Desert Island Discs

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is Professor George Steiner. One of the most prominent intellectuals of our time, he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about how the English academic establishment has taken decades to accept him despite his early popularity as a Cambridge lecturer, and about the problem of reconciling the love of beauty with great acts of evil. He'll also be describing how his family left Austria for France in the 1920s and how he was one of only two boys to survive in his class in the largely Jewish lycee he attended in Paris. When asked to select just one record to take to the island, Professor George said that for him, it was all or nothing.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Book: 500 year ahead calendar and appointment book Luxury: Computer

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is one of the country's best-known novelists. Author of I'm the King of the Castle, Strange Meeting and The Woman in Black, among many other books, Susan Hill will be talking to Sue Lawley about the inspiration for her recent and highly-acclaimed sequel to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca; about the loneliness which characterised her childhood and about the relationship between tragedy in her own life and the way she writes about it in her novels.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Tom Bowling by Benjamin Britten Book: The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford Luxury: The Barnes Collection (paintings)

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is one of the world's outstanding photojournalists, Eve Arnold. The first American woman member of the famous photographic co-operative, Magnum, she'll be talking about how her passion for photography began with the present of a camera, and how, since then, she has travelled the world in search of arresting pictures, living with hippy communes and with the black power movement, as well as photographing some of the great movie stars, including Paul Newman, Joan Crawford and Marilyn Monroe, with whom she had a close friendship for 10 years.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Flute Concerto No 1 in D Major Op 44R Op 44 by Antonio Vivaldi Book: Arabian Nights (1000 and One Nights) Luxury: Dark room, film and camera

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the writer Julian Barnes. Since his first novel - Metroland - was published when he was 34, he has written another eight and won four literary prizes - most famously perhaps for Flaubert's Parrot. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his passion for Flaubert, his love for Leicester City, his notions of love and his fear of death.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Requiem Dies Irae (from Requiem) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Letters by Gustave Flaubert Luxury: Writing equipment

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the only surviving British star of the silent screen. Chili Bouchier will be talking to Sue Lawley about some of the perils of making silent movies and her transition into the talkies with hugely successful films like Carnival and Gypsy. She'll also be describing the ups and downs of a personal life which has been as vivid as her many films - encompassing two disastrous marriages with men who betrayed her, marriage proposals from Howard Hughes and breaking her Hollywood contract with Warner Brothers which meant she was blackballed and unable to make another film.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise by Acker Bilk Book: In Tune With The Infinite: Fullness of Peace Power by Ralph Waldo Trine Luxury: Make-up kit

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the playwright Jimmy McGovern. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the TV series Cracker - one of the top television series of the 1990s - about how much of the central character, Fitz, is modelled on himself, how he feels about the violent world it portrays and about why we are fascinated by criminal psychology. For seven years a writer on Brookside, he'll be describing how the phenomenal success of Cracker led to the reviving of his previously-rejected scripts for films like Priest and Hearts and Minds. He'll also be relating how the man who has since made a living out of words had such a bad stammer as a child that he was largely unintelligible. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: When I Fall In Love by Nat King Cole Book: Ulysses by James Joyce Luxury: Haemorrhoid ointment

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the writer Christopher Hampton. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his multiplicity of talents - after obtaining a first at Oxford he went straight to the Royal Court Theatre in London where he wrote several highly-regarded plays, among them The Philanthropist. He then went on to win an Oscar for his screenplay of the film Dangerous Liaisons, to translate the work of Ibsen and Chekhov, to write the book for Sunset Boulevard, and, most recently, to direct the film Carrington, which he also wrote.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Requiem: The Lachrymosa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: A title by Marcel Proust Luxury: Pen and paper

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is Margaret Tebbit. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the night 11 years ago when the IRA detonated a huge bomb at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, where she was staying with her husband for the Tory Party Conference. Since that dreadful night, she has been severely paralysed, and she'll be describing the effect on her life: the dreams she has in which she no longer has to use a wheelchair, the new friends she's made and the old ones who turned out not to be such good friends in adversity and how her previous experience of mental illness - in the form of severe depression - compares with her current physical incapacity.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Nocturne by Evert Taube Book: Hillier's Dictionary of Plants by Hillier Luxury: An endless team of Man Fridays

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is an entertainer who has managed to captivate a generation. Petula Clark will be talking to Sue Lawley about how the British still perceive her as 'our pet' since her early singing days when she was chosen to sing in Trafalgar Square on VE night. Now, arguably the biggest female recording star Britain has ever produced, she is about to take on the lead role in Sunset Boulevard in the West End. In between, hits like The Little Shoemaker, Down Town and Don't Sleep in the Subway ensured she became an international star as well - captivating audiences in America and France.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Piano Concerto 21 in C K 467 - Andante by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: A title by Peter Ustinov Luxury: Her piano

The castaway this week in Desert Island Discs is the singer and actress Barbara Dickson. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about how she progressed from being the daughter of a Rothsyth docker to the lead role in Willy Russell's play John, Paul, Ringo and Bert, and later to win an award for her performance in his play Blood Brothers. Along the way, her extraordinary singing voice brought her a string of hit singles, including I Know Him So Well, while recently her acting abilities landed her one of the leading roles in ITV's Band of Gold.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight by James Taylor Book: English & Scottish Ballads by Francis Child Luxury: A very large set of solar-powered hair rollers

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the actress Alison Steadman. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her role as the monstrous Beverly in the BBC's production of Abigail's Party 18 years ago, as well as her talent for improvisation which she has perfected with her director husband, Mike Leigh. She'll also be discussing how daunting she found it recently to take on the role of Mrs Bennett in the BBC's Pride and Prejudice.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Tosca E Lucevan Le Stella by Giacomo Puccini Book: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Luxury: Hot lemon flannels (as provided in Chinese restaurants)

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is a musician who became famous for producing other people's music. George Martin will be talking to Sue Lawley about how he earned money to pay for piano lessons, was helped by a fairy godfather to study at the Guildhall School of Music and went on in 1962 to sign up and produce the group which changed the face of popular music. He'll be discussing his relationship with The Beatles and his extremely productive life since they disbanded 25 years ago.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Bess You Is My Woman Now by George Gershwin Book: A book on how to build a boat Luxury: An electric keyboard

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the writer Umberto Eco. His best-selling novel The Name of the Rose propelled him from the relative obscurity of his post as Professor of Semiotics at Bologna University to worldwide fame at the age of 50.He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about how he deals with the demands of his celebrity status, his childhood in Mussolini's Italy and his other works - Foucault's Pendulum and The Island of the Day Before.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Goldberg Varations No 22 by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: The New York Phone Book Luxury: Laptop computer

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, Gillian Shephard. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the importance of her roots in rural Norfolk. Although she briefly left to go to Oxford, she was born and brought up in Norfolk and worked in local parliament there until her late 40s, when she entered Parliament to represent a Norfolk seat. She'll be discussing her own school days, and how they influence her perception of the quality of schools nowadays. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Mass in B Minor: Cum Sancto Spirito by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: The Waning of the Middle Ages by Johan H Huizinga Luxury: Madame Rochas scent

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the novelist Elizabeth Jane Howard. In 1950, her first novel The Beautiful Visit was published. Now, some 45 years later and after many other books, she has just completed the concluding book of The Cazalet Chronicles. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the problems of combining writing and marriage; she abandoned her three marriages - her first husband, being the naturalist Peter Scott, and her last, the writer Kingsley Amis; and she'll be ruminating on the nature of love and who might experience it. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Requiem Dies Irae by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: All the sonatas by Scarlatti Luxury: Piano

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is one of the country's most successful lyricists, Don Black.Songs like Born Free and Diamonds are Forever, and musicals like Sunset Boulevard, Billy and Aspects of Love have made him a rich man. But he'll be talking to Sue Lawley of his early memories of his poor but happy Jewish family in the East End of London and how an apprenticeship on the New Musical Express led him into the world of popular music. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Adagio in G Minor for Organ & Strings by Tomaso Albinoni & Remo Giazotto Book: 14,000 Things To Be Happy About by Barbara Ann Kipfer Luxury: Snooker table

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the academic and author Richard Hoggart. Nearly 40 years ago, he wrote the hugely influential Uses of Literacy. In it, he argued that the working classes were being short changed - both by rampant consumerism and by the dross he felt was being churned out by the mass media.Cast well away from materialism and the media on the desert island, he'll be talking about how he now feels about his original thesis and about his own working-class background in Leeds, where he was orphaned at an early age.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Fidelio: The Prisoner's Chorus From Act One by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Essays by Michel de Montaigne Luxury: Fountain pen and paper

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the Controller of BBC1, Alan Yentob. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his upbringing in Manchester and London, the Cathedral boarding school where he and his twin brother were the only two Jewish boys and his 27 years at the BBC.During that time he rose steadily through the ranks to become Head of Music and Arts, ending up as the only person to have run both BBC1 and BBC2.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Four Last Songs from Beim Schlafengehen by Richard Strauss Book: Essays by Michel de Montaigne Luxury: Video recorder

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the racehorse trainer Jenny Pitman. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the empathy she feels for the horses she trains and her relationship with their owners. She won the Grand National in 1983 with Corbiere, and she has twice trained the winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. In 1995 her charge, Royal Athlete, won the Grand National, crowning her spectacular success as a trainer.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: A Four Legged Friend by Roy Rogers Book: Veterinary Notes For Horse Owners by M Horace Hayes Luxury: Television set

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the advertising man, Maurice Saatchi. He and his brother Charles created what became the biggest advertising agency in the world. Saatchi & Saatchi masterminded the Conservative victory in 1979 with their slogan 'Labour isn't working'.He'll be telling Sue Lawley about the heady days of the 1980s - a red Ferrari would be delivered unannounced to the best names in the business, with the offer of a job with Saatchi & Saatchi. Then, last year, he fell from grace when a boardroom shake-up meant he had to leave the company he had so lovingly created.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Die Dreigroschenoper Surabaya Johnny by Kurt Weill Book: Hamlet (1897 edition) by William Shakespeare Luxury: Virtual-reality headset

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is a man who spans our century. Aged 91, Max Nicholson has enjoyed careers in conservation, politics, journalism and the Civil Service.But his great passion remains ornithology. As a tiny boy, his parents took him one rainy afternoon to see the stuffed birds in the Natural History Museum, and there his great obsession was born. He was a conservationist before anyone understood the idea of ecology. He's played major parts in the founding of the Nature Conservancy Council, the World Wildlife Fund and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Symphony No 6 In F Major Op 68 by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: The Phenomenon of Man by Pierre Teilhard De Chardin Luxury: Binoculars

Sue Lawley's castaway on Desert Island Discs this week is the celebrated American writer John Updike. His novels include Rabbit Run (and three Rabbit follow-ups), Couples and The Witches of Eastwick.He is both poet and historian, famous for charting the changes in post-war American society such as increasing marital breakdown and changing attitudes to death. He started his writing career by selling stories to the New Yorker magazine - something his mother had tried for years but had never succeeded. And he'll be telling Sue Lawley about how he overcame a bad stutter, how he has learnt to control his psoriasis and how now, aged 63, he finally feels normal; part of the gang he never was as a teenager. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Sing, Sing, Sing by The Benny Goodman Orchestra Book: Complete Works by Marcel Proust Luxury: Silken tent (for luxury, not survival)

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the actress Wendy Richard, one of the best-known faces on British television. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about a career which started with the Arthur Haines show in the 60s, and took her through a whole series of long-running television programmes - The Newcomers, Are You Being Served? and its sequel Grace and Favour. However, it was 10 years ago that she took the part which was to bring her her greatest popularity - Pauline Fowler in EastEnders.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Land Of Hope And Glory by Edward Elgar/Benson Book: Wilt by Tom Sharpe Luxury: Tapestry to make

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, the sixth Duke of Westminster. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the responsibilities and pleasures of being one of the country's richest men. Having enjoyed an idyllic childhood on the banks of Loch Ern in County Fermanagh, it was a rude shock to be transplanted to an English prep school at the age of seven. The comparatively early death of his father then meant that by the time he was just 19 he was managing one of Britain's greatest estates, and by 27 he owned it. He'll be discussing the pleasures and the perils of his position, why he is no longer a member of the Conservative Party and his hopes and dreams for his four-year-old son and heir, Hugh.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Albatross by Fleetwood Mac Book: Through Russian Snows by G A Henty Luxury: Telescope

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is clothes designer Jasper Conran. Son of Sir Terence Conran and Shirley Conran, he has art, design and business in his blood and was always determined to make his own way in the world of fashion without parental influence. He has said, "in a family like mine, if you're not successful, you drown".He'll be telling Sue Lawley about his difficult childhood of nannies and his public school where he was bullied for being overweight, all of which he overcame to win a scholarship to the prestigious Parsons School of Art in New York. After that, his career took off and, at the age of 27, he was named Designer of the Year. By the late 1980s he was almost bankrupt and had to re-invent his business to a 1990s-type smaller and more manageable outfit.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Tosca Vissi D' Arte by Giacomo Puccini Book: Tales by Hoffman Luxury: Vintage Krug Champagne (endless supply)

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is one of the great pioneers of heart transplant surgery - Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub.He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his dedication to his patients, whether heart transplants are now routinely successful and about some of the earlier controversies which his experimental surgery has attracted. He will also be describing his early ambitions to be a doctor, which were discouraged by his father, and how important music is to him. He often has it playing in the operating theatre.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Fantasia For Piano In D Minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Pluto's Republic by Sir Peter Meddower Luxury: Hammock

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is one of the oldest and deepest voices in rock music - the legendary bluesman John Lee Hooker. The son of a preacher man, he was brought up in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and his first guitar was made from an old inner tube tied to the barn door. By the age of 14, he had his own guitar and ran away to Memphis with two dollars in his pocket for a life touring small blues clubs.With hits like Boom Boom, Dimples and Boogie Chillun, he has been one of the major influences on rock stars like Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Goin Down Slow by B.B. King & Bobby Bland Book: A book with pictures (of pretty women) Luxury: His guitar

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the actor Brian Blessed.He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about Z Cars - the series which first brought him to public prominence in the 1960s, about his friendship with the actress Katherine Hepburn and his obsession with climbing mountains - mountains like Everest and Kilimanjaro - when he isn't acting.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Rite of Spring The Adoration Of Earth by Igor Stravinsky Book: In Search of the Miraculous by Peter Ouspensky Luxury: Scarf given to him by the Dalai Lama

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is Marianne Faithfull. Singer and actress, she was the original 1960s wild child.At the age of 17, when she was still a convent schoolgirl in Reading, she shot to fame with the hit single As Tears Go By; written for her by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. She was Mick Jagger's mistress, she hung out with Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix, she was young, beautiful and rich and she seemed to have it all. But the glamorous life of the pop star turned into a nightmare of drugs, homelessness, suicide attempts and broken marriages.The daughter of an Austrian baroness, her life has been full of myths and legends. She'll be telling Sue Lawley about the years of recovery, how she's found happiness in Ireland and her hopes for a Man Friday on her desert island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Small Axe by Bob Marley & The Wailers Book: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe Luxury: Pen from Aspreys with attached magnifying glass

Sue Lawley's castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is Sir Bernard Ingham. For 11 years, one month and five days, almost from when she came to power to the day she left office, he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Mrs Thatcher. A former card-carrying member of the Labour Party, he became her Chief Press Secretary, adviser and supporter.He was accused by the media of crossing the line between civil service impartiality and political support on that fateful day in Paris in November 1990, just 36 hours before she lost the leadership election. He'll be telling Sue Lawley about his childhood in Yorkshire, his training as a journalist on the Hebden Bridge Times, his transition to Press Secretary for Tony Benn, Maurice MacMillan and Barbara Castle. In 1979, no-one was more astonished than he when he was headhunted to become one of Mrs Thatcher's closest advisers, and finally one of the most influential members of her team.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Violin Concerto in B Minor - Andante by Edward Elgar Book: Times Atlas of the World Luxury: Colin Cowdrey's bowling machine

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is one of America's most successful playwrights. Since he opened Come Blow Your Horn on Broadway in 1961, Neil Simon has written at least a play a year, and they include Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Plaza Suite, Lost in Yonkers, as well as the hit musicals Sweet Charity and They're Playing Our Song.He'll be telling Sue Lawley about his childhood in the Bronx, his days in the army, and how as one of New York's most famous literary sons, he now spends most of his time in Los Angeles.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: A Foggy Day by Fred Astaire Book: How To Swim Luxury: Large harmonica

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey. The son of a hospital porter, he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his childhood in London during the war, his interrupted schooling which meant he left school at 15 with no qualifications and how when he decided he wanted to enter the church, he went on to acquire a clutch of 'O' and 'A' Levels in the space of a year.Never one to shirk a challenge, he'll also be describing his feelings when he was invited to become Archbishop of Canterbury and discussing some of the issues which face the church today.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: O Praise Ye The Lord (Laudate Dominum) by Hubert Parry Book: Four Quartets by T S Eliot Luxury: Computer and an empty bottle

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week has a classic rags-to-riches story to relate. Born into a poor family in Coventry, record producer Pete Waterman is nowadays estimated to be worth at least 60 million pounds, and is the proud possessor of 10 Ferraris, 15 Jaguars and several houses and railway engines.He'll be telling Sue Lawley how, with no formal education - and still unable to do joined-up writing - he and his company wrote and produced enough hit records in the mid-1980s to have one in the Top Forty every week for four years.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Tannhauser Overture by Richard Wagner Book: R.C.T.S. History of Great Western Railway Engines Luxury: Havana cigars and matches

The castaway choosing his eight desert island discs this week will also be relating a story of early triumph, 25 years of obscurity and a revival of fortunes at the age of 81 which has made him one of the country's most successful classical composers. He is George Lloyd, and he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the shell-shock and bad luck which put paid to his early promise - his years growing carnations and mushrooms - and then, thanks to the late John Ogdon's intervention, his re-emergence to a rapturous reception by both the public and the musical establishment. He'll also be describing the unexpected places where his music has been enjoying an airing - could it really be true that his symphonies are now to be heard in discos and pubs?[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Jesu Joy Of Man's Desiring by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Piers Plowman (In Middle English) by William Langland Luxury: Romney's portrait of Lady Hamilton

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the actor Hugh Grant. The star of the enormously successful Four Weddings and a Funeral, he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his life before he was propelled into international celebrity status. Now firmly established as a cinematic symbol of a certain type of Englishman, he had his first big break in the Merchant Ivory film Maurice, after stints in repertory at Nottingham, writing commercials and filming what he calls Europuddings in Spain, where he met his girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Something Stupid by Frank & Nancy Sinatra Book: King Ottokar's Sceptre (The Adventures of Tin Tin) by Herge Luxury: Supply of handkerchiefs

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the country's most distinguished counter-tenor James Bowman. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about how he uses his voice as an instrument, producing the unusually high falsetto sound which characterises counter-tenor parts. He'll also be describing his association with Benjamin Britten, who offered him his first part - as Oberon in Britten's opera A Midsummer Night's Dream. Britten went on to write parts for him in Death in Venice and The Journey of the Magi, all of which have contributed to his highly successful career.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Symphony No 2 in D, Op 73 by Johannes Brahms Book: Rebecca by Dame Daphne Du Maurier Luxury: Fabergé egg

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the novelist Nina Bawden. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the autobiographical aspects of both her adult books - such as Afternoon of a Good Woman and Circles of Deceit - and her children's books like Carrie's War and The Peppermint Pig. All contain tales with twists and turns from her own experience - evacuation during the war, her years as a magistrate and the tragic death of her schizophrenic son. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her life and books.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Record: Symphony No 9 In D Minor Final Movement Book: The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon Luxury: Plain paper, plastic folders and ballpoint pens

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the music writer and critic Felix Aprahamian. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about how, as a music critic on the Sunday Times for over 40 years, he has lived at the epicentre of 20th-century musical life - meeting such luminaries as Poulenc, Messiaen, Delius and the French organist and composer, Charles-Marie Widor. He'll also be discussing his views on the contemporary music scene, and describing his house in North London where, now aged 80, he lives surrounded by musical artefacts, literature and scores that have accumulated over his long career.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Christ Der Ein'ge Gottes Sohn by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Du Cote De Chez Swann by Marcel Proust Luxury: Swiss army knife

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the writer and publisher Nigel Nicolson. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his parents Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West and their unconventional marriage which was based on deep mutual love but also allowed both of them to enjoy homosexual affairs. His book Portrait of a Marriage - famously televised by the BBC - tells their story. He'll also be describing his isolated upbringing at Sissinghurst Castle, his relationship with his mother and how he co-founded the publishing house Weidenfeld and Nicolson.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Bolero by Maurice Ravel Book: A Guide To The Universe (Astronomy) Luxury: Telescope

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the historian Professor Eric Hobsbawm. A life-long Communist and author of a series of books on the history of the 19th century which is regarded by many as a seminal work of scholarship, he has now turned his attention to the 20th century. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his views on the major historical events of the century, its future and his part in it.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Slow Grind by The Kenny Barron Trio Book: Canto General by Pablo Neruda Luxury: Binoculars

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is British cinema's king of horror - Christopher Lee. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his disappointment at not being able to follow what he considers his true vocation, that of an opera singer, and about his 50-year career which has encompassed 230 films, 27 plays and numerous radio and television appearances.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Rinaldo by George Frideric Handel Book: The Sword In The Stone by T H White Luxury: A set of golf clubs

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is Jimmy Knapp, General Secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his Scottish childhood, his poor, working-class background and his rise from signalman to one of the most powerful and controversial trade union leaders in the country. He'll also be discussing his views on public ownership, the future of Clause 4 and such personal matters as his Scottishnesss, love of Spain and his much-maligned dress sense. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Yesterday by The Beatles Book: The Socialist Sixth of the World by Hewlett Johnson Luxury: Case of 'Talisker' whisky

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is Sir Adrian Cadbury, for nearly 20 years chairman of the famous chocolate factory that bears his family name.He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his Quaker background and his experiences of rowing for Britain in the 1952 Olympics, as well as discussing his views on the standards and values which dominate British business life today.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Symphony no 1 No 1 in C Major, Opus 21 by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Dr. Johnson's Lexicographic Works by Dr Samuel Johnson Luxury: Fibreglass sculling boat

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the biologist Dr Richard Dawkins. Author of popular science books such as The Selfish Gene and The Blind Watchmaker, he'll be talking to Sue Lawley about his scientific beliefs which are firmly rooted in the conviction that Darwin's theory of evolution provides the starting point for all we need to know about our world. He'll be discussing the implications of his theories, as well as choosing eight records for his island exile. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: String Quintet In C Major 163 by Franz Schubert Book: The Jeeves Omnibus by P G Wodehouse Luxury: Computer (solar-powered)

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the creator, writer and producer of two of British television's most enduring and influential series - Grange Hill and Brookside.Phil Redmond will be talking to Sue Lawley about his Liverpool roots and his rise from a poor working-class background to become one of the country's highest-paid television executives. He'll also be discussing how the programmes he produces continue to attract controversy, criticism and audiences and what he thinks of the future for radio and television. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Theme From Brookside by Steve Wright & Mike Timoney Book: (Instead of Shakespeare) Collected works by Charles Dickens Alternative to Bible: None - Bible not taken Luxury: Magnifying glass

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the actress Patricia Hodge. Currently in her prime as Miss Jean Brodie in the West End, she'll be talking to Sue Lawley about how John Mortimer selected her for her first prominent role as barrister Phyllida Trent in Rumpole of the Bailey. She went on to portray several aloof, beautiful women, but denies that she is by nature remote. She'll also be reminiscing about her childhood in Grimsby, where her parents ran a large three-star hotel, making her upbringing a little different from that of her contemporaries.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Candide Make Our Garden Grow by David Eisler & Erie Mills Book: Compendium of Plays by Harold Pinter Luxury: A supply of embroidery

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the politician, historian and diarist Alan Clark. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the impact his alarmingly frank diaries - published in 1993 - made on his colleagues, friends and enemies. Also, on the island he'll be ruminating on love, pain, parents, political ambition and the many attractions of his island exile.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Saul The Dead March by George Frideric Handel Book: A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell Luxury: Piano

The castaway on Desert Island Discs this week is one of Britain's best-loved actors, David Jason. He will be talking to Sue Lawley about the rocky route from his first job as an electrician, through Bromley Rep, summer seasons and pantos, to the moment he was spotted for a television show called Do Not Adjust Your Set. Some success followed this, but it was when the BBC offered him the part of Delboy in Only Fools and Horses, to be followed 10 years later by the avuncular Pop Larkin in The Darling Buds of May, that the nation took him to their hearts. He went on to win a BAFTA for his role in Porterhouse Blue, and, more recently, acclaim for his portrait of Inspector Frost.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Help! by The Beatles Book: The Complete Boatbuilder's Book Luxury: A complete carpenter's toolbox

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is one of the country's famous experts on gardens and garden design, Penelope Hobhouse. She will be talking to Sue Lawley about her childhood in Ulster, where she was brought up steeped in the politics of the province. From there, she went to Cambridge, married, and settled down to look after the garden of the beautiful house in Somerset which marriage had brought with it. Twenty-five years later, she wrote her first book which was about that garden and since then she has been in constant demand as a lecturer and author. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Marriage Of Figaro - Dove Sono, Act 3 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: The Golden Bowl by Henry James Luxury: Laptop computer

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the writer Margaret Forster. Her second novel - Georgy Girl - was published in the 1960s and made into a popular film; another 20 books - both fiction and non-fiction - followed and her recent biography of Daphne du Maurier attracted much critical acclaim. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her early life in Carlisle, the stresses of working motherhood and the problems of having her husband, Hunter Davies, formerly confined to a newspaper office, now working at home.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: In The Bleak Midwinter by Gustav Holst/Rossetti Book: A House For Mr Biswas by V S Naipaul Luxury: Unlimited supply of A4 white paper & cartridges for fountain pen