Talk:Desert Island Discs

List of all answers
Now honestly i am in no way an advocater of lists, wikipedia has far too many of them and they are very annoying but has anyone considered a list of all the people who've been on desert island discs and their answers, or better still a link to a website that already provides that (thus avoiding the list problem). I've had a look and can't find one, the BBC's own website isn't complete, merely a selection. extraordinary 13:00, 16 November 2006 (UTC)


 * How's this for a start? TimR 22:46, 11 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Why not start a chronological list of all the guests? They are all notable people. Snowman 08:40, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

Tony Blair
"The last six Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom have all been guests on the programme, although only John Major (choosing Lord's Cricket Ground as his luxury) and Tony Blair appeared while in office."

Has Blair been on twice? I'm sure the time I heard him was when he was leader of the opposition. BTLizard (talk) 12:40, 23 November 2007 (UTC)

Tony Blair has only appeared once on 'Desert Island Discs'. It as whilst he was still Leader of HM Opposition, not when he was Prime Minister.86.133.161.182 (talk) 23:52, 30 October 2009 (UTC)
 * He's on the list List_of_Desert_Island_Discs_episodes_%281991_-_2000%29, 24 November 1996. fwiw. -DePiep (talk) 22:42, 3 October 2010 (UTC)

Roy Plomley as castaway
Wasn't Roy Plomley himself a castaway? I think he may have been the first when Sue Lawley took over?

SimonTrew (talk) 03:10, 5 March 2009 (UTC)


 * I have been trying to find this with no success. I may be thinking of Eamonn Andrews on This is Your Life (who was on twice, on that, too). SimonTrew (talk) 04:14, 7 March 2009 (UTC)

List of castaways
Is this really necessary to have this list? By nature it must be selective and is just clutter/ SimonTrew (talk) 03:10, 5 March 2009 (UTC)
 * I think the list is notable and important. It is a very well known radio programme. I have added an incomplete header banner. Snowman (talk) 10:37, 5 March 2009 (UTC)


 * But there is a separate, much fuller article listing them, to which it is well signposted (linked). SimonTrew (talk) 14:44, 5 March 2009 (UTC) In this synopsis article, it is just clutter.
 * I have been refering to List of Desert Island Discs episodes, which I thought you were referring to at first. What list or lists are you refering to? I see that you have removed a lot of names (not actually a list) from the article, which is quite a good tidy up. Snowman (talk) 16:41, 5 March 2009 (UTC)


 * No sorry my bad, by "list" I meant the clutter in the article, not the one you mention. You are quite right. In tidying up, I copied (or rather moved) Desert Island Discs: castaways' choices, but since that is simply a redirect to the page you named. I have changed it. SimonTrew (talk) 03:57, 7 March 2009 (UTC) SimonTrew (talk) 04:19, 7 March 2009 (UTC)


 * I suppose the names cluttering the article were a list, but not in a special wiki list format. Snowman (talk) 23:27, 8 March 2009 (UTC)

Oldest
I'm sorry but Desert island Discs is not the longuest running weekly factual radio programme. The longuest running weekly factual radio programme (guinness world records certificated)is 68 years old and was achieved by Voci del Grigioni italiano, a regional news magazine programme, broadcast on rete uno, in Lugano, Switzerland that has been running in its current format since 25 november 1941. See Wikipedia.it. Sorry for my English. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.159.4.201146.159.4.201 (talk • contribs) 14 July 2010
 * Wikipedia can't source itself. However, neither programme you mention is the oldest.  Sunday Half Hour started in 1940 (BBC ref), and this blog post reckons there are at least 3 older in the UK alone (but I'm not going to use a blog post to back up anything further). If someone wants to claim it is "longest running" based on numbers of episodes, please provide an authoritative reference. Halsteadk (talk) 18:38, 29 January 2012 (UTC)

According to the BBC website, Desert Island Discs is BBC radio's longest running programme. This could be mentioned in this article somewhere.

Category for castaways
I've boldly created Category:Desert Island Discs castaways - please feel free to apply it to relevant articles. Or perhaps a bot could parse the lists of castaways? Andy Mabbett (User: Pigsonthewing ); Andy's talk; Andy's edits 14:38, 29 April 2011 (UTC)

Deletion proposal
The category has been nominated for deletion. Andy Mabbett (User: Pigsonthewing ); Andy's talk; Andy's edits 09:39, 21 June 2011 (UTC)

Notable Guests section
Is this section really needed? After all, the whole idea behind the programme is that the invited castaways are notable - although inevitably some are more famous than others. In any case, the section seems to be more a collection of castaways who appeared more than once and trivia about those who chose their own recordings etc. which perhaps could be included elsewhere under a less redundant section heading. JezGrove (talk) 23:48, 10 January 2017 (UTC)

My Way
Is it not the case that there is an unofficial ban on the Frank Sinatra song "My Way", which would otherwise be a tediously common choice by egotistical guests? Is it not also the case that a special exception was made for Michael Caine, who was permitted to choose it?

Or so I heard.Paulturtle (talk) 00:09, 25 April 2018 (UTC)

More than one guest
Where this article says that some episodes have had more than one guest, it could give some examples, as, for example when Ant and Dec appeared together on the same programme. Vorbee (talk) 08:07, 16 June 2019 (UTC)

Special commission
In this week's episode featuring Emily Eavis, one of her choices was a cover of her favourite Bob Dylan song performed by Guy Garvey, whom she'd specifically commissioned to record a version for her appearance on the show. Is this a first for the programme? ~dom Kaos~ (talk) 00:47, 30 June 2019 (UTC)

Kirsty Young to stand down permanently
This article can be updated, as Kirsty Young has now announced she is to stand down permanently as presenter of the programme. Vorbee (talk) 17:56, 5 July 2019 (UTC) Lauren Laverne has said she is going to be permanent presenter of the programme. Vorbee (talk) 19:33, 23 July 2019 (UTC)

The Spectacular review at the end of format
I don't think the review fits in the section. There is no other reviews mentioned in that section and i would say it would make more sense to have a section about the reception of the show over time. User:Darkchiefy 11:15, 19 August 2020 (UTC)

Same format radio shows?
Are there radio shows that copy the concept of Desert Island Discs? So far I could only find de:Musik für einen Gast--2A02:810A:1E40:A14:0:0:0:237D (talk) 10:02, 12 October 2023 (UTC)

controversies section
I appreciate that my addition of this section will be controversial (!), not so much for the concept as because I have not supplied citations. Though I have strong memories of both [the unrest caused by the selection of Lady Mosley] and [the comment about footballers (I think it might have been Michael Parkinson himself who said it)], I do not have any citations; if anyone does, please add them, to reduce the chance of the addition - which I think does add to the entry - being deleted. G6JPG (talk) 10:10, 15 June 2024 (UTC)