César Franck — 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

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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

César Franck — Composer · desert is.land

desert is.landest. 1942

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

Composer

César Franck

24 episodes

Chosen over the decades

24

Total castaways

1980s

Peak decade

7

Decades seen

Castaways who chose this

Arthur Edwards
Baroness Ryder of Warsaw (Sue)
Barrie Rutter
Burl Ives
Conrad Black
Derek Oldham
Dirk Bogarde
Duke Of Westminster
Elisabeth Soderstrom
Frances Edmonds
Isidore Godfrey
John Banham
John Stefanidis
Julia Cleverdon
Julian Barnes
Marguerite Wolff
Natalia Makarova
Professor Michele Dougherty
Rt Hon Gillian Shephard MP
Sinead Cusack
Sir Frederick Ashton
Sir Ian MacGregor
Valerie Masterson
Vernon Scannell

Professor Michele Dougherty
Michele Dougherty on spotting strange magnetic field data from Enceladus
Castaway · 1 February 2026Lauren Laverne
Barrie Rutter
Barrie Rutter on returning to the stage ten days after his son's cot death
Castaway · 19 June 2016Kirsty Young

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

Julia Cleverdon

Julia Cleverdon on her father locking Dylan Thomas in a library to finish Under Milk Wood

Castaway · 18 January 2015Kirsty Young

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Arthur Edwards

Arthur Edwards on photographing Lady Diana in a see-through skirt

Castaway · 25 September 2011Kirsty Young

John Stefanidis

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John Stefanidis

John Stefanidis on landing a seaplane on the Nile as a child

Castaway · 20 July 2008Kirsty Young

16°06′S 052°52′W

Sinead Cusack

Sinead Cusack on being expelled for a school sketch about the Profumo affair

Castaway · 15 December 2002Sue Lawley

Marguerite Wolff

15°34′S 167°36′W

Marguerite Wolff

Marguerite Wolff on seeing girls swinging tennis rackets and feeling wistful

Castaway · 15 November 2002Sue Lawley

13°16′S 132°18′W

Julian Barnes

Julian Barnes on thinking about death every day

Castaway · 28 January 1996Sue Lawley

Rt Hon Gillian Shephard MP

11°22′S 113°10′W

Rt Hon Gillian Shephard MP

Gillian Shephard on being stuck in a teaching routine she didn't enjoy

Castaway · 5 November 1995Sue Lawley

Duke Of Westminster

18°42′S 133°21′W

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How learning he would inherit the family estate made the Duke of Westminster want to run for the door

Castaway · 2 July 1995Sue Lawley

18°32′S 167°48′W

Conrad Black

Conrad Black on taking visitors to see his press hall's million-copy print run

Castaway · 27 March 1994Sue Lawley

15°17′S 106°52′W

John Banham

John Banham on surviving a freak hurricane in the 1979 Fastnet race

Castaway · 15 September 1991Sue Lawley

14°32′S 155°16′W

Dirk Bogarde

How Dirk Bogarde used a cloth cap to hide from his eye phobia

Castaway · 5 January 1990Sue Lawley

Vernon Scannell

17°33′S 095°41′W

Vernon Scannell

How a desire to be a poet got Vernon Scannell sent to a psychiatrist

Castaway · 29 November 1987Michael Parkinson

Frances Edmonds

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Frances Edmonds

How a two-book deal for Phil Edmonds started his wife's writing career

Castaway · 9 August 1987Michael Parkinson

Baroness Ryder of Warsaw (Sue)

03°46′S 040°23′W

Baroness (Sue) Ryder of Warsaw

Sue Ryder on being taken to Yorkshire slums by district nurses at age seven

Castaway · 25 January 1987Michael Parkinson

Sir Ian MacGregor

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Sir Ian MacGregor

How a tank-building mission took Ian MacGregor from Glasgow to America

Castaway · 5 October 1986Michael Parkinson

Natalia Makarova

22°56′S 157°03′W

Natalia Makarova

Natalia Makarova on deciding to defect in five minutes

Castaway · 21 July 1984Roy Plomley

Sir Frederick Ashton

15°38′S 002°40′W

Sir Frederick Ashton

Frederick Ashton on being riveted by Anna Pavlova's performance aged 13

Castaway · 2 May 1981Roy Plomley

Elisabeth Soderstrom

02°32′S 002°49′W

Elisabeth Soderstrom

Elisabeth Soderstrom on her son inviting friends to watch 'mummy, she's so funny'

Castaway · 8 December 1979Roy Plomley

17°33′S 140°51′W

Burl Ives

Burl Ives on singing hymns on pitch at the family pump organ

Castaway · 31 March 1979Roy Plomley

Valerie Masterson

18°56′S 149°14′W

Valerie Masterson

Valerie Masterson on how her father's stories inspired her love of theatre

Castaway · 22 February 1975Roy Plomley

Isidore Godfrey

09°16′S 076°33′W

Isidore Godfrey

Isidore Godfrey on singing Hell's Persia to the Sarsi Indians

Castaway · 7 February 1970Roy Plomley

18°43′S 062°51′W

Derek Oldham

How a fan told Derek Oldham he went to school with her mother

Castaway · 12 September 1966Roy Plomley