Kathy Burke on being saved by punk as a moody teenager
The actor and comedian Kathy Burke was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2010. She came to prominence when she appeared in Kevin and Perry TV ske...
Radio and PodcastLive Radio & Podcasts
Society & Culture
Desert Island Discs
Eight tracks, a book and a luxury: what would you take to a desert island? Kirsty Young invites her guests to share the soundtrack of their lives.
Episodes
20 of 2,039 episodes
Stephen Mangan on why he'll never be Bond
The actor Stephen Mangan was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2025. He made his breakthrough on television playing Adrian Mole in The Cappucci...
How Nick Cave's songs reveal themselves painfully to him
The singer songwriter Nick Cave was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2025. He has written huge hits such as "Into My Arms" and "Where the Wild...
Meera Syal on holding up a mirror to British society in Goodness Gracious Me
The actor and writer Meera Syal was cast away by Sue Lawley in 2003. She was awarded a Damehood earlier this year, but Meera Syal rose to pr...
Why Lyse Doucet doesn't want to be called a war reporter
The BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2022. She has reported from many war-torn countri...
Gareth Southgate on putting on the England shirt for the first time
The former England manager Gareth Southgate was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2024. He was 25 when he made his debut for the England team....
Michael Sheen on his father's time as a Jack Nicholson impersonator
The actor Michael Sheen was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2025. He has portrayed many real people on stage including Tony Blair, Brian Clou...
Rick Rubin on finding the magic in music
Record producer Rick Rubin was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2022. He is responsible for shaping the sound of artists such as the Red Hot C...
Caitlin Moran on the smells that defined her childhood
The writer and journalist Caitlin Moran was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2017. Her journey took her from a three-bedroom council house in Wo...
Romesh Ranganathan on finding his comedy sweet spot
The comedian Romesh Ranganathan was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2025. He’s a BAFTA-winning broadcaster, standup, actor and writer who has...
Tanni Grey-Thompson on winning four Olympic golds in Sydney
The wheelchair athlete Tanni Grey-Thompson was cast away by Sue Lawley in 2001. She recalls the pressure to do well at the Sydney Olympics a...
Greta Gerwig on her childhood enthusiasm for putting on plays
The film director Greta Gerwig was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2023. Growing up in what she calls a "culturally ravenous" family, the you...
James Graham on his "stripping vicar" ice-dancing routine
The playwright James Graham was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2024. He was a shy and quiet child who enjoyed nothing more than watching soa...
Jessica Ennis-Hill on the moment she won Olympic gold
The Olympic heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2021. She recalls pushing herself in her final event at the Lo...
Warwick Davis on his first role as an Ewok in Star Wars
The actor Warwick Davis was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2016. When his grandmother heard an advertisement on the radio looking for short pe...
How Lily Allen brought the house down with a Disney song aged 11
The singer-songwriter Lily Allen was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2014. Although her school reports painted a mixed picture of Lily's academ...
How hiding in a toilet helped Steven Spielberg get into the movie business
The film director Steven Spielberg was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2022. He gave the world Jaws, ET and Jurassic Park, but Steven Spielbe...
Malorie Blackman on receiving 82 rejection letters from publishers
The writer Malorie Blackman was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2013. Although she has published more than 70 books for children and young adul...
How snooker halls became Ronnie O'Sullivan's "creche" from a young age
The World Snooker Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2023. He remembers being dropped off unaccompanied at snooke...
Delia Smith on her catchphrase - "Let's be havin' you!"
The cookery writer Delia Smith was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2023. She fell in love with her husband, the editor Michael Wynn-Jones, ov...