Painting materials — Luxury · 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

Painting materials — Luxury · desert is.land

desert is.landest. 1942

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

Luxury

Painting materials

25 episodes

Chosen over the decades

25

Total castaways

1960s

Peak decade

6

Decades seen

Castaways who chose this

Angela Rippon
Anne Heywood
Brian Epstein
Dame Beryl Grey
Dennis Price
Diane Cilento
Dr Robert Stopford
Edmund Hockridge
Ernest Thesiger
Eva Bartok
Fleur Cowles
Frankie Vaughan
Franklin Engelmann
Geraldine McEwan
James Fox
Lilli Palmer
Liz Smith
Lord Alexander
Oliver Messel
Peter Finch
Ronnie Wood
Sir Harry Kroto
Topol
Uffa Fox
more

Ronnie Wood
How a party sofa led Ronnie Wood to join the Rolling Stones
Castaway · 12 October 2025Lauren Laverne
Liz Smith
Liz Smith on waiting by the window with a gramophone for her father's letter
Castaway · 9 March 2008Kirsty 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

Dame Beryl Grey

Beryl Grey on performing her first full-length ballet aged fifteen

Castaway · 10 March 2002Sue Lawley

Sir Harry Kroto

06°11′S 173°14′W

Sir Harry Kroto

Harry Kroto on checking the postmark to see if his knighthood offer was a joke

Castaway · 24 June 2001Sue Lawley

19°12′S 079°30′W

Lord Alexander

How a surprise visit from the chairman of NatWest led Alexander to leave the bar for banking

Castaway · 17 March 1996Sue Lawley

18°48′S 179°35′W

Topol

How Topol won the lead in Fiddler on the Roof with a 50-word English vocabulary

Castaway · 15 October 1983Roy Plomley

04°25′S 009°21′W

Fleur Cowles

Fleur Cowles on faking her way into a newspaper column

Castaway · 18 June 1983Roy Plomley

10°32′S 077°21′W

James Fox

James Fox on getting his first film role aged nine after his brother got shy

Castaway · 2 April 1983Roy Plomley

11°55′S 175°05′W

Angela Rippon

How a chance telephone call got Angela Rippon into television

Castaway · 16 January 1982Roy Plomley

08°20′S 170°48′W

Lilli Palmer

Castaway · 20 June 1966Roy Plomley

16°10′S 004°08′W

Brian Epstein

Castaway · 30 November 1964Roy Plomley

06°00′S 116°35′W

Vivienne

Castaway · 22 July 1963Roy Plomley

15°19′S 023°41′W

Eva Bartok

Castaway · 10 June 1963Roy Plomley

Dr Robert Stopford

13°44′S 006°59′W

Dr Robert Stopford

Castaway · 12 November 1962Roy Plomley

Franklin Engelmann

23°43′S 167°55′W

Franklin Engelmann

Castaway · 2 July 1962Roy Plomley

Edmund Hockridge

04°25′S 125°37′W

Edmund Hockridge

Castaway · 21 November 1960Roy Plomley

06°09′S 169°09′W

Diane Cilento

Castaway · 3 October 1960Roy Plomley

02°34′S 163°24′W

Anne Heywood

Castaway · 18 April 1960Roy Plomley

08°05′S 041°48′W

Uffa Fox

Castaway · 29 June 1959Roy Plomley

Ernest Thesiger

06°05′S 011°06′W

Ernest Thesiger

Castaway · 16 March 1959Roy Plomley

04°42′S 032°09′W

Oliver Messel

Castaway · 5 May 1958Roy Plomley

Frankie Vaughan

11°35′S 035°33′W

Frankie Vaughan

Castaway · 17 March 1958Roy Plomley

23°19′S 117°40′W

Peter Finch

Castaway · 17 December 1956Roy Plomley

09°55′S 085°51′W

Dennis Price

Castaway · 20 August 1956Roy Plomley

Geraldine McEwan

03°12′S 098°05′W

Geraldine McEwan

Castaway · 10 July 1953Roy Plomley