The Lord of the Rings — Book · 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
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

The Lord of the Rings — Book · desert is.land

desert is.landest. 1942

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

Book

The Lord of the Rings

13 episodes

Chosen over the decades

13

Total castaways

1980s

Peak decade

6

Decades seen

Castaways who chose this

Anita Dobson
Clare Smyth
David Bellamy
Demis Hassabis
Dr Jane Goodall
Duncan Goodhew
James Bolam
Lord Montagu
Mary O'Hara
Patricia Ruanne
Professor Michele Dougherty
Richard Dunwoody
Sir Edmund Hillary

Professor Michele Dougherty
Michele Dougherty on spotting strange magnetic field data from Enceladus
Castaway · 1 February 2026Lauren Laverne
Clare Smyth
Clare Smyth on cooking for the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan
Castaway · 31 July 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

Demis Hassabis

How a chess game at age 11 made Demis Hassabis ask if we're wasting our minds

Castaway · 21 May 2017Kirsty Young

Dr Jane Goodall

21°07′S 015°07′W

Dr Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall on the moment a chimpanzee squeezed her hand

Castaway · 9 January 2000Sue Lawley

Richard Dunwoody

06°48′S 175°03′W

Richard Dunwoody

How falling off a donkey as a child convinced Richard Dunwoody he was a jockey

Castaway · 4 April 1999Sue Lawley

06°43′S 036°17′W

Duncan Goodhew

Duncan Goodhew on losing his hair after an eighteen-foot fall

Castaway · 7 June 1992Sue Lawley

15°52′S 172°44′W

Anita Dobson

Anita Dobson on performing acrobatics in a red bikini as a child

Castaway · 28 August 1988Michael Parkinson

15°51′S 089°28′W

Lord Montagu

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

Castaway · 30 August 1987Michael Parkinson

Patricia Ruanne

19°16′S 147°08′W

Patricia Ruanne

Patricia Ruanne on hiding behind a character to overcome performance nerves

Castaway · 28 March 1981Roy Plomley

01°36′S 118°49′W

Mary O'Hara

How two breakdowns forced Mary O'Hara to leave the monastery

Castaway · 7 February 1981Roy Plomley

Sir Edmund Hillary

20°47′S 032°20′W

Sir Edmund Hillary

Edmund Hillary on concluding that the Yeti is mythological

Castaway · 14 April 1979Roy Plomley

13°58′S 026°10′W

David Bellamy

David Bellamy on a dolphin attempting to mate with him

Castaway · 18 November 1978Roy Plomley

07°42′S 047°22′W

James Bolam

James Bolam on having his on-screen family murdered while being assessed for a comedy part

Castaway · 12 March 1977Roy Plomley