Kirsty MacColl

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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Most requested
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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

Kirsty MacColl — Artist · desert is.land

desert is.landest. 1942

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

Artist

7 episodes

Chosen over the decades

Total castaways

2020s

Peak decade

Decades seen

Castaways who chose this

James Rebanks
Jenny Sealey
Mairi Hedderwick
Monica Dolan
Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP
Sir John Sulston
Tracey Ullman

Monica Dolan
Monica Dolan on secretly withdrawing her university application
Castaway · 27 July 2025Lauren Laverne
Jenny Sealey
Jenny Sealey on the playground accident that left her unable to hear
Castaway · 17 March 2024Lauren Laverne
Tracey Ullman

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

Tracey Ullman on falling in love with Alan over a train journey

Castaway · 26 September 2021Lauren Laverne

James Rebanks

11°28′S 144°23′W

James Rebanks

How James Rebanks' dad told him to stop being a pain in the ass and go to Oxford

Castaway · 20 January 2019Lauren Laverne

Mairi Hedderwick

08°22′S 035°44′W

Mairi Hedderwick

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

Castaway · 2 March 2014Kirsty Young

Sir John Sulston

23°51′S 153°03′W

Sir John Sulston

John Sulston on holding the human genome on a CD-ROM

Castaway · 13 May 2001Sue Lawley

Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP

06°33′S 088°38′W

Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP

How a rugby injury cost Gordon Brown parts of three university years

Castaway · 3 March 1996Sue Lawley

Monica Dolan

Jenny Sealey

Tracey Ullman

James Rebanks

Mairi Hedderwick

Sir John Sulston

Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP