Helmut Walcha

desert is.landest. 1942

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Tuning in…

desert is.land

“And if you could take only one…” — a semantic wireless tuned to the Desert Island Discs archive.

The listing

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Transmission

Broadcasting since 1942
Long wave 198 kHz
An unofficial archive companion
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Not affiliated with the BBC · Built for the love of the long wave · Made by Daniel Hails

Helmut Walcha — Artist · desert is.land

desert is.landest. 1942

Find a castaway Most requested Browse the archive About Report a fault

Artist

8 episodes

Chosen over the decades

Total castaways

1980s

Peak decade

Decades seen

Castaways who chose this

Alec Jeffreys
Andrew Davis
Dame Margot Fonteyn
Dr Jane Goodall
Eric Newby
Geoffrey Moorhouse
James Ivory
Michael Wood

Alec Jeffreys
Alec Jeffreys on his Eureka moment in a darkroom in 1984
Castaway · 9 December 2007Kirsty Young
Dr Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall on the moment a chimpanzee squeezed her hand
Castaway · 9 January 2000Sue Lawley
Andrew Davis

desert is.land

“And if you could take only one…” — a semantic wireless tuned to the Desert Island Discs archive.

The listing

Find a castaway
Most requested
Browse the archive
About

Transmission

Broadcasting since 1942
Long wave 198 kHz
An unofficial archive companion
Report a fault

Not affiliated with the BBC · Built for the love of the long wave · Made by Daniel Hails

How a last-minute Janacek performance launched Andrew Davis's career

Castaway · 7 September 1986Michael Parkinson

Geoffrey Moorhouse

12°51′S 059°05′W

Geoffrey Moorhouse

Geoffrey Moorhouse on the baby who survived a five-floor chimney fall

Castaway · 16 April 1983Roy Plomley

Michael Wood

16°29′S 024°33′W

Michael Wood

How a V-1 bomb narrowly missed Michael Wood during the Blitz

Castaway · 19 March 1983Roy Plomley

James Ivory

11°55′S 149°20′W

James Ivory

James Ivory on envying BBC's Henry James adaptations

Castaway · 19 February 1983Roy Plomley

Eric Newby

03°56′S 074°22′W

Eric Newby

Eric Newby on climbing the rigging in slippery shoes

Castaway · 19 June 1982Roy Plomley

Dame Margot Fonteyn

06°51′S 171°13′W

Dame Margot Fonteyn

Margot Fonteyn on seeing her first ballet at the Camargo Society aged 12

Castaway · 12 April 1965Roy Plomley