Nessun dorma (Turandot) — Giacomo Puccini — Song · 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

Nessun dorma (Turandot) — Giacomo Puccini — Song · desert is.land

desert is.landest. 1942

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

Song

Nessun dorma (Turandot) — Giacomo Puccini

33 episodes

Castaways who chose this

Angela Hartnett
Ben Helfgott
Beryl Vertue
Bruno Tonioli
Dame Eva Turner
Dame Maggie Teyte
Des Lynam
Dickie Bird
General H Norman Schwarzkopf
Ian Richardson
Julian Clary
Julie Andrews
June Whitfield
Karan Bilimoria
Lord Shawcross
Lynda La Plante
Martina Navratilova
Martin Pipe
Mary Robinson
Matt Smith
Max Boyce
Michael Deeley
Morris West
Polly James
more

Professor Michele Dougherty
Michele Dougherty on spotting strange magnetic field data from Enceladus
Castaway · 1 February 2026Lauren Laverne
Matt Smith
Matt Smith on singing the Doctor Who theme tune to Jodie Whittaker
Castaway · 4 March 2018Kirsty 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

Angela Hartnett

How chefs bet on how long Angela Hartnett would last at Aubergine

Castaway · 14 January 2018Kirsty Young

09°32′S 005°08′W

Bruno Tonioli

How a diva's walk-out helped Bruno Tonioli land his first theatre role

Castaway · 24 December 2017Kirsty Young

20°35′S 103°51′W

Mary Robinson

Mary Robinson on walking down Grafton Street and feeling like the devil incarnate

Castaway · 28 July 2013Kirsty Young

23°47′S 017°19′W

Beryl Vertue

Beryl Vertue on playing cards with matches for money with Tony Hancock

Castaway · 20 January 2013Kirsty Young

Martina Navratilova

00°16′S 109°15′W

Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova on her father telling her at age eight she would win Wimbledon

Castaway · 8 July 2012Kirsty Young

09°49′S 014°25′W

Michael Deeley

Michael Deeley on the secret exhilaration of surviving a shooting in Malaya

Castaway · 14 December 2008Kirsty Young

Stanley McMurtry

20°26′S 005°21′W

Stanley McMurtry

How a little boy's Pokemon cards put Stanley McMurtry in his place

Castaway · 23 March 2008Kirsty Young

23°32′S 050°57′W

Ben Helfgott

Ben Helfgott on sleeping under sheets for the first time in three years

Castaway · 1 April 2007Kirsty Young

14°40′S 171°05′W

Julian Clary

Julian Clary on being beaten by his favourite monk at school

Castaway · 25 September 2005Sue Lawley

Sir Bobby Robson

17°35′S 174°15′W

Sir Bobby Robson

Bobby Robson on his wife making him go to the doctor that saved his life

Castaway · 5 December 2004Sue Lawley

Karan Bilimoria

07°18′S 068°09′W

Karan Bilimoria

Karan Bilimoria on being called an 'import-export waller' by his family

Castaway · 13 June 2004Sue Lawley

19°20′S 151°05′W

Des Lynam

Des Lynam on not recognising his father when he picked him up as a child

Castaway · 19 November 2000Sue Lawley

07°51′S 048°34′W

Robert Swan

Robert Swan on being hooked by Scott of the Antarctic aged 11

Castaway · 13 August 2000Sue Lawley

04°52′S 037°48′W

Martin Pipe

Martin Pipe on buying a cheap racehorse with three legs

Castaway · 18 July 1999Sue Lawley

Richard Dunwoody

06°48′S 175°03′W

Richard Dunwoody

How falling off a donkey as a child convinced Richard Dunwoody he was a jockey

Castaway · 4 April 1999Sue Lawley

18°40′S 013°14′W

Dickie Bird

How Yorkshire players convinced Dickie Bird to become an umpire

Castaway · 7 April 1996Sue Lawley

Lynda La Plante

22°35′S 159°32′W

Lynda La Plante

Lynda La Plante on the moment she knew she'd never act again

Castaway · 23 October 1994Sue Lawley

Shirley Anne Field

00°58′S 101°00′W

Shirley Anne Field

Shirley Anne Field on wiping off her make-up to land her role in The Entertainer

Castaway · 14 November 1993Sue Lawley

General H Norman Schwarzkopf

00°49′S 066°06′W

General H Norman Schwarzkopf

Norman Schwarzkopf on his five-year-old son's drawing of a general

Castaway · 1 November 1992Sue Lawley

09°14′S 117°59′W

Julie Andrews

Julie Andrews on losing the film role of Eliza Doolittle to Audrey Hepburn

Castaway · 18 October 1992Sue Lawley

22°20′S 117°50′W

Lord Shawcross

Shawcross on the difficulty of not catching Goering's eye

Castaway · 7 July 1991Sue Lawley

00°30′S 091°25′W

June Whitfield

June Whitfield on corpsing with Eric Morecambe

Castaway · 29 April 1990Sue Lawley

01°54′S 093°29′W

Ron Pickering

Ron Pickering on his bare-knuckle fighter father's impossible standards

Castaway · 16 March 1986Michael Parkinson

07°27′S 170°27′W

Ian Richardson

Ian Richardson on dropping his rifle on a polished boot and being knocked unconscious

Castaway · 24 September 1983Roy Plomley

17°15′S 120°01′W

Max Boyce

Max Boyce on blanking out while reciting a poem as a child

Castaway · 23 April 1983Roy Plomley

Dame Eva Turner

15°40′S 156°29′W

Dame Eva Turner

Eva Turner on hearing Il Trovatore and knowing she would sing opera

Castaway · 6 March 1982Roy Plomley

10°25′S 061°32′W

Morris West

How a terrifying violin teacher stopped Morris West from learning the violin

Castaway · 27 June 1981Roy Plomley

20°48′S 123°59′W

Polly James

How Polly James was left on the quayside while filming a boat scene

Castaway · 19 October 1974Roy Plomley

05°50′S 149°23′W

Richard Walker

Richard Walker on starting fishing at the age of four with his grandfather

Castaway · 6 July 1974Roy Plomley

Professor Barry Cunliffe

15°52′S 044°17′W

Professor Barry Cunliffe

Barry Cunliffe on how a young excavator’s neat cut uncovered a Roman inscription in Bath

Castaway · 19 August 1972Roy Plomley

Dame Maggie Teyte

01°36′S 073°03′W

Dame Maggie Teyte

Maggie Teyte on being told she was forgotten in America

Castaway · 15 April 1968Roy Plomley