485 episodes

• Raymond Mander

  00°26′S 151°04′W

  Raymond Mander & Joe Mitchenson

  How a last-minute casting for The Merry Wives of Windsor brought Raymond Mander and Joe Mitchenson together

  Castaway · 28 January 1978·Roy Plomley

• Alan Coren

  13°05′S 142°56′W

  Alan Coren

  Alan Coren on selling his first piece to Punch

  Castaway · 21 January 1978·Roy Plomley

• Omar Sharif

  02°45′S 134°48′W

  Omar Sharif

  Omar Sharif on the photograph that won him his role in Lawrence of Arabia

  Castaway · 14 January 1978·Roy Plomley

• Franco Zeffirelli

  15°24′S 125°40′W

  Franco Zeffirelli

  Franco Zeffirelli on being discovered by ballet critic Richard Buckle

  Castaway · 7 January 1978·Roy Plomley

• Dorothy Edwards

  04°03′S 116°32′W

  Dorothy Edwards

  Dorothy Edwards on writing her first story aged four and finding it after her grandmother's death

  Castaway · 31 December 1977·Roy Plomley

• Sir Alec Guinness

  17°43′S 107°24′W

  Sir Alec Guinness

  How Nellie Wallace's rude noises inspired Alec Guinness to become an actor

  Castaway · 24 December 1977·Roy Plomley

• Dennis Potter

  06°22′S 098°16′W

  Dennis Potter

  Dennis Potter on the moment he left hospital and saw the world washed clean

  Castaway · 17 December 1977·Roy Plomley

• Phil Drabble

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  Phil Drabble

  Phil Drabble on learning natural history from poachers

  Castaway · 10 December 1977·Roy Plomley

• Grace Bumbry

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  Grace Bumbry

  Grace Bumbry on winning a high school singing competition in Saint Louis

  Castaway · 3 December 1977·Roy Plomley

• Winston Graham

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  Winston Graham

  Winston Graham on keeping his early novels 'decently interred'

  Castaway · 26 November 1977·Roy Plomley

• Peter Ustinov

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  Peter Ustinov

  Peter Ustinov on being told his face would be hard to lose in a crowd

  Castaway · 19 November 1977·Roy Plomley

• Professor Alan Gemmell

  11°58′S 044°52′W

  Professor Alan Gemmell

  Alan Gemmell on how his mother declared him a botanist after a neighbour's suggestion

  Castaway · 12 November 1977·Roy Plomley

• Richard Adams

  00°38′S 036°44′W

  Richard Adams

  Richard Adams on improvising Watership Down on a car journey to see Judi Dench's Viola

  Castaway · 5 November 1977·Roy Plomley

• Wayne Sleep

  09°40′S 062°08′W

  Wayne Sleep

  Wayne Sleep on his mother turning down a BBC singing contract

  Castaway · 29 October 1977·Roy Plomley

• Claire Rayner

  22°19′S 053°00′W

  Claire Rayner

  Claire Rayner on being too pregnant for a tight-waisted uniform

  Castaway · 22 October 1977·Roy Plomley

• Barry Sheene

  07°21′S 080°24′W

  Barry Sheene

  Barry Sheene on burning down the riders' loos

  Castaway · 15 October 1977·Roy Plomley

• Molly Weir

  20°00′S 071°16′W

  Molly Weir

  Molly Weir on coming second in a talent contest

  Castaway · 8 October 1977·Roy Plomley

• Louis Fremaux

  05°02′S 097°40′W

  Louis Fremaux

  Louis Fremaux on conducting a memorial concert that launched his career

  Castaway · 1 October 1977·Roy Plomley

• Mike Brearley

  18°41′S 088°32′W

  Mike Brearley

  Mike Brearley on learning philosophy in the slips from Eddie Craig

  Castaway · 24 September 1977·Roy Plomley

• Michael Croft

  00°35′S 005°58′W

  Michael Croft

  How the war dashed Michael Croft's cricket ambitions

  Castaway · 17 September 1977·Roy Plomley

• Robin Richmond

  11°55′S 014°06′W

  Robin Richmond

  Robin Richmond on putting his name down as an organ student to avoid punishment

  Castaway · 10 September 1977·Roy Plomley

• Dame Daphne Du Maurier

  02°54′S 168°42′W

  Dame Daphne Du Maurier

  Daphne Du Maurier on discovering Cornwall in the 1920s

  Castaway · 3 September 1977·Roy Plomley

• Dannie Abse

  13°14′S 177°50′W

  Dannie Abse

  Dannie Abse on being told he looked, read and wrote like Dylan Thomas

  Castaway · 27 August 1977·Roy Plomley

• Deborah Kerr

  04°12′S 150°26′W

  Deborah Kerr

  Deborah Kerr on her first film appearance ending up on the cutting room floor

  Castaway · 20 August 1977·Roy Plomley

• A L Rowse

  15°33′S 159°34′W

  A L Rowse

  A L Rowse on discovering the Dark Lady of the Sonnets in the Bodleian Library

  Castaway · 13 August 1977·Roy Plomley

• Jessica Mitford

  06°31′S 133°10′W

  Jessica Mitford

  Jessica Mitford on opening a secret bank account at twelve to run away from home

  Castaway · 6 August 1977·Roy Plomley

• Billy Connolly

  17°52′S 142°18′W

  Billy Connolly

  Billy Connolly on buying a banjo for two pounds in Glasgow

  Castaway · 30 July 1977·Roy Plomley

• Arthur C Clarke

  08°50′S 115°54′W

  Arthur C Clarke

  Arthur C Clarke on building his own crystal set to listen to music as a youth

  Castaway · 23 July 1977·Roy Plomley

• Shirley Conran

  19°11′S 124°02′W

  Shirley Conran

  Shirley Conran on walking down Tottenham Court Road with her morale shattered

  Castaway · 16 July 1977·Roy Plomley

• Clare Francis

  07°30′S 046°57′W

  Clare Francis

  Clare Francis on sleeping only one hour at a time to watch for ships

  Castaway · 9 July 1977·Roy Plomley

• Miss Read

  20°10′S 038°49′W

  Miss Read

  Miss Read on her father’s horror at her Fleet Street plans

  Castaway · 2 July 1977·Roy Plomley

• Jack Parnell

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  Jack Parnell

  Jack Parnell on the night Luciano Pavarotti stood in wearing jodhpurs

  Castaway · 25 June 1977·Roy Plomley

• Derek Randall

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  Derek Randall

  Derek Randall on the fishy taste of strawberry jam

  Castaway · 18 June 1977·Roy Plomley

• Mirella Freni

  03°53′S 082°29′W

  Mirella Freni

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

  Castaway · 11 June 1977·Roy Plomley

• Sir Oliver Millar

  16°32′S 073°21′W

  Sir Oliver Millar

  Oliver Millar on insisting the Bible must be the King James's version

  Castaway · 4 June 1977·Roy Plomley

• Marisa Robles

  21°56′S 134°17′W

  Marisa Robles

  Marisa Robles on winning a radio competition at nine only to have her bicycle prize taken away

  Castaway · 28 May 1977·Roy Plomley

• P L Travers

  10°36′S 126°09′W

  P L Travers

  P L Travers on learning to live with the Disney Mary Poppins

  Castaway · 21 May 1977·Roy Plomley

• Peggy Lee

  23°15′S 117°01′W

  Peggy Lee

  How Peggy Lee auditioned with one dime to her name

  Castaway · 14 May 1977·Roy Plomley

• Lord Home of The Hirsel

  12°55′S 108°53′W

  Lord Home of The Hirsel

  Alec Douglas-Home on finding Hitler the most boarish man

  Castaway · 7 May 1977·Roy Plomley

• David Niven

  02°18′S 166°26′W

  David Niven

  How being rude to a general helped David Niven leave the army

  Castaway · 30 April 1977·Roy Plomley

• Magnus Magnusson

  13°38′S 174°34′W

  Magnus Magnusson

  Magnus Magnusson on discovering he was short-sighted during his first TV link

  Castaway · 23 April 1977·Roy Plomley

• Yehudi Menuhin

  00°59′S 003°42′W

  Yehudi Menuhin

  Yehudi Menuhin on his struggle to produce a vibrato

  Castaway · 16 April 1977·Roy Plomley

• Rod Hull

  11°19′S 012°50′W

  Rod Hull

  Rod Hull on the emu egg that grew bigger every day

  Castaway · 9 April 1977·Roy 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 1977·Roy Plomley

• Mary Martin

  09°01′S 030°06′W

  Mary Martin

  Mary Martin on the ghastly sound of her childhood violin

  Castaway · 26 March 1977·Roy Plomley

• Jacqueline Du Pre

  20°21′S 038°14′W

  Jacqueline Du Pre

  Jacqueline Du Pre on nearly drowning out the music with her tears

  Castaway · 19 March 1977·Roy Plomley

• James Bolam

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  James Bolam

  James Bolam on having his on-screen family murdered while being assessed for a comedy part

  Castaway · 12 March 1977·Roy Plomley

• Oliver Ford

  18°02′S 056°30′W

  Oliver Ford

  Oliver Ford on finding himself in the middle of a minefield

  Castaway · 5 March 1977·Roy Plomley

• Merle Park

  05°23′S 065°38′W

  Merle Park

  How coffee and cakes helped Merle Park afford her fare to Britain

  Castaway · 26 February 1977·Roy Plomley

• Egon Ronay

  09°10′S 023°23′W

  Egon Ronay

  Egon Ronay on how a friend drinking a Russian commander under the table helped him leave Budapest

  Castaway · 19 February 1977·Roy Plomley