Society & Culture

Desert Island Discs: Archive 1981-1985

by BBC Radio 4

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Latest episodes

Sheila Steafel

May 11, 1985 · 36 min

Sheila Steafel, the actress who was born in South Africa, went to drama school in London and had her first big break in the television series The Frost Report. Since then, as she tells Roy Plomley, her career has been extremely varied…
Rt Hon David Steel MP

May 4, 1985 · 34 min

The Rt Hon David Steel MP has been leader of the Liberal Party since 1976. After leaving university, his first job was with the Scottish Liberal Party as Assistant Secretary. In 1965, he won a seat in the Borders and became the youngest…
Barbara Taylor Bradford

April 27, 1985 · 34 min

Barbara Taylor Bradford's first novel, A Woman of Substance, which was published in 1980, quickly became a huge international success. In conversation with Roy Plomley, she recalls her childhood in Leeds, her first job as a reporter on the…
Robert Burchfield

April 20, 1985 · 38 min

Robert Burchfield, who has been Chief Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary since 1957, was born in New Zealand. After fighting in Italy during the war, he came to England to complete his education and stayed on to be a lecturer at…
Joseph Allen

April 13, 1985 · 34 min

Joseph Allen, the physicist, joined NASA in 1967 as a scientist astronaut. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he describes his lengthy training as an astronaut, the problems of space flight, and he describes his recent trip in the space…

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Doris Stokes

April 6, 1985 · 35 min

Doris Stokes, the medium, first heard spirit voices when she was only four years old. In conversation with Roy Plomley, she talks about her experiences which include a brief visit to the spirit world, and she explains how she uses her gift…
Richard Eyre

March 23, 1985 · 35 min

Richard Eyre is equally at ease whether he is directing in the theatre, for television or on film. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about some of his successes which have included Guys and Dolls at the National Theatre, the films…
Gordon Beningfield

March 16, 1985 · 34 min

Gordon Beningfield's designs for postage stamps include a butterfly set and the recently-issued insect set. He is also well-known for his paintings of nature and the countryside. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he describes his first job…
Alison Lurie

March 9, 1985 · 31 min

Alison Lurie is not only a part-time professor of English at Cornell University where she teaches creative writing and children's literature, but she is also a very successful novelist. "Her seven novels", writes Malcolm Bradbury…
Jorge Bolet

March 2, 1985 · 36 min

The pianist Jorge Bolet, who was born in Havana, Cuba, was given lessons first by his sister. He went on to study at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and made his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He is now hailed particularly for…
Anthony Hopkins

February 23, 1985 · 32 min

The actor Anthony Hopkins has recently returned to this country after 10 years in California. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he talks about his upbringing in South Wales, his rapid rise to fame, the unhappiness that caused him to go to…
Michael Elkins

February 16, 1985 · 36 min

Michael Elkins was, for many years, the BBC correspondent in Jerusalem. In conversation with Roy Plomley, he recalls his childhood in New York, where he became a pool-room hustler, his screen-writing career in Hollywood, and he talks about…