Desert Island Discs

BBC Radio 4•www.bbc.co.uk

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

Music

Music Commentary

Eight tracks, a book and a luxury: what would you take to a desert island? Guests share the soundtrack of their lives.

Last refreshed: June 21st, 2026 at 12:32 AM

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Episodes

Emily Watson, actor

Emily Watson is an award-winning actor, widely regarded as one of the finest character actors of her generation. She began her career on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company before rising to prominence in 1996, when she was cast as Bess McNeill in Lars von Trier’s Breaking the Waves. The role earned her an Academy Award nomination. She received a second Oscar nomination for Hilary and Jackie, for which she learned to play the cello to portray Jacqueline du Pré. Watson has built a reputation ...

Jun 20, 2026•53 min

Gary O'Donoghue, journalist

Journalist Gary O’Donoghue is the Chief North America Correspondent for BBC News. Last year his coverage of the 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump won the Royal Television Society Breaking News Award. He made the news himself in 2025 when he secured a 20-minute exclusive phone interview with Trump who was by then the US President. Gary was born in London and brought up in Essex. When he was eight he lost his sight and attended specialist schools for blind and partially sighted children. ...

Jun 14, 2026•51 min

David Morrissey, actor

David Morrissey is an actor who grew up in Liverpool. His screen work ranges from playing a ruthless survivor of the zombie apocalypse in The Walking Dead to a troubled police officer in James Graham’s Sherwood. His television debut performance came playing a teenager in the Channel 4 series One Summer. Since then his career has seen him win awards including the Royal Television Society award for Best Male Actor for his role as Gordon Brown in The Deal. Morrissey’s interest in acting started in ...

Jun 06, 2026•51 min

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