The Specials — Artist · desert is.land

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

Find a castaway
Most requested
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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

The Specials — Artist · desert is.land

desert is.landest. 1942

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

Artist

The Specials

10 episodes

Chosen over the decades

10

Total castaways

2020s

Peak decade

3

Decades seen

Castaways who chose this

Claire Horton
Fiona Hill
Helen McCrory
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Jon Ronson
Kathy Burke
Lennie James
Maria Balshaw
Rupert Everett
Steve McQueen

Lennie James
Lennie James on writing a letter to the council after his home was taken away
Castaway · 26 October 2025Lauren Laverne
Jon Ronson
Jon Ronson on getting on buses alone in London as a child
Castaway · 5 June 2022Lauren 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

Fiona Hill on bleeding from the nose at her Oxford interview

Castaway · 8 May 2022Lauren Laverne

03°53′S 059°45′W

Claire Horton

Claire Horton on the dog returned because it didn't match the sofa

Castaway · 28 February 2021Lauren Laverne

14°10′S 038°06′W

Maria Balshaw

Maria Balshaw on seeing a child scoot into the gallery

Castaway · 9 August 2020Lauren Laverne

00°45′S 130°46′W

Helen McCrory

Helen McCrory on being told to live a bit during her drama school audition

Castaway · 28 June 2020Lauren Laverne

19°51′S 081°51′W

Rupert Everett

How John Schlesinger fell asleep while Rupert Everett pitched a script

Castaway · 5 January 2020Lauren Laverne

10°09′S 000°42′W

Steve McQueen

How art saved Steve McQueen from a life of manual labour

Castaway · 21 September 2014Kirsty Young

14°04′S 067°49′W

Kathy Burke

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

Castaway · 15 August 2010Kirsty Young

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

07°03′S 022°43′W

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on making peppermint creams aged eight

Castaway · 26 July 2009Kirsty Young