Desert Island Discs

Ronnie O'Sullivan, snooker player

24 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ronnie O’Sullivan OBE is currently ranked the number one snooker player in the world, and is widely regarded as one of the finest players in the his...

Professor Sharon Peacock, scientist

18 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Sharon Peacock is professor of public health and microbiology at Cambridge University. In March 2020 she set up the COVID-19 Genomics UK (C...

Simon Pegg, actor

11 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Pegg is an actor and screenwriter who became a household name after appearing in two of Hollywood’s most successful film franchises – Missio...

Professor Peter Hennessy, historian

04 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Peter Hennessy is one of the UK’s leading contemporary historians. He has written acclaimed and important books about politics, the civil...

Dara Ó Briain, comedian and television presenter

23 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dara Ó Briain has toured the world as a stand-up comedian, and hosted the BBC’s satirical series Mock the Week for 17 years. A science graduate wi...

Liz Carr, actor and activist

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Liz Carr is most widely known for her role as the forensic examiner Clarissa Mullery in the long-running BBC TV drama Silent Witness. She appeared in ...

Amanda Blanc, businesswoman

09 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda Blanc is the group CEO of the insurance company Aviva. She is one of a handful of women at the top of FTSE 100 companies and has spoken out aga...

Robert Webb, comedian

01 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Webb first reached a wide audience as the co-star of Channel 4’s longest running sitcom, the BAFTA-award winning Peep Show. With his long-sta...

Sonia Boyce, artist

26 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2022 Sonia Boyce became the first Black British woman to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale exhibition. She also took home the coveted Golde...

Jenny Beavan, costume designer

19 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jenny Beavan has won three Oscars for her costumes for the films Room with a View, Mad Max: Fury Road and Cruella, and has received nine further Acade...

David Sedaris, writer

12 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

David Sedaris is a writer whose humorous stories and wry takes on everyday encounters have led to 13 bestselling books and many radio programmes inclu...

Professor Corinne Le Quéré, climate scientist

26 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Corinne Le Quéré is the Royal Society Research Professor of Climate Change Science at the University of East Anglia where she studies the way marine...

Michael Pollan, writer

19 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Pollan’s award-winning writing about plants, nature and food combines anthropology and philosophy with culture, health and natural history. ...

Gabby Logan, broadcaster

12 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Gabby Logan presents a range of popular BBC sports programmes and hosts high-profile sporting events including the Olympics, Premiership football and ...

Lesley Manville, actor

05 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Lesley Manville made her debut on the West End stage as a teenager in 1972, and since then has taken on a wide range of roles on stage and screen, inc...

Sir Malcolm Walker, retailer

05 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sir Malcolm Walker is the chairman and co-founder of the frozen food supermarket chain Iceland. He was brought up in Grange Moor, West Yorkshire. He w...

Kirsty Young, broadcaster

22 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young was the award-winning presenter of Desert Island Discs between 2006 and 2018, interviewing 496 castaways. Her TV work includes BAFTA-winn...

Cate Blanchett, actor

08 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cate Blanchett is arguably the most celebrated Australian actor ever, winning two Academy Awards, three BAFTAs, three Golden Globes and dozens of othe...

Edward Enninful, editor

01 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Edward Enninful is the editor-in-chief of British Vogue and the editorial director of Vogue in Europe.Edward was born in the port city of Takoradi in ...

Baz Luhrmann, director

25 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Baz Luhrmann is an Australian director whose debut film, Strictly Ballroom, became one of Australia’s most successful releases, and also inspired th...

Steven Spielberg, director

18 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Steven Spielberg is the most successful director of his generation and the highest-grossing director of all time: his films have taken more than $10 b...

Barry Hearn, sports promoter

18 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Barry Hearn is a promoter who has been at the forefront of some of the biggest snooker, boxing and darts events in the last 40 years. He played a cent...

Professor Jean Golding, epidemiologist

11 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Jean Golding is an epidemiologist who is best known for founding the Children of the Nineties study - more formally known as the Avon Longit...

Richard E Grant, actor

04 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Richard E Grant was born in Swaziland, now Eswatini, one of the smallest countries in Africa, and took his first steps as an actor as a teenager in th...

Professor Angela Gallop, forensic scientist

27 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Angela Gallop is a forensic scientist who has helped solve some of the most notorious violent crimes in recent British history including the...

Rick Rubin, music producer

20 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rick Rubin is a multiple Grammy-winning record producer who has worked with a wide range of artists including Adele, the Beastie Boys and the Red Hot ...

Maxine Peake, actor

13 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Maxine Peake is an actor and writer who first came to public attention in 1998 as Twinkle in the Victoria Wood sitcom Dinnerladies. She went on to pl...

Kevin Sinfield, rugby player

06 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kevin Sinfield OBE is one of the most decorated players in the history of English rugby league. He captained Leeds Rhinos and the England team, and wa...

Dr Waheed Arian, doctor

30 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Waheed Arian is a radiologist who set up a charity called Arian Teleheal in 2015. The charity enables volunteer doctors in the west to advise coll...

Jay Blades, presenter and furniture restorer

23 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jay Blades is a furniture restorer who is best known for presenting the Repair Shop on BBC One. The programme, which attracts many millions of viewer...

Sue Barker, presenter and tennis player

16 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sue Barker is a television presenter and former professional tennis player. She presented the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage for nearly three decades, bef...

John Legend, musician

03 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The American singer and songwriter John Legend has won two Emmys, 12 Grammys, an Oscar and a Tony award – making him one of only 16 living artists t...

Clare Smyth, chef

28 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Clare Smyth is a highly acclaimed chef and is the first British woman to win the coveted three Michelin stars for her work. She opened her London rest...

Kate Moss, model

21 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Moss came to fame in the 1990s, and her distinctive look went on to embody the era of Cool Britannia. She has appeared on the cover of hundreds ...

Kate Ewart-Biggs, Deputy Chief Executive, British Council

13 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Ewart-Biggs is the deputy chief executive of the British Council, which aims to build connections between the UK and countries worldwide, through...

Andrew Ramroop, tailor

06 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Ramroop is a Savile Row tailor, whose international client list has included film stars and royalty.Andrew grew up in a remote village in Trini...

Adele, singer and songwriter

31 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Adele is a singer and songwriter who has achieved record-breaking sales and global recognition for her four albums which document her life from the ag...

Bono, singer and songwriter

24 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bono is a singer, songwriter and the frontman of U2, one of the most recognisable and successful bands in music history. They have sold over 170 milli...

Rita Tushingham, actor

17 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rita Tushingham first won international acclaim as a teenager, playing Jo in the film A Taste of Honey. Her performance in this 1961 kitchen sink dram...

Frances O'Grady, General Secretary of the TUC

10 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Frances O’Grady is the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the UK's umbrella group for unions, representing millions of workers. S...

Jon Ronson, writer and broadcaster

03 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jon Ronson is a writer and broadcaster whose award-winning podcast and Radio 4 series Things Fell Apart investigated the stories behind today’s cult...

David Harewood, actor and presenter

26 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

David Harewood is a British actor and presenter who found global fame playing the CIA director David Estes in the acclaimed TV drama series Homeland. ...

Ellie Simmonds, swimmer

18 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ellie Simmonds has competed at four Paralympic Games, winning five gold medals and breaking world records on the way. She first came to national atten...

Bradley Walsh, presenter and actor

12 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bradley Walsh is a familiar face to many millions of TV viewers, as the host of quiz shows including The Chase and Blankety-Blank, and as an actor in ...

Fiona Hill, foreign affairs specialist

05 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Fiona Hill is a foreign affairs specialist who advised Presidents George W Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. She came to wider public attention in...

Desert Island Discoveries

29 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lauren shares handpicked gems from the Desert Island Discs back-catalogue with Radio 1 presenter Vick Hope, including Bob Mortimer, Maya Angelou, Joe ...

Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Unaids

24 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Winnie Byanyima is a human rights advocate and executive director of Unaids, the joint UN Programme which was set up to eradicate Aids as a threat to ...

Alan Cumming, actor

17 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alan Cumming's wide-ranging career on stage includes playing Hamlet, starring opposite Daniel Radcliffe in Samuel Beckett’s Endgame and – perhaps ...

Robert Plant, singer and songwriter

10 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Plant is a singer and songwriter who was Led Zeppelin’s frontman from the band’s inception in 1968 until it disbanded in 1980. Led Zeppeli...

Oti Mabuse, dancer

03 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Oti Mabuse is a dancer, choreographer and TV talent show judge. She has enjoyed great success on the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing and is one of only...

Professor Nick Webborn, Chair of the British Paralympic Association

27 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Nick Webborn has chaired the British Paralympic Association since 2017. He is a world-leading expert on Paralympic sports medicine and the m...

Anne Tyler, writer

20 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Anne Tyler is a novelist and short story writer. Her 23 novels include the Accidental Tourist, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant and the Pulitzer Pri...

Leslie Caron, actress

13 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Leslie Caron is an award-winning actress and dancer who starred in some of the most memorable films of Hollywood’s golden age including An American ...

Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, statistician

06 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter specialises in medical statistics. He is the Chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication at Camb...

Lyse Doucet, journalist

30 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lyse Doucet is the BBC’s award-winning chief international correspondent, reporting from a range of postings including in Kabul, Islamabad, Tehran a...

John Caudwell, businessman

23 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John Caudwell is a businessman and philanthropist who founded the mobile phone company Phones 4U in 1996. It became the UK’s largest independent mob...

Deborah Levy, writer

16 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Deborah Levy is a writer whose novels Swimming Home and Hot Milk were both shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Last year she published the final instalm...

Simon Reeve, broadcaster and writer

09 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Reeve is a broadcaster and writer best known for his TV documentaries which combine travel and adventure with investigations into the challenges...

Richard Osman, writer and broadcaster

28 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Osman is a broadcaster, TV producer and writer who co-presents the quiz show Pointless on BBC One. His first novel, The Thursday Murder Club, ...

Dame Prue Leith, writer and broadcaster

19 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dame Prue Leith is a broadcaster, writer, former restaurateur and a judge on the television show the Great British Bake Off. Prue was born in Cape To...

Jack Thorne, screenwriter

12 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Thorne is a writer who has enjoyed great success with his scripts for the stage, cinema and television, winning five BAFTA awards for his TV work...

Helen Macdonald, writer and naturalist

05 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Macdonald is a writer and naturalist who is best known as the author of H is for Hawk which won the 2014 Samuel Johnson Prize and the Costa Book...

Neil Gaiman, writer

28 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Neil Gaiman is a writer whose list of titles spans many forms from novels, including American Gods, to children’s stories such as Coraline and the c...

Carl Hester, dressage rider

21 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Carl Hester is a dressage rider who has competed in six Olympic Games, winning a team gold at London 2012. Carl grew up on Sark in the Channel Island...

Dame Jo da Silva, engineer

19 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dame Jo da Silva is a structural engineer and disaster relief specialist. Her humanitarian work has taken her from Sri Lanka in the wake of the Tsuna...

Joanne Harris, writer

07 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Joanne Harris is a writer who is best known for her novel Chocolat, which was made into an Oscar-nominated feature film starring Juliette Binoche and ...

Peter Schmeichel, footballer

31 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Schmeichel is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the modern game. In 1999, he captained Manchester United in one of the most...

Michael Sandel, philosopher

24 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Sandel is a political philosopher and professor of government theory at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has also presented...

Deborah Meaden, businesswoman

17 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Deborah Meaden is a businesswoman and entrepreneur. She’s been one of the investment ‘Dragons’ in the BBC TV series since 2006. Destined to ...

Dame Sarah Connolly, mezzo-soprano

10 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly has sung at the most prestigious venues around the world, including the Royal Opera House, London and the Metrop...

Tom Ilube, entrepreneur

03 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Ilube is an entrepreneur, known for his successful start-up companies, and a philanthropist. He recently took up the post of chairman of the Rugby...

Tracey Ullman, actor and comedian

26 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tracey Ullman was the first woman to be offered her own television sketch show – both in Britain and America – and has starred in film and televis...

Baroness Hale of Richmond, former judge

19 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond, is a former judge who served as the first female president of the Supreme Court. In 2019 she announced the c...

Michael Holding, cricketer

12 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Holding is a cricket commentator and former West Indies bowler. He’s widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers in the history of i...

Nazir Afzal, lawyer

01 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nazir Afzal is a solicitor and the former chief crown prosecutor for north-west England. Among his notable cases, he brought the Rochdale sex grooming...

Robert Macfarlane, writer

25 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Macfarlane is a writer whose books about the natural world, including The Wild Places and The Old Ways, have won many prizes and taken root in ...

Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, athlete

18 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill is an Olympic gold medallist and three-time world champion heptathlete, and is one of the most successful women in British spo...

Professor Noel Fitzpatrick, veterinary surgeon

12 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Noel Fitzpatrick is a veterinary surgeon who presents the television series The Supervet. He has pushed the boundaries of treatment availab...

Paul Costelloe, fashion designer

04 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Costelloe is a fashion designer who recently celebrated his 36th year showing at London Fashion Week, making him the event’s longest-standing d...

Margaret Busby, publisher

27 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Margaret Busby is a publisher and editor who was the chair of the Booker Prize jury in 2020.She has spent a life time in the literary world and was th...

Richard Wilson, actor and director

20 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Wilson is an actor and director who became a household name when he played the part of Victor Meldrew in the BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave....

Yo-Yo Ma, musician

13 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Yo-Yo Ma is a cellist and one of the world's most high-profile classical musicians. He has performed for eight US Presidents, appeared in concert hall...

Heather Hallett, former judge and crossbench peer

06 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Heather Hallett, Baroness Hallett of Rye, is a former judge and a cross-bench peer. Called to the Bar in 1972, Heather practised family, civil and cri...

Amanda Khozi Mukwashi, charity CEO

30 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda Khozi Mukwashi is the chief executive of Christian Aid, leading development and humanitarian work in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, Latin Am...

Alexei Sayle, comedian

23 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Alexei Sayle is a comedian and writer, who began his career just over 40 years ago at the small Comedy Store venue in London, which proved a launch-pa...

Brian Greene

16 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Brian Greene is a theoretical physicist, mathematician and writer, whose area of research is string theory. His books and broadcasts distil the comple...

Billie Piper, actor

09 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Billie Piper is an Olivier Award winning actor and former pop star.She was born in Swindon in September 1982, and her parents nurtured her interests i...

Professor Sir Simon Wessely

28 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Sir Simon Wessely is the first ever psychiatrist to be awarded a Regius professorship – an honour bestowed by the Queen. He is professor o...

Maggie O'Farrell, writer

21 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Maggie O’Farrell has written eight novels, a memoir and a children’s book. In 2020 her novel Hamnet won the Women’s Prize for Fiction, and was a...

Dame Louise Casey, crossbench peer

14 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Baroness Casey of Blackstock is a former civil servant specialising in social welfare, who has worked under five prime ministers. She has taken on so...

Mark Strong, actor

07 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Strong has appeared in more than 60 films, along with numerous TV dramas and plays. His career took off after he won a leading role in the landma...

Claire Horton, charity worker

28 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Claire Horton is the former chief executive of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, and is currently director general of the Commonwealth War Graves Commissi...

Sophia Loren

21 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sophia Loren is the first performer to win the Best Actress Academy Award for a role in a foreign language film. She won in 1962 for her performance ...

Malala Yousafzai, activist

14 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Malala Yousafzai is an activist who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize when she was 17 - becoming the youngest winner in its history. Today she is know...

George McGavin, entomologist and broadcaster

07 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

George McGavin is an entomologist, explorer and broadcaster, who has spread the word about the importance of insects to audiences in their millions. ...

Monica Galetti, chef and restaurateur

31 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Monica Galetti is a chef, restaurateur and cook book writer, who is also known as a judge on the television series MasterChef: the Professionals.Born ...

Tim Peake, astronaut

24 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Major Tim Peake, is an Army Air Corps officer and a European Space Agency astronaut. He was the first British astronaut to carry out a spacewalk. As ...

Samantha Power

17 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Samantha Power was the USA's youngest ever ambassador to the UN, during President Barack Obama’s second term, and is a writer and academic. She has ...

David Olusoga, historian and broadcaster

10 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

David Olusoga is a historian, writer and broadcaster who has presented a range of programmes including the BBC’s A House Through Time and Civilisati...

Colonel Lucy Giles

27 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Colonel Lucy Giles is an officer of the British Army’s Royal Logistic Corps and is currently President of the Army Officer Selection Board - the fir...