The Definitive Desert Island Discs: 80 Years of Castaways

by Ian Gittins

Eight tracks. Endless stories.

Allow yourself to be cast away in eight glorious decades of the most iconic show on radio. To mark this momentous occasion, The Definitive Desert Island Discs focuses on 80 of the most powerful and unforgettable interviews, revisiting every era of Desert Island Disc's storied history.

Reflecting on how times have changed, the book will feature brand new material as castaways are interviewed about their experiences - did the conversation go how they expected? Would Sir Patrick Stewart still take his beloved billiards table (and a shed to keep it in, of course)? And does Hilary Devey stick by her endless supply of Cointreau?

Get lost in lists of the weirdest and most wonderful luxury items, most popular tracks and books throughout the years, and more. Introduced by Lauren Laverne, The Definitive Desert Island Discs is a must-have gem, celebrating an incredible institution that has captured the hearts of a nation for 80 years.
 

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

Published February 1, 2023

Reviews

[Jamie Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desert Islands Disc is a quintessential British invention, a radio programme which imagines guests have been marooned on a desert island and get to take eight discs with them. But the programme is far more, it’s an insight into some wonderful stories, some about celebrities, others just ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It’s one of my favourite programmes, and this book celebrates the show with highlights of interviews from across the 80 years of the programme. A magical book which will inspire you to actually listen to the episodes to get that full experience. Wonderful!

[Harold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the interviews in this book are very interesting. Mostly it’s not about music, or desert island, but about the lives of the castaways. Interesting to read what music they chose, as well.

[Brian Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely historical homage to 80 years of Desert Island discs with extracts of interviews with 80 guests including their record choices . I found this really interesting especially some of the personal info certain guests revealed during the sympathetic questioning of the excellent presenters . I also found that some of the less well known personalities ( as far as I was concerned ) were fascinating in terms of the impact they had had in their chosen field . I also thought I detected that many of these famous and notable people either came from a dysfunctional family or had lost a parent early in their life - suggesting a toughness for their future development . A very enjoyable and enlightening read

[Emma Dargue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good. Charting 80 years of the history of desert island discs and some of the most poignant and moving interviews

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's ok. Gets a bit repetitive. Some much more interesting than others, one or two I just did not want to read. It's often the lesser or unknown that are the most interesting. A book to dip into perhaps rather than read from beginning to end.