List of Desert Island Discs episodes (2001–10)
The BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs invites castaways to choose eight pieces of music, a book (in addition to the Bible - or a religious text appropriate to that person's beliefs - and the Complete Works of Shakespeare) and a luxury item that they would take to an imaginary desert island, where they will be marooned indefinitely. The rules state that the chosen luxury item must not be anything animate or indeed anything that enables the castaway to escape from the island, for instance a radio set, sailing yacht or aeroplane. The choices of book and luxury can sometimes give insight into the guest's life, and the choices of guests between 2001 and 2010 are listed here.
Very rarely programmes will be repeated in place of new shows as a tribute to former guests who have recently died – for example Radio 4 repeated Humphrey Lyttelton's show, originally aired on 5 November 2006, on 15 June 2008. Desert Island Discs takes two short breaks, in spring and summer. BBC Radio 4 broadcasts new programmes for approximately 42 weeks each year on Sunday mornings, usually with a repeat transmission 5 days later. On Remembrance Sunday (in November) the programme is not broadcast but that week's programme gets a single airing in the Friday repeat slot.
2001
2002
Date | Castaway | Book | Luxury | More info |
---|---|---|---|---|
6 January 2002 | Morris, Sir PeterSir Peter Morris | The Aubrey-Maturin series 20 (complete hardback set) by Patrick O'Brian | golf clubs and balls | more |
13 January 2002 | Susana Walton | The Education of a Gardner by Russell Page | downy pillow | more |
20 January 2002 | Bob Worcester | Globes at Greenwich by Elly Dekker | celestial and terrestrial globes | more |
27 January 2002 | Phyllis Sellick | The Oxford Companion to Music | clockwork radio tuned to Radio 4 | more |
3 February 2002 | David Linley | The Art of Looking Sideways by Alan Fletcher | guitar | more |
10 February 2002 | Sir Paul Nurse | The Ascent of Man by Jacob Bronowski | telescope | more |
17 February 2002 | Kazuo Ishiguro | Collected short stories of Anton Chekhov | big roll of paper | more |
24 February 2002 | Sue MacGregor | History of the World by John Roberts | unlimited supply of nicely-scented sun block | more |
3 March 2002 | Lord May | Capablanca's Hundred Best Games of Chess by Hans Golombek | Isle of Lewis chess set from The British Museum | more |
10 March 2002 | Dame Beryl Grey | This Sceptred Isle by Christopher Lee | box of watercolour paints | more |
17 March 2002 | Fay Godwin | The Rattle Bag by Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney | egg tempera paints, brushes, and boards to paint on | more |
24 March 2002 | Rowe, DorothyDorothy Rowe | The Oxford Companion to the Body edited by Colin Blakemore | a snorkeling suit with prescription goggles | more |
31 March 2002 | Ramsay, GordonGordon Ramsay | Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain | a fresh vanilla pod | more |
7 April 2002 | Reynolds, FionaFiona Reynolds | The Making of the English Landscape by W. G. Hoskins | the full collection of Ordnance Survey maps of the British Isles | more |
14 April 2002 | Bland, Sir ChristopherSir Christopher Bland | the collected works of John Donne | two and half miles of a Hampshire chalk stream | more |
21 April 2002 | Marshall, WayneWayne Marshall | The Grove Dictionary of Music | a Steinway Model D piano, specially conditioned to deal with all weathers | more |
28 April 2002 | Jackson, BettyBetty Jackson | Vision: 50 Years of Creativity | Lipstick | more |
5 May 2002 | Kelly, JudeJude Kelly | - | - | more |
12 May 2002 | Klug, Sir AaronSir Aaron Klug | A set of books on Roman Republican and Imperial Coinage | A set of mixed Greek and Imperial coinage | more |
19 May 2002 | Suggs | A concise book of Italian verbs | A nucleus of bees | more |
26 May 2002 | Sue Johnston | Dickens by Peter Ackroyd | BBC Radio Five Live | more |
9 June 2002 | Rosoman, LeonardLeonard Rosoman | A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce | a sloping lawn | more |
16 June 2002 | Morris, JanJan Morris | The Mabinogi in modern Welsh | a hot water bottle | more |
23 June 2002 | Longford, LadyLady Longford | Diplomacy and Murder in Tehran: Alexander Griboyedov and the Tsar's Mission to the Shah of Persia by Laurence Kelly | an orange tree | more |
30 June 2002 | Walters, MinetteMinette Walters | The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations | Van Gogh's Irises | more |
7 July 2002 | Titchmarsh, AlanAlan Titchmarsh | One of P. G. Wodehouse's Blandings novels | A box of watercolours | more |
15 September 2002 | May, BrianBrian May | Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis | his own guitar: the Red Special | more |
22 September 2002 | Spall, TimothyTimothy Spall | The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens | a drum kit | more |
29 September 2002 | Markova, Dame AliciaDame Alicia Markova | Speaking of Diaghilev by John Drummond | the perfume Knowing by Estée Lauder | more |
6 October 2002 | Philip Pullman | A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu by Marcel Proust | A Jar of Apricots by Chardin | |
13 October 2002 | Paul Gambaccini | The Complete Carl Banks Library by Carl Banks | Piano | more |
20 October 2002 | Djerassi, CarlCarl Djerassi | the collected poetry and prose of Wallace Stevens | a solar powered computer with a secret compartment containing a white powder | more |
27 October 2002 | James, P. D.P. D. James | War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy | pencils and paper | more |
3 November 2002 | Cook, RobinRobin Cook | the National Hunt form book | a chess computer | more |
15 November 2002 | Wolff, MargueriteMarguerite Wolff | Alan Walker's biography of Liszt | a piano | more |
17 November 2002 | Ondaatje, ChristopherChristopher Ondaatje | Robert Service's Anthology of Poetry | a painting: The Blue Nude by Justin Deranyagala | more |
24 November 2002 | Duncan Smith, IainIain Duncan Smith | The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell | oil paints | more |
1 December 2002 | Malkovich, JohnJohn Malkovich | The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner | a cappuccino maker | more |
8 December 2002 | Kwesi Johnson, LintonLinton Kwesi Johnson | One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez | a bass guitar | more |
15 December 2002 | Cusack, SinéadSinéad Cusack | the plays of Anton Chekhov | a big hat with a lot of muslin | more |
22 December 2002 | Williams, RowanRowan Williams | a collection of W. H. Auden poems | a piano | more |
29 December 2002 | Patricia Cornwell | essay on population by Thomas Malthus | an endless supply of notebooks and pens | more |
2003
Date | Castaway | Book | Luxury | More info |
---|---|---|---|---|
5 January 2003 | Foreman, GeorgeGeorge Foreman | an anthology of poems including the poem Waiting by John Burroughs | a pillow | more |
12 January 2003 | Gillian Anderson | The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle | recordings of her daughter and "her love" reading self-written stories and poetry | more |
19 January 2003 | Blumberg, Professor BaruchProfessor Baruch Blumberg | Ulysses by James Joyce | a flat water kayak suitable for rough water | more |
26 January 2003 | Sir Trevor Nunn | The Complete Works of Charles Dickens | a photo of his wife and all of his children | more |
2 February 2003 | Whitehouse, PaulPaul Whitehouse | a chord book full of songs and arias | a piano | more |
9 February 2003 | McKellen, Sir IanSir Ian McKellen | a dictionary of flora and fauna | a grand piano | more |
16 February 2003 | Parker, CorneliaCornelia Parker | World of Wonder: 10,000 things every child should know | a solar powered vibrator | more |
23 February 2003 | Clooney, GeorgeGeorge Clooney | War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy | an anchored yacht | more |
2 March 2003 | Pitney, GeneGene Pitney | The Giant Book of Mensa Puzzles by Robert Allen | a case of Opus One wine | more |
9 March 2003 | Reeves, VicVic Reeves | Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome | potato seeds | more |
16 March 2003 | Danziger, NickNick Danziger | One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez | pencils, paper and watercolours | more |
23 March 2003 | Schönberg, Claude-MichelClaude-Michel Schönberg | All the Little Live things by Wallace Earle Stegner | a grand piano | more |
30 March 2003 | Scott Thomas, KristinKristin Scott Thomas | Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen | a pair of mules by Christian Louboutin | more |
6 April 2003 | Gilmour, DavidDavid Gilmour | The Qur'an | acoustic guitar | more |
13 April 2003 | Atwood, MargaretMargaret Atwood | The Arabian Nights: Tales from a Thousand and One Nights | a big huge vat of Culpepers Rose Geranium bath salts | more |
20 April 2003 | Bremner, RoryRory Bremner | The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon | a radio | more |
4 May 2003 | Halsey, Professor A. H.Professor A. H. Halsey | Utopia by Thomas More | a solar powered radio | more |
11 May 2003 | Fenton, GeorgeGeorge Fenton | short stories by Chekhov | a piano or failing that for comfort a tin of condensed milk and an opener | more |
18 May 2003 | Zeffirelli, FrancoFranco Zeffirelli | Dante's Inferno | a hammock from Hermès | more |
25 May 2003 | Brown, DerekDerek Brown | The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens | a steamer chair | more |
1 June 2003 | Syal, MeeraMeera Syal | a Hindi/English dictionary | a piano | more |
8 June 2003 | Radice, VittorioVittorio Radice | La première gorgée de Bière et autres plaisirs minuscules by Philippe Delerm | sunglasses | more |
15 June 2003 | Tully, MarkMark Tully | the major works by Gerard Manley Hopkins | a modern mini brewery | more |
22 June 2003 | Sentamu, Bishop JohnBishop John Sentamu | The Complete Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis | a kitchen | more |
29 June 2003 | Libeskind, DanielDaniel Libeskind | The Prisons (Le Carceri: The Complete First and Second States) by Giovanni Battista Piranesi | pencil and paper | more |
6 July 2003 | Taylor Bradford, BarbaraBarbara Taylor Bradford | David Copperfield by Charles Dickens | a bag of eye makeup, especially mascara | more |
21 September 2003 | Terfel, BrynBryn Terfel | Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt | The Wales Millennium Centre | more |
28 September 2003 | Hornby, NickNick Hornby | Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens | an iPod | more |
5 October 2003 | Lawson, NigellaNigella Lawson | The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri | liquid Temazepam "to give me the possibility of a very pleasant exit" | more |
12 October 2003 | Kretzmer, HerbertHerbert Kretzmer | The Great War and Modern Memory by Paul Fussell | a Zippo lighter | more |
19 October 2003 | Cullen, BillBill Cullen | Glimpses by Brendan Kennelly | an accordion | more |
26 October 2003 | MP, Rt Hon Charles KennedyRt Hon Charles Kennedy MP | The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth | a CD player | more |
2 November 2003 | Frayling, ChristopherChristopher Frayling | Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra | The V&A Museum | more |
14 November 2003 | Bielenberg, ChristabelChristabel Bielenberg | War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy | a comfortable chair | more |
16 November 2003 | Clarkson, JeremyJeremy Clarkson | a photograph album | a jet ski | more |
23 November 2003 | Meyer, Sir ChristopherSir Christopher Meyer | The Four Adventures of Richard Hannay by John Buchan and Robin W. Winks | a jukebox | more |
30 November 2003 | Blofeld, HenryHenry Blofeld | A Pelican at Blandings by P. G. Wodehouse | a personal photo album | more |
7 December 2003 | Barker, PatPat Barker | a book on tropical fish to identify them | snorkeling equipment | more |
14 December 2003 | Grimshaw, NicholasNicholas Grimshaw | the complete works of Patrick O'Brien | RIBA drawings collection | more |
21 December 2003 | Harris, EmmylouEmmylou Harris | a blank book | a library | more |
28 December 2003 | O'Grady, PaulPaul O'Grady | The Borrowers by Mary Norton | Skin-So-Soft by Avon | more |
2004
Date | Castaway | Book | Luxury | More info |
---|---|---|---|---|
4 January 2004 | Lane Fox, MarthaMartha Lane Fox | War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy | a karaoke machine | more |
11 January 2004 | Tarbuck, JimmyJimmy Tarbuck | The Essential Henry Longhurst | his own set of golf clubs and balls | more |
18 January 2004 | Frears, StephenStephen Frears | The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon | a painting by his wife | more |
25 January 2004 | Dacre, PaulPaul Dacre | RHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants by Christopher Brickell | a subscription to the Guardian newspaper for one year | more |
1 February 2004 | Sainsbury, DavidDavid Sainsbury | The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald | a large bath with a constant supply of hot water | more |
8 February 2004 | Dominica, Sister FrancesSister Frances Dominica | The Earth from the Air by Yann Arthus-Bertrand | a chaise longue with a mosquito net attached | more |
15 February 2004 | Distel, SachaSacha Distel | The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream by Paulo Coelho | a grand piano | more |
22 February 2004 | Cale, JohnJohn Cale | Repetition by Alain Robbe-Grillet | an espresso coffee machine with coffee beans | more |
29 February 2004 | Kerr, JudithJudith Kerr | a big, beautiful coffee table book of pictures | pencils and thick paper to write and draw on | more |
7 March 2004 | Noon, Sir GulamSir Gulam Noon | Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela | videos of cricket matches | more |
14 March 2004 | Nighy, BillBill Nighy | The First Forty-Nine Stories by Ernest Hemingway | a boxed set of blues harps | more |
21 March 2004 | Kohn, RalphRalph Kohn | Mahler's copy of The Complete Works of Bach | a magic flute | more |
28 March 2004 | Vettriano, JackJack Vettriano | SUMO by Helmut Newton | Triptych, May - June, 1973 by Francis Bacon | more |
4 April 2004 | Gheorghiu, AngelaAngela Gheorghiu | a book to learn good English | a cup of Jasmine tea | more |
11 April 2004 | Morpurgo, MichaelMichael Morpurgo | - | - | more |
18 April 2004 | Cornwell, BernardBernard Cornwell | A Glastonbury Romance by John Cowper Powys | his boat, but not to escape | more |
25 April 2004 | Pappano, AntonioAntonio Pappano | - | - | more |
2 May 2004 | Norton, GrahamGraham Norton | Mansfield Park by Jane Austen | a mirror | more |
9 May 2004 | Fanthorpe, U. A.U. A. Fanthorpe | a book to identify birdlife on the island | a bath with soap and towels | more |
16 May 2004 | Hadow, PenPen Hadow | The Oxford Book of English Verse | a six-inch nail | more |
23 May 2004 | Adam, KenKen Adam | Propyläen Kunstgeschichte The History of Art | a sketchpad and felt pens to design | more |
30 May 2004 | James, GeraldineGeraldine James | The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes | an iPod | more |
13 June 2004 | Bilimoria, KaranKaran Bilimoria | The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream by Paulo Coelho | Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister videos | more |
20 June 2004 | Athill, DianaDiana Athill | Vanity Fair by William Thackeray | her own bed | more |
27 June 2004 | Rice, TimTim Rice | Molesworth by Geoffrey Willans, Phillip Henscher and Ronald Searle | a telescope | more |
4 July 2004 | Howard, MichaelMichael Howard | The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert A. Caro | a hot shower and some soap | more |
11 July 2004 | Masekela, HughHugh Masekela | Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens | a keyboard | more |
19 September 2004 | Simpson, JoeJoe Simpson | a blank book and pen | a drink-making machine | more |
26 September 2004 | McKenna, VirginiaVirginia McKenna | Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife by Don E. Wilson | language tapes to learn Italian and Swahili | more |
3 October 2004 | Morris, DesmondDesmond Morris | The Arabian Nights: Tales from a Thousand and One Nights translated by Richard Burton | a snorkel | more |
10 October 2004 | Scott-James, AnneAnne Scott-James | The Semi-attached Couple by Emily Eden | a nightdress made of pure white cotton | more |
17 October 2004 | Campbell, Sir MenziesSir Menzies Campbell | Treasure Island and Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson | a set of golf clubs | more |
24 October 2004 | Mapanje, JackJack Mapanje | Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen | a guitar | more |
31 October 2004 | Pinsent, MatthewMatthew Pinsent | a world atlas | a shaving kit | more |
7 November 2004 | Leslie, AnnAnn Leslie | the completed works of P. G. Wodehouse | an enormous amount of garlic with garlic press | more |
19 November 2004 | Bourne, MatthewMatthew Bourne | The Kenneth Williams Diaries | spotted dick with Lyon's golden syrup | more |
21 November 2004 | Stafford Smith, CliveClive Stafford Smith | The Koran in Arabic and English | his computer | more |
28 November 2004 | Emin, TraceyTracey Emin | Ethics by Spinoza, translated by G. H. R. Parkinson | a pen which would never run out | more |
5 December 2004 | Robson, Sir BobbySir Bobby Robson | The First World War and The Second World War by John Keegan | a sunlounger with canopy to protect him from the sun | more |
12 December 2004 | Fortune, JohnJohn Fortune | The Leopard by Giuseppe di Lampedusa (in Italian and English) | a rug made by the Baluch people from Afghanistan | more |
19 December 2004 | Humperdinck, EngelbertEngelbert Humperdinck | Engelbert - What's In a Name: The Autobiography by Engelbert Humperdinck | a saxophone | more |
26 December 2004 | Cattrall, KimKim Cattrall | an English dictionary | fragrant body cream | more |
2005
Date | Castaway | Book | Luxury | More info |
---|---|---|---|---|
2 January 2005 | Acosta, CarlosCarlos Acosta | Dirty Havana Trilogy by Pedro Juan Gutierrez | a case of Havana rum | more |
9 January 2005 | McNab, AndyAndy McNab | any Dickens book | a gollock | more |
16 January 2005 | Taylor-Wood, SamSam Taylor-Wood | Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes | a karaoke machine | more |
23 January 2005 | Miller, Dr JonathanDr Jonathan Miller | The Invertebrates by Libbie Henrietta Hyman | a canvas roll containing a castaway's dissecting set | more |
30 January 2005 | Maxwell Davies, PeterPeter Maxwell Davies | a Sanskrit dictionary | copper plate engravings of Dürer's Passion | more |
6 February 2005 | Starkey, DavidDavid Starkey | Microcosmographia Academica by Francis M. Cornford | hot and cold running water, a bath tub and bath oil | more |
27 February 2005 | Palmer, GeoffreyGeoffrey Palmer | The Oxford Book of English Verse by Arthur Quiller-Couch and The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse by Philip Larkin | a fly fishing rod | more |
6 March 2005 | Richard, AlisonAlison Richard | The Journals of Captain Cook | a solar powered shower | more |
13 March 2005 | Poliakoff, StephenStephen Poliakoff | My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell | a box of plastic straws to fiddle with | more |
20 March 2005 | Briggs, RaymondRaymond Briggs | the complete works of Beachcomber | a full size billiard table with Radio 4 built into each leg | more |
27 March 2005 | Brewster, YvonneYvonne Brewster | a primer to learn Italian with a tape | olive oil | more |
3 April 2005 | Maazel, LorinLorin Maazel | Pensées by Blaise Pascal | Vermeer painting: The Piano Lesson | more |
10 April 2005 | Petit, PhilippePhilippe Petit | The Ashley Book of Knots by Clifford Ashley | his mysterious object (an object found by his father that as yet no one can identify) | more |
17 April 2005 | Stewart, PatrickPatrick Stewart | a compendium of the world's best science fiction so he can become an expert | his beloved billiard table and a shed to keep it in | more |
24 April 2005 | Cocker, JarvisJarvis Cocker | Sombrero Fallout by Richard Brautigan | a bed with a mosquito net | more |
1 May 2005 | Whitehorn, KatharineKatharine Whitehorn | A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson | a machine to distill whatever is there | more |
8 May 2005 | Cox, JosephineJosephine Cox | "a book which is in my head about my brother" | a photo album of her family | more |
15 May 2005 | Staunton, ImeldaImelda Staunton | a book on astronomy | modelling clay and tools | more |
22 May 2005 | King, DavidDavid King | Wild Reckoning: An Anthology Provoked by Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" edited by John Burnside and Maurice Riordan | a bunch of canvases with oils and brushes | more |
29 May 2005 | Kumar, SatishSatish Kumar | the collected writings of Mahatma Gandhi | a spade | more |
5 June 2005 | Slater, NigelNigel Slater | Derek Jarman's Garden by Derek Jarman | Howard Hodgkin's painting: Learning About Russian Music | more |
12 June 2005 | Blair, BetsyBetsy Blair | Reading Lyrics: More Than 1,000 of the Century's Finest Lyrics by Robert Gottlieb and Robert Kimball | an ice cream maker | more |
19 June 2005 | McCall Smith, AlexanderAlexander McCall Smith | a collection of W. H. Auden's works | a handmade pair of shoes | more |
26 June 2005 | Wax, RubyRuby Wax | The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann | a huge bed | more |
3 July 2005 | Coelho, PauloPaulo Coelho | the complete works of Oscar Wilde | a trip around his island on Concorde | more |
10 July 2005 | Searle, RonaldRonald Searle | The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography | the best Champagne possible | more |
18 September 2005 | Blethyn, BrendaBrenda Blethyn | a dictionary | a karaoke machine | more |
25 September 2005 | Clary, JulianJulian Clary | Stop Thinking, Start Living by Richard Carlson | an all-purpose prosthetic arm | more |
2 October 2005 | Gardner, FrankFrank Gardner | A Passage to India by E. M. Forster | a solar powered buggy | more |
9 October 2005 | Winner, MichaelMichael Winner | The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger | a big supply of caviar | more |
16 October 2005 | Wilson, JacquelineJacqueline Wilson | the collected stories of Katherine Mansfield | a fairground carousel | more |
23 October 2005 | Testino, MarioMario Testino | Demian by Hermann Hesse | his own pillow | more |
30 October 2005 | MP, Boris JohnsonBoris Johnson MP | an Indian paper edition of Homer | a large pot of French mustard | more |
6 November 2005 | Evans, ChrisChris Evans | A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens | a pair of swimming goggles with prescription lenses | more |
18 November 2005 | Fleming, RenéeRenée Fleming | The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis | coffee | more |
20 November 2005 | Midgley, MaryMary Midgley | The Variety of Religious Experiences by William James | a solar hot water system | more |
27 November 2005 | Frost, Sir DavidSir David Frost | the London A-Z | Sunday newspapers | more |
4 December 2005 | Firth, ColinColin Firth | stories of Woody Allen | his guitar | more |
11 December 2005 | Hope, DavidDavid Hope | The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens | a case of selected malt whiskies | more |
18 December 2005 | Hambling, MaggiMaggi Hambling | The Complete works of Just William by Richmal Crompton | the wine cellar from All Souls College, Oxford | more |
25 December 2005 | Rutter, JohnJohn Rutter | teach yourself mathematics illustrated by voluptuous women | a viola | more |
2006
Date | Castaway | Book | Luxury | More info |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 January 2006 | Holmes, KellyKelly Holmes | a set of encyclopaedias | a large supply of chocolate | more |
8 January 2006 | Griffiths, RichardRichard Griffiths | Vanity Fair by William Thackeray | Velázquez's Las Meninas | more |
15 January 2006 | Dettori, FrankieFrankie Dettori | the history of the Derby | a lifetime's supply of Pinot grigio | more |
22 January 2006 | Sutherland, JohnJohn Sutherland | Vanity Fair by William Thackeray | an iPod | more |
29 January 2006 | Williams, ShirleyShirley Williams | collected works of W. H. Auden | a personal computer linked to the Internet | more |
5 February 2006 | Irons, JeremyJeremy Irons | The Ashley Book of Knots by Clifford Ashley | Rizla liquorice papers | more |
12 February 2006 | Armstrong, KarenKaren Armstrong | The complete works of Milton | Continuous supply of very cold & dry white wine | more |
19 February 2006 | Raphael, FredericFrederic Raphael | The Oxford Latin Dictionary | a Montblanc pen, nibs and spiral-bound squared notebooks | more |
26 February 2006 | Whiteread, RachelRachel Whiteread | a reference book on the natural history of the island | ink, pen, paper and correction fluid | more |
5 March 2006 | Higgins, JackJack Higgins | the complete works of Charles Dickens | a mobile phone | more |
12 March 2006 | Stamp, TerenceTerence Stamp | The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame | one of his wheat-free loaves | more |
7 May 2006 | Barenboim, DanielDaniel Barenboim | Ethics by Spinoza | a piano with a mattress | more |
14 May 2006 | Bussell, DarceyDarcey Bussell | a biography of Audrey Hepburn | an eyelash curler | more |
21 May 2006 | Jones, DigbyDigby Jones | How Britain made the Modern World by Niall Ferguson | a video or pictorial book of '100 examples of excellence' | more |
28 May 2006 | Cameron, DavidDavid Cameron | The River Cottage Cookbook by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | a crate of Scotch whisky | more |
4 June 2006 | Iannucci, ArmandoArmando Iannucci | the complete short stories of H. G. Wells | a virtual sherry trifle | more |
11 June 2006 | Davies, GeorgeGeorge Davies | a book about learning to paint | a Cannondale bike | more |
18 June 2006 | Mansfield, PeterPeter Mansfield | family photograph albums | a helicopter | more |
2 July 2006 | Browne, JohnJohn Browne | Other Men's Flowers: An Anthology of Poetry by Lord Wavell | a lifetime's supply of 'great cigars' | more |
9 July 2006 | Don, MontyMonty Don | collected poems of Henry Vaughan | Rembrandt's Hendrickje Bathing | more |
16 July 2006 | Rankin, IanIan Rankin | A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell | a traditional American pinball machine | more |
23 July 2006 | Segal, HannaHanna Segal | In Search of Lost Time by Proust | a snorkel and polaroids | more |
30 July 2006 | Edgar, DavidDavid Edgar | An Evil Cradling by Brian Keenan | a piano | more |
6 August 2006 | Rosen, MichaelMichael Rosen | the complete poems of Carl Sandburg | the didgeridoo belonging to his late son Eddie | more |
13 August 2006 | Cowell, SimonSimon Cowell | Hollywood Wives by Jackie Collins | a mirror | more |
20 August 2006 | Gill, A. A.A. A. Gill | Captain Slaughterboard Drops Anchor by Mervyn Peake | his children's pillows | more |
27 August 2006 | Plowright, JoanJoan Plowright | Remembrance of Things Past by Proust | a piano | more |
1 October 2006 | Blake, QuentinQuentin Blake | collected works of Charles Dickens | Arches watercolour paper | more |
8 October 2006 | Horrocks, JaneJane Horrocks | Jamie's Dinners: The Essential Family Cookbook by Jamie Oliver | an endless supply of tissues | more |
15 October 2006 | Fisk, RobertRobert Fisk | Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory | a violin | more |
22 October 2006 | Batmanghelidjh, CamilaCamila Batmanghelidjh | Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre | a yoyo | more |
29 October 2006 | Blumenthal, HestonHeston Blumenthal | On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee | Japanese knives | more |
5 November 2006 | Lyttelton, HumphreyHumphrey Lyttelton | collected works of James Thurber | a keyboard | more |
17 November 2006 | Stevens, JohnJohn Stevens | Reach for the Sky: The Story of Douglas Bader by Paul Brickhill | a cellar of Champagne | more |
19 November 2006 | King, StephenStephen King | collected poetry of W. H. Auden | a water hammock | more |
26 November 2006 | Lucas, MattMatt Lucas | The Deeper Meaning of Liff by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd | Oslo Court, his favourite London restaurant | more |
3 December 2006 | Gubbay, RaymondRaymond Gubbay | Collins Robert French/English, English/French Unabridged Dictionary | an espresso coffee machine | more |
10 December 2006 | Jenkins, KarlKarl Jenkins | Michelin Guide to France | a piano | more |
17 December 2006 | Wesker, ArnoldArnold Wesker | Remembrance of Things Past by Proust | supplies of pen and paper | more |
24 December 2006 | Hunniford, GloriaGloria Hunniford | War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy | family photographs | more |
31 December 2006 | Horowitz, AnthonyAnthony Horowitz | a large French dictionary | a fountain pen, ink and paper | more |
2007
Date | Castaway | Book | Luxury | More info |
---|---|---|---|---|
7 January 2007 | Spender, Lady NatashaLady Natasha Spender | Desert Islands by Walter de la Mare | her grand piano | more |
14 January 2007 | O'Brien, EdnaEdna O'Brien | Ulysses by James Joyce | a vault of a very good white wine | more |
21 January 2007 | Daniels, AnnAnn Daniels | The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard | a bar of soap | more |
28 January 2007 | Aldiss, BrianBrian Aldiss | John Halpern's biography of John Osborne | a banjo | more |
4 February 2007 | Tennant, NeilNeil Tennant | The Human Comedy by Honoré de Balzac | a DVD projector and DVDs | more |
11 February 2007 | Abbott, PaulPaul Abbott | the complete works of Arthur Miller | a writing pad and pencils | more |
18 February 2007 | Perry, GraysonGrayson Perry | an art book on Gothic and Renaissance altarpieces | loads of really good pens and paper | more |
25 February 2007 | Neil, AndrewAndrew Neil | The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith | a wind up radio | more |
4 March 2007 | Donleavy, J. P.J. P. Donleavy | the 1972 Social Register of New York | his own long-handled spoon to make dressings | more |
11 March 2007 | Kershaw, AndyAndy Kershaw | collected works of Ryszard Kapuściński | lots of toilet roll | more |
18 March 2007 | Brand, JoJo Brand | The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon | a church organ | more |
25 March 2007 | Tallis, Professor RaymondProfessor Raymond Tallis | Being and Time by Martin Heidegger | a video of a day in the life of his family | more |
1 April 2007 | Helfgott, BenBen Helfgott | The History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell | A bar with two discs for weight training | more |
13 May 2007 | Lumley, JoannaJoanna Lumley | A huge atlas | Video camera and film | more |
20 May 2007 | Dyke, GregGreg Dyke | Complete works of Dylan Thomas | A guitar with a guide to playing it | more |
27 May 2007 | McKenna, PaulPaul McKenna | The Path of the Human Being by Dennis Genpo Merzel | Collage of photos of family, friends and girlfriend | more |
3 June 2007 | Blundell, TomTom Blundell | Lessons in Ndebele by James Pelling and Pamela Pelling | A combined heat and power micro-unit | more |
10 June 2007 | Ono, YokoYoko Ono | Sai-Yu-Ki | Her life for the next thirty years | more |
17 June 2007 | Moore, ChristyChristy Moore | Collection of Popular Songs of England & Scotland by Francis Child | A set of Uilleann pipes | more |
24 June 2007 | Gervais, RickyRicky Gervais | A coffee table book of art | Vat of Novocaine - a non-addictive pain-killer | more |
1 July 2007 | Maathai, WangariWangari Maathai | The Koran | A huge basket of fruit | more |
8 July 2007 | Russell Beale, SimonSimon Russell Beale | Book on medieval history (Cambridge Press) | Daily Araucaria crossword | more |
15 July 2007 | Postgate, OliverOliver Postgate | Huge book of English poetry | A comfortable bed | more |
22 July 2007 | Keneally, ThomasThomas Keneally | Collected plays of George Bernard Shaw | Can of caviar, spoon and tin opener | more |
29 July 2007 | Horlick, NicolaNicola Horlick | The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho | A bath | more |
5 August 2007 | Davies, AndrewAndrew Davies | Great Expectations by Charles Dickens | Endless supply of Mojitos | more |
12 August 2007 | Dennis, FelixFelix Dennis | Dictionary of National Biography | A very long stainless steel shaft to encourage pole dancing mermaids | more |
19 August 2007 | Jurowski, VladimirVladimir Jurowski | The complete works of Alexander Pushkin | A piano | more |
30 September 2007 | Michael, GeorgeGeorge Michael | Any book of short stories by Doris Lessing | Aston Martin DB9 | more |
7 October 2007 | Johnson, AlanAlan Johnson | The complete diaries by Samuel Pepys | A digital radio | more |
14 October 2007 | Balcon, JillJill Balcon | Collected works of Thomas Hardy | A barrel of Guerlain Jicky perfume | more |
21 October 2007 | Corbett, RonnieRonnie Corbett | Untold Stories by Alan Bennett | A hammock | more |
28 October 2007 | Joffe, JoelJoel Joffe | Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela | A wind up radio | more |
4 November 2007 | Parsons, NicholasNicholas Parsons | Oxford Anthology of English Poetry | Portable radio with an endless supply of batteries | more |
16 November 2007 | Chang, JungJung Chang | First Love by Ivan Turgenev | Snorkelling gear | more |
18 November 2007 | Manningham-Buller, ElizaEliza Manningham-Buller | The Rattle Bag – Anthology of poetry edited by Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney | Large supply of pencils and pens | more |
25 November 2007 | Maupin, ArmisteadArmistead Maupin | The Cole Porter Songbook | Vaporiser | more |
2 December 2007 | Isserlis, StevenSteven Isserlis | Collected works of Anthony Trollope | A huge, huge photo album of all my friends | more |
9 December 2007 | Jeffreys, AlecAlec Jeffreys | Complete books of Flashman by George McDonald Fraser | World's biggest Church organ | more |
16 December 2007 | Weller, PaulPaul Weller | Absolute Beginners by Colin MacInnes | A settee to sit on | more |
23 December 2007 | Wood, VictoriaVictoria Wood | A big Dickens book | A bumper book of Sudoku with blank pages and pen | more |
30 December 2007 | Brady, KarrenKarren Brady | Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen | Her own pillow | more |
2008
Date | Castaway | Book | Luxury | More info |
---|---|---|---|---|
6 January 2008 | Humphrys, JohnJohn Humphrys | Biggest poetry anthology possible | A cello | more |
13 January 2008 | Rattle, SimonSimon Rattle | Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes | Italian coffee machine and grinder | more |
20 January 2008 | Stewart, RoryRory Stewart | A parallel text of the Bhagvad Gita | A ceramic bowl from the village of Istalif in Afghanistan | more |
3 February 2008 | Bainbridge, BerylBeryl Bainbridge | Case books of John Hunter | Pens and paper | more |
10 February 2008 | Gordievsky, OlegOleg Gordievsky | Encyclopædia Britannica | Good toiletries for my bath | more |
17 February 2008 | Evans, MartinMartin Evans | Largest anthology of poetry possible | A microscope, equipment and a stack of notebooks | more |
24 February 2008 | Dimbleby, DavidDavid Dimbleby | The collected works of Michel de Montaigne's essays | A collection of drawing books, pencils and varnish | more |
2 March 2008 | Ball, MichaelMichael Ball | The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman | Cloudy Bay Sauvignon blanc | more |
9 March 2008 | Smith, LizLiz Smith | A very large catalogue | A complete artist's set | more |
16 March 2008 | Ali, TariqTariq Ali | Collected works of Marcel Proust | A mini DVD player | more |
23 March 2008 | McMurtry, StanleyStanley McMurtry | Collected works of John Steinbeck | Tenor saxophone | more |
30 March 2008 | Wilton, PenelopePenelope Wilton | An anthology of 20th century European poetry | An open-air cinema with a selection of films | more |
11 May 2008 | Lennox, AnnieAnnie Lennox | The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle | Suncream | more |
18 May 2008 | Abbott, DianeDiane Abbott | Volumes of architectural & historical surveys of London | A nice bed with comfortable mattress, sheets and mosquito net | more |
25 May 2008 | Goodall, HowardHoward Goodall | The diary of Anne Frank | Ice cold vanilla vodka and tonics | more |
1 June 2008 | Woolf, LordLord Woolf | The Koran | A happy photograph of his whole family including the latest grandchildren | more |
8 June 2008 | Bailey, BillBill Bailey | Collected works of Somerset Maugham | Pack of cards | more |
20 June 2008 | Carey, PeterPeter Carey | Austerlitz by W G Sebald | A ‘magic’ pudding and a drink | more |
22 June 2008 | Darzi, AraAra Darzi | Yes Minister | Pencil and paper | more |
29 June 2008 | Simmonds, PosyPosy Simmonds | Four volumes of the London telephone directory | The Crown Jewels | more |
6 July 2008 | Carluccio, AntonioAntonio Carluccio | His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman | White truffles | more |
13 July 2008 | Lott, FelicityFelicity Lott | Les Misérables by Victor Hugo | Lots of champagne and pistachio nuts | more |
20 July 2008 | Stefanidis, JohnJohn Stefanidis | Odyssey by Homer | Sketch book with lots of pencils | more |
27 July 2008 | Fraser, AntoniaAntonia Fraser | The complete works of Walter Scott | Strings and strings of false pearls | more |
3 August 2008 | Ingrams, RichardRichard Ingrams | Teach yourself piano tuning | Grand piano | more |
10 August 2008 | Grayling, A. C.A. C. Grayling | The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil | A good piano | more |
17 August 2008 | Henshall, RuthieRuthie Henshall | The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde | A jar of Hellmann's mayonnaise | more |
28 September 2008 | Margolyes, MiriamMiriam Margolyes | Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens | A flush toilet | more |
5 October 2008 | McVicar, DavidDavid McVicar | Vanity Fair by Thackeray | Well stocked bar and fridge | more |
12 October 2008 | Bhaskar, SanjeevSanjeev Bhaskar | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams | A grand piano | more |
19 October 2008 | Newman, RandyRandy Newman | Divine Comedy by Dante in Italian with English translation | A piano | more |
26 October 2008 | Bostridge, IanIan Bostridge | War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy | A solar computer loaded with pictures of my family and friends | more |
2 November 2008 | Chakrabarti, ShamiShami Chakrabarti | To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee | A private screening room with movies | more |
14 November 2008 | Ahlberg, AllanAllan Ahlberg | Selected Stories by Alice Munro | A wall to kick a football against | more |
16 November 2008 | Davis, DavidDavid Davis | The complete works of Iain Banks | A magic wine cellar which never runs out | more |
23 November 2008 | Street-Porter, JanetJanet Street-Porter | Larousse Gastronomique | Notebook and pens | more |
30 November 2008 | Eavis, MichaelMichael Eavis | Blake by Peter Ackroyd | A mouth organ with instruction book | more |
7 December 2008 | du Sautoy, MarcusMarcus du Sautoy | The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse | His own trumpet | more |
14 December 2008 | Deeley, MichaelMichael Deeley | A decently translated book of The Qur'an | 200 cases of vintage wine | more |
21 December 2008 | Nesbitt, JamesJames Nesbitt | The collective writings of James Lawton | A bottle of chilled Sancerre for every night | more |
28 December 2008 | Afshar, HalehHaleh Afshar | The poems of the Iranian poet Hafiz | A rose bush | more |
2009
Date | Castaway | Book | Luxury | More info |
---|---|---|---|---|
4 January 2009 | Murray, SimonSimon Murray | Cautionary tales by Hilaire Belloc | Lots of paper, pencil, and pencil sharpener | more |
11 January 2009 | Padel, RuthRuth Padel | The Iliad by Homer | A lot of paper and pencils | more |
18 January 2009 | Cable MP, VincentVincent Cable MP | A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking | An Aston Martin car | more |
25 January 2009 | Sillitoe, AlanAlan Sillitoe | The Air Publication 1234 (RAF manual for navigation) | A communications receiver – receiving only | more |
1 February 2009 | Quasthoff, ThomasThomas Quasthoff | Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela | Good wine | more |
8 February 2009 | Suchet, DavidDavid Suchet | Magnum Magnum edited by Brigitte Lardinois | His clarinet and an unlimited supply of reeds | more |
15 February 2009 | Kay, Professor Dame Kay DaviesProfessor Dame Kay Davies Kay | Untold Stories by Alan Bennett | A piano | more |
22 February 2009 | Walliams, DavidDavid Walliams | Collected poems (edition 1988 or 2003 not stated) of Phillip Larkin | A gun (to shoot himself, if lonely) | more |
1 March 2009 | Rix, LordLord Rix | Encyclopædia Britannica | A proper orthopaedic cushion | more |
8 March 2009 | Madeley, RichardRichard Madeley | Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke | Guitar | more |
15 March 2009 | Maal, BaabaBaaba Maal | Coups de Pilon by David Diop | Guitar | more |
22 March 2009 | Donald, AtheneAthene Donald | A set of the Lymond novels of Dorothy Dunnett | A bath | more |
29 March 2009 | Faulks, SebastianSebastian Faulks | C. K. Scott Moncrieff's translation of Proust's Remembrance of Things Past | A wicket, cricket bat, net, an endless supply of balls and a bowling machine that can be set to replicate the style of any bowler | more |
10 May 2009 | Goldberg, WhoopiWhoopi Goldberg | Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke | Wise Potato Chips | more |
17 May 2009 | Sallis, PeterPeter Sallis | The collected works of P. G. Wodehouse | No. 7 Meccano outfit | more |
24 May 2009 | Humphries, BarryBarry Humphries | The Melbourne Street Directory (an old version) | Paints | more |
31 May 2009 | Caroline, Countess of Cranbrook | Food in England by Dorothy Hartley | Ink and a pen | more |
7 June 2009 | Piers Morgan | An Evil Cradling by Brian Keenan | His cricket bat | more |
14 June 2009 | Healey, BaronBaron Healey | Faber Book of English Verse | Very large box of chocolates including nougat | more |
21 June 2009 | Martin Shaw | Post Captain in the Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian | A synthesiser to make up his own music | |
28 June 2009 | Arlene Phillips | Little Women by Louisa May Alcott | Tweezers | |
5 July 2009 | Harvey Goldsmith | The Reader's Digest Do-It-Yourself Guide | A piano | |
12 July 2009 | Hugh Pennington | The Cabinet Cyclopedia edited by Dionysius Lardner | A brass microscope | |
19 July 2009 | David Mitchell | Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh | DVD player and sitcom boxsets | |
26 July 2009 | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Moby Dick by Herman Melville | Full set of Scuba gear | |
2 August 2009 | Nicky Haslam | Legacy by Sybille Bedford | A large 18th-century picture | |
9 August 2009 | Dame Joan Bakewell | War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy | An abundance of paper and pencils | more |
16 August 2009 | Roberto Alagna | The works of Victor Hugo | A guitar | more |
27 September 2009 | Barry Manilow | Man vs Wild - Survival Techniques from the Most Dangerous Places on Earth by Bear Grylls | A piano | more |
4 October 2009 | Ellen MacArthur | The SAS Survival Handbook | A fluffy purple worm (which has been taken everywhere) | more |
11 October 2009 | Steve Coogan | The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne | Fully restored Morris Minor Traveller with wooden detail | |
18 October 2009 | Jan Pienkowski | An audiobook of Martin Jarvis reading Just William by Richmal Crompton | A large supply of Moleskine sketch books | |
25 October 2009 | Colin Pillinger | Journey into Space by Charles Chilton | A picture of the Clifton Suspension Bridge | |
1 November 2009 | Jerry Springer | A photo album of family and friends | A cheeseburger machine | |
13 November 2009 | Anthony Julius | Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy | San Pellegrino water on tap | |
15 November 2009 | Julia Donaldson | Poem for the Day | A piano | |
22 November 2009 | Sir Stuart Rose | Wisden Cricketers' Almanack | A power shower with white fluffy towels and constant hot water | |
29 November 2009 | Morrissey | The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde | A comfortable bed with lots of pillows | |
6 December 2009 | Scotland, BaronessBaroness Scotland | A bound collection of her family's prose and poetry | A luxurious bathroom | |
13 December 2009 | Coe, LordLord Coe | Such Sweet Thunder: Benny Green on Jazz by Benny Green | A piano and a guide to playing it | more |
20 December 2009 | Caine, Sir MichaelSir Michael Caine | The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand | A large bed with 50% goose down and 50% feather pillows | more |
27 December 2009 | David Tennant | A la recherche du temps perdu by Marcel Proust | A solar DVD player loaded with the seven series of The West Wing | more |
2010
- ^ Instead of the Bible: The Bhagavad Gita
- ^ Instead of the Bible: The Gathas of Zarathustra
- ^ Instead of the Bible: The Mahābhārata
- ^ Instead of the Bible: The Qur'an
- ^ Instead of the Complete Works of Shakespeare: The Complete Works of Goethe
- ^ No bible
- ^ Instead of the Bible: The Torah