52 episodes

• Julie Goodyear

  09°48′S 093°35′W

  Julie Goodyear

  Julie Goodyear on being taught how to cry in hospital

  Castaway · 11 January 2026·Lauren Laverne

• Patricia Greene

  22°27′S 084°27′W

  Patricia Greene

  Patricia Greene on the golden eagle that landed at Brookfield

  Castaway · 4 January 2026·Lauren Laverne

• Richard E Grant

  12°28′S 001°24′W

  Richard E Grant

  Richard E Grant on witnessing his mother with his father's best friend at age 10

  Castaway · 6 November 2022·Lauren Laverne

• John Legend

  22°11′S 086°21′W

  John Legend

  John Legend on being nicknamed 'the legend' by a friend before he had a record deal

  Castaway · 7 August 2022·Lauren Laverne

• Winnie Byanyima

  19°41′S 160°54′W

  Winnie Byanyima

  Winnie Byanyima on the day her friend went from playing with dolls to becoming a bride

  Castaway · 27 March 2022·Lauren Laverne

• Robert Macfarlane

  18°27′S 035°36′W

  Robert Macfarlane

  Robert Macfarlane on the year he thought he would die in the mountains

  Castaway · 25 July 2021·Lauren Laverne

• Baroness Floella Benjamin

  06°04′S 101°28′W

  Baroness Floella Benjamin

  Floella Benjamin on the audition where her wig flew off

  Castaway · 11 October 2020·Lauren Laverne

• Jack Whitehall

  18°03′S 018°31′W

  Jack Whitehall

  Jack Whitehall on dressing up as Robin Hood for every family function

  Castaway · 4 February 2018·Kirsty Young

• Berry Gordy

  08°44′S 175°18′W

  Berry Gordy

  Berry Gordy on writing 'To Be Loved' after his wife kicked him out

  Castaway · 22 May 2016·Kirsty Young

• Patricia Greene

  21°37′S 043°07′W

  Patricia Greene

  Patricia Greene on being asked for dating advice by a stranger in Waitrose

  Castaway · 27 December 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

• Julie Goodyear

  20°33′S 125°50′W

  Julie Goodyear

  Julie Goodyear on learning her son was saving pocket money for a dad

  Castaway · 17 March 2013·Kirsty Young

• Mona Siddiqui

  21°14′S 060°50′W

  Mona Siddiqui

  Mona Siddiqui on dressing up as a bride and sitting silently for two hours in a school play

  Castaway · 21 October 2012·Kirsty Young

• Michael McIntyre

  21°41′S 070°48′W

  Michael McIntyre

  Michael McIntyre on waiting two years outside his future wife's door

  Castaway · 17 July 2011·Kirsty Young

• Lord Rix

  13°27′S 132°08′W

  Lord Rix

  Brian Rix on being told to ‘put her away, forget her and start again’

  Castaway · 1 March 2009·Kirsty Young

• David Suchet

  04°25′S 106°44′W

  David Suchet

  David Suchet on looking in the mirror for 20 seconds to become himself

  Castaway · 8 February 2009·Kirsty Young

• Nicholas Parsons

  14°02′S 041°19′W

  Nicholas Parsons

  Nicholas Parsons on his mother's fear that show business would deprave him

  Castaway · 4 November 2007·Kirsty Young

• Joanna Lumley

  12°11′S 041°49′W

  Joanna Lumley

  Joanna Lumley on being put in a private hospital room because she had no male visitor

  Castaway · 13 May 2007·Kirsty Young

• Professor Peter Vanezis

  02°54′S 022°28′W

  Professor Peter Vanezis

  Peter Vanezis on eyeballing Ötzi the Iceman eye to eye

  Castaway · 18 March 2001·Sue Lawley

• Professor Géza Vermes

  10°34′S 103°17′W

  Professor Géza Vermes

  Géza Vermes on becoming a priest because he couldn't go to university

  Castaway · 4 June 2000·Sue Lawley

• Willard White

  11°44′S 074°45′W

  Willard White

  Willard White on saying Othello's first line fifty three different ways

  Castaway · 7 November 1999·Sue Lawley

• Dickie Bird

  18°40′S 013°14′W

  Dickie Bird

  How Yorkshire players convinced Dickie Bird to become an umpire

  Castaway · 7 April 1996·Sue Lawley

• Jimmy McGovern

  19°38′S 043°06′W

  Jimmy McGovern

  How Robbie Coltrane's casting made Jimmy McGovern suicidal

  Castaway · 14 January 1996·Sue Lawley

• Mohamed Amin

  13°03′S 082°53′W

  Mohamed Amin

  How a chance phone call put Mohamed Amin through to Idi Amin

  Castaway · 12 July 1992·Sue Lawley

• Robert Lindsay

  01°56′S 157°17′W

  Robert Lindsay

  Robert Lindsay on walking into the gates of RADA, terrified

  Castaway · 14 June 1992·Sue Lawley

• Lord Delfont

  20°18′S 143°19′W

  Lord Delfont

  Bernard Delfont on turning down the Beatles

  Castaway · 10 November 1991·Sue Lawley

• Ron Todd

  15°37′S 073°10′W

  Ron Todd

  How a priest's advice to pray instead of act made Ron Todd lose his faith

  Castaway · 30 June 1991·Sue Lawley

• Ken Dodd

  00°41′S 092°50′W

  Ken Dodd

  How Ken Dodd sent away for itching powder and stink bombs

  Castaway · 3 June 1990·Sue Lawley

• June Whitfield

  00°30′S 091°25′W

  June Whitfield

  June Whitfield on corpsing with Eric Morecambe

  Castaway · 29 April 1990·Sue Lawley

• Rocco Forte

  01°00′S 026°05′W

  Rocco Forte

  Rocco Forte on throwing down his sabre and quitting fencing forever

  Castaway · 5 February 1989·Sue Lawley

• Terry Wogan

  05°18′S 079°04′W

  Terry Wogan

  Terry Wogan on why he'd be dead within two weeks on a desert island

  Castaway · 9 October 1988·Michael Parkinson

• Terence Stamp

  22°33′S 159°53′W

  Terence Stamp

  How acting kept Terence Stamp from becoming a psychopath

  Castaway · 28 June 1987·Michael Parkinson

• Julian Critchley

  11°13′S 150°45′W

  Julian Critchley

  Julian Critchley on being summoned by the chief whip for modelling a suit

  Castaway · 12 April 1987·Michael Parkinson

• Suzi Quatro

  09°25′S 001°01′W

  Suzi Quatro

  Suzi Quatro on being left the bass guitar in her all-girl band

  Castaway · 21 September 1986·Michael Parkinson

• Gayatri Devi

  04°53′S 104°15′W

  Gayatri Devi

  Gayatri Devi on writing to Nehru to stop the demolition of Jaipur's walls

  Castaway · 4 August 1984·Roy Plomley

• Ed Mirvish (Honest)

  06°35′S 110°29′W

  'Honest' Ed Mirvish

  Ed Mirvish on buying a theatre 3,000 miles away sight unseen

  Castaway · 24 March 1984·Roy Plomley

• Stubby Kaye

  06°32′S 080°42′W

  Stubby Kaye

  Stubby Kaye on wetting his pants during his first stage performance

  Castaway · 4 February 1984·Roy Plomley

• Shirley MacLaine

  09°46′S 152°11′W

  Shirley MacLaine

  How researching Parisian tarts nearly made Shirley MacLaine quit acting

  Castaway · 5 November 1983·Roy Plomley

• Terry Wogan

  08°03′S 153°49′W

  Terry Wogan

  Terry Wogan on his most awkward interview with Jerry Lee Lewis

  Castaway · 21 May 1983·Roy Plomley

• Wilbur Smith

  21°16′S 109°58′W

  Wilbur Smith

  Wilbur Smith on writing his first novel on government stationery

  Castaway · 25 September 1982·Roy Plomley

• George Chisholm

  02°00′S 165°37′W

  George Chisholm

  George Chisholm on playing piano for silent films in Glasgow aged 14

  Castaway · 13 March 1982·Roy Plomley

• Frankie Howerd

  00°34′S 167°57′W

  Frankie Howerd

  Frankie Howerd on making up Bible stories as a Sunday school teacher aged 13

  Castaway · 23 January 1982·Roy Plomley

• Giuseppe Di Stefano

  21°45′S 070°40′W

  Giuseppe Di Stefano

  How a sergeant's sleepless night saved Giuseppe Di Stefano from the Russian front

  Castaway · 20 June 1981·Roy Plomley

• Alan Minter

  22°47′S 021°25′W

  Alan Minter

  Alan Minter on holding the school record for canings

  Castaway · 29 November 1980·Roy Plomley

• Brian Glover

  20°28′S 039°41′W

  Brian Glover

  Brian Glover on substituting for a French wrestler and becoming Leonares

  Castaway · 18 October 1980·Roy Plomley

• Lauren Bacall

  21°11′S 105°19′W

  Lauren Bacall

  How a phone call to Howard Hawks saved Lauren Bacall’s crooked eyebrows

  Castaway · 3 March 1979·Roy Plomley

• Joan Fontaine

  02°38′S 017°02′W

  Joan Fontaine

  How a slap from Alfred Hitchcock helped Joan Fontaine cry on cue

  Castaway · 25 November 1978·Roy Plomley

• Fred Trueman

  10°21′S 110°12′W

  Fred Trueman

  Fred Trueman on thinking his Test call-up was a hoax

  Castaway · 19 August 1978·Roy Plomley

• Charlie Cairoli

  17°25′S 132°19′W

  Charlie Cairoli

  Charlie Cairoli on his father’s verdict after his first performance

  Castaway · 25 December 1976·Roy Plomley

• Mel Torme

  14°18′S 049°21′W

  Mel Torme

  Mel Torme on how 'Mountain Greenery' became a UK number one after being cut from a film

  Castaway · 24 July 1976·Roy Plomley