Desert Island Discs at 70

[Nick Dando]

From the Guardian

Desert Island Discs celebrates 70 years of books, music and bizarre luxuries | Television & radio | The Guardian

Nick

Desert Island Discs celebrates 70 years of books, music and bizarre luxuries

Sir David Attenborough marks anniversary with fourth appearance on radio show, which has seen requests for a blow-up doll and suicide pills

• Elisabeth Mahoney
  
• The Guardian, Friday 27 January 2012

Roy Plomley, the creator and original presenter of the Desert Island Discs. He was followed by Michael Parkinson, Sue Lawley and the current presenter, Kirsty Young. Photograph: John Downing/Getty Images

When radio presenter Roy Plomley came up with the idea for Radio 4's Desert Island Discs on a cold November night in 1941, on his way to bed and already in his pyjamas, he envisaged a series of six programmes. They began on 27 January the following year, 70 years ago this weekend. The show, which bases interviews with public figures around eight musical choices, a book and a luxury, is now the world's longest-running factual radio programme.
Unlike The Archers, which slipped up by over-hyping its 60th anniversary edition last year and killing off a popular character, Desert Island Discs is sticking to what it knows for its 70th, welcoming Sir David Attenborough back for a fourth appearance. Only Arthur Askey has matched that and Attenborough is a fitting choice for the 70th anniversary: a national treasure with a career of impressive longevity, just like the show itself.
Its appeal lies largely in a deceptively simple format – in talking about a fantasy island and their music selections, guests relax and reveal aspects of themselves – and a seemingly unchanging quality, underlined by the fact that it has only had four main presenters.
Plomley quizzed castaways for 43 years until his death in 1985, lunching before the recordings with the guest at his club, the Garrick (another club was used for female guests), and dealing with any anomalies in record choices, he explained in a Radio 4 documentary made for the 50th anniversary , by taking castaways across the road to the pub for "a couple of large gins".
The format and tone has quietly evolved over the years. The original didn't feature books or luxury items, with these added in 1951. Actor Sally Ann Howes chose garlic as the first luxury, a more prosaic choice than many that would follow: a blow-up doll (Oliver Reed), Michael Palin, stuffed (John Cleese), solar-powered vibrator (Cornelia Parker), mirror (Simon Cowell, Graham Norton), navel brush (Frank Muir), suicide pill (Peter Nichols, Stephen Fry, Lynn Barber), and happiness. The latter, requested by Brigitte Bardot, caused Plomley momentary consternation; it sounded as if she was asking for "a penis".
When Michael Parkinson took over from Plomley, he changed the interview so that guests heard their music choices rather than having them edited in. Plomley's widow, Diana, was said to find his style too slick, and Parkinson only hosted the show for two years.
She was even more scathing about Sue Lawley's 18-year tenure, claiming that the presenter had "an extraordinary obsession with other people's sex lives". This followed Lawley's 1996 interview with the then unmarried shadow chancellor, Gordon Brown, in which she said: "People want to know whether you're gay or whether there's some flaw in your personality that you haven't made a relationship?"
Lawley was host for the most controversial guest, Lady Diana Mosley in 1989, in which Mosley described Hitler as "fascinating" and challenged Lawley's assertion that the Nazis had murdered six million Jews. "Oh no, I don't think it was that many," Mosley replied. There was a long, icy pause. "Tell us about your fifth record, Lady Mosley."
Since taking over as host in 2006, Kirsty Young's time on the programme has been largely controversy-free, apart from some grumblings that Gok Wan was too populist a choice of guest. However, Young is widely credited with reinvigorating the programme, with her warm yet searching questions producing especially captivating editions with Kathy Burke, Mark Gatiss, Betty Driver and Morrissey. The latter's encounter was voted second best broadcast interview of all time in a Radio Times poll last year, pipped by David Frost interviewing Richard Nixon.
The programme's core strength is that it's a gentle listen, but one in which guests give us a strong sense of what they're really like. This might be through their musical selections – soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf famously chose seven of her own performances – or how they weave their life story around them.
The tone may be pretty relaxed, but like the programme's theme tune, it's not quite what it seems. Eric Coates composed By the Sleepy Lagoon in 1930, and it's now synonymous with being transported to a tropical island. In fact, he wrote the music while looking out over Bognor Regis. Similarly, Young will be welcoming and respectful to Attenborough on Sunday, but no pushover. Expect a question or two about those polar bear cubs featured on Frozen Planet that were filmed in a German zoo.

[CaptainWaggett]

Worth noting that everyone can see every castaway's choices here. The first ones are presumably limited by what was in the BBC record library

BBC - Desert Island Discs - Find a castaway

[Nick Dando]

And of course, there's a special Archive on 4 show this Saturday evening at 20:00.

BBC - BBC Radio 4 Programmes - Archive on 4, Castaway: 70 Years of Desert Island Discs

Nick

Castaway: 70 Years of Desert Island Discs

Kirsty Young tells the story of the long-running programme as it celebrates its 70th anniversary and investigates what has made it such an enduring part of the radio schedule. In addition to hearing some classic clips from some amazing castaways, Kirsty talks to BBC historian Professor Jean Seaton, former castaway Mary Portas and is also joined by her predecessors, Sue Lawley and Sir Michael Parkinson and, from the archives, by Roy Plomley himself.

Producer: Isabel Sargent.

[Steve Crook]

They've made a big thing about people who were on the show 2 or 3 times. But who was only on there 1/2 a time?

Steve

[CaptainWaggett]

They've made a big thing about people who were on the show 2 or 3 times. But who was only on there 1/2 a time?

Steve

I see he was allowed his own book and luxury but had to share a favourite record

[Steve Crook]

I see he was allowed his own book and luxury but had to share a favourite record

Were there any others who got a similarly reduced selection?

Steve

[CaptainWaggett]

Were there any others who got a similarly reduced selection?

Steve

BBC - Desert Island Discs - Castaway : Frank Launder & Sidney Gilliat

[Dean Williams]

I'd be surprised if no-one ever requested a lifeboat or raft as their luxury item? Of course the first thing you grab when your ship starts going down is a gramophone and 8 records!

Although the website above lists all the episodes and guests it doesn't say whether a particular episode survives or not! Is there somewhere I can find out if the 17th August 1964 edition with guest Percy Merriman survives?

[Nimuae]

I quite like this programme. Some of the music choices are unexpected and the choices of books and luxuries bizarre at times ! It is good Sunday morning listening. I hope Kirsty Young stays with it for a long time - she is warm and friendly to her guests unlike her predecessor. Sue lawley was patronising beyond belief and, if she didn't like her guest, her feelings were all too obvious.

[CaptainWaggett]

I'd be surprised if no-one ever requested a lifeboat or raft as their luxury item? Of course the first thing you grab when your ship starts going down is a gramophone and 8 records!

They're not luxuries though. Occasionally the castaways explain the usefulness of their item - I remember someone saying she could use a Union Jack as a blanket - and have to be shushed lest they break The Rules

[Dean Williams]

They're not luxuries though.

That depends! If you've already made it to the island it's hardly a necessity of life! But it could be a luxury if you're bored stiff and want to check out the talent on the neighbouring islands!

[Steve Crook]

I'd be surprised if no-one ever requested a lifeboat or raft as their luxury item? Of course the first thing you grab when your ship starts going down is a gramophone and 8 records!

That's like asking why, when someone is granted 3 wishes, why don't they wish for a few thousand more wishes as their first wish?
Being able to escape the island would spoil the point of the programme

Steve

[aardvark]

I see he was allowed his own book and luxury but had to share a favourite record

They've made a big thing about people who were on the show 2 or 3 times. But who was only on there 1/2 a time?

Steve

I read in the wonderful memoirs of Michael Denison and Dulcie Gray that they were cast away together in 1952, the first married couple. Wonder if there are any other theatrical duos?

Michael Denison writes of the early days of their fame: 'gradually there was built up in the public mind the picture of coy domestic bliss which from the first we discouraged in every way short of separation.' I wish they'd made more films.

Thanks Captain for fascinating Find a castaway link. I could spend hours browsing there.

Nick

[Nimuae]

Worth noting that everyone can see every castaway's choices here. The first ones are presumably limited by what was in the BBC record library

BBC - Desert Island Discs - Find a castaway

What a fascinating site - Thank you !

[alan french]

Hi,
I am going to be a spoil sport. If you are on a boat that is about to be wrecked or sink, would you stop and choose what eight records that you would like to take with you? Would you be able to order a luxury? Would you be able to choose a book? I know that I wouldn't.

But then if we do not romance a bit, there would be no programme.

I did hear in an interview, that one castaway, some years later, did state that Roy Plomley might peruade the castaway to change their mind, whilst they were having a lunch.

But apart from my tongue in cheek opening statement, I think it is a great achievement. Congratulations. And a very happy birthday.

Alan French.

[Steve Crook]

I did hear in an interview, that one castaway, some years later, did state that Roy Plomley might peruade the castaway to change their mind, whilst they were having a lunch.

Where Plomley thought that someone was choosing a piece because they thought it looked good on their list, then he would try to persuade the guest to change it for one that they really liked, and knew. After lunch they would wander through the BBC's record library and Plomley would ask which version they preferred, especially for classical pieces. That usually helped to identify some of the fakers

Steve

[Edward G]

Cap'n,
A brilliant link - many thanks!

[alan french]

Hi,
Steve you preach to the converted. I believe that is similar, or, identical, to what the person said when discussing their experience when interviewed on a television chat show. I think he added that sometimes the choice, prior to the chat, was sometimes to impress their friends, rather than what they would take.

Alan French.