Violeta Parra — Composer · 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

Violeta Parra — Composer · desert is.land

desert is.landest. 1942

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

Composer

Violeta Parra

6 episodes

Chosen over the decades

6

Total castaways

2020s

Peak decade

5

Decades seen

Castaways who chose this

John Simpson
Laurie Anderson
Liz Morris
Mirella Freni
Professor Carlos Frenk
Satish Kumar

Professor Liz Morris
Liz Morris on a polar bear sniffing around her crate at night
Castaway · 5 July 2026Lauren Laverne
Laurie Anderson
Laurie Anderson on her mother chopping off a monkey's head to test for rabies
Castaway · 12 January 2025Lauren 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

Professor Carlos Frenk

How a chance encounter in a bookshop sent Carlos Frenk's family to Mexico

Castaway · 10 June 2018Kirsty Young

18°47′S 066°48′W

Satish Kumar

How reading about Bertrand Russell inspired Satish Kumar to walk for peace

Castaway · 29 May 2005Sue Lawley

17°56′S 056°54′W

John Simpson

John Simpson on crying at the release of Nelson Mandela

Castaway · 19 May 1991Sue Lawley

03°53′S 082°29′W

Mirella Freni

Mirella Freni on being 'brother in milk' with Luciano Pavarotti

Castaway · 11 June 1977Roy Plomley