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 luxury was not introduced to the programme until after about 100 programmes and the book after about 400 programmes. The choices of book and luxury can sometimes give insight into the guest's life, and the choices of guests between 1951 and 1960 are listed here.
1951 [ ]
Date
Castaway
Book
Luxury
3 January 1951
Eric Portman
No book
No item
10 January 1951
Monica Dickens
No book
No item
17 January 1951
Robertson Hare
No book
No item
24 January 1951
Yvonne Arnaud
No book
No item
31 January 1951
Donald Peers
No book
No item
7 February 1951
Peter Scott
No book
No item
14 February 1951
Constance Cummings
No book
No item
21 February 1951
Jack Buchanan
No book
No item
28 February 1951
Kay Hammond
No book
No item
7 March 1951
Peter Ustinov
No book
No item
14 March 1951
Joan Hammond
No book
No item
21 March 1951
John Clements
No book
No item
28 March 1951
Ted Kavanagh
No book
No item
4 April 1951
Anona Winn
No book
No item
11 April 1951
Muir Mathieson
No book
No item
18 April 1951
Peter Fleming
No book
No item
25 April 1951
Margaret Lockwood
No book
Crossword puzzles
2 May 1951
Petula Clark
No book
No item
9 May 1951
Larry Adler
No book
No item
16 May 1951
Denis Compton and Bill Edrich
No book
No item
23 May 1951
Ann Todd
No book
No item
30 May 1951
Maggie Teyte
No book
No item
6 June 1951
Tommy Trinder
No book
No item
13 June 1951
Gracie Fields
No book
No item
20 June 1951
Eric Coates
No book
No item
27 June 1951
Bill Johnson
No book
No item
4 July 1951
Stanley Holloway
No book
No item
11 July 1951
Cicely Courtneidge
No book
No item
18 July 1951
Leslie Henson
No book
No item
25 July 1951
Jean Kent
No book
No item
1 August 1951
Jimmy Edwards
No book
No item
8 August 1951
Joyce Grenfell
No book
No item
15 August 1951
A. E. Matthews
No book
No item
22 August 1951
Phyllis Calvert
No book
No item
29 August 1951
Vivian Ellis
No book
No item
5 September 1951
Anne Crawford
No book
No item
12 September 1951
Freddie Mills
No book
No item
16 September 1951
Sally Ann Howes
No book
Garlic
25 September 1951
George Robey
No book
No item
2 October 1951
Mai Zetterling
No book
No item
9 October 1951
Henry Kendall
Who's Who in the Theatre
No item
23 October 1951
Gerald Moore
No book
A double bass
30 October 1951
Clemence Dane
No book
No item
6 November 1951
Ronald Shiner
No book
Any animal which he could train
13 November 1951
Diana Wynyard
No book
El Medico by Goya
20 November 1951
George Formby
No book
His first ukulele
27 November 1951
Kathleen Harrison
The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
No item
4 December 1951
Elisabeth Schumann
No book
No item
11 December 1951
John Mills
No book
No item
18 December 1951
Vera Lynn
No book
Curling tongs
1952 [ ]
Date
Castaway
Book
Luxury
1 January 1952
Jack Hulbert
No book
Cigarettes
8 January 1952
Carroll Gibbons
No book
Music manuscript paper
15 January 1952
Sybil Thorndike
No book
A blue vase, an engagement present
22 January 1952
Spike Hughes
No book
A barrel of wine
29 January 1952
Jeanne de Casalis
No book
A picture by Cézanne or a large feather bed
5 February 1952
Peter Brough and Archie Andrews
No book
Golf clubs
19 February 1952
Compton Mackenzie
No book
Four pipes and matches
26 February 1952
Elizabeth Welch
No book
No item
4 March 1952
Roger Livesey
No book
Golf clubs
11 March 1952
Hermione Gingold
No book
A barrel of lipstick
18 March 1952
Fred Emney
No book
A large box of cigars
26 March 1952
Anna Neagle
No book
Tea
1 April 1952
Richard Hearne
No book
No item
8 April 1952
Wynford Vaughan-Thomas
No book
Combined radio and television receiver
15 April 1952
Delia Murphy
No book
A still for making poteen
22 April 1952
Richard Murdoch and Kenneth Horne
No book
Murdoch – A test-your-strength fairground machine Horne – a mah-jong set
29 April 1952
Kirsten Flagstad
No book
Knitting needles and wool
13 May 1952
Fay Compton
No book
Her two dogs
20 May 1952
Robert Beatty
No book
No item
27 May 1952
Dorothy Dickson
No book
No item
3 June 1952
Gilbert Harding
No book
A Kelly Man
10 June 1952
Googie Withers
No book
A jade amulet
17 June 1952
Godfrey Winn
No book
A pack of cards for bridge
24 June 1952
Ellaline Terriss
No book
A piano
1 July 1952
Boyd Neel
No book
A gramophone for slow-playing records
8 July 1952
Fred Perry
No book
Radio transmitter
15 July 1952
Henry Hall
No book
A watch
22 July 1952
Gladys Cooper
No book
No item
29 July 1952
Christopher Stone
No book
A good soft bed
5 August 1952
Joan Greenwood
No book
Cigarettes
12 August 1952
Michael Denison and Dulcie Gray
No book
Denison – a raft (to fish) Gray – a large supply of insecticide
19 August 1952
Trevor Howard
No book
One of his wife's cakes
26 August 1952
Anne Shelton
No book
The little cross that hangs over her bed
2 September 1952
Richard Attenborough [1]
No book
Set of record catalogues
9 September 1952
Vivien Leigh
No book
A piano
16 September 1952
Ted Ray
No book
A dozen hairnets
23 September 1952
Winifred Atwell
No book
A comb (for hair and making comb and paper music)
3 October 1952
Esmond Knight
The Story of Art by Ernst Gombrich
No item
10 October 1952
Binnie Hale
No book
A piano
17 October 1952
Joy Worth
No book
A very expensive piece of jewellery
24 October 1952
Florence Desmond
No book
Family photograph album
31 October 1952
W. J. MacQueen-Pope
No book
One of his lucky charms
7 November 1952
Tessie O'Shea
No book
Her ukulele
14 November 1952
Nigel Patrick
No book
His 'useless' dog
21 November 1952
Ada Reeve
No book
A workbox for embroidery
28 November 1952
Sonnie Hale
No book
Scented Soap
5 December 1952
Gordon Harker
No book
A camera and lots of film
12 December 1952
Bill Greenslade
No book
No item
19 December 1952
Joy Nichols
No book
A mink sleeping bag
^ Chose as one of his records a football commentary by Raymond Glendenning of Bolton Wanderers versus Chelsea F.C. , 2 June 1945.
1953 [ ]
Date
Castaway
Book
Luxury
2 January 1953
Wilfred Pickles
The Oxford Book of English Verse
His yellow waistcoat
9 January 1953
Margaret Rutherford
No book
A bejewelled golden comb
16 January 1953
Ralph Lynn
No book
His eyeglass
23 January 1953
Belita
No book
An encyclopedia
30 January 1953
Duncan Carse
No book
A pin-up picture
6 February 1953
Donald Wolfit
The Bible
A violin with instruction book
13 February 1953
Jean Carson
No book
An umbrella
20 February 1953
David Tomlinson
No book
Eddie Gray 's juggling equipment
27 February 1953
Sheila Sim
No book
A clock
6 March 1953
Richard Todd
No book
No item
13 March 1953
Pamela Brown
No book
Encyclopædia Britannica
20 March 1953
Max Miller
No book
A double pack of cards
27 March 1953
Moira Lister
A book about astronomy
A guitar
3 April 1953
Webster Booth
No book
An ivory pig – his lucky charm
10 April 1953
Yolande Donlan [2]
A Mediterranean cookbook
No item
17 April 1953
Norman Wisdom
No book
Motor car and petrol
24 April 1953
Isabel Jeans
No book
Her St Christopher's Medal
1 May 1953
John Arlott
No book
The biggest second-hand bookshop in the world
8 May 1953
Jack Hawkins
No book
No item
15 May 1953
Naunton Wayne
No book
No item
22 May 1953
Arthur Wint
No book
No item
29 May 1953
Pamela Kellino
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
No item
12 June 1953
Sir Ralph Richardson
No book
His pipe
19 June 1953
Robert Helpmann
No book
A box of paints
26 June 1953
Leo Genn
No book
A chess set with a book of problems
2 July 1953
Lizbeth Webb
No book
Nicholas, her three-inch-tall boy mascot
10 July 1953
Geraldine McEwan
No book
A box of watercolours
17 July 1953
Cecil Parker
Oxford Book of Quotations
No item
24 July 1953
Brian Reece
No book
A ventriloquist's dummy
31 July 1953
Cyril Ritchard
No book
A photograph of his wife, Madge Elliott
7 August 1953
Nora Swinburne
The Bible
Her make-up box and contents
14 August 1953
Hugh Williams
No book
A corkscrew
21 August 1953
Alfredo Campoli
No book
A football
28 August 1953
Leslie A "Hutch" Hutchinson
An anthology of world poetry
No item
4 September 1953
Hugh Sinclair
No book
No item
11 September 1953
Peggy Cummins
No book
A painting of circus horses by Toulouse-Lautrec
18 September 1953
Jack Warner
No book
A blue silk scarf
25 September 1953
Bernard Miles
The complete works of Shakespeare
No item
^ Allowed 10 discs, due to time allowances.
1954 [ ]
Date
Castaway
Book
Luxury
17 September 1954
Mary Ellis
No book
A keg of eau de Cologne
24 September 1954
Vivian De Gurr St George
No book
A picture of his wife
1 October 1954
Jessie Matthews
No book
An enormous bottle of perfume
8 October 1954
John Betjeman
No book
The lower half of the west window of St_Marys Church, Fairford , Gloucestershire
15 October 1954
T. E. B. Clarke
Ruff's Guide to the Turf
No item
22 October 1954
Valerie Hobson [3]
No book
The Albert Memorial
29 October 1954
Nigel Balchin
No book
A figure of an urchin, sculpted by Donatello
5 November 1954
Evelyn Laye
No book
Her bed, complete with big French pillows
12 November 1954
Robert Henriques
No book
Oil paints
18 November 1954
Celia Johnson [4]
A book on astronomy
A rose cutting and some English soil
25 November 1954
Captain M. E. B. Banks RM
No book
A painting of mushrooms by William Nicholson
2 December 1954
Reginald Dixon
No book
A harmonium
9 December 1954
Fred Hoyle
No book
A large photo of a lot of people at a race meeting
23 December 1954
Dorothy Ward
No book
A make-up box
30 December 1954
Bobby Howes [5]
No book
Red and white wine
^ 2nd appearance
^ 2nd appearance
^ 2nd appearance
1955 [ ]
Date
Castaway
Book
Luxury
More info
6 January 1955
Dorothy Tutin
No book
Piano
more
13 January 1955
Sir Cedric Hardwicke
No book
Newspaper
more
20 January 1955
Harriet Cohen
No book
Box of make-up
more
27 January 1955
Eric Ambler
No book
Novelist
more
10 February 1955
Robert Harris
No book
Tuning fork
more
17 February 1955
Sir Osbert Lancaster
No book
Venus de Milo
more
24 February 1955
Chris Chataway
No book
Underwater breathing apparatus
more
3 March 1955
Pat Smythe
No book
Guitar
more
10 March 1955
Pat Kirkwood
No book
Gardenia bush
more
17 March 1955
Sir Alan P Herbert
No book
Field glasses
more
24 March 1955
Tod Slaughter
No book
Harmonica
more
21 April 1955
Arthur Askey
No book
Piano
more
28 April 1955
Sir Malcolm Sargent
No book
Dog
more
5 May 1955
Anthony Asquith
No book
Seaside pier with slot machines
more
12 May 1955
Tommy Farr
No book
Longest bar of soap in the world
more
19 May 1955
Barbara Kelly
No book
Beach ball
more
7 June 1955
Emlyn Williams
No book
Encyclopaedia
more
14 June 1955
Tony Mottram
No book
Writing paper and pencils
more
21 June 1955
Nicholas Monsarrat
No book
Autograph letters of Lord Nelson
more
28 June 1955
Michael Redgrave
No book
Pipes and matches
more
5 July 1955
Yehudi Menuhin
No book
Violin and strings
more
12 July 1955
Lionel Gamlin
No book
Back number of The New Yorker
more
19 July 1955
Ursula Jeans
No book
Suntan lotion
more
26 July 1955
Edward Allcard
No book
Five ton block of lead as keel for schooner
more
2 August 1955
Isobel Baillie
No book
Tea
more
9 August 1955
Michael Ayrton
No book
An ancient Greek sculpture
more
16 August 1955
Claire Bloom
No book
N/A
more
23 August 1955
R C Sherriff
No book
Scotch whisky
more
30 August 1955
Herbert Wilcox
No book
Toothbrush and toothpaste
more
6 September 1955
Eileen Joyce
No book
Encyclopaedia
more
13 September 1955
Philip Harben
No book
Field glasses
more
26 September 1955
Leslie Welch
No book
Bed
more
3 October 1955
John Gregson
No book
Guitar
more
10 October 1955
Max Bygraves
No book
Golf clubs
more
17 October 1955
James Robertson Justice
No book
Mixed flower seeds
more
24 October 1955
Sidonie Goossens
No book
Handbag
more
31 October 1955
Frances Day
No book
Piano
more
7 November 1955
Valentine Dyall
No book
Trumpet
more
14 November 1955
Vic Oliver
No book
Music manuscript paper
more
21 November 1955
Beverley Nichols
No book
Oil painting equipment
more
28 November 1955
Jack Train
No book
Rose bush
more
5 December 1955
Bernard Braden
No book
Pair of wife's earrings
more
12 December 1955
Bob Monkhouse and Denis Goodwin
Encyclopædia Britannica
Large coloured picture of Marilyn Monroe
more
26 December 1955
Sir Anton Dolin
No book
Photo album
more
1956 [ ]
Date
Castaway
Book
Luxury
More info
2 January 1956
Laurence Harvey
The Complete Works of Shakespeare
Barrel of wine
more
16 January 1956
Sam Costa
No book
Painting from the National Gallery
more
23 January 1956
Dora Bryan
No book
Stereoscope with slides of her family
more
6 February 1956
David Nixon
No book
Photograph of his wife and baby son
more
13 February 1956
Terry-Thomas
No book
Horse saddle
more
20 February 1956
Robert Fabian
No book
Umbrella
more
27 February 1956
Kenneth More
No book
English rock garden
more
5 March 1956
Nancy Spain
Fifth Form of St. Dominic's by Talbot Baines
No item
more
12 March 1956
Donald Sinden
The Complete Works of Shakespeare
Lucky charm
more
19 March 1956
Vanessa Lee
Encyclopædia Britannica
Clock
more
26 March 1956
Cyril Smith
No book
Cards
more
2 April 1956
Bebe Daniels
No book
Typewriter and paper
more
9 April 1956
Stan Kenton
The Mature Mind by H. L. Overstreet
Unknown
more
16 April 1956
Marie Burke
Large book of short stories
Tea
more
23 April 1956
John Neville
No book
Landscape painting by Ivor Hitchins
more
30 April 1956
Athene Seyler
No book
Six feet of English hedgerow
more
7 May 1956
Len Harvey
No book
Box of books
more
14 May 1956
Dora Labbette
No book
Paper and pencils
more
21 May 1956
David Hughes
Encyclopædia Britannica
Golf clubs
more
28 May 1956
Robert Atkins
No book
Live performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream from the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
more
4 June 1956
Stirling Moss
No book
Hair restorer
more
11 June 1956
Ted Heath
No book
Racing form books
more
18 June 1956
Eartha Kitt
Her autobiography
No item
more
25 June 1956
Eric Maschwitz
No book
Botticelli 's Primavera
more
2 July 1956
Leslie Caron
No book
Artist's materials
more
9 July 1956
Jim Laker
No book
Cricket ball and a piano
more
16 July 1956
Eva Turner
No book
Dresden
more
23 July 1956
Tex Ritter
No book
Cards and a guitar
more
30 July 1956
Shirley Abicair
No book
Case of avocado pears
more
6 August 1956
Peter Ustinov
Encyclopaedia
Tennis racket
more
13 August 1956
Dennis Brain
Back number of motor magazines
Typewriter and paper
more
20 August 1956
Dennis Price
Volume of Giles cartoons
Painting materials
more
27 August 1956
Bernard Newman
No book
Atlas
more
3 September 1956
Humphrey Lyttelton
No book
Trumpet
more
10 September 1956
Harry Secombe
No book
Collapsible concrete model of Broadcasting House with plastic announcers etc.
more
17 September 1956
Valentine Britten
No book
Photograph of Battersea Power Station
more
24 September 1956
Turner Layton
No book
Piano
more
1 October 1956
Kenneth Tynan
No book
Pleasure gardens of Barcelona
more
8 October 1956
Ada Cherry Kearton
No book
Cards
more
15 October 1956
Peter Katin
No book
Painting of the Virgin of the Rocks
more
22 October 1956
Anthony Steel
No book
Portrait of his wife by Annigoni
more
29 October 1956
Isobel Barnett
No book
Hot water bottle
more
12 November 1956
Donald Campbell
No book
Cigarettes
more
19 November 1956
Dennis Noble
No book
Binoculars
more
26 November 1956
Malcolm Muggeridge
No book
Paper and pencils
more
3 December 1956
John Watt
No book
Thermos flask
more
10 December 1956
Spike Milligan
No book
Barometer
more
14 December 1956
Eight inhabitants from the Ascension Islands in the South Atlantic
No book
Unknown
more
17 December 1956
Peter Finch
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Painting materials
more
24 December 1956
Janette Scott
No book
Complete glamour outfit
more
31 December 1956
Tyrone Power
No book
Leonardo da Vinci 's notebooks
more
1957 [ ]
Date
Castaway
Book
Luxury
More info
7 January 1957
George Cansdale
No book
Field glasses
more
14 January 1957
Gerard Hoffnung
No book
His paintbox and tuba
more
21 January 1957
Dilys Powell
No book
Paper and pencils
more
28 January 1957
Zena Dare
No book
Mink coat
more
4 February 1957
Peter Sellers
The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
Snorkel outfit
more
11 February 1957
Peggy Ashcroft
No book
Frogwoman's outfit
more
18 February 1957
Jack Solomons
No book
Punchbag
more
25 February 1957
Edgar Lustgarten
No book
Woman's evening gown
more
4 March 1957
Anthony Quayle
No book
Writing materials
more
11 March 1957
Elizabeth Bowen
Emma by Jane Austen
Kaledioscope
more
18 March 1957
Alan Melville
No book
Tennis practice wall, rackets and balls
more
25 March 1957
Bud Flanagan
No book
Premium bonds
more
1 April 1957
Chris Brasher
No book
Sailing dinghy
more
8 April 1957
Cicely Courtneidge
No book
Family photograph album
more
15 April 1957
Ralph Wightman
No book
Pipe cleaners
more
22 April 1957
Tommy Steele
Do-it-yourself book
No item
more
29 April 1957
Gwen Catley
No book
Painting of London to be commissioned from Graham Sutherland
more
6 May 1957
David Attenborough
No book
Piano
more
20 May 1957
Dick Bentley
No book
Champagne-making kit
more
27 May 1957
Victor Borge
No book
Not paying tax or insurance
more
3 June 1957
Alec Robertson
Anthology of poetry
China cat
more
10 June 1957
Count Basie
No book
Picture of his family with a New York City background
more
17 June 1957
Percy Edwards
No book
John Constable 's painting of Willy Lott's cottage
more
24 June 1957
Mantovani
No book
Music manuscript paper, pencils and rubber
more
1 July 1957
Harold Hobson
No book
Cricket bat
more
8 July 1957
Tamara Karsavina
No book
Wooden statue of St Florian
more
15 July 1957
Fred Streeter
Gardening dictionary
Greenhouse for growing orchids
more
22 July 1957
Blanche Thebom
No book
Jewelled gold statuette of St George and the Dragon from the Shutzkammar, Munich
more
29 July 1957
Audrey Russell
No book
Astronomical telescope
more
5 August 1957
Tony Hancock
No book
Television set
more
12 August 1957
No book
Photograph of Granny Grove
more
19 August 1957
Leopold Stokowski
No book
Tape recorder
more
26 August 1957
David Farrar
No book
Golf clubs and balls
more
2 September 1957
Alma Cogan
No book
Paper, pencils and paints
more
9 September 1957
Eric Barker
No book
Cricket bowling machine
more
16 September 1957
C A Lejeune
No book
Soil and rose bushes
more
23 September 1957
Christopher Stone
No book
Paper and fountain pen
more
30 September 1957
Marius Goring
No book
Piano
more
7 October 1957
Moura Lympany
A la recherche du temps perdu by Marcel Proust
Flower seeds
more
14 October 1957
John Dankworth
Cricket annuals from 1920 onwards
Saxophone
more
21 October 1957
Commander Ibbett
No book
Barrel of beer
more
28 October 1957
Belinda Lee
No book
Language teaching records for all languages
more
4 November 1957
Bransby Williams
No book
Paper and pencils
more
11 November 1957
Jack Teagarden
No book
Trombone and materials for making a crystal radio
more
18 November 1957
Joan Cross
No book
Cards
more
25 November 1957
James Fisher
No book
Field glasses and modern plumbing
more
2 December 1957
Moira Shearer
No book
Champagne
more
9 December 1957
Eric Sykes
No book
Typewriter and paper
more
16 December 1957
Earl Hines
No book
Piano
more
23 December 1957
Sir Thomas Beecham
No book
Havana cigars
more
30 December 1957
Lupino Lane
No book
Camera
more
1958 [ ]
Date
Castaway
Book
Luxury
More info
6 January 1958
Wendy Toye
No book
Framed Ronald Searle drawings
more
13 January 1958
Lionel Hale
No book
Model theatre
more
20 January 1958
Max Jaffa
No book
Violin and champagne
more
27 January 1958
Victor Silvester
No book
Piano
more
3 February 1958
Anton Walbrook
No book
Indo-Chinese Buddha
more
10 February 1958
Rex Palmer
No book
Alcohol
more
17 February 1958
Ben Lyon
No book
Film projector and films of his family
more
24 February 1958
Margaret Rawlings
No book
Tapestry -making kit
more
3 March 1958
Michael Flanders and Donald Swann
No book
Two pianos
more
10 March 1958
Beryl Grey
No book
Swedish wooden horse
more
17 March 1958
Frankie Vaughan
No book
Painting materials
more
24 March 1958
Flora Robson
No book
Sunbathing oil
more
31 March 1958
Geraldo
No book
Piano
more
7 April 1958
Ian Carmichael
No book
Writing materials and beer
more
14 April 1958
Cleo Laine
No book
Perfume
more
21 April 1958
Billy Mayerl
No book
Well-stocked bar
more
28 April 1958
Ruby Miller
A novel by Somerset Maugham
Perfume
more
5 May 1958
Oliver Messel
No book
Painting materials
more
12 May 1958
Roy Plomley
No book
Desk with typewriter and paper
more
19 May 1958
Agnes Nicholls
Illustrated dictionary
Perfume
more
26 May 1958
Kay Smart
No book
Champagne
more
2 June 1958
Eric Robinson
No book
£1 million in pound notes
more
9 June 1958
Naomi Jacob
No book
Soap
more
16 June 1958
Jean Sablon
No book
Menu from Maxim's restaurant in Paris
more
23 June 1958
Derek McCulloch
Encyclopaedia
Inflatable pillow
more
30 June 1958
Sarah Vaughan
No book
Golf clubs and balls
more
7 July 1958
Tito Gobbi
No book
Expensive ivory back-scratcher
more
14 July 1958
Wilfrid Hyde-White
No book
Picture of Charlie Chaplin and model of a Rolls Royce
more
21 July 1958
Jean Pougnet
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Cask of brandy
more
28 July 1958
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
French cookery book
Suntan oil
more
4 August 1958
Eamonn Andrews
Collected short stories of Somerset Maugham
Field glasses
more
11 August 1958
Elsie and Doris Waters
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith
Sunshade and garbage disposal unit
more
18 August 1958
Dr Ludwig Koch
No book
Hans Christian Andersen 's mechanical bird and birdcage
more
25 August 1958
Hephzibah Menuhin
No book
Chinese language course
more
1 September 1958
Jack Payne
No book
Piano
more
8 September 1958
Percy Kahn
No book
Tape recorder
more
15 September 1958
Dickie Henderson
No book
Cine projector and films
more
22 September 1958
Alicia Markova
No book
Perfume
more
29 September 1958
Hardy Amies
No book
Dressing case
more
6 October 1958
Harry Belafonte
No book
Michelangelo's David
more
13 October 1958
Richard Dimbleby
No book
Piano
more
20 October 1958
Elizabeth Seal
No book
Tea
more
27 October 1958
Benno Moiseiwitsch
No book
Roulette table
more
3 November 1958
Edmundo Ros
No book
Film projector and films
more
10 November 1958
Elena Gerhardt
A philosophical work by Johann Wolfgang Goethe
Tapestry -making kit
more
17 November 1958
June Paul
No book
Painting by Gauguin
more
24 November 1958
G H Elliott
No book
Waistcoat (his mascot since 1903)
more
1 December 1958
Paul Robeson
No book
Carved Benin head
more
8 December 1958
Stanley Black
No book
Piano
more
15 December 1958
Aaron Copland
No book
Chess set
more
22 December 1958
Charlie Drake
Encyclopaedia
Regency candelabra
more
29 December 1958
Sandy MacPherson
No book
Radio set
more
1959 [ ]
Date
Castaway
Book
Luxury
More info
5 January 1959
and
Mysticism by Evelyn Underhill and Encyclopaedia
Soap and white tie and tails
more
12 January 1959
Ronald Searle
Reproductions of works by James Gillray
Car fitted with a telescope
more
19 January 1959
John Osborne
No book
Perfume
more
26 January 1959
Frederick Ashton
No book
Happy pills
more
2 February 1959
June Thorburn
No book
Mink stole
more
9 February 1959
Chris Barber
No book
Sports car and petrol
more
16 February 1959
John Morris
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Soap and a piano
more
23 February 1959
Peter Cushing
No book
Painting materials and model soldiers
more
2 March 1959
Cyril Fletcher
No book
Tape recorder
more
9 March 1959
Judy Grinham
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Typewriter and paper
more
16 March 1959
Ernest Thesiger
No book
Painting materials
more
23 March 1959
Malcolm Arnold
Oxford Book of English Verse
Green Havana cigars
more
30 March 1959
Laurens van der Post
The Odyssey by Homer
Piano
more
6 April 1959
Sylvia Syms
Her husband's handwritten limericks
Tapestry -making materials
more
13 April 1959
Edric Connor
Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
Toothbrush
more
20 April 1959
Tyrone Guthrie
Anthology of poetry, some in French and German
Rum
more
27 April 1959
Marjorie Westbury
The Golden Bough by James Frazer
Blue-green silk robe with packets of flower seeds in the pockets
more
4 May 1959
Lord Brabazon of Tara
The Human Situation by MacNeill Dixon
Hot water bottle
more
11 May 1959
Ray Ellington
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Bed with mosquito net
more
18 May 1959
Dame Rebecca West
The plays of Jean Racine
Carved stone head of a Chinese philosopher
more
25 May 1959
Alfred Marks
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Telephone (out of service)
more
1 June 1959
Robert Farnon
Optics by Isaac Newton
Telescope
more
15 June 1959
Henry Sherek
Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
Epstein statue
more
22 June 1959
Lotte Lehmann
Faust by Johann Wolfgang Goethe
Paintbox
more
29 June 1959
Uffa Fox
Anthology of world poetry
Painting materials
more
6 July 1959
Hermione Baddeley
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Painting by Renoir
more
13 July 1959
Harold Abrahams
Book of Quotations by Burton Egbert Stevenson
Mircofilm of Bell's life
more
20 July 1959
George Melachrino
The works of Plato
Turkish delight
more
27 July 1959
Ivor Newton
London telephone directory
Champagne
more
3 August 1959
BC Hilliam
The Gilbert and Sullivan Book by Leslie Baily
Whisky
more
10 August 1959
Norman Fisher
The dialogues of Plato
Writing materials
more
17 August 1959
Bessie Love
The drawings of Fougasse
Eau de Cologne
more
24 August 1959
Charles Mackerras
Foreign translation of a long English novel
Wine
more
31 August 1959
John Snagge
The Little World of Don Camillo by Giovannino Guareschi
Painting by Rembrandt
more
7 September 1959
Sir Leonard Hutton
History of cricket
Golf clubs and balls
more
14 September 1959
Douglas Byng
The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam by Edward Fitzgerald
Photographs
more
21 September 1959
Peggy Cochrane
The Week-End Book
Piano
more
28 September 1959
Frankie Howerd
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Photographs
more
5 October 1959
Robertson Hare
His autobiography
Telescope
more
12 October 1959
Dave Brubeck
Encyclopaedia
Piano
more
19 October 1959
Alfred Hitchcock
Mrs Beeton's Household Management
Continental railway timetable
more
26 October 1959
George Thalben-Ball
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
White rug
more
2 November 1959
Steve Race
The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne
Chess set
more
9 November 1959
Sir Arthur Bliss
Works on astronomy
Telescope
more
16 November 1959
Benny Hill
Collection of language courses
Film camera
more
23 November 1959
Joan Sutherland
Memoirs of Jenny Lind by Otto Goldschmidt
Bed
more
30 November 1959
Billy Cotton
Two historical novels
Ticket home
more
7 December 1959
John Paddy Carstairs
Roget's Thesaurus
Piano
more
14 December 1959
Andor Foldes
Anthology of English Verse by Edith Sitwell
The Dürer
more
21 December 1959
Eve Boswell
Book on one of the world's philosophies
Piano
more
28 December 1959
Ted Moult
The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
Drawing equipment
more
1960 [ ]
References [ ]
Desert Island Discs
Creator Episodes
BBC Radio 4
Category