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

Tracy Chapman — Artist · desert is.land

desert is.landest. 1942

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

Artist

Tracy Chapman

8 episodes

Chosen over the decades

8

Total castaways

2020s

Peak decade

3

Decades seen

Castaways who chose this

Alice Walker
Andy Hamilton
Baroness Arminka Helić
Gok Wan
Maggie Alphonsi
Nazir Afzal
Professor Lucy Easthope
Professor Sharon Peacock

Maggie Alphonsi
How a scrum hat helped Maggie Alphonsi get in the zone
Castaway · 17 August 2025Lauren Laverne
Professor Lucy Easthope
Lucy Easthope on why the response can be worse than the disaster
Castaway · 8 June 2025Lauren Laverne
Professor Sharon Peacock

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

Sharon Peacock on meeting her husband at Cinderella's disco

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Nazir Afzal

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Baroness Arminka Helić

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Baroness Arminka Helić

Arminka Helić on being called in aged 14 to become a communist

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Alice Walker

Alice Walker on being shot in the eye by her brother and told to lie

Castaway · 19 May 2013Kirsty Young

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Gok Wan

Gok Wan on looking at his naked reflection in a wardrobe mirror

Castaway · 7 February 2010Kirsty Young

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Andy Hamilton

How a backstage chat after an Edinburgh show won Andy Hamilton his BBC break

Castaway · 27 April 1997Sue Lawley