John Gay

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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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

John Gay — Composer · desert is.land

desert is.landest. 1942

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

Composer

8 episodes

Chosen over the decades

Total castaways

1970s

Peak decade

Decades seen

Castaways who chose this

Alison Lurie
Angela Baddeley
Brigadier Peter Young
C Northcote Parkinson
C P Snow
Lady Redgrave
Robert Burchfield
Sir Arthur Bryant

Lady Redgrave
Rachel Kempson on the doctor named Pink who delivered her baby
Castaway · 30 April 1989Sue Lawley
Robert Burchfield
Robert Burchfield on being happiest working in a hovel
Castaway · 20 April 1985Roy Plomley
Alison Lurie

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

How writing a memoir after a friend's death helped Alison Lurie get published

Castaway · 9 March 1985Roy Plomley

C Northcote Parkinson

20°11′S 056°50′W

C Northcote Parkinson

C. Northcote Parkinson on being too busy writing books to play discs

Castaway · 14 July 1979Roy Plomley

Sir Arthur Bryant

03°07′S 052°31′W

Sir Arthur Bryant

Arthur Bryant on becoming the youngest headmaster in England at 23

Castaway · 17 February 1979Roy Plomley

Brigadier Peter Young

22°40′S 021°58′W

Brigadier Peter Young

Peter Young on the telegram his men sent to Hitler

Castaway · 2 April 1977Roy Plomley

C P Snow

19°38′S 028°47′W

C P Snow

C P Snow on conceiving his novel series at 8.30pm on 1 January 1935

Castaway · 2 August 1975Roy Plomley

Angela Baddeley

11°46′S 096°35′W

Angela Baddeley

Angela Baddeley on her first role as a little orphan girl in a dreadful melodrama

Castaway · 21 December 1974Roy Plomley