Desert Island Discs

Gloria Steinem

20 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the writer, feminist & activist, Gloria Steinem.At the forefront of the second wave of feminism, she came to prominence...

Yinka Shonibare

13 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the artist Yinka Shonibare MBE.His work has populated museums around the globe, with a vivid, subversive and often tragi-co...

Dr Dame Sue Ion

06 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the engineer and nuclear scientist Dr Dame Sue Ion.The first woman to be awarded the highly prestigious President's Medal b...

Hugh Bonneville

28 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is Hugh Bonneville.Known around the world for his portrayal of Lord Grantham in ITV's hugely popular Downton Abbey, he made Br...

Dame Zaha Hadid

21 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the architect, Dame Zaha Hadid.The first woman to be awarded architecture's highest honour, the Pritzker Prize, she designe...

Ben Saunders

14 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the polar adventurer Ben Saunders. In his own words he "specialises in dragging heavy things around cold places".He's one o...

Professor Dame Carol Black

07 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is Professor Dame Carol Black.She is Principal of Newnham College, Cambridge, and is a special adviser to the Department of He...

Bill Gates

04 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is Bill Gates.He sat at his first computer while still at school in Seattle, wrote his first computer programme aged just 13 a...

Sigrid Rausing

24 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the philanthropist and publisher Sigrid Rausing.Founder of one of the UK's largest philanthropic foundations, her trust has...

Sir Anthony Seldon

17 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the educationalist and writer, Sir Anthony Seldon.Now Vice-Chancellor of Buckingham University, he was the Master of Wellin...

Alex Crawford

10 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the Sky TV news correspondent Alex Crawford.She's won the Royal Television Society's Journalist of the Year award an unprec...

Colm Toibin

03 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the writer Colm Toibin.Best-known for his novels "Brooklyn" - now made into a film - "Nora Webster" and "The Master," he ha...

Patricia Greene

27 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is Patricia Greene.For nearly sixty years she has played the role of Jill in Radio 4's The Archers which celebrates ...

Commander Chris Hadfield

20 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is Chris Hadfield.He was the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station and took part in three space missions...

Kylie Minogue

13 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is Kylie Minogue. With seven number ones and ten million singles sold in the UK, she is the third-biggest selling female artis...

Atul Gawande

06 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the surgeon, author and former Reith lecturer, Atul Gawande.A general and endocrine surgeon in Boston, he is professor in b...

Sandi Toksvig

29 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is Sandi Toksvig.Host of BBC Radio 4's News Quiz until June 2015, she is also a writer and comedian and recently ent...

Gurinder Chadha

22 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is filmmaker Gurinder Chadha.Writer, director and producer behind the films Bend it like Beckham, Bhaji on the Beach and Bride...

Rt Hon Nicola Sturgeon

15 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the Right Honourable Nicola Sturgeon, MSP.Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the fifth First Minister of Scotl...

Lord Indarjit Singh

13 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the broadcaster and religious leader, Lord Indarjit Singh. Creator of The Sikh Messenger newspaper and co-founder of the I...

Marjorie Wallace

01 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the mental health campaigner and Chief Executive of SANE, Marjorie Wallace.After leaving University College London with a p...

Keith Richards

25 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Keith Richards, member of the Rolling Stones, is interviewed by Kirsty Young for Desert Island Discs.Keith was born in Dartford and grew up as an only...

Professor Sue Black

18 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is Professor Sue Black.She is Professor of Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology at the University of Dundee, founder and past Pre...

Lemn Sissay

14 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is Lemn Sissay.As a poet, writer and playwright, much of his work tells the story of his search for his birth parent...

Alison Balsom

04 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the musician, Alison Balsom.Widely considered the finest classical trumpet player of her generation, she's perfor...

Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran

27 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaways this week are the comedy writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. They've been at the rock-face, mining for laughs, for over ...

Dame Judi Dench

20 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is Dame Judi Dench.Born into a family with dramatic leanings, she followed one of her older brothers, Jeffery, to dr...

Dr Bill Frankland

09 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is Dr Bill Frankland.Frequently referred to as the "grandfather of allergy", his achievements include the introducti...

Ruth Rogers

02 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the chef and restaurateur, Ruth Rogers.Born in America, she has become one of the UK's most celebrated cooks. Despite not b...

Professor Monica Grady

26 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at the Open University.Well-known in scientific circles, at NASA an...

Noel Gallagher

19 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the musician, Noel Gallagher.He was the principal songwriter of the band Oasis - his younger brother, Liam was th...

Imtiaz Dharker

12 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the poet and artist, Imtiaz Dharker.Winner of the Queen's Gold Medal for her work, her life seems a perfect refle...

Freddie Flintoff

05 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty's castaway this week is the former England cricketer Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff.One of the best players of his generation, he was part of the En...

Harry Rabinowitz

28 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty's castaway this week is the conductor and composer Harry Rabinowitz.His list of credits and collaborations read like a Who's Who of 20th centur...

Stephen Fry

24 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is Stephen Fry.Comedian, actor, writer, director, presenter & award-ceremony host - his list of accomplishments ...

Rebecca Adlington

14 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is Rebecca Adlington - Britain's most successful female swimmer.A multiple medal winner and record breaker she's pac...

Lisa Jardine

10 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Lisa Jardine, academic, biographer and public thinker, is interviewed by Kirsty Young for Desert Island Discs.Historian, biographer, public ...

Pamela Rose

31 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is Pamela Rose.Now aged 97, she was a Bletchley Girl who spent her war years working in total secrecy, painstakingly indexing ...

Jimmy Wales

24 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the internet entrepreneur Jimmy Wales.He is best known as the co-founder of the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia. He grew...

Helen Browning

17 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the farmer, and Chief Executive of the Soil Association, Helen Browning.Born and brought up on the farm in Wiltshire she ru...

Sir Bradley Wiggins

10 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins.Winner of four Olympic gold medals, six track World Championship gold medals and the first ...

Paul Hollywood

29 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is Paul Hollywood.One of the UK's leading artisan bakers, he's a judge, together with Mary Berry, on BBC One's the G...

Pat Albeck

22 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the designer Pat Albeck.Born in Hull, Pat went to art school there when she was 16. In 1950, she earned a place a...

Robin Millar

15 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the record producer, Robin Millar.One of the UK's most successful record producers with over 160 gold, silver and...

Bryan Stevenson

08 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's guest this week is Bryan Stevenson.An American lawyer, he is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a priv...

Julia Samuel

01 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the psychotherapist, Julia Samuel.Counsellor for Paediatrics at London's St Mary's hospital, Paddington, she work...

Jonas Kaufmann

22 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the tenor, Jonas Kaufmann.Frequently referred to as one of the greatest singers of his generation, both his paren...

Mark Rylance

15 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the actor, Mark Rylance.Born in Kent and brought up in America where his father was a teacher, Mark played Hamlet...

Dan Pearson

08 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's guest this week is the garden designer, Dan Pearson.His style is governed by a desire to create a sense of place and he is drawn to wil...

Professor Angie Hobbs

01 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is Angie Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield - a role which has brought ...

Professor Peter Piot

25 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the Director of London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Professor Peter Piot.As a microbiologist he is known for hi...

Julia Cleverdon

18 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the campaigner, Dame Julia Cleverdon.As head of the charity, Business in the Community, she fine-tuned to perfect...

Jo Malone

11 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the business woman, Jo Malone.If her name automatically conjures the citrusy scents of lime, basil and mandarin o...

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell

04 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the scientist, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, who is best known for her work in the field of neuroscience and str...

Ray Winstone

28 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the actor Ray Winstone.Nil By Mouth, Sexy Beast, Vincent, The Sweeney - he's probably best known for totally auth...

The Most Reverend Justin Welby

21 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway for Christmas week is The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby.Ordained as a priest in 1993, 19 years late...

Sarah Millican

14 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

From Paul McCartney to Wham! Comedian Sarah Millican shares her castaway choices with Kirsty Young. Her every woman yet no-holds-barred style of comed...

Julie Bentley

07 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the Chief Executive of the Guide Association, Julie Bentley - or, more accurately, Girlguiding.The name change is...

Damian Lewis

30 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the actor, Damian Lewis.As part of the wave of British talent that's crashed onto America's shores in recent year...

Rt Hon Theresa May

23 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the Right Honourable Theresa May MP - the longest serving Home Secretary in fifty years.For those who think her political l...

John Agard

16 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the poet John Agard.His work is studied widely in British schools. He was the BBC's first poet in residence and a...

Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown

14 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's guest is former Royal Navy test pilot Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown - the programme's 3000th edition.The Fleet Air Arm's most decorated p...

Wendy Dagworthy

02 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the fashion designer, Professor Wendy Dagworthy.During her time as Head of Fashion at both Central St Martins and...

Roger Graef

26 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's guest is filmmaker and criminologist, Roger Graef.Pioneering in his chosen subjects and style, for the past fifty years he has shone a ...

Debbie Wiseman

19 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young interviews the composer Debbie Wiseman.Her work is wide ranging, but her talents are most often employed in crafting lyrical, melodic sco...

Sir Roy Strong

12 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the historian, gardener and diarist Sir Roy Strong.He stormed the establishment in the 1960s - a proto-meritocrat...

Sally Wainwright

05 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the writer Sally Wainwright.TV is her chosen medium and Last Tango In Halifax, Happy Valley or Scott & Bailey...

Marin Alsop

28 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the conductor, Marin Alsop.Music Director of both The Baltimore Symphony and The Sao Paulo State Symphony Orchest...

Steve McQueen

21 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the artist and director Steve McQueen.These days his talents are well recognized - his art has won The Turner Prize and his...

Malcolm Gladwell

10 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The writer Malcolm Gladwell is interviewed by Kirsty Young for Desert Island Discs.Always concise, frequently counterintuitive and unexpectedly beguil...

Guy Garvey

03 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Guy Garvey, musician and frontman of Elbow, is interviewed by Kirsty Young for Desert island Discs.Front man of the group "Elbow" his voice and lyrics...

Dame Wendy Hall

27 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Fellow of both the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society, Dame Wendy fought long and hard to prove that her type of web science was highl...

Doug Allan

20 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Doug Allan is Kirsty's castaway this week. He's spent thirty-five years capturing unique footage of animals in some of the most remote and least hosp...

Anne Reid

13 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Actress Anne Reid is interviewed by Kirsty Young for Desert Island Discs.For a long time the bedrock of Anne Reid's successful career seemed to be her...

Sir Michael Marmot

06 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Sir Michael Marmot is interviewed by Kirsty Young for Desert Island Discs. He's an epidemiologist who has spent his career studying what the...

Lily Allen

29 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the singer and songwriter Lily Allen. Less than a decade ago she dipped her toe in musical waters by releasing he...

Judy Murray

22 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is Judy Murray.A tennis coach since she was 17, she's the current British captain of the Fed Cup, the premier team c...

Raja Shehadeh

15 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the Palestinian author and human rights activist, Raja Shehadeh.Born in Ramallah in the West Bank, his life and w...

Tamara Rojo

08 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the ballerina Tamara Rojo.On stage she is a principal dancer for the English National Ballet and when the curtain...

Biddy Baxter

01 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the TV producer and former Blue Peter editor Biddy Baxter. In charge of Blue Peter for 23 highly successful years...

Rene Redzepi

25 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Rene Redzepi, Danish chef, is interviewed by Kirsty Young for Desert Island Discs.His restaurant, Noma, in Copenhagen has been named 'best in the worl...

Alison Moyet

18 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the singer, Alison Moyet.She's won three Brit awards, sold tens of millions in record sales and her career has spanned over...

Jack Dee

11 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the comedian, Jack Dee.Comedian, actor and writer, his persona is that of the laconic miserabilist - his hit sit-...

Sir Andre Geim

30 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the Nobel Prize-winning physicist, Professor Sir Andre Geim.Born in the Soviet Union, his early years were spent in Sochi w...

Dame Claire Bertschinger

23 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the nurse & humanitarian Dame Claire Bertschinger.She's worked for The Red Cross in over a dozen countries including Su...

Murray Walker

16 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the broadcaster Murray WalkerHis commentating career began in 1948 and he finally hung the lip mic at the end of 2001. His ...

Lord Richards of Herstmonceux

09 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Lord Richards of Herstmonceux, former Chief of the Defence Staff, is interviewed by Kirsty Young for Desert Island Discs.He was a soldier for 42 years...

Mairi Hedderwick

02 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the author and illustrator Mairi Hedderwick.Her most famous creation is a little red-haired character called Kati...

Professor Hugh Montgomery

23 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is Professor Hugh Montgomery.His area of academic specialism is intensive care medicine and he's also known for his ...

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean

16 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaways this week are the ice skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.It's 30 years since they enthralled the world winning gold a...

Dame Elish Angiolini

09 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the lawyer Dame Elish Angiolini.The first woman to become both Scotland's Solicitor General and Lord Advocate she...

Bob Harris

02 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the broadcaster, Bob Harris.Known affectionately as Whispering Bob, he's rarely been off our air waves in the pas...

Sir Ben Ainslie

26 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the sailor Sir Ben Ainslie.Eleven times World and 9 times European Champion he's also the most successful sailor ...

Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin

19 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin.The first black woman to be chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen and also to the Spe...

Nicola Benedetti

12 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is the violinist, Nicola Benedetti.She had her first violin lesson at the age of four, and by the age of eight, she was leadin...

Ray Mears

05 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is woodsman Ray Mears.A traveller to the world's remotest corners and a renowned expert in bushcraft, wild cooking and surviva...

Ant and Dec

29 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young chats to the kings of TV prime time, Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly. From December 2013.

Miranda Hart

22 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is Miranda Hart.She writes and stars in the hit sitcom "Miranda" and has congaed her way to the top of TV comedy by exploiting...

Gillian Clarke

15 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is Gillian Clarke.Wales's National Poet, she has received the Queen's Gold Medal for her work. She writes about everything fro...

Barbara Hulanicki

08 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Young's castaway is Barbara Hulanicki, designer and creator of Biba.Today her creativity spans fashion, illustration, interior design and archi...