of his many experiences, as well as sharing his passion for music. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Love Duet (from Creation) by Franz Joseph Haydn Book: A Year of Grace by Victor Gollancz Luxury: Scuba-diving equipment

This week's Desert Island Discs castaway is playwright Alan Plater. He has been writing plays for radio, television, theatre and cinema since the early 1960s, having served his apprenticeship on Z-Cars in the days of live television drama. Since then, he has been associated with major television adaptions like The Barchester Chronicles and Fortunes of War. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his work, as well as recalling his childhood in the north of England in the 1930s and 1940s - an idyllic time for him despite the inconveniences of the Depression and the Blitz. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Fine & Mellow by Billie Holiday Book: Smell of Sunday Dinner by Sid Chaplin Luxury: Writing materials

This week's Desert Island Discs castaway is veteran actor Jack Lemmon. With nearly 50 films to his name, including comedy classics like The Odd Couple and Some Like It Hot, as well as more serious films like Missing and The China Syndrome, he's also an accomplished jazz pianist, and he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his passion for music and the vital part it has played in his life. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin Book: A Play in the Fields of our Lord by Peter Matheson Luxury: Piano

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is a woman of many passions - passions for places, people and the past. She is photographer Lucinda Lambton, and she'll be sharing her love of the unusual and the beautiful with Sue Lawley. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Quartet (from Act 2 of Fidelio) by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Dictionary of National Biography Luxury: Word processor

This week's Desert Island Discs will be a form of tribute to the pianist John Ogdon, who died last month. In the programme, you can hear about his early musical life and his enormous success on the international music scene - a success which was cut short by a devastating nervous breakdown which brought his career to a halt. During his conversation with Sue Lawley, he talked about that illness, his eventual recovery and subsequent return to the concert platform and recording studios. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Symphony No 1 in B Minor 1st Movement by William Walton Book: The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins Luxury: Steinway piano

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is one of Britain's leading writers, Penelope Lively. Author of eight novels, two of which were shortlisted for the Booker Prize and one which won her the prize in 1987, Moon Tiger, she'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her early childhood in Egypt, her philistine English boarding school and the sources of inspiration for her characters and books. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Ruhe Sanft, Mein Holdes Leben (from Zaide) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Moby Dick by Herman Melville Luxury: Binoculars

The castaway on this week's Desert Island Discs is one of the legendary figures of the British rock music scene - guitarist Eric Clapton. Once known, blasphemously, as 'God', with prolific graffiti announcing 'Eric Clapton is God', he played with, among others, the Yardbirds, Cream and Blind Faith. Dealing successfully with years of alcohol and drug-related problems, he's still one of rock's superstars, and he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his passion for music and his life of turmoil. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Purple Rain by Prince Book: Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens Luxury: Guitar

As part of Radio 4's commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War, the castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs will be Dame Vera Lynn. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her own wartime experiences - as the now-legendary 'forces sweetheart' she performed in front of servicemen as far away as Burma, and as close to home as London's Regent's Park, and since then she has been constantly in demand all over the world for her singing and her songs, reviving as they do wartime memories both happy and sad. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Room 504 by Vera Lynn Book: A book of edible fruits and vegetables Luxury: Watercolour paints, brushes and paper

This week's castaway is Sir Thomas Armstrong, formerly Principal of the Royal Academy of Music, and now 91 years old. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his many years of teaching and performing music, judging music competitions and carrying out the almost impossible task of choosing just eight records to take to the mythical island from a lifetime filled with music from an early age. Favourite track: Brigg Fair by Frederick Delius Luxury: Clavichord

This week's Desert Island Discs castaway is something of a show business all-rounder - the moving spirit behind BBC TV's That Was the Week That Was, director of the musical Side by Side by Sondheim and currently presenter of Radio 4's Loose Ends. He is, of course, Ned Sherrin, and he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his idyllic childhood as a Somerset farmer's son, and the many different turns his life has subsequently taken. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: As Time Goes By by Elisabeth Welch Book: No Bed For Bacon by Caryl Brahms Luxury: Seed potatoes

This week's Desert Island Discs castaway is the man who, as well as transforming Wimbledon into a multi-million pound industry, manages the professional lives of some of the biggest Wimbledon names - Ivan Lendl and Martina Navratilova, for example. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his formidable business and management skills and how he is now applying them to the world of classical music, taking on clients like Kiri Te Kanawa and Itzhak Perlman. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Drive All Night by Bruce Springsteen Book: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo Luxury: Suntan lotion

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is someone who, over the last seven years, has become a superstar of the small screen, playing the venomous Alexis Carrington in the television soap opera Dynasty. She is, of course, Joan Collins, and she'll be talking to Sue Lawley about Alexis, as well as her many other roles, working with such great names as Jack Hawkins, Bette Davis, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. That's Joan Collins, discussing Hollywood, husbands and the pursuit of happiness. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Intermezzo (from Manon Lescaut) by Giacomo Puccini Book: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Luxury: Large bottle of sun tan oil and moisturiser

This week's Desert Island Discs castaway is actress Maria Aitken, who will be talking to Sue Lawley about her current reputation as the finest exponent of Noel Coward's leading ladies and her film roles; among them John Cleese's wife in A Fish Called Wanda. She'll also be discussing her many other careers as writer, chatshow hostess and journalist. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Duet (from La Traviata) by Giuseppe Verdi Book: Fun in a Chinese Laundry by Josef von Sternberg Luxury: Amazonian rain maker

This week's Desert Island Discs castaway is Director of Friends of the Earth Jonathon Porritt. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his passionate commitment to the preservation of the planet, and also confessing that, even though he is seen by many as the guru of self-sufficiency and all things green, he would be totally at a loss when it came to surviving island life. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Humpback Whale Music by Humpback Whales Book: Bleak House by Charles Dickens Luxury: Fountain pen

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is ideally suited to speculate on the pleasures and perils of island life, owning, as he does, his own island. He's Richard Branson, tycoon and entrepreneur, who made his first million while still in his teens, having left school at 15. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his family, his business philosophy and also his daredevil exploits with power boats and hot air balloons. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins Book: Teach yourself Japanese phrase book Luxury: Notebooks and pens

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is one of the country's leading former diplomats, Sir Nicholas Henderson. He has served in Britain's embassies all over the world - including Poland, West Germany and Paris, but was most prominent as our man in Washington during the Falklands War. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the pleasures and pitfalls of this somewhat nomadic, but nevertheless glamorous existence, and choosing eight records to accompany him on this, his final posting. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Concerto No 19 In F Major Third Movement by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Short Stories by Guy de Maupassant Luxury: Sculpture from The Louvre and a box of different seeds

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is one of Britain's most successful fashion designers - Katharine Hamnett. She started in the business 10 years ago with a £500 loan, and now runs a company with a £10 million turnover. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the connection between politics and fashion, and also about her famous baggy white t-shirts, which bear political and ecological slogans, and the memorable occasion when she wore one of them on a visit to 10 Downing Street. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Big Head by Max Bygraves Book: The I Ching Luxury: Aircraft carrier (to decorate)

This week's Desert Island Discs castaway is one of Britain's greatest and best-loved character actresses, Thora Hird. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her lifelong involvement with the theatre - she first appeared on the stage at eight weeks old - and discussing more recent roles, such as Doris in Alan Bennett's play A Cream Cracker Under the Settee; a part which this year won her the BAFTA award for best television actress. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Onward Christian Soldiers by The Harry Simeone Chorale Book: Scene & Hird by Thora Hird Luxury: Cleansing milk

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is one of Britain's most popular comedians, Lenny Henry. His talent emerged at the age of 16, when he was one of the star turns on New Faces, and he has since gone from strength to strength - appearing in television programmes like TISWAS and Three of a Kind, doing unforgettable imitations as well as creating his own characters. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] He'll be giving Sue Lawley glimpses of these characters as well as talking about his time with the Black and White Minstrels, and his most recent role, as one of the moving forces behind Comic Relief, when he and fellow comedians banded together to raise millions of pounds for the people of Ethiopia and Burkina Faso. Favourite track: I Just Called To Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder Book: Catch 22 by Joseph Heller Luxury: Graphic novels (Comics)

This week's Desert Island Discs castaway is someone who now sits at the head of one of this country's most famous theatrical dynasties - the remarkable Redgraves. But Lady Redgrave, as Rachel Kempson, is also a highly-regarded actress in her own right - still treading the boards at the age of 78 - and she'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her long career on the stage, her marriage to Sir Michael Redgrave and the pitfalls and pleasures of a family which now encompasses three generations of acting talent. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: If The Heart Of A Man by Michael Redgrave Book: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Luxury: Case of champagne

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is biologist and conservationist Miriam Rothschild. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her lifelong fascination with all forms of natural life, including her passion for fleas, worms and butterflies, and also how she welcomes the prospect of exile to the mythical island as an opportunity to discover and investigate unlimited flora and fauna. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Cello Suite No 5 - Prelude by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Encyclopaedia Britannica Luxury: Bag of wild flower seed

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is Lord Jenkins of Hillhead - formerly Roy Jenkins. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his long and varied political career, which has encompassed periods as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary and this country's first President of the European Commission. He'll also be looking back on his Welsh origins and the early days of the Social Democratic Party, of which he was a founding member, as well as challenging his popular image as a claret-drinking intellectual. Favourite track: Theme (from Enigma Variations) by Edward Elgar Book: Who Was Who Luxury: Case of Bordeaux wine

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is an actor who rose to fame on the nation's television screens as the landlord in the BBC television series Eastenders - the volatile and villainous Dirty Den. He's Leslie Grantham, and he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about life after Dirty Den now that he has left the series, and also his time in prison when he served an 11-year sentence for a crime he committed as a teenage soldier. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Test Pilot Sketch (from Hancock's Half Hour) by Galton & Simpson Book: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe Luxury: Metal detector

In this week's Desert Island Discs, one of the most eminent English poets of this century, Sir Stephen Spender, talks to Sue Lawley about his radical and often flamboyant past, and his friendships with such notable literary figures as Christopher Isherwood, WH Auden and Virginia Woolfe. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: String Quartet in A Minor by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu by Marcel Proust Luxury: Painting or sculpture & photograph of daughter

Sue Lawley's castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the satirical cartoonist Gerald Scarfe. Renowned for his grotesquely exaggerated portrayals of political figures and issues, he will be talking about his isolated childhood, which was dominated by chronic asthma, and how, with no formal art training, he has now become one of the most eminent artists of our time, branching out from drawing his instantly-recognisable caricatures into the world of theatre, rock and opera. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: A title by Capability Brown Luxury: River painting by Turner

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is Dame Josephine Barnes, who, ten years ago, was the first woman to become President of the British Medical Association. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her long and brilliant career in a traditionally male-dominated world, and her battles to improve the care of women in pregnancy and childbirth, both before and after the advent of the National Health Service. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: I Was Glad by Hubert Parry Book: The scores of all music chosen in a bound volume Luxury: Solar-powered word processer

This week's Desert Island Discs castaway is the playwright and theatre director David Hare - a man who has made his name with plays like Pravda, Plenty, Lickin' Hitler and, most recently, The Secret Rapture. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the impact of the theatre on post-war Britain and his own role as one of the leading writers of left-wing intellectual drama. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Young and Foolish by Mabel Mercer Book: Larousse Gastronomique Luxury: Cricket bat & bowling machine

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is the Rt Hon Enoch Powell - politician, poet and classical scholar. He'll be looking back on some of the incidents and issues which have made him one of the most controversial politicians in post-war Britain - among them, his so-called Rivers of Blood speech on immigration policy, and his exhortation to the electorate to vote Labour after his resignation over Britain's entry into the EEC. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Renunciation of Siegfried (from Götterdämmerung) by Richard Wagner Book: Old Testament In Hebrew & Greek Luxury: Smoking device to smoke fish

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is Jeffrey Tate, principal conductor of the English Chamber Orchestra and the Royal Opera House, and chief guest conductor of the Geneva Opera. Until the age of 27, his chosen profession was medicine, but once a fully-qualified doctor, he switched his career to become one of the most sought-after conductors of his time - both in Britain and abroad. This is an achievement impressive enough in itself, but doubly so given that since childhood he has suffered from a condition which has resulted in curvature of the spine and a paralysed left leg, which means that, for the most part, he conducts sitting on a high stool. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Sue Lawley will be talking to Jeffrey Tate about his transition from medicine to a stunning musical career and the problems he has overcome to achieve such extraordinary success. Favourite track: I'll Be Seeing You by Billie Holiday Book: The collected works by Jane Austen Luxury: Nativity painting from the National Gallery

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the chief executive of Britain's largest hotel and catering chain, an empire which extends from motorway cafes to the grandest hotels in London and Paris. He is Rocco Forte, and he'll be talking about the famed Forte dynasty, his renown as a one-time playboy and his company's continuing battle for ownership of the elusive Savoy hotel. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Dies Irae by Giuseppe Verdi Book: Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri Luxury: Snooker table

This week's castaway on the mythical desert island is someone who welcomes the isolation her exile can offer - she is singer and songwriter Joan Armatrading. An intensely shy and private person, renowned for her powerfully emotional songs, she'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her first impressions of England when she arrived here as a small girl 31 years ago from the Caribbean. She'll also be discussing her music, and the fame which it has brought - something she still finds surprising, and often quite overwhelming. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Madame George by Van Morrison Book: Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie Luxury: Guitar

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is someone who has experienced the delights of international stardom and acclaim, and the misery of failure when his fame turned sour and his popularity plummeted. The flamboyant Boy George will be talking to Sue Lawley about the ups and downs of his professional and private life. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: It Must Be Love by Madness Book: Photograph album Luxury: Radio receiver

Sue Lawley's castaway on Desert Island Discs this week is the Rt Hon Tony Benn MP. He'll be discussing his long and turbulent career as one of this country's most eloquent socialists - he served in every Labour government of the 1960s and 1970s. He'll also be talking about the many stories that have always surrounded him: is it true, for example, that he is 'wired for sound' and records every conversation he has? And has he really drunk enough cups of tea in his lifetime to displace the QE2? [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Madrigal by Stephen Benn Book: Das Kapital by Karl Marx Luxury: Kettle and teabags

Sue Lawley's castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is someone who's face graced the covers of fashion magazines the world over more than 20 years ago when she was still a teenager. The name 'Twiggy' was synonymous with *the* look of the 1960s - waif-like and doe-eyed. Today, she has matured into a successful actress, singer and dancer, and she'll be talking about those early, heady days, and how she managed to survive the media hype that surrounded her wherever she went. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Yesterday by The Beatles Book: Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy Luxury: Cold cream

The first castaway of 1989 in this week's Desert Island Discs is one of Britain's most senior church leaders - the Most Reverend Robert Runcie, the 102nd Archbishop of Canterbury. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his Liverpool childhood and his war years when, as a tank commander, he won the military cross. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Sanctus Book: The Odyssey by Homer Luxury: Rocking chair

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is a man who has, at times, endured a different isolation from that imposed by the mythical island. But along with his frequently turbulent political career, he has also enjoyed the close companionship of his fellow crew members when captaining his yacht to resounding victories, as well as conducting some of the greatest orchestras in the world. Former Prime Minister the Rt Hon Edward Heath will be discussing his many achievements - political, nautical and musical - as well as his plans for the future in Desert Island Discs. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Prisoners' Chorus by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Volume of the works of the Impressionist painters Luxury: Suntan lotion

This week's Desert Island Discs castaway is actor Charles Dance. A man once termed "the thinking woman's crumpet", it's a description he doesn't take too seriously. But he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his matinee idol image, his early days as an aspiring actor and the role which turned him into an international star - the dashing Guy Perron in the widely-acclaimed TV series The Jewel in the Crown. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: La Bottega Dei Miracoli by Nicola Poivanni Book: A Dream in the Luxembourg by Richard Aldington Luxury: Guitar

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is a philosopher, academic and mistress of Girton College, Cambridge; but Lady Mary Warnock is perhaps best known for her work in the public arena, on committees looking at a wide range of ethically-controversial subjects, including embryo research and animal experimentation. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about these difficult areas and also her early days as an academic when she was also bringing up five children. Throughout her life, music has also been a dominant theme and she'll be carrying out the difficult task of choosing eight records to accompany her to the desert island. Favourite track: My Beloved Spake by Henry Purcell Book: The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope Luxury: Pen and paper

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is a man who prefers to shun any sort of label, but has already attracted quite a number of them - writer, actor, raconteur, wit - but it is as a so-called 'alternative comedian' that Stephen Fry has been most remarkable, and he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his somewhat chequered past and his highly successful present. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Magic Fire Music (Die Walkure) by Richard Wagner Book: The Jeeves Omnibus by P G Wodehouse Luxury: Suicide pill

Sue Lawley's castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is jockey Bob Champion - a man who, against all the odds, fought back after he was diagnosed as having cancer to win one of the most coveted prizes in his field - in 1981 he rode Aldaniti to a stunning victory in the Grand National. He'll be talking about his passion for riding, his fight against his illness and the two children who, contrary to all medical predictions, he has since fathered. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel Book: Fraser's Horse Book by Alistair Fraser Luxury: A bronze statue of the racehorse Aldaniti

The castaway on this week's Desert Island Discs is a man who has reached the top of his profession through a fantastically varied number of routes - steeplejack, trainee accountant, circus fire-eater and hotel porter are just a few of them. Now one of the hottest properties in the film business on both sides of the Atlantic, actor Bob Hoskins will be talking to Sue Lawley about his image as a tough cockney lad, which has been prompted by such films as Mona Lisa and The Long Good Friday, and the role that took him to fame: Arthur Parker in Dennis Potter's TV series Pennies From Heaven. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Adagio For Strings by Samuel Barber Book: Catch 22 by Joseph Heller Luxury: Telescope

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is a man of quite extraordinary diversity. Now Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, his other jobs have included chairing the Board of the Royal Opera House and leading the government's Central Statistical Office under three Prime Ministers. But it is his passionate love of music, however, which has dominated his life throughout his many careers, and he'll be undertaking the difficult task of selecting just eight records to accompany him to the desert island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Marriage Of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: A volume by James Thurber Luxury: Concert grand Steinway piano

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is a writer and academic who's most renowned for her views on women, sex and human relations. She's Germaine Greer - someone who's often described as the 'high priestess of feminism'. As she approaches her 50th birthday, she'll be discussing with Sue Lawley whether her views have mellowed over the years, and how her aspirations have changed since the publication of her book The Female Eunuch. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Piece De Clavecin by Francois Couperin Book: The Oxford English Dictionary Luxury: Hot spices

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is a man who has been described as "the nicest Prime Minister we never had". He may never have made it as Prime Minister, but Michael Foot has had a long and illustrious career, representing his Welsh constituency for many years, and becoming leader of the Labour Party in 1980. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his passion for politics, books and music. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Barber Of Seville - Una Voce Poco Fa by Gioacchino Rossini Book: Don Juan by Lord Byron Luxury: Alarm clock encased in Welsh tinplate

This week's castaway on Desert Island Discs reveals her three remaining burning ambitions in life: to make a number-one record, to become a grandmother and to be treated as a real sex symbol - all this with 25 years of singing and compering success behind her. She's matchmaker supreme Cilla Black, and she'll be talking about her legendary early days in Liverpool, her subsequent career and her family. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Long and Winding Road by The Beatles Book: Fables by Aesop Luxury: Manicure set and nail varnish

Shy, lazy, self-effacing: this is the way this week's castaway on Desert Island Discs describes himself to Sue Lawley. So how come he ventured to the Radio Show at Earl's Court to choose his eight records to accompany him to the island? Well, you can find out how Terry Wogan just can't resist the challenge of a real, live audience, and also hear his ruminations on solitude, show business and shyness. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose by Irene Sharp Book: The collected works by P G Wodehouse Luxury: Radio-cassette player and language tapes

Sue Lawley's castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is the actress Athene Seyler. She first appeared on the stage 80 years ago as Rosalind in As You Like It - a part she can still recite - and now, at 99, she looks back with pleasure on her many happy years as one of Britain's finest comic actresses. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Du Bist Wie Eine Blume by Robert Schumann Book: The Disinherited by Gareth Jones Luxury: Case of champagne

The castaway on this week's Desert Island Discs is a monk, a man at peace with solitude, but whose life has been spent fighting the cause of the oppressed and dispossessed, from South Africa to London's East End. He is Bishop Trevor Huddleston, former Bishop of Stepney and President of the Anti-Apartheid Movement. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his long and varied life. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Fidelio - The Prisoners Chorus by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: The Oxford Book of English Verse Luxury: Binoculars

This week's castaway on Desert Island Discs is one of the most prominent novelists in the English language today. Author of the prize-winning novel Midnight's Children and weaver of magic yarns which embody myth, memory and politics, he is the Indian-born writer Salman Rushdie. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the forces which have influenced his life and work. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Call Of The Valley by Shivkumar Sharma Book: Arabian Nights (1000 and One Nights) Luxury: Unlisted radio telephone

Sue Lawley's castaway is pianist Peter Donohoe. Favourite track: String Quintet In C Major by Franz Schubert Book: Collected Scripts by Billy Connolly Luxury: Waterbed

For people who enjoy walking on the Cumbrian fells there's one indispensable companion. It's a Wainwright; a small guidebook, mapped, written and illustrated by Alfred Wainwright, who's Sue Lawley's castaway this morning in Desert Island Discs. Wainwright has written some 50 books and his Lake District guides have sold more than a million. He'll be talking about his beloved Lake District and choosing eight records. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Somewhere My Love (Lara's Theme) by Johnny Mathis Book: Two photographs (one of wife; one of 1928 Blackburn Rovers team) Luxury: Mirror

Sue Lawley's castaway is actress Anita Dobson. Favourite track: The Locomotion by Little Eva Book: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Luxury: Bed

Sue Lawley's castaway is historian Lord Dacre Of Glanton. Favourite track: Pavane For A Dead Infanta by Maurice Ravel Book: The collected works by Virgil Luxury: Paper, pen and ink

Sue Lawley's castaway is actress Patricia Neal. Favourite track: Black Is The Colour by Joan Baez Book: A collection of short stories Luxury: Toothbrush and toothpaste

Sue Lawley's castaway is Northern Ireland MP/MEP Reverend Ian Paisley. Favourite track: The Twenty-Third Psalm by The Reformed Presbyterian Church Of Ireland Northern Presbytery Choir Book: Book of Martyrs by John Foxe Luxury: High-powered radio

Sue Lawley's castaway is comedian Joan Turner. Favourite track: One Fine Day by Giacomo Puccini Book: Introduction to the Devout Life by St Francis de Sales Luxury: Baked beans

Sue Lawley's castaway is former Cabinet Secretary Lord Armstrong. Favourite track: Piano Trio In D Minor by Felix Mendelssohn Book: The collected works by Jane Austen Luxury: Music manuscript paper, pencil, rubber

Sue Lawley's castaway is comedian Dame Edna Everage. Favourite track: I Feel Pretty by Kiri Te Kanawa Book: Filofax Luxury: Madge Allsop

This week's castaway on Sue Lawley's desert island is a little difficult to categorise. To the record-buying public, he's a pop star of durable quality; to the theatregoers who like musicals, he's an actor-singer, and he's a popular music composer too. His name is David Essex, and, in conversation with Sue Lawley, you can hear about his life, his work and his enthusiasms in Desert Island Discs. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: March No 1 in D Major (Pomp and Circumstance) by Edward Elgar Book: The Guinness Book of Records Luxury: A set of cricket equipment

To celebrate his 50th birthday this week, David Owen, leader of the Social Democratic Party, has rather rashly agreed to be castaway on Sue Lawley's desert island! It might not be the most relaxing way to mark a half-century, but Dr Owen is a passionate sailor, so the situation has its charms. He is also very keen on poetry and music, both of which will accompany him to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Piano Concerto No 21 in C - Slow Movement by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: His own anthology of poems Luxury: A hot bath

Having left television to become General Director Designate of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Jeremy Isaacs this week contemplates another change of direction - to the mythical island. In conversation with Sue Lawley, he chooses eight records to take with him. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Marriage Of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: A compilation by Benny Green Luxury: Frogman's outfit and snorkel

At 97, the actress Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies reflects with interest on the prospect of being castaway and, in conversation with Sue Lawley, looks back over her long career. With a head well-stocked with music - and ringing with Shakespeare - she is determined to survive. But she isn't proposing to be castaway for long. She's already plotting a plan of escape. In the meantime, she looks back on her long and fascinating career in the theatre, which began with advice from Ellen Terry, took her into the Gaiety Chorus (at the back) and eventually, after success in The Immortal Hour, to some of the great Shakespearian roles. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Liebestod (from Tristan and Isolde) by Richard Wagner Luxury: Large bottle of toilet water

Sue Lawley's castaway is Home Office Minister Douglas Hurd. Favourite track: In Paradisum by Gabriel Fauré Book: The Oxford Book of Twentieth-Century Verse (selected by Philip Larkin) Luxury: Champagne

This week's castaway is Anton Mosimann - until recently, Maitre Chef des Cuisines at the Dorchester Hotel in London. In conversation with Sue Lawley, he reflects on his life and the new development in his career and chooses eight records to sustain him on the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Memory by Barbara Dickson Book: Opera di M. Bartolomeo Scappi (recipe book of Pope's chef in 1525) Luxury: Steamer for cooking

Sue Lawley's castaway is Rabbi Lionel Blue. Favourite track: Why Has A Cow Got Four Legs? by Cicely Courtneidge & Wilson Hallett Book: The biggest value of pure maths Luxury: Toilet bag

When Anita Roddick opened the Brighton Body Shop in 1976, she struck gold with a formula to knock the mystique out of the beauty business. She talks to Sue Lawley about the effects of success on her family life and comes to terms with her island exile. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: If I Could (from First Circle) by Pat Metheny Group Book: Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy Luxury: Comfortable bed with pillows and sheets

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the comedy actor Rowan Atkinson who features in the Blackadder saga. An episode of the series was the BBC's entry for this year's Golden Rose of Montreux Television Festival. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Lady Writer by Dire Straits Book: Uncle Fred in Springtime by P G Wodehouse Luxury: Car (to clean)

The castaway this week is Peggy Makins, better known as Evelyn Home, long-time agony aunt of Woman magazine. In conversation with Sue Lawley, she looks back on her life and career and also chooses eight records to take with her to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: A peal of 12 bells at Canterbury Cathedral by Sound Effects Book: The biggest atlas in the world Luxury: Little rosebush

Sue Lawley's castaway is leader of the Labour Party Neil Kinnock. Favourite track: Horace the Horse by Rachel Kinnock Book: Essays on Equality by R H Tawney Luxury: Radio 4

The castaway this week is the actor Michael Gambon, who last year won the BAFTA award for best actor for his portrayal of the lead role in The Singing Detective. In conversation with Sue Lawley, he looks back on his career in the theatre, in films and on television and also chooses eight records to keep him company on the island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Symphony No 7 (Allegretto) by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Republican Party Reptile by P J O'Rourke Luxury: Car (in which to listen to music)

This week's castaway, Mary Archer, admits to being basically a private person, happy to find refuge in her work as a scientist and in her love of music. In conversation with Sue Lawley, she looks back on her life and career, and also recalls the two crises involving her husband, Jeffrey. In her choice of records to take to the mythical island, she shows a preference for choral music. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Symphony No 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu by Marcel Proust Luxury: Needles, cotton and material

This week, Sue Lawley casts away Arthur Scargill, the President of the National Union of Mineworkers, who admits to being orderly in his everyday life, and that he would devise a plan to enable him to have a store of food and proper living accommodation. In choosing his music to take with him, he pays particular attention to black American jazz. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go by The London Emmanuel Choir Book: Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Luxury: The Mona Lisa

Sue Lawley's castaway is actress Jane Asher. Favourite track: The Ode To Joy (Symphony No 9) by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy Luxury: Hot bath with extra tap for cold champagne

"I would have looked forward with a great deal more relish when I was 50 and more able to look after myself, but I think I can manage". So says Lord Hailsham of St Marylebone in reply to Sue Lawley's invitation to send him in isolation to the mythical island. During their conversation, he looks back on his career as scholar, lawyer and politician, and he also chooses eight records to entertain him. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Swing Low Sweet Chariot by Paul Robeson Book: The works by Homer Luxury: Bathtub and soap

In the 1970s, Brendon Foster was our most outstandingly consistent athlete, breaking world records and winning European and Commonwealth titles. He has also promoted Gateshead as an international centre for athletics. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he looks back on his career and considers the pros and cons of athletics today, and he also selects eight records to take with him on an imagined trip to a desert island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Going Home by Mark Knopfler Book: The Lakeland Peaks (photographs) by W A Poucher Luxury: Tea

The castaway this week is James Burke, whose broadcasting style has been described as "turning science into show-biz". But, paradoxically, he admits to being immensely impractical and reveals to Michael Parkinson, while choosing his eight records to take to the island, that he at one time planned to make music his career. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Suite No 1 in G Major For Solo Cello by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Works by Homer Luxury: Guitar and strings

Until recently, the actress Stephanie Beacham played the glamorous 'rich bitch' Sable in the American soap opera The Colbys. She has also appeared in the television saga Tenko. She's now returned to London to perform with the Royal Shakespeare Company. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she looks back on her life and career. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Misa Criolla by Ariel Ramirez Book: The Ascent of Man by Dr Jacob Bronowski Luxury: Photograph of children

This week’s castaway is the playwright Dennis Potter. Best known for his television series Pennies from Heaven and The Singing Detective, Potter worked as a journalist and television critic before turning to writing. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he looks back on his childhood in the mining community of Forest of Dean, his career in Britain and Hollywood and talks about coping with psoriatic arthropathy. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: My Happiness by The Pied Pipers Book: Spycatcher by Peter Wright Luxury: Train set

This week’s castaway is the author, columnist and broadcaster William Davis. The former editor of Punch started his career as a financial journalist and his many roles have included working for Lord Beaverbrook, presenting the World at One and founding a successful publishing company. In conversation with Michael Parkinson he looks back over his childhood in wartime Germany and life in post-war Britain, and chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Ode To Joy (Symphony No 9) by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: The Dictionary by Dr Samuel Johnson Luxury: Telescope

This week’s castaway is the dancer and founder of the Bluebell Girls dance troupe, Margaret Kelly. An orphan born in Dublin, she started a career as a dancer at the age of twelve. As a teenager she worked in Germany in the late 1920s and 30s before moving to France. It was there that she formed The Bluebell Girls, a dance troupe which became synonymous with the high life of Paris. She spent the war working with them in Nazi-occupied Paris, hiding her Jewish husband in an attic. In conversation with Michael Parkinson she looks back over her eventful life and career, and chooses her eight favourite records. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: There's No Business Like Show Business by Ethel Merman Book: History of the English-Speaking Peoples by Sir Winston Churchill Luxury: Her first dress worn on stage

Gemma Craven is one of our most versatile actresses. An award winning stage performer, she made her film debut opposite Richard Chamberlain in The Slipper and the Rose. On television her work has ranged from the part of Joan in Dennis Potter’s Pennies from Heaven to appearances on The Morecambe and Wise Show. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she looks back over her life on stage and off, and chooses eight records to take to a desert island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Boil The Breakfast Early by The Chieftans Book: Floyd on Fish by Keith Floyd Luxury: Manicure set

The Right Honourable Michael Heseltine MP is often described as one of the new breed of Tory politicians and was widely tipped to be the next leader of the party. But that all changed dramatically in 1986 when he resigned his Cabinet post over the Westland affair. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he recalls his upbringing in South Wales, schooldays at Shrewsbury, undergraduate life at Oxford and his subsequent career in politics. He also chooses the eight records to take with him to the island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: We'll Keep A Welcome in the Hillsides by Morriston Orpheus Choir Book: The Dictionary of Trees and Shrubs Luxury: Mosquito net

Of Adele Leigh, a critic once said that she put paid to the myth that to be good, a soprano had to look like a Hoffnung cartoon. The youngest principal of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden when she joined in 1948, she became a television star in the 1960s with the show All Kinds of Music and appearances on Eric Robinson’s Music For You. After leaving Covent Garden she married a diplomat and settled in Vienna where she began singing the operetta roles that were to bring her fame at the Volksoper there. In conversation with Michael Parkinson she looks back over her life and her career in music. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Let's Do It by Noel Coward Book: Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Luxury: Loofah

Lew Grade has been at the centre of British show business for more than 50 years. Now into his 80s, he still has a dominant role as film and television mogul. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he looks back on his life and career and selects the music both to listen and dance to during his stay on the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Lo! Hear The Gentle Lark by Sir Henry Bishop Book: The Antiquary by Walter Scott Luxury: Crate of Montecristo cigars

The actor Anthony Sher became well-known to television audiences when he took the lead in The History Man and has established a special talent for Shakespeare, in particular Richard the Third. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he recalls his upbringing in South Africa and his subsequent career in the British theatre. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti Book: Blank sketchbook or journal Luxury: Pens, charcoal, paints

Vernon Scannell's colourful career has included prize-fighting, a controversial spell in the Army, confinement to a mental institution for insisting on becoming a writer and a subsequent award of a civil list pension for his services to literature. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he looks back on these aspects of his life and also selects the eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: St Matthew Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Compiled anthology of English poetry Luxury: Enormous amount of A4 paper

Barry Cryer is one of our best-known comedy writers who has, for 30 years, survived the quick-fire world that he sums up with the phrase "We don't want it good - we want it Monday". In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he looks back on his career, both as performer and writer, and he also selects eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Hoffnung by Hoffnung Book: The complete works by J B Priestley Luxury: Tape recorder with a cassette of recordings from home

As a restaurateur, broadcaster and writer, Robert Carrier's name has become synonymous with good food. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he looks back on a 25 year career and chooses music to remind him of some of the places he has lived during that time, including his native America, Paris, England and Morocco. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Don Carlos by Giuseppe Verdi Book: The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell Luxury: Tajine

Sue Lawley admits to being the kind of person whose tummy goes ping when she hears a certain tune and thinks "Ah yes, I remember that, it brings back lovely memories." In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she looks back on her upbringing in Worcestershire, her early days as a journalist and subsequent career as one of our most popular television presenters. She also chooses her eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninov Book: French Provincial Cooking by Elizabeth David Luxury: Iron and ironing board

"My wife and I are great opera buffs" says Bamber Gascoigne, who became a household name when he first became the question master of BBC television's University Challenge some 25 years ago. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he looks back on his career as a writer and broadcaster and reveals a novel approach to assembling his package of records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Soave Sia Il Vento by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne Luxury: Carpentry tools

"Music would be absolutely essential on my desert island" says Bernard Levin, "I don't know what my life would be without music". In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he looks back on his career as a journalist and critic and, in narrowing his choice of music to eight records, reveals a penchant for opera. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Book: The Michelin Guide to France Luxury: Laptop computer

Sir James Callaghan has the distinction of being the only politician to have held the four highest offices in the state. He was Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary, before becoming Prime Minister in 1976. In an interview with Michael Parkinson recorded in April 1987, he looks back on his career and chooses the eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Jupiter Symphony: 3rd Movement by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Luxury: Telescope and a star-gazing book

Lord Killanin's career has embraced journalism, the Army, film-making and writing books. He was also, from 1972 to 1980, President of the International Olympic Committee. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he looks back on his varied life and also chooses the eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Polonaise No 3 in A by Frédéric Chopin Book: A Vanished Arcadia by Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham Luxury: Olympic gold medal and award

The castaway this week is Lulu, who, in conversation with Michael Parkinson, recalls her upbringing in a Glasgow tenement and her subsequent career as a singer and actress. In choosing her eight records to take to the island, she reveals an admiration for the vocal styles of Ella Fitzgerald and Ray Charles. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Greatest Love Of All by Whitney Houston Book: Where Are You Going? by Swami Muktananda Luxury: Telephone

The pianist Jacques Loussier has won fame and fortune with a style that blends jazz with the music of J S Bach. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he looks back at a career of some 30 years, and also selects his eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Brandenburg Concerto No 3 in D Major by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Beasts, Men and Gods by Ferdinand Ossendowski Luxury: Piano

Peter West is one of our most versatile broadcasters; his television career has ranged from Come Dancing to specialist sports, particularly cricket. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he looks back on his career in broadcasting and journalism and, in choosing his records to take to the mythical island, reveals a Catholic taste in music. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Spartacus by Aram Khachaturian Book: Oxford Book of Quotations Luxury: Set of gardening tools

"The music of Rossini came into my life very early", says actress Joanna Lumley, "I loved him because his music is so happy". In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she recalls her upbringing in the Far East, a convent education and her subsequent theatrical career. She also chooses the other music to accompany Rossini on her sojourn to the desert island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Eroica (First Movement) by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell Luxury: Specially-commissioned John Ward painting of family & friends

In the 1920s, Kitty Godfree established a list of sporting achievements that will never be surpassed: she won two Ladies' Championships at Wimbledon, won six Olympic medals playing tennis, she represented her country at Lacrosse and was a four-times winner of the All-England Badminton Championships. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she looks back over her long life and selects the eight records she would take to her desert island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Chariots Of Fire by Vangelis Book: The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins Luxury: Bicycle

"Music is one of my great passions" says Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, "my taste is wide-ranging; from Wagner to Jazz". In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he looks back on his career, focusing particularly on running the stately home, organising jazz festivals and being Chairman of English Heritage. He also undergoes the agonising task of narrowing his musical choice to eight records. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Symphony No 2 by Gustav Mahler Book: The Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien Luxury: Windsurfing board

The castaway this week is the Irish writer Edna O'Brien, whose first novel, The Country Girls, was published in 1960 to great acclaim. She's also become well-known for her appearances on radio and television. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she looks back on her career and, in her choice of music, reveals a wide taste ranging from Elvis Presley to Carl Orff. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Canon In D by Johann Pachelbel Book: Complete Encyclopaedia Britannica Luxury: Cristal champagne

The actress Susan George began her career as a child appearing in television plays and series; her subsequent film career stretches back some 20 years. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she recalls her roles on stage and screen and also her latest involvement in production and writing. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye by Ella Fitzgerald Book: Will You Be My Friend? by James Kavanaugh Luxury: Four poster bed

Frances Edmonds accompanied her husband Phil on two tours with the England cricket team and wrote books about the trips. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she talks about the reaction she got from the chauvinistic world of cricketers and cricket writers, and also looks back on her schooldays at an Ursuline convent and at her career as an interpreter. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Panis Angelicus by César Franck Book: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Luxury: Bollinger '69

Maya Angelou inherited her love of music from her grandmother, who used to sing to her as a child at the family home in the southern United States. The first volume of her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, was a bestseller, describing her life as singer, actress, stripper, dancer and writer. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she looks back on a remarkable career and chooses eight records she would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

The castaway this week is Kenneth Williams who, for 40 years, has occupied a unique place on stage, screen and radio. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he recalls his long career which has ranged from working on radio classics like Hancock's Half Hour and Round the Horne to being a regular member of the cast in the Carry On films. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: 1st Movement from Spring Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: The Golden Treasury by Francis Palgrave Luxury: Crate of Cologne

The castaway this week is the actress-singer Elaine Paige who, in conversation with Michael Parkinson, looks back on her career from her debut in the chorus of Hair, through the musicals Jesus Christ Superstar and Grease, to becoming an international star in the part of Eva Peron in Evita. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles Book: The complete works by Charles Dickens Luxury: Piano

Robert Maxwell was born in Czechoslovakia, the son of a peasant farmer. He arrived in Britain in September 1940, one of the remnants of the Czech Army that had escaped from occupied France. He subsequently became an MP and is now recognised as one of Britain's most formidable businessmen, his activities ranging from publishing to managing a first-division football team. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he recalls his remarkable career. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Summertime (from Porgy & Bess) by George Gershwin Book: A book on Plato Luxury: Chess computer game

When he made his film debut in Billy Budd, Terence Stamp was described as "the most beautiful man in the world". His portrayal of Sergeant Troy in Far From the Madding Crowd brought him further fame, yet he has plotted a somewhat lonely and mysterious path through life. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his early life in the East End of London, and also chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Music In The World Of Islam by Trad Book: The Joy of Cooking Luxury: Duvet

Frank Bough has been described as "the most unassailable performer on British television". In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he looks back on his 25 years with the BBC, working on, amongst others, Sportsnight, Grandstand, Nationwide, and recently, Breakfast Time. He also chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Violin Concerto in B Minor by Edward Elgar Book: Barclays World of Cricket by Jim Swanton Luxury: Contact lenses

Michael Bogdanov's colourful, and sometimes controversial, career has included running a pub, a prosecution for his interpretation of Howard Brenton's Romans in Britain, associate directorship of the National Theatre since 1980 and the founding, last year, of the English Shakespeare Company. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his views on the theatre and also chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Rocky Road To Dublin by The Dubliners Book: Pocket Wine Book 1987 by Hugh Johnson Luxury: 50-pound jar of Marmite

Julian Critchley is the Conservative MP for Aldershot and he's also a journalist and writer. In conversation with Michael Parkinson he talks about his dual career and about his recreations, which include reading military history and looking at churches. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: September Song by Walter Huston Book: An Omelette and a Glass of Wine by Elizabeth David Luxury: Case of wine

The castaway this week is the actor Anthony Andrews who, in 1981, won international acclaim for his portrayal of the doomed Sebastian Flyte in the television production of Brideshead Revisited. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his roles on the stage, on television and in films, and he also chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: For Unto Us A Child Is Born by George Frideric Handel Book: The complete works by Oscar Wilde Luxury: Piano

The castaway this week is the former Ryder Cup golfer Peter Alliss, who has become one of the game's best-known commentators. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his life and career. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Pomp and Circumstance March No 1 in D Major by Edward Elgar Book: A History of the English-Speaking Peoples by Sir Winston Churchill Luxury: Sand-yacht

A tribute to David Penhaligon, the Cornish Liberal MP who was killed in a road accident at the end of last year. In a conversation with Michael Parkinson recorded just a few weeks before his death, he talks about his life and work and also chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Maple Leaf Rag by Joshua Rifkin Book: A cricketing Almanac Luxury: 30 foot of steel

The castaway this week is the actress Dora Bryan whose career, spanning more than 50 years, has ranged from musicals to Shakespeare, review to restoration comedy and from farce to tragedy. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she recalls her long career. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Where Or When by Erroll Garner Book: Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome Luxury: Stuffed dog

Johnny Mathis has been making very popular records for some 30 years. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he recalls his childhood in a poor part of San Francisco, his great success as an athlete, the difficult decision he made to become a singer instead and the trials and tribulations of touring. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Lujon (Slow Hot Wind) by Henry Mancini and his Orchestra Book: Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Luxury: Golf bag

The castaway this week is the Chairman of the Stock Exchange Sir Nicholas Goodison. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he reflects on his career in the City and talks about his involvement in opera and the fine arts. He also chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings by Benjamin Britten Book: Oxford English Dictionary (all volumes) Luxury: Apollo and Daphne sculpture by Bernini

Ken Russell has directed many films, including Women in Love, The Music Lovers, The Boyfriend and Gothic, his latest. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he recalls his childhood in Southampton, going to naval college, life in the Merchant Navy, making amateur film which led to him working on Monitor for BBC television, and his eventual move into the making of feature films. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Das Lied Von Der Erde (The Song Of The Earth) No 5 by Gustav Mahler Book: The Prelude by William Wordsworth Alternative to Bible: None - Bible not taken Luxury: Quart of brandy

The castaway this week is Sir Michael Hordern who, in conversation with Michael Parkinson, recalls a distinguished acting career spanning 50 years. He also chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Symphony No 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: A History of the English-Speaking Peoples by Sir Winston Churchill Luxury: Elm tree

Comedienne, musician and playwright are just three of the talents of Victoria Wood. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she outlines her career to date from its humble beginnings with the Rochdale Youth Theatre to having her own show on television. She also chooses the eight records she would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: African Ripples by Fats Waller Book: The collected works by Arthur Marshall Luxury: Cinema organ

Peter Fluck and Roger Law are the creators of the successful satirical television series Spitting Image. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, they recall how they first met at art school in Cambridge, their days as freelance illustrators, how they made three-dimensional caricatures, which they photographed, and their eventual animation of the models for television. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Cello Suite No 6 In D by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: My Last Breath by Luis Bunuel Luxury: Margaret Thatcher's resignation speech

The castaway this week is Baroness Ryder of Warsaw, who, in 1953, formed the Sue Ryder Foundation to provide homes and domiciliary care for the sick and disabled in many parts of the world. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she recalls her early career with the wartime Special Operations Executive in Poland and traces the history of the Foundation up to the present day. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Ave Maria by Franz Schubert Book: Autobiography by Wilfred Owen Luxury: Pillow

As an actor, Jeremy Lloyd made his name playing the part of the archetypal English 'upper-class twit'. As a writer, his most recent success has been 'Allo 'Allo! In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he recalls his life and career and also chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Indoor Games Near Newbury by Sir John Betjeman Book: Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome Luxury: Guitar

The Rt Hon James Prior MP manages to combine his parliamentary work with being the Chairman of the General Electric Company. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he recalls organising a pig club at school during the war and talks about his career in farming and the eventual emergence of politics as his overriding interest. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

The son of Italian immigrants, Antony Benedetto started singing competitively with his brother and earned a living as a singing waiter in restaurants in New York while at art school. After singing in American military bands during the Second World War, he returned to New York, where he had his first hit with Because of You in 1951. Since then he has established himself as one of the most popular jazz singers of his generation and has worked with Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Woody Herman among others. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his life and work, and chooses the eight discs he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Don't Blame Me by Art Tatum Book: Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Luxury: Suit

Benny Green makes a living as a columnist, broadcaster, lyricist, novelist, etc. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he recalls his childhood in London, life on the road as a saxophonist, the transition to writing and reading 123 editions of Wisden. He also chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: An Evening with Johnny Mercer by Johnny Mercer Book: A Quartet of Comedies by H G Wells Luxury: Saxophone

Jackie Collins lives in Beverley Hills, California, and writes novels, all of which appear in the bestseller lists, and many have been filmed. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she talks about her childhood in England, joining her sister Joan in Hollywood at the age of 15, her brief acting career, and her writing. She also selects the eight records she would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: What's Going On? by Marvin Gaye Book: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Luxury: Photograph of family

Nigel Hawthorne is now very well-known as Secretary to the Cabinet in the television series Yes, Prime Minister. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his childhood in South Africa, dropping out of Cape Town University to become an actor, the move to England, the Theatre Royal, Stratford East with Joan Littlewood and eventual fame. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Her Holle Rache (The Magic Flute) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Teach yourself French Luxury: Pencil and paper

John Ridgway's adventures first became public when, in 1966, he rowed across the Atlantic with Chay Blyth. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he recalls canoeing down the Amazon, sailing twice round the world, as well as exploits in Peru and the Himalayas, and he talks about his School of Adventure in Scotland. He also chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy Book: Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame Luxury: Shaving kit

Hal Prince has just produced the musical The Phantom of the Opera in London. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his life in the theatre which he began as a stage manager in New York for the legendary George Abbott. He went on to produce West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret and the musicals of Stephen Sondheim. He also chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Act II of Tristan und Isolde by Richard Wagner Book: Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe Luxury: Bouillabaisse with langouste and wine

Kingsley Amis won the 1986 Booker Prize for his novel The Old Devils. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his childhood in South London, the success of his first published novel Lucky Jim, which he wrote when a lecturer at Swansea University, and his subsequent career as a don at Cambridge and then as a full-time novelist. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Runnin' Wild by Wild Bill Davison Book: Oxford English Dictionary Luxury: Scotch whiskey

Jeremy Irons first achieved international recognition as an actor for his performance in Brideshead Revisited on television. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his childhood on the Isle of Wight, his London debut in Godspell, his appearances with the Royal Shakespeare Company and his films, which include The French Lieutenant's Woman, Swann In Love and The Mission. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Irish Boy by Mark Knopfler Book: Construction manual Luxury: Camera and film

Albert and Michel Roux each have their own restaurants, which are among the best in this country. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, they talk about their upbringing in France and their period as pastry cooks in the British Embassy in Paris. Then Albert became commis de cuisine to Lady Astor, and Michel chef to the Rothschilds, before they opened a restaurant together in England. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Non, je ne regrette rien by Edith Piaf Book: Cookery books Luxury: Book on how to manage people and ivory carving

Phil Edmonds, the cricketer, "has the reputation for being awkward and arrogant, mainly because he is awkward and arrogant", wrote his wife. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his childhood in Zambia, public school in England, Cambridge University, playing cricket for Middlesex and the controversies that abound in his career. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Suite No 3 in D - Air On A G String by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Book on flora & fauna on the island Luxury: Royal Jamaica cigars

Sir Fred Hoyle has been described as "unquestionably one of the most gifted astronomers and mathematicians of our times", and "the maverick genius of British science". In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he recalls his upbringing in Yorkshire and talks about his career as a scientist and as a writer - he has produced some 15 novels, a pantomime and the libretto for an opera. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: String Quartet No 16 in F, Opus 135 by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Handbook of physics Luxury: Portable telescope

Sir Ian McGregor was suddenly thrust into the spotlight when he was asked to create a more efficient steel industry in this country. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his upbringing in Scotland, his move to America to further his career, and the problems he faced in managing first the steel, and then the coal industries in Britain. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Hebrides - Overture (Fingles Cave) by Felix Mendelssohn Book: Encyclopaedia Britannica Luxury: Thermos jug

Richard Condon has written 23 novels since becoming a full-time writer at the age of 42. These include The Manchurian Candidate and Prizzi's Honour. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his upbringing in Manhattan, his career in the film world where he ended up as a publicity executive for Walt Disney, and his escape into writing. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Baubles, Bangles and Beads by Peggy Lee Book: Boy Scout manual Luxury: Calendar watch

Suzi Quatro is an enormous success in her first acting role in the theatre, the lead in Annie Get Your Gun. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she talks about her upbringing in Detroit, where she played bongos in her father's band, her all-girl rock band, her great success in England as a leather-clad rocker with a string of hit records and her acting ambitions. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: When I Fall In Love by Nat King Cole Book: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Luxury: Piano

James Herbert has now sold more than 16 million copies of his novels. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he recalls his childhood in the East End of London where his parents were street traders, his training at art college which led to a career in advertising, and The Rats, his first and successful attempt at writing when he was 28. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Morning (from Peer Gynt Suite No 1) by Edvard Grieg Book: Anthology including The History of Mr Polly by H G Wells Luxury: Grand piano

Andrew Davis, who has been the Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra since 1975, was born in England and studied music at King's College, Cambridge, where he was an organ scholar. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he recalls how he first made his mark as a conductor, and talks about the many facets of his work which includes opera at Glyndebourne and Covent Garden and conducting many renowned orchestras. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Missa Solemnis In D - Gloria by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift Luxury: Collection of Apostle spoons

Auberon Waugh, now the Editor of the Literary Review, has gained a reputation as a controversial journalist. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his father Evelyn Waugh, his childhood and his writing, which has included seven novels and his diary Private Eye. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Don Giovanni Act 1 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Other Men's Flowers by Lord A P Wavell Luxury: Vine

Stan Barstow made his name as a novelist in 1960 with A Kind of Loving. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his upbringing in Yorkshire, where his father was a miner, his first job in a drawing office and how he became a writer. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Symphony No 2 in E Flat, 1st Movement by Edward Elgar Book: A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu by Marcel Proust Luxury: Paper and pens

Jane Lapotaire's first great success as an actress was with her portrayal of Edith Piaf. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she recalls her difficult childhood in a foster home, how she became an actress with the Royal Shakespeare Company and she chooses the eight records she would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Concerto in C For Oboes, Clarinets and String Orchestra by Antonio Vivaldi Book: The I Ching Luxury: Pencils and paper

Virginia Holgate has won two medals in the Olympic Games as a horse trials rider. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she recalls her childhood travels round the world with her father who was in the Royal Marines, and talks about her career which nearly ended with a disastrous fall. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra Book: Do-it-yourself manual Luxury: Never-ending supply of smoked salmon

Norman Lewis has spent a lifetime travelling the world and writing about it. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he recalls his curious upbringing in Wales with three maiden aunts, his travels in Cuba where he met Ernest Hemingway, and his love of Naples which led to his writing two books on the Mafia. He also chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Petrushka by Igor Stravinsky Book: The Histories by Herodotus Luxury: Spirit stove

Roger Vadim, the French writer and director, sprang to fame with his first film And God Created Woman, starring Brigitte Bardot. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his upbringing in France during the war, his way of doing National Service, and his films, many of which starred his several wives. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien by Edith Piaf Book: Death on the Installment Plan by Louis-Ferdinand Céline Luxury: Chess computer

The Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Howe, MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, was brought up in the Labour stronghold of Port Talbot. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his childhood in Wales, National Service, and his career in both the law and politics, which began when he won the seat for Bebington in 1964. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Magic Flute - Act 2 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: The Good Food Guide Luxury: Computer bridge game

Sir David Wilson, who is the Director of the British Museum, first became interested in archaeology when his family moved to the Isle of Man and he discovered the existence of some people called Vikings. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his career as an archaeologist and about the problems of running such a large treasure house. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Die Schopfung - Die Himmel Erzahlen Die Ehre Gottes by Franz Joseph Haydn Book: Diaries by Samuel Pepys Luxury: Refrigerator

Brian Redhead has presented the Today programme for the last 10 years. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his appearance on Children's Hour as a clarinettist, his early days as a journalist on the Manchester Guardian and his editorship of the Manchester Evening News. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Clarinet Quintet in B Minor - 2nd Movement by Johannes Brahms Book: Commentary on the Bible by Arthur Peake Luxury: Taj Mahal

The violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, who is 23 years old today, has been in great demand around the world since she became Herbert von Karajan's protégé 10 years ago. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she talks about her career and recalls how, although she won her first major competition in Germany at the age of six, she played in public very little until she came to Karajan's notice. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Romeo & Juliet Suite No. 2 by Sergei Prokofiev Book: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe Luxury: Stradivarius violin

Jackie Stewart was world champion in Formula One motor racing before he retired in 1973. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he recalls his upbringing in Scotland and talks about his life as a racing driver and about his more recent career as a businessman. He also chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles Book: Guinness Book of Records Luxury: Blank book and a pen

Max Hastings is the new editor of the Daily Telegraph. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about the influence of his father, MacDonald Hastings, about his life as a journalist, first on Londoner's Diary, then as a war correspondent in the Middle East and the Falklands, and he chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Tonight Programme by McDonald Hastings Book: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame Luxury: Word processor linked to a Fleet Street newspaper

Ismail Merchant, the film producer, went into partnership with the director James Ivory 24 years ago. During those years, their films have included Shakespeare Wallah, The Bostonians, Heat and Dust and A Room With A View. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, Ismail Merchant talks about his childhood in India, about his break into films and about the very successful partnership. He also chooses the eight records that he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Works by E.M Forster and Works by P D James and Works by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Luxury: Cooking range

Elton John began his career as a tea-boy for a music publisher. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his first band, Bluesology, about his songwriting partnership with the lyricist Bernie Taupin, about how he became an international pop star and about his long association with Watford Football Club. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Enigma No 9 - Nimrod by Edward Elgar Book: Interview With a Vampire by Anne Rice Luxury: Telephone

Bobby Robson is the manager of the England football team, who are about to go to Mexico for the World Cup. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he recalls his childhood in a Durham pit village, how he came to join Fulham FC after working down the mines, playing for England and his eventual move to become a manager. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Try A Little Tenderness by Frank Sinatra Book: Thesaurus by Roget Luxury: Set of golf clubs and an endless supply of balls

Arthur Hailey's novels, which include Hotel and Airport, have made him one of the world's best-selling authors. He was born in England, but emigrated; first to Canada after wartime service in the RAF, and then to the Bahamas. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about the many jobs he had before becoming a full-time writer, about the television play with which he made the breakthrough and about his working methods. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Piano Concerto No 2 in B Flat by Johannes Brahms Book: Webster's International Dictionary Luxury: Hot water

Jane Glover, who is the Artistic Director of the London Mozart Players, first became interested in conducting when she was reading music at Oxford University. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she recalls her work at Glyndebourne, where she began as a repetiteur for the Opera Company and ended up running the touring company, and she talks about the way her career is developing as a conductor. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Cosi fan Tutte Act 1 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Letters by Virginia Woolf Luxury: Bathroom with lots of full cupboards

The Rt Hon Shirley Williams is President of the Social Democratic Party. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she talks about her mother Vera Brittain, her life in America during the war as an evacuee, her career; first as a journalist, then as a politician, and her break with the Labour Party to form the SDP. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Introduction and Allegro For Strings Opus 4 by Edward Elgar Book: Collected poems by W B Yeats Luxury: BBC computer

Ron Pickering, the sports commentator, used to coach athletes for the Olympics. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his career, about the problems of modern sport, such as racism, violence and drugs, and he chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Nessun Dorma by Giacomo Puccini Book: The Guinness Book of Records Luxury: Typewriter

Beryl Bainbridge began her career as an assistant stage manager at the Liverpool Playhouse, and went on to become a writer. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she talks about her acting career, about how, through writing to fill in the time, she became a successful novelist, and about her painting. She also chooses the eight records she would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Simple Little Melody by Oscar Straus Book: The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard Luxury: Old-fashioned diary with pens

John Dankworth studied music at the Royal Academy when jazz was not an approved subject - "I used to pretend my saxophone was a bassoon when I put it in the left luggage department of the Academy". In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his career as a jazz musician and composer, and about how he is trying to break down the musical barriers at the Stables in Wavendon and with his Summer Pops season at the Barbican. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: When That I Was and A Little Tiny Boy by Cleo Laine Book: The Exchange & Mart Luxury: Solar-powered synthesizer

Selina Scott's first job was as a journalist in Dundee. Her move into television came after a three-year stint promoting the island of Bute. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she talks about her career and about the different challenges she faced with the News at Ten and Breakfast Time. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Lord Is My Shepherd by Glasgow Orpheus Choir Book: Hawk Moon by Sam Shepard Luxury: Hairbrush

Ben Kingsley became a star almost overnight when he took the title role in the film Gandhi. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about the years before Gandhi, the difference fame made, his work in the theatre and his approach to a role like Othello. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis by Ralph Vaughan Williams Luxury: Telescope

Bruce Oldfield has achieved an international reputation as a fashion designer. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he talks about his upbringing, first by a foster mother, then in one of Dr Barnado's homes, about his art college days and the problems of breaking into the fashion world. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Magic Flute Act 1 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: The Destinies of Darcy Dancer, Gentleman by J P Donleavy Luxury: Cigarettes

Dennis Taylor became the world snooker champion in a dramatic match against Steve Davis last April. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, he describes his childhood in County Tyrone, Jim-Joe Gervin's billiard hall where he first took up snooker, and how he became a professional. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by The Platters Book: Joke book Luxury: Limitless supply of yoghurt

The Rt Hon Roy Hattersley MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, talks to Michael Parkinson about his upbringing in Yorkshire, his parliamentary career and his sporting enthusiasms. He also chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Jerusalem by Parry/Blake Book: Shakespearean Tragedy by A C Bradley Luxury: Boy writer's set

Maureen Lipman is perhaps best known for her role in the television series Agony, but much of her work has been in the theatre. In conversation with Michael Parkinson, she recalls her upbringing in Hull, talks about her penchant for acting in comedy and chooses the eight records she would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Triple Concerto in D - 1st Movement by Ludwig van Beethoven

Nigel Kennedy, who achieved international success as a violinist in his early 20s, talks to Michael Parkinson about his musical education at the Menuhin School and in New York, his active interest in jazz and Aston Villa Football Club, and he chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Inbetweenies by Ian Dury and The Blockheads Book: Wisden Almanack Luxury: Violin

Michael Parkinson's first guest is the film director Alan Parker, who, besides choosing the eight records he would take to the mythical island, talks about his early career in advertising and his very successful feature films, including Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express and Birdy. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: A Day In The Life by The Beatles Book: Collection of poems by Sir John Betjeman Luxury: Suntan lotion