Desert Island Discs

Roy Plomley's castaway is actor and writer Michael Palin.Favourite track: Nimrod by Edward Elgar Book: Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray Luxury: Bed

Roy Plomley's castaway is actress and musician Marti Caine.Favourite track: Coming Home by Marshall Hain Book: Glory Road by Robert Heinlein Luxury: Bath with solar-heated water and bubble bath

Roy Plomley's castaway is actress Sian Phillips.Favourite track: Summer by Alexander Glazunov Book: Scouting For Boys by Robert Baden-Powell Luxury: Solar-powered refrigerator full of champagne

Roy Plomley's castaway is children's writer Roald Dahl.Favourite track: Agnus Dei by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: The New Oxford Book of English Verse by Helen Gardner Luxury: Still, grapevine cuttings and tobacco seeds

Roy Plomley's castaway is actor Rex Harrison.Favourite track: A Lull At Dawn by Barney Bigard and his Orchestra Book: A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell Luxury: Painting equipment for oils and watercolours

Roy Plomley's castaway is soprano Josephine Barstow.Favourite track: Symphony No 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy and Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy Luxury: Michelangelo's David

Roy Plomley's castaway is explorer Wilfred Thesiger.Favourite track: Pie Jesu by Gabriel Fauré Book: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon Luxury: Supply of acid drops

Roy Plomley's castaway is poet and broadcaster Pam Ayres.Favourite track: The New St George by John & Chris Leslie Book: The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth Luxury: Large basket of sugared almonds

Roy Plomley's castaway is thriller writer Ted Allbeury.Favourite track: Love Is The Sweetest Thing by Al Bowlly, Ray Noble and his Orchestra Book: The Unquiet Grave by Cyril Connolly Luxury: Writing paper and pencils

Roy Plomley's castaway is writer and critic Richard Buckle.Favourite track: Piano Quintet In A Major by Franz Schubert Book: Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy Luxury: Paper and pencils

Roy Plomley's castaway is portrait painter June Mendoza.Favourite track: Spring Symphony by Benjamin Britten Book: The Penguin Chronology of the Modern World by Neville Williams Luxury: Canvases, brushes and paint

Roy Plomley's castaway is actor Peter Barkworth.Favourite track: Symphony No. 1 in A Flat by Edward Elgar Book: His diaries to date Luxury: Beautifully bound blank book and ballpoint pens

Roy Plomley's castaway is writer and broadcaster Barry Norman.Favourite track: Symphony No. 5 In C Minor by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: The World of Jeeves by P G Wodehouse Luxury: Typewriter, paper and a desk with cricket balls in the drawers

Roy Plomley's castaway is opera singer Boris Christoff.Favourite track: Prendi I'Anel Ti Dono (from La Sonnambula) by Vincenzo Bellini Book: The Poetry by Yuarroros

Roy Plomley's castaway is historian Countess Elizabeth Longford.Favourite track: Air (from Water Music Suite) by Handel/Harty Book: Utopia by Thomas Moore Luxury: Tapestry making kit

Besides choosing the eight records he would take to the mythical island, Sir Ralph Richardson talks to Roy Plomley about his early life in an insurance office, about some of the many films and plays in which he has acted, and about the National Theatre where he was appearing at the time.Favourite track: Clarinet Concerto in A by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Novels by Henry James Luxury: Pipes and tobacco

Roy Plomley's castaway is pianist Dame Moura Lympany.Favourite track: Piano Concerto No. 1 in G Minor by Felix Mendelssohn Book: Book about growing flowers and vegetables on a desert island Luxury: Wine from own vineyard

Roy Plomley's castaways are scriptwriters Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais.Favourite track: You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin Book: Teach yourself the guitar and Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne Luxury: Cards and a guitar

Roy Plomley's castaway is historian C Northcote Parkinson.Favourite track: The Old Hundredth by Coronation of HM Queen Elizabeth II Book: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon Luxury: Radio receiver

Roy Plomley's castaway is choreographer Glen Tetley.Favourite track: Laudamus Te by Claudio Monteverdi Book: Earthly Paradise by Colette Luxury: South American hammock

Roy Plomley's castaway is baritone Tito Gobbi.Favourite track: La Montanara by Tito Gobbi Book: Flowers of the World by Leslie Greenwood Luxury: Bar of gold

Roy Plomley's castaway is the writer Ed McBain.Favourite track: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor by Sergei Rachmaninov Book: Streets of Gold by Ed McBain Luxury: Whisky

Roy Plomley's castaway is former Brain Of Britain and radio personality Irene Thomas.Favourite track: Soave Sia Il Vento by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Score of the opera Fidelio by Beethoven Luxury: Teddy bear stuffed with tea bags

Roy Plomley's castaway is actor Ian Carmichael.Favourite track: Adagio (from Spartacus) by Aram Khachaturian Book: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Luxury: Paper and pencils

Roy Plomley's castaway is patron of music Sir Robert Mayer.Favourite track: An Die Musik by Franz Schubert Book: His visitors' book Luxury: Grapes (seedless)

Roy Plomley's castaway is clarinettist Jack Brymer.Favourite track: String Quintet No. 3 in G Minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: The collected works by Charles Dickens Luxury: Piano

Roy Plomley's castaway is actor Alec McCowen.Favourite track: Gypsy (Overture) by Broadway Orchestra Book: The Egoist by George Meredith Luxury: Painting materials

Roy Plomley's castaway is artist Peter Blake.Favourite track: Molly Bloom's Soliloquy (from Ulysses) by James Joyce Book: Ulysses by James Joyce Luxury: Cement and tools to build a folly

Roy Plomley's castaway is journalist James Cameron.Favourite track: Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas Book: Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne Luxury: Malt whisky

Roy Plomley's castaway is actor Edward Fox.Favourite track: Jesu Joy Of Man's Desiring by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Selection of novels by Evelyn Waugh Luxury: Limes toilet water by Floris

Roy Plomley's castaway is writer Patricia Highsmith.Favourite track: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor by Sergei Rachmaninov Book: Moby Dick by Herman Melville Luxury: Writing materials

Roy Plomley's castaway is mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary.Favourite track: Blowin' In The Wind by Bob Dylan Book: The Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien Luxury: Painting he has of Kathmandu valley

Roy Plomley's castaway is conductor Sir Adrian Boult.Favourite track: Symphony No. 40 In G Minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan Luxury: Panama hats stuffed with barley sugar

Roy Plomley's castaway is actor Burl Ives.Favourite track: Horn Concerto No. 4 In E Flat by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: I Ching Luxury: Whisky (Tobermory)

Roy Plomley's castaway is snooker champion Ray Reardon.Favourite track: Symphony No. 5 In C Minor by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Where Eagles Dare by Alistair MacLean Luxury: Golf clubs and balls

Roy Plomley's castaway is soprano Ileana Cotrubas.Favourite track: Dies Irae by Giuseppe Verdi Book: History of the whole world Luxury: Sistine Chapel in the Vatican

Roy Plomley's castaway is zoologist David Attenborough.Favourite track: String Quintet In G Minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: Shifts and Expedients of Camp Life by William Barry Lord Luxury: Binoculars

Roy Plomley's castaway is actress Lauren Bacall.Favourite track: My Mistress' Eyes (Sonnet 130) by William Shakespeare Book: Collected Short Stories by John Cheever Luxury: Sun tan lotion

Roy Plomley's castaway is singer Nana Mouskouri.Favourite track: Girl From The North Country by Bob Dylan Book: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery Luxury: Telephone

Roy Plomley's castaway is historian Sir Arthur Bryant.Favourite track: The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell Luxury: Painting of a little princess, by Velazquez

Roy Plomley's castaway is Editor of the Guinness Book of Records Norris McWhirter.Favourite track: Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D Major by Edward Elgar Book: The National Dictionary of Biography Luxury: Roll of cloth

Roy Plomley's castaway is actor Robert Stephens.Favourite track: Speak The Speech, I Pray You (from Hamlet) by William Shakespeare Book: The collected works by Raymond Chandler Luxury: Tobacco plant

Roy Plomley's castaway is baritone Benjamin Luxon.Favourite track: Spem In Alium by Tallis Book: Collected stories by Idris Shah Luxury: A piano and music

Roy Plomley's castaway is director Elia Kazan.Favourite track: String Quartet in A Minor by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: The Iliad by Homer Luxury: 20 tons of pine needles

Roy Plomley's castaway is novelist and scriptwriter Allan Prior.Favourite track: Never Been Kissed In The Same Place Twice by Maddy Prior Book: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Luxury: Looking glass

Roy Plomley's castaway is actor Robert Powell.Favourite track: Symphony No. 5 In C Sharp Minor by Gustav Mahler Book: Modern English Usage by Henry W Fowler Luxury: Typewriter

Roy Plomley's castaway is photographer Norman Parkinson.Favourite track: La Vie En Rose by Grace Jones Book: The Unquiet Grave by Cyril Connolly Luxury: Life-size bronze statue of an Ama-Indian woman

Roy Plomley's castaway is dancer Sir Robert Helpmann.Favourite track: Bailero by Victoria De Los Angeles Book: Volume on boat building for beginners Luxury: Toothbrush and toothpaste

Roy Plomley's castaway is actor Dinsdale Landen.Favourite track: Sanctus by Gabriel Fauré Book: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Luxury: Champagne

Roy Plomley's castaway is rugby player Barry John.Favourite track: Myfanwy by Treorchy Male Voice Choir Book: Complete Penguin Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Luxury: Collection of assorted balls