Don McLean

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

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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

Don McLean — Composer · desert is.land

desert is.landest. 1942

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

Composer

6 episodes

Chosen over the decades

Total castaways

1980s

Peak decade

Decades seen

Castaways who chose this

John Humphrys
Johnny Vegas
Julia Foster
Kate Ewart-Biggs
Natalie Wood
Patrick Lichfield

Kate Ewart-Biggs
Kate Ewart-Biggs on her bilingual childhood in France
Castaway · 17 July 2022Lauren Laverne
Johnny Vegas
Johnny Vegas on nagging his dad for an ice cream the day he was laid off
Castaway · 3 October 2010Kirsty Young
John Humphrys

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

John Humphrys on fearing his career was over after Jonathan Aitken's accusation

Castaway · 6 January 2008Kirsty Young

Patrick Lichfield

11°20′S 177°35′W

Patrick Lichfield

Patrick Lichfield on his first photography session with Jacqueline Bissett and Charlotte Rampling

Castaway · 31 October 1981Roy Plomley

Natalie Wood

10°31′S 103°32′W

Natalie Wood

Natalie Wood on being renamed from Natalia Nikolaevna Zaharinko at age five

Castaway · 10 May 1980Roy Plomley

Julia Foster

19°14′S 128°04′W

Julia Foster

Julia Foster on winning a poetry competition at Brighton Dome aged 13

Castaway · 3 January 1976Roy Plomley

Kate Ewart-Biggs

Johnny Vegas

John Humphrys

Patrick Lichfield

Natalie Wood

Julia Foster