Sidney Bechet — Artist · desert is.land

desert is.landest. 1942

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

Tuning in…

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
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About

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

Sidney Bechet — Artist · desert is.land

desert is.landest. 1942

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

Artist

Sidney Bechet

10 episodes

Chosen over the decades

10

Total castaways

1990s

Peak decade

5

Decades seen

Castaways who chose this

Abdulrazak Gurnah
David Beckham
Dinsdale Landen
Lord Chief Justice Taylor
Lord Montagu
Margaret Forster
Professor J H Plumb
Professor Ralf Dahrendorf
Sebastian Coe
Thom Yorke

Abdulrazak Gurnah
Abdulrazak Gurnah on mistaking the Nobel Prize call for a cold call
Castaway · 25 May 2025Lauren Laverne
Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke on the eye surgery that used muscle from his buttocks
Castaway · 22 September 2019Lauren Laverne

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

David Beckham on running off before his free kick had gone in

Castaway · 29 January 2017Kirsty Young

Margaret Forster

03°33′S 039°57′W

Margaret Forster

Margaret Forster on her hit novel being an albatross round her neck

Castaway · 4 December 1994Sue Lawley

Lord Chief Justice Taylor

12°16′S 166°25′W

Lord Chief Justice Taylor

Lord Taylor on his regret after prosecuting Stefan Kiszko

Castaway · 24 May 1992Sue Lawley

Professor Ralf Dahrendorf

05°11′S 015°47′W

Professor Ralf Dahrendorf

Ralf Dahrendorf on being called a social democrat in the Hitler Youth

Castaway · 3 February 1991Sue Lawley

15°51′S 089°28′W

Lord Montagu

Montagu on the greatest dilemma of his life: choosing eight records

Castaway · 30 August 1987Michael Parkinson

06°24′S 072°34′W

Sebastian Coe

How a freeze in the 800 metres forced Sebastian Coe to refocus for the 1500 final

Castaway · 15 August 1981Roy Plomley

Dinsdale Landen

17°36′S 171°38′W

Dinsdale Landen

Dinsdale Landen on seeing Paul Schofield play Alexander the Great

Castaway · 16 December 1978Roy Plomley

Professor J H Plumb

03°40′S 043°33′W

Professor J H Plumb

J H Plumb on wrapping himself in the family standard to keep warm

Castaway · 25 February 1978Roy Plomley