Desert Island Discs

This article is about the radio show. For the Radiohead song, see A Moon Shaped Pool § Track listing.
Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs logo used on the BBC website
Genre
Running time43 minutes
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Language(s)English
Home station
Hosted by
Created byRoy Plomley
Produced by
  • Gillian Hush
  • Olivia Seligman
  • Angie Nehring
  • Miranda Birch
  • Leanne Buckle
  • Cathy Drysdale
Recording studioBroadcasting House
Original release29 January 1942 (1942-01-29)
No. of episodes3,227 (28 March 2020) c.3400 (Aug 2024)
Opening theme"By the Sleepy Lagoon" by Eric Coates
WebsiteBBC website
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Desert Island Discs is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942.[1]

Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordings (usually, but not always, music), a book and a luxury item that they would take if they were to be cast away on a desert island, whilst discussing their life and the reasons for their choices. It was devised and originally presented by Roy Plomley. Since 2018, the programme has been presented by Lauren Laverne.

More than 3,400 episodes have been recorded, with some guests having appeared more than once and some episodes featuring more than one guest.[2] An example of a guest who falls into both categories is Bob Monkhouse, who appeared with his co-writer Denis Goodwin on 12 December 1955 and in his own right on 20 December 1998.[3]

When Desert Island Discs marked its 75th year in 2017, The Guardian called the show a radio classic.[4] In February 2019, a panel of broadcasting industry experts named it the greatest radio programme of all time.[5]

  1. ^ Midgley, Neil (29 January 2012). "Desert Island Discs: Britain's longest-running radio show". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Desert Island Discs – Find a castaway". BBC Online. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  3. ^ "Desert Island Discs – Find a castaway". BBC Online. Retrieved 18 April 2017. [permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ Moss, Stephen. "Desert Island Discs: 75 defining moments from 75 years of castaways". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Desert Island Discs 'greatest radio show of all time'". BBC News Online. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.