154 episodes

• Ronnie Wood

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  Ronnie Wood

  How a party sofa led Ronnie Wood to join the Rolling Stones

  Castaway · 12 October 2025·Lauren Laverne

• Shirley Ballas

  05°46′S 104°35′W

  Shirley Ballas

  Shirley Ballas on the extra roast potato at free school dinners

  Castaway · 10 December 2023·Lauren Laverne

• Stanley Tucci

  16°44′S 179°54′W

  Stanley Tucci

  Stanley Tucci on being shocked by the erotic reaction to his negroni clip

  Castaway · 2 July 2023·Lauren Laverne

• Steven Spielberg

  18°24′S 129°36′W

  Steven Spielberg

  How a three-minute western for a Boy Scout merit badge sparked Steven Spielberg's filmmaking bug

  Castaway · 18 December 2022·Lauren Laverne

• Bradley Walsh

  00°05′S 041°50′W

  Bradley Walsh

  Bradley Walsh on being let go by Brentford after fracturing both ankles

  Castaway · 15 May 2022·Lauren Laverne

• John Caudwell

  03°19′S 113°19′W

  John Caudwell

  John Caudwell on his childhood fantasy of giving five pound notes from a Rolls-Royce

  Castaway · 23 January 2022·Lauren Laverne

• Sophia Loren

  14°13′S 068°53′W

  Sophia Loren

  Sophia Loren on her mother never knowing who she was

  Castaway · 21 February 2021·Lauren Laverne

• Arsène Wenger

  13°18′S 158°08′W

  Arsène Wenger

  Arsène Wenger on relaxing by watching other managers suffer

  Castaway · 22 November 2020·Lauren Laverne

• Helen Fielding

  11°05′S 139°54′W

  Helen Fielding

  Helen Fielding on the time her film crew drove over a landmine

  Castaway · 5 July 2020·Lauren Laverne

• Jo Fairley

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  Jo Fairley

  Jo Fairley on tasting the chocolate that inspired Green & Blacks

  Castaway · 11 August 2019·Lauren Laverne

• John Cooper Clarke

  00°27′S 155°42′W

  John Cooper Clarke

  John Cooper Clarke on persuading Bernard Manning to book him with a poem about a punch-up

  Castaway · 21 July 2019·Lauren Laverne

• Emily Eavis

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  Emily Eavis

  Emily Eavis on driving home from Glastonbury in just bin bags and pants

  Castaway · 23 June 2019·Lauren Laverne

• Dame Esther Rantzen

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  Dame Esther Rantzen

  How Esther Rantzen faced 50,000 calls on ChildLine's first night

  Castaway · 10 March 2019·Lauren Laverne

• Tracey Thorn

  03°12′S 034°27′W

  Tracey Thorn

  How a wartime pen pal brought Tracey Thorn's parents together

  Castaway · 18 November 2018·Lauren Laverne

• Sir Peter Lampl

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  Sir Peter Lampl

  Peter Lampl on funding the campaign for a handgun ban after Dunblane

  Castaway · 13 May 2018·Kirsty Young

• Garry Kasparov

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  Garry Kasparov

  Garry Kasparov on his mother refusing to let him quit during a losing match

  Castaway · 28 January 2018·Kirsty Young

• 75 Years of Desert Island Discs

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  75 Years of Desert Island Discs

  Eric Brown on looping the Forth Bridge in a Spitfire

  Castaway · 31 December 2017·Kirsty Young

• Kelsey Grammer

  11°51′S 168°52′W

  Kelsey Grammer

  Kelsey Grammer on forgiving the man who murdered his sister

  Castaway · 10 December 2017·Kirsty Young

• Edna Adan Ismail

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  Edna Adan Ismail

  Edna Adan Ismail on delivering the first baby at her own maternity hospital

  Castaway · 22 October 2017·Kirsty Young

• Pinky Lilani

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  Pinky Lilani

  Pinky Lilani on cooking in a bad mood ruining her food

  Castaway · 8 January 2017·Kirsty Young

• Nicola Adams

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  Nicola Adams

  Nicola Adams on winning her first boxing bout in a smoke-filled working men's club

  Castaway · 20 November 2016·Kirsty Young

• Michael Bublé

  16°46′S 152°13′W

  Michael Bublé

  Michael Bublé on looping a song on cassette as a 10-year-old

  Castaway · 30 October 2016·Kirsty Young

• Barrie Rutter

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  Barrie Rutter

  Barrie Rutter on returning to the stage ten days after his son's cot death

  Castaway · 19 June 2016·Kirsty Young

• Dame Judi Dench

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  Dame Judi Dench

  Judi Dench on her first role as a snail

  Castaway · 20 September 2015·Kirsty Young

• Freddie Flintoff

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  Freddie Flintoff

  Freddie Flintoff on his 45-minute chess bluff against his granddad

  Castaway · 5 July 2015·Kirsty Young

• Ray Winstone

  14°49′S 123°11′W

  Ray Winstone

  Ray Winstone on weeing on Ronnie Kray's raincoat

  Castaway · 28 December 2014·Kirsty Young

• Mairi Hedderwick

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  Mairi Hedderwick

  Mairi Hedderwick on crying while watching Katie Morag's TV wedding on a beach

  Castaway · 2 March 2014·Kirsty Young

• Professor Tanya Byron

  12°20′S 173°55′W

  Professor Tanya Byron

  Tanya Byron on how her grandmother’s murder sparked her interest in psychology

  Castaway · 27 October 2013·Kirsty Young

• Rankin

  18°14′S 143°06′W

  Rankin

  Rankin on asking the Queen to smile

  Castaway · 3 March 2013·Kirsty Young

• Tidjane Thiam

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  Tidjane Thiam

  Tidjane Thiam on his assistant stopping rebels from looting his office

  Castaway · 4 November 2012·Kirsty Young

• Hilary Devey

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  Hilary Devey

  Hilary Devey on discovering her father was already married with four children

  Castaway · 28 October 2012·Kirsty Young

• Goldie Hawn

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  Goldie Hawn

  Goldie Hawn on watching baboons jump on Peter Sellers' Rolls-Royce

  Castaway · 23 September 2012·Kirsty Young

• Baroness Campbell

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  Baroness Campbell

  Jane Campbell on the doctor who presumed she wouldn't want to be resuscitated

  Castaway · 5 August 2012·Kirsty Young

• Sir Terry Wogan

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  Sir Terry Wogan

  Terry Wogan on his nerve-wracking first broadcast reading the Cattle Market Report

  Castaway · 1 January 2012·Kirsty Young

• Professor Brian Cox

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  Professor Brian Cox

  Brian Cox on wanting his grandfather to see him at Buckingham Palace

  Castaway · 30 December 2011·Kirsty Young

• Andrea Levy

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  Andrea Levy

  Andrea Levy on not reading a novel until 23 because the TV was always on

  Castaway · 12 June 2011·Kirsty Young

• Tony Iveson

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  Tony Iveson

  Tony Iveson on shaking the hand of the German fighter pilot who could have killed him

  Castaway · 2 January 2011·Kirsty Young

• Kathy Burke

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  Kathy Burke

  Kathy Burke on pretending to miss her mother to get a Mars bar

  Castaway · 15 August 2010·Kirsty Young

• Lord David Cobbold

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  Lord David Cobbold

  David Cobbold on sending a Girl Guide leader to talk to Mick Jagger

  Castaway · 8 August 2010·Kirsty Young

• Professor Jim Al-Khalili

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  Professor Jim Al-Khalili

  How a 4,000-volt near-miss sent Jim Al-Khalili from the lab to theory

  Castaway · 14 February 2010·Kirsty Young

• Frank Warren

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  Frank Warren

  Frank Warren on being shot and initially thinking it was a joke

  Castaway · 24 January 2010·Kirsty Young

• Sir Michael Caine

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  Sir Michael Caine

  Michael Caine on his mother still working as a cleaner after he became a millionaire

  Castaway · 20 December 2009·Kirsty Young

• Lord Coe

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  Lord Coe

  How a father screamed 'You're killing him!' at Sebastian Coe's dad after a race

  Castaway · 13 December 2009·Kirsty Young

• Barry Manilow

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  Barry Manilow

  Barry Manilow on almost turning down his first record contract

  Castaway · 27 September 2009·Kirsty Young

• Stanley McMurtry

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  Stanley McMurtry

  How a little boy's Pokemon cards put Stanley McMurtry in his place

  Castaway · 23 March 2008·Kirsty Young

• Felix Dennis

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  Felix Dennis

  Felix Dennis on standing in the dock at the Old Bailey in 1971

  Castaway · 12 August 2007·Kirsty Young

• Wangari Maathai

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  Wangari Maathai

  Wangari Maathai on redefining her name after being given Christian names

  Castaway · 1 July 2007·Kirsty Young

• Gloria Hunniford

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  Gloria Hunniford

  Gloria Hunniford on her father the magician

  Castaway · 24 December 2006·Kirsty Young

• Simon Cowell

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  Simon Cowell

  Simon Cowell on his Eureka moment at 40 for judging hits

  Castaway · 13 August 2006·Sue Lawley

• Betsy Blair

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  Betsy Blair

  Betsy Blair on kissing Gene Kelly goodbye a year before he died

  Castaway · 12 June 2005·Sue Lawley