Bob Thiele and George David Weiss — Composer · desert is.land

desert is.landest. 1942

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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

Bob Thiele and George David Weiss — Composer · desert is.land

desert is.landest. 1942

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

Composer

Bob Thiele and George David Weiss

10 episodes

Chosen over the decades

10

Total castaways

1990s

Peak decade

5

Decades seen

Castaways who chose this

Beryl Vertue
Gavin Laird
John Cleese
Kiri Te Kanawa
Neil Simon
Ronald Harwood
Ronald Searle
Sir Alec Rose
Willard White
Will Carling

Beryl Vertue
Beryl Vertue on playing cards with matches for money with Tony Hancock
Castaway · 20 January 2013Kirsty Young
Ronald Searle
Ronald Searle on writing a note saying 'I've gone' and abandoning his old life
Castaway · 10 July 2005Sue Lawley
Ronald Harwood

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

Ronald Harwood on Donald Wolfit kicking his legs in the air after his knighthood

Castaway · 27 August 2000Sue Lawley

11°44′S 074°45′W

Willard White

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

Castaway · 7 November 1999Sue Lawley

09°46′S 156°21′W

John Cleese

John Cleese on fleeing the Footlights desk in confusion

Castaway · 5 January 1997Sue Lawley

12°37′S 043°22′W

Neil Simon

Neil Simon on his brother predicting at age 15 he’d be America’s best comedy writer

Castaway · 14 May 1995Sue Lawley

22°53′S 108°51′W

Gavin Laird

Gavin Laird on wealthy families offering to take the dog instead of evacuee children

Castaway · 25 October 1992Sue Lawley

10°58′S 003°41′W

Will Carling

Will Carling on being slapped by his mother after losing his temper at cricket

Castaway · 10 May 1992Sue Lawley

08°05′S 105°32′W

Kiri Te Kanawa

Kiri Te Kanawa on her dramatic last-minute Metropolitan Opera debut

Castaway · 8 March 1980Roy Plomley

18°21′S 132°43′W

Sir Alec Rose

Alec Rose on the soul-destroying whine of rigging

Castaway · 7 April 1969Roy Plomley