The long-running BBC radio series Desert Island Discs was first broadcast on the Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. The 30-minute show was devised and originally presented by Roy Plomley.
Plomley guided the show through nearly 1,800 episodes until his death at 71 in 1985, with his last castaway being the actress Sheila Steafel. The programme was so identified with him that there was doubt whether it could continue, but the BBC was keen for it to go on, and vitally, Plomley’s widow, Diana – who now owned the format – agreed.
After much discussion on possible hosts, Michael Parkinson was appointed, and his first show was broadcast in January 1986. However, after two years, he left, to be replaced by Sue Lawley, who saw the show through the next 18 years. Kirsty Young was appointed as the fourth host of Desert Island Discs in 2006.
Since 2018, the programme has been presented by Lauren Laverne.
Each week, a guest – called a “castaway” – is asked to choose items they would take if they were cast away on a desert island. The first castaway – “marooned” on 29 January 1942 – was Vic Oliver, a music-hall star of the 1930s.
The castaways are required to select eight recordings, a book (they are automatically given the Complete Works of Shakespeare and The Bible) and – since 1951 – a luxury item – which must be inanimate and of no use in escaping the island or allowing communication from outside – whilst discussing their life and the reasons for their choices.
Notable guests over more than 80 years include George Formby (1951), Harry Secombe (1956), Alfred Hitchcock (1959), Marlene Dietrich (1965), Arthur Askey (1942, 1955, 1968 and 1980), Louis Armstrong (1968), Oliver Reed (1974), Tennessee Williams (1978), Princess Margaret (1981), Arthur Scargill (1988), Enoch Powell (1989), Bob Geldof (1992), Kenny Everett (1993), Jennifer Saunders (1996), George Michael (2007), Yoko Ono (2007), Morrissey (2009), Vidal Sassoon (2011), and Tom Hanks (2016).
Celebrities who refused to appear on the show include Mick Jagger, George Bernard Shaw, Laurence Olivier and Prince Charles.
In February 2019, a panel of broadcasting industry experts named Desert Island Discs the greatest radio programme of all time.
The theme tune to the show is By the Sleepy Lagoon, composed by Eric Coates.
Presenters
Roy Plomley (1942 – 1985)
Michael Parkinson (1986 -1988)
Sue Lawley (1988 – 2006)
Kirsty Young (2006 – 2018)
Lauren Laverne (2018 – current)
