Val Wilmer has photographed and interviewed many of the most significant musicians of the post-war years, including Duke Ellington, Muddy Waters, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin and many more. Val grew up in Streatham in South London, where a local record shop helped to nurture her love of music, especially jazz. Her lifelong passion for jazz and photography began at an early age:  when she was just 14 years old, she persuaded her mother to take her to London Airport to see off the jazz legend Louis Armstrong who had been playing in the UK. She asked him for an autograph, then took a picture of him as he broke into a huge smile. The image was the first of many classic shots. Alongside her work as a photographer, Val has written extensively about music, as a journalist for numerous publications and as an author: her book As Serious As Your Life, examining the evolution of free jazz within the wider context of racial and sexual politics, has been widely acclaimed as a classic text. In 1983 she co-founded Format, the first all-female photographic agency, which aimed to champion women photographers and to widen the range of images available to newspapers and magazines. Her photographs are held in the collections of the V&A and the National Portrait Gallery. DISC ONE: Potato Head Blues - Louis Armstrong & His Hot Seven            
DISC TWO: Black, Brown And White - Big Bill Broonzy
DISC THREE: Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8_1. By Kodaly, First movement performed by Janos Starker
DISC FOUR: The Weary Blues – Langston Hughes 
DISC FIVE: My Lovely Elizabeth - S.E. Rogie
DISC SIX: Criss Cross - Thelonious Monk 
DISC SEVEN: Dogon A D - Julius Hemphill        
DISC EIGHT: Love and Affection - Joan Armatrading  BOOK CHOICE: The Collective Works of Langston Hughes 
LUXURY ITEM: Nail scissors       
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Criss Cross - Thelonious Monk  Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producers  Tim Bano and Sarah Taylor

Val Wilmer, writer and photographer

Jamie Dornan is an actor who first came to the attention of television audiences in 2013 when he played serial killer Paul Spector in the BBC series the Fall.  Two years later he starred alongside Dakota Johnson in the film Fifty Shades of Grey and went on to play the same part in the rest of the trilogy.  In 2022 he was the lead in the BBC drama the Tourist which was watched by millions of viewers and recently returned for its second season.Jamie was born in Holywood in County Down.  At 10 he played Widow Twankey in the school pantomime - a defining moment for him when he experienced the thrill of playing to a live audience.After dropping out of university Jamie became a model and worked on big campaigns for some leading fashion brands before landing his first acting part in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette in 2006.  His role in the Fall was his big break and the Fifty Shades films catapulted him to movie star status.In 2021 he played Pa in the film Belfast which was written and directed by Kenneth Branagh about his own childhood, growing up at the beginning of the Troubles.Jamie is married to the musician and composer Amelia Warner and they have three children.DISC ONE: Caravan - Van Morrison 
DISC TWO: Violin Concerto No. 1: II. Composed by Philip Glass and performed by Adele Anthony (violin) and Ulster Orchestra, conducted by Takuo Yuasa  
DISC THREE: Hoppípolla - Sigur Rós
DISC FOUR: Bridge over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel 
DISC FIVE: Metarie - Brendan Benson
DISC SIX: Forever – The Beach Boys
DISC SEVEN: Something - The Beatles 
DISC EIGHT: The Whole of the Moon – The WaterboysBOOK CHOICE:  Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
LUXURY ITEM:  A golf club and balls   
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Forever – The Beach Boys
 
Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer  Paula McGinley

Jamie Dornan, actor

Sheku Kanneh-Mason is a cellist who came to international attention when he performed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. Still only 24, he has performed at a series of high profile locations including the Hollywood Bowl and Downing Street. Last year he was a soloist at the Last Night of the Proms.  Sheku was brought up in Nottingham along with his six siblings who are also extremely talented musicians. At six-years-old he went to a concert by the Nottingham Youth Orchestra where he was transfixed by the cello section. He started having lessons not long afterwards and by the age of nine he’d completed all of his music grades – receiving the highest marks in the country. At 17 he won the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition.He went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music and made his debut at the BBC Proms as a soloist with the Chineke! Orchestra in 2017.In 2020 he was appointed an MBE for services to music and two years later became the Royal Academy of Music’s first Menuhin Visiting Professor of Performance Mentoring.DISC ONE: Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.85 - 1st movement: Adagio – Moderato.  Composed by Edward Elgar and performed by Jacqueline du Pré, with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir John Barbirolli
DISC TWO: Rivers of Babylon -The Melodians 
DISC THREE: Dat - Pluto Shervington 
DISC FOUR: String Quartet in C major, Op 20 No. 2, Capriccio: Adagio.  Composed by Joseph Haydn and performed by The London Haydn Quartet  
DISC FIVE: Chances Are - Bob Marley
DISC SIX: Requiem in D minor, K. 626 , Introitus 1 – Requiem.  Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and performed by the Monteverdi Choir
DISC SEVEN: Symphony No.11 'The Year 1905' - II. The 9th January; Adagio.  Composed by Dmitri Shostakovich and performed  by The Moscow Philharmonic, conducted by Kirill Kondrashin
DISC EIGHT: Largo from Organ Sonata No.5 in C major, BWV 529.  Composed by Johan Sebastian Bach and performed by Samuel FeinbergBook: The Feynman Lectures on Physics by Richard Feynman   
Luxury: A cello and strings
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Requiem in D minor, K. 626 , Introitus 1 – Requiem.  Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and performed by the Monteverdi ChoirPresenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer  Paula McGinley

Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cellist

The Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani is the Bishop of Chelmsford.  She also sits in Parliament as a Lord Spiritual and last year she played a prominent role in the Coronation, administering Holy Communion to the King and Queen.  She was born in Isfahan, central Iran, the youngest of four children to Hassan Dehqani-Tafti, the first ethnic Iranian Anglican Bishop of his country, and his wife Margaret.  In 1980, in the wake of the Islamic Revolution, her family were targeted and forced to leave the country.  She arrived in the UK aged 13 as a refugee.  Four decades on, Guli has yet to set foot on Iranian soil.She was ordained as a deacon in 1998 and a priest the following year.  She was consecrated a bishop in November 2017, making her the first woman from a minority ethnic background to be ordained as an Anglican bishop in the UK.She is the lead Bishop for Housing for the Church of England and is a contributor to BBC Radio 4s Thought for the Day.  She is married to Lee, who is a priest, and they have three children.DISC ONE: Requiem in D Minor, Op. 48: VI. Libera me. Composed by Gabriel Fauré and performed by Stephen Varcoe (baritone), The Cambridge Singers, conducted by John Rutter    
DISC TWO: Morgh-e Sahar - Homayoun Shajarian and Dastan Ensemble    	
DISC THREE: Ride on Time - Black Box 
DISC FOUR: Miniatures for Piano Trio. Set 2: No. 4, Romance. Composed by Frank Bridge and performed by Alexander Chaushian and Ashley Wass
DISC FIVE: Variations on Bahram’s Melody. Composed by Bahram Dehqani-Tafti and performed by Gabriel Francis-Dehqani with Fiona Sweeney, Krystof Kohout and Will Harmer 	 
DISC SIX: Take me to Church - Sinead O’Connor 
DISC SEVEN: Sovereign Light Café - Keane 
DISC EIGHT: Mahi - Golnar Shahyar, Mahan Mirarab, (feat. Luis Guerra)BOOK CHOICE: The Book of Kings  
LUXURY ITEM: Photo albums       
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Requiem in D Minor, Op. 48: VI. Libera me. Composed by Gabriel Fauré and performed by Stephen Varcoe (baritone), The Cambridge Singers, conducted by John Rutter    Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer  Paula McGinley

Guli Francis-Dehqani, Church of England Bishop

Graham William Nash is a musician, singer, songwriter and photographer.    He had his first musical success as a member of the UK band The Hollies before his move to America when he sang as part of Crosby, Stills and Nash.Graham was born in 1942 and grew up in Salford.   He found his singing voice at the age of six when he realised that not only could he sing, but he had the ability to harmonise any melody.   He is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.   Over the years, Graham has written many hit songs for The Hollies and Crosby, Stills and Nash including Our House and Marrakesh Express.  Alongside his critically acclaimed musical career, Graham is also a successful photographer.  His photos have been on show in galleries and museums around the world.  He lives in New York with his third wife.DISC ONE: Be-bop-a-Lula - Gene Vincent
DISC TWO: Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
DISC THREE: Maybe Baby - Buddy Holly and the Crickets
DISC FOUR: Bye Bye Love - The Everly Brothers
DISC FIVE: God Only Knows - The Beach Boys 
DISC SIX: Adagio for Strings, composed by Samuel Barber and performed by City of London Sinfonia conducted, by Richard Hickox 
DISC SEVEN: Don't Give Up - Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush
DISC EIGHT: A Day In The Life - The BeatlesBOOK CHOICE: The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto
LUXURY ITEM: A sleeping bag      
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: A Day In The Life - The BeatlesPresenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer   Sarah Taylor

Graham Nash, musician

Delia Smith CH CBE is one of Britain’s most popular and successful cookery writers and broadcasters.    Her first book, How to Cheat at Cooking, was published in 1971 and she presented her first television series, Family Fare, two years later. Since then she has presented many more series and her books have sold more than 21 million copies in the UK alone. Her widespread influence has led to the phrase ‘the Delia effect’, when large numbers of shoppers sought out her recommendations. Delia was born in Woking in 1941, and grew up in Bexleyheath. She attended the local secondary modern school, but left without any qualifications. She eventually found work as a pot washer and then a waitress in a French restaurant in London, where the chef encouraged her interest in cooking and food. In 1969 she landed the job of cookery writer on the Daily Mirror’s new colour supplement. There she honed her simple, no-nonsense instructions and met her husband, Michael Wynn-Jones.She hung up her apron in 2013 to spend more time on her other passion - football. Delia and Michael have been long-standing supporters – and, since 1996, majority shareholders - of Norwich City FC.  She lives in Suffolk countryside in the same cottage she and Michael bought as their first home. DISC ONE: The Sound of Silence - Paul Simon
DISC TWO: Within You Without You - The Beatles
DISC THREE: Gnossienne No 1. Composed by Erik Satie and performed by Alexandre Tharaud 
DISC FOUR: Caruso – composed by Lucio Dalla and performed by Luciano Pavarotti 
DISC FIVE: Kyrie: Call To Prayer – Muezzin from the Muhammad Ali Mosque, Cairo. Performed by  Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, Choristers of St. George's Chapel, Windsor and composed by David Fanshawe
DISC SIX: This Woman's Work - Kate Bush
DISC SEVEN: He Moved Through the Fair - Sinéad O'Connor
DISC EIGHT: Happy - Pharrell WilliamsBOOK CHOICE: Sister Wendy’s 100 Best-loved Paintings by Wendy Beckett 
LUXURY ITEM: The Desert Island Discs archive       
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Kyrie: Call To Prayer – Muezzin from the Muhammad Ali Mosque, Cairo. Composed by David Fanshawe and performed by Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, Choristers of St. George's Chapel, Windsor  Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer   Sarah Taylor

Delia Smith, CH, CBE, cookery writer and broadcaster

Greta Gerwig is the director of the feature film Barbie - the first woman in cinematic history to have the sole director’s credit for a billion dollar blockbuster.  Her previous films include Lady Bird, inspired in part by her own childhood, and Little Women, a widely acclaimed adaptation of the much-loved novel. Greta was born and brought up in Sacramento in California.  Her parents encouraged her love of the arts and she started trying to direct her friends in productions while she was still in kindergarten.  She studied English and Philosophy at Barnard College in New York where she started acting and writing.After she graduated she appeared in a series of low budget, improvised, so-called mumblecore films, noted for their often low-key naturalistic style. Her solo directorial debut came in 2017 with Lady Bird, starring Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf.  The film won two Golden Globe Awards and was nominated for five Academy Awards.  Her follow up film, Little Women, received six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.Greta has been named president of the jury for next year's Cannes Film Festival.  She lives with her partner, the writer and director Noah Baumbach, and two sons in Manhattan.     DISC ONE: Opening: I Hope I Get It - Don Pippin, A Chorus Line Orchestra, A Chorus Line Ensemble 
DISC TWO: Pinball Wizard - The Who   
DISC THREE: Sleigh Ride - Johnny Mathis, Percy Faith & His Orchestra  
DISC FOUR: And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind - Elvis Presley
DISC FIVE: Moonage Daydream - David Bowie 
DISC SIX: Top Hat, White Tie and Tails - Johnny Green & His Orchestra, Fred Astaire 
DISC SEVEN: Camelot: Finale Ultimo - Camelot Orchestra conducted by Franz Allers, Original Broadway Cast of Camelot 
DISC EIGHT: Ain't Got No / I Got Life - Nina Simone   BOOK CHOICE: The Complete Poems: Emily Dickinson  
LUXURY ITEM: A writing set        
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Sleigh Ride - Johnny Mathis, Percy Faith & His Orchestra     Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer  Paula McGinley

Greta Gerwig, writer and director

Shirley Ballas is the head judge on Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC’s Saturday night entertainment show, which regularly attracts an audience of many millions. Known as the Queen of Latin dancing, she joined the show in 2017 after a long career as a competitive dancer and teacher. Shirley was born in Wallasey in 1960. She discovered dance as a seven-year-old when she started taking classes in her local church hall.  With a combination of natural flair and hard graft she began winning competitions with her partners. In 1980, while she was still an amateur, she met Sammy Stopford who was ranked seventh in the world as a professional Latin dancer.  Together they shot up the rankings and became known as the ‘non-stop Stopfords’.In 1984 she divorced Sammy and the following year she married Corky Ballas, an amateur dancer from Houston.  Shirley set about training Corky to become a professional and in 1995 they won the British Open to the World Championships – a feat they repeated the following year.In 1996 Shirley retired from competitive dancing to concentrate on coaching dancers and judging competitions.  In 2017 she joined Strictly Come Dancing, replacing her friend and former teacher Len Goodman as head judge.   Shirley lives in south London with her mother Audrey and her boyfriend, the actor Danny Taylor.DISC ONE: Get Lucky - Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers
DISC TWO: Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash
DISC THREE: Moon River - Frank Sinatra
DISC FOUR: Sherry - The Four Seasons 
DISC FIVE: Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
DISC SIX: You To Me Are Everything - The Real Thing
DISC SEVEN:  Highs and Lows - Alexander Jean
DISC EIGHT:  We’ve Only Just Begun - The Carpenters BOOK CHOICE: Unleash the Power Within by Tony Robbins  
LUXURY ITEM: Cotton knickers        
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Highs and Lows - Alexander Jean  Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer  Paula McGinley

Shirley Ballas, dance judge

Marina Abramović is an artist renowned for performances and feats of endurance, in which her body is pushed to its limits.  She has moved, scandalised and delighted audiences for half a century, and is now celebrated by world-leading galleries and institutions.  Marina was born in Belgrade in 1946. Her parents were honoured as war heroes for their work for the Partisan resistance movement, and both took up senior roles in the post-war Yugoslav government.  Marina became interested in painting during her childhood, and went on to study art.  She first made her name as a performance artist in her 20s, creating events which often shocked viewers – and were equally traumatic for her. In 1974 she placed 72 objects, including sharp tools, a whip and a loaded pistol, on a table and invited gallery goers to use them on her, however they wished. She was attacked and left scarred, and part of her hair went white.  For many years she led a nomadic existence, creating works with her partner, the German artist Ulay. In 1997, in response to the war in Bosnia, she created a prize-winning work for the Venice Biennale, in which for four days she attempted to scrub the blood from a vast pile of cow bones. In 2010 her exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York attracted almost a million people, many queuing for hours for a chance to sit opposite her in silence as part of her marathon performance The Artist is Present.  More recently her work has been celebrated in a major retrospective exhibition at the Royal Academy in London, along with performances at English National Opera, marking the centenary of Maria Callas.  DISC ONE:  Aria from The Goldberg Variations.  Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
German composer and musician, performed by Igor Levit
DISC TWO: Norma, Act 1: "Casta diva". Composed by Vincenzo Bellini, performed by Maria Callas (soprano) and Coro del Teatro alla Scala di Milano 
DISC THREE: 4 Degrees - Anohni 
DISC FOUR: Paloma Negra - Chavela Vargas  	 
DISC FIVE: Private Dancer - Tina Turner 	
DISC SIX:  Sherab Nyingpo Mantra (The Heart Sutra) - Tashi Lhumpo Monks
DISC SEVEN: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467 - 2. Andante. Composed by Mozart and performed by Mitsuko Uchida (piano), with the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Jeffrey Tate
DISC EIGHT: Rum And Coca-Cola - The Andrews Sisters BOOK CHOICE: In Search of the Miraculous by Peter D Ouspensky
LUXURY ITEM: A cashmere blanket
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Sherab Nyingpo Mantra (The Heart Sutra) - Tashi Lhunpo MonksPresenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer  Sarah Taylor

Marina Abramović, performance artist

Dr Nicky Fox is only the second woman to hold the post of Head of Science at NASA since the agency was founded in 1958. She has responsibility for around a hundred missions which are investigating the mysteries of outer space.  These missions are tackling questions such as how do hurricanes form and are we alone in the universe.Nicky was born in Hitchin in Hertfordshire and her father introduced her to the wonders of space when she was just a few months old.  In 1969 he lifted her out of her cot to watch the television coverage of the Apollo 11 mission when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.  Nicky’s enduring fascination with the cosmos led her to study physics at Imperial College in London.After completing her PhD she took up a post-doctoral fellowship at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre in Maryland.  In 2010 she became the project scientist for the Parker Solar Probe, humanity’s first mission to a star, which launched in 2018 and is still flying through the sun’s atmosphere collecting data.  Recently she oversaw the Osiris-Rex mission which brought back the first asteroid samples from deep space.In 2021 Nicky was awarded the American Astronautical Society’s Carl Sagan Memorial Award for her leadership in the field of Heliophysics. DISC ONE: The Best – Tina Turner
DISC TWO: Livin’ On A Prayer - Bon Jovi
DISC THREE: Lara’s Theme - MGM Studio Orchestra, composed and conducted by Maurice Jarre
DISC FOUR: Danny Boy - Andy Williams
DISC FIVE: When You Know - Shawn Colvin
DISC SIX: (Reach Up for the) Sunrise - Duran Duran
DISC SEVEN: Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day 
DISC EIGHT: Canyon Moon - Harry StylesBOOK CHOICE: Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan
LUXURY ITEM: Lego  
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green DayPresenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer  Paula McGinley

Dr Nicola Fox, head of science at Nasa

Pia Sinha is the Director of the Prison Reform Trust and a former prison governor.  She was awarded the St Martin’s Award for Prison Governance for her role in turning around HMP Liverpool, which was widely described as Britain’s worst jail in 2018, following a highly critical report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons.  Pia was born in north India and she and her family came to the UK when she was 14. After studying economics and psychology at university, she pursued a career as a psychologist, and her work took into prisons. Whilst she was training, she also ran a London pub with her first husband. After many years working as a psychologist in male and female prisons she was encouraged to apply for the Senior Prison Manager Programme aimed at training governors of the future. In 2013 she became the governor of HMP Thorn Cross, and was the first Asian woman to a run a prison in England and Wales. Earlier this year she joined the Prison Reform Trust as its Director.  DISC ONE: Kathy’s Song - Simon & Garfunkel 
DISC TWO: Ek Ladki Ko Dekha - Kumar Sanu 
DISC THREE: Back to Life - Soul II Soul
DISC FOUR: Melt - Leftfield 
DISC FIVE: Andmoreagain - Love  
DISC SIX: Black (featuring Norah Jones) - Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi 
DISC SEVEN: The Power of Love - Frankie Goes to Hollywood 
DISC EIGHT: Hometown Glory - AdeleBOOK CHOICE: A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry      
LUXURY ITEM: Chilli sauce 
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Kathy’s Song - Simon & Garfunkel  Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer   Sarah Taylor

Pia Sinha, Director Prison Reform Trust

Peter White is an award-winning broadcaster.  In 2024 he will celebrate 50 years presenting Radio 4’s In Touch, the programme for blind and visually impaired people.  He is also one of the presenters of the network’s consumer series, You and Yours.Peter was born in 1947 and has been blind since birth.  Like his older brother Colin, he has a rare genetic anomaly that meant his optic nerve hadn’t developed properly.  From the age of five he boarded at The Royal School of Industry for the Blind where he excelled at Braille and won national reading competitions for several years running.  He completed his secondary education at Worcester College for the Blind.   In 1970 he turned up in the reception for the new local radio station BBC Solent and announced that he wanted to present programmes for them.  They took him on and he went on to report and present for Link, the station’s programme for blind people. Years later he presented Viewpoint, a two hour live, mainstream mid-morning programme on Radio Solent.  His appointment was featured on the 9 O’clock news as he was the first blind presenter to host a live daily topical programme.In 1995 he was appointed the BBC's Disability Affairs Correspondent - the first totally blind person to produce as well as present reports for television news. Peter has presented other Radio 4 programmes including No Triumph, No Tragedy and Blind Man on the Rampage. In 1998 he was appointed MBE for services to broadcasting.  Peter lives in Marple, Greater Manchester with his second wife Jackie.DISC ONE: Somebody Who Loves You - Joan Armatrading
DISC TWO: An extract from Hancock’s Half Hour - Sunday Afternoon at Home with 
Tony Hancock. With Sidney James, Bill Kerr, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams
DISC THREE: Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye - Ella Fitzgerald 
DISC FOUR: Badge - Cream
DISC FIVE: Albatross - Judy Collins
DISC SIX: The Banks of Green Willow. Composed by George Butterworth and performed by The Academy of St Martin in the Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner
DISC SEVEN: My Old Man - Joni Mitchell
DISC EIGHT: We Can Work It Out – The BeatlesBOOK CHOICE: The 1962 edition of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 
LUXURY ITEM: Pear drops        
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Albatross - Judy Collins   Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer  Paula McGinley

Peter White, broadcaster

Lea Salonga was just 18 when she became an international theatre star, taking a leading role in the world premiere production of the musical Miss Saigon in 1989. Her performance - first in London, then on Broadway - won her Olivier and Tony awards. She has provided the singing voice for two Disney princesses, and has become a strong advocate for better Asian representation on stage and screen.  
 
She was born in Manila in the Philippines, where she made her professional stage debut in 1978 at the age of seven in a production of The King and I. Further roles in musicals followed, and she recorded a best-selling solo album when she was 10. Lea planned to become a doctor before she was invited to audition for Miss Saigon, and her immediate success launched a performing career in which she has made history many times. She was the first Asian woman to win a Tony for an acting role, the first Asian actor to star in Les Misérables, the first Filipino artist to sign a record deal with an international label and the first person to voice two different Disney princesses - Mulan and Jasmine in Aladdin, in which she sang A Whole New World, which won the Oscar for Best Original Song. She has appeared in numerous international stage productions, as well as television shows, films and singing tours. Earlier this year she starred in and made her debut as a producer on the musical Here Lies Love on Broadway: written by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, it focuses on the life of Imelda Marcos, wife of Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos. In September, Lea returned to the London Stage in 'Old Friends' , a musical tribute to Stephen Sondheim.She has performed for six Filipino and four American presidents. DISC ONE: Feed The Birds (Tuppence a Bag) - Julie Andrews, The Disney Studio Chorus
DISC TWO: Days and Days -Judy Kuhn
DISC THREE: Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
DISC FOUR: Tsismis - Ryan Cayabyab
DISC FIVE: Gymnopédie No. 1. Composed by Erik Satie and performed by Philippe Entremont
DISC SIX: Intro: Singularity - BTS
DISC SEVEN: Baby Mine - Betty Noyes 
DISC EIGHT: Snooze - Agust D ft. Ryuichi Sakamoto & WOOSUNGBOOK CHOICE: The Complete Far Side by Gary Larson
LUXURY ITEM: A typewriter 
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Snooze - Agust D ft. Ryuichi Sakamoto & WOOSUNG Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer   Sarah Taylor

Lea Salonga, singer and actor

Professor Dame Lesley Regan is the Government’s first Women’s Health Ambassador for England.  She is one of the main drivers behind the upcoming Women’s Health Strategy which aims to tackle the gender health gap and improve services for women.As a former president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists – only the second woman to hold that post in its 94-year history – she shone a light on historically taboo subjects from period problems and contraception to the menopause.Lesley was born in London in 1956.  When she was seven she told her father that she wanted to be a doctor and although the sciences weren’t her strongest subjects at school, she won a place at the Royal Free Hospital Medical School in London in 1975.In 1991 she was appointed a senior lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at St Mary’s Hospital in London and consultant at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.  The following year she set up the Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic at St Mary’s which is the largest miscarriage referral service in the world.In 2020 she was appointed a DBE for services to women’s healthcare.DISC ONE: Mr Bojangles – Nina Simone   
DISC TWO: Symphony No. 5 in C Sharp. Composed by Mahler and performed by Berliner Philharmoniker  
DISC THREE: Agnus Dei. Composed by Bach and performed by Iestyn Davies, (counter-tenor), The English Consort, conducted by Harry Bicket
DISC FOUR: I Cried for You - Katie Melua
DISC FIVE: Norma: Act I, Scene 1: Casta diva (Norma/Coro) Composed by Vincenzo Bellini and performed by Maria Callas (soprano), The Teatro Alla Scala Orchestra, conducted by Tullio Serafin 
DISC SIX: The Best – Tina Turner 
DISC SEVEN: Metamorpheme – Shakespeare and the Bible
DISC EIGHT: Clarinet Concerto In A, K. 622 - II. Adagio. Composed by Mozart and performed by Karl Leister (clarinet) and Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Herbert Von KarajanBOOK CHOICE: The Works of George Eliot
LUXURY ITEM: Marmite on toast
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: The Best – Tina TurnerPresenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer  Paula McGinley

Professor Dame Lesley Regan, obstetrician and gynaecologist

Patrick Grant is a designer, clothing entrepreneur and a judge on the BBC TV programme The Great British Sewing Bee.  Patrick was born in Edinburgh in 1972.  His interest in clothes and in making things was evident from a very early age, along with a love of sport: his father was a rugby coach and trained Patrick and his friends. Some of his friends went on to represent Scotland and Patrick played for Scotland's under-19 team. He studied Material Science and Engineering at Leeds University and worked in industry for a decade. Then, after spotting an advertisement in a newspaper, he bought an ailing Savile Row tailoring company. It was almost an impulse buy, at great financial risk. After a shaky start, he turned the business around, and within five years he was named menswear designer of the year at the British Fashion Awards.  Patrick went on to buy a factory in Blackburn, Cookson and Clegg. He is passionate about British manufacturing, and set up Community Clothing with the aim of making good quality affordable day wear. He has been a judge on The Great British Sewing Bee since the programme began in 2013. He divides his time between London, Blackburn and the Highlands.DISC ONE: Les Fleurs - Minnie Riperton 
DISC TWO: My Heart’s in the Highlands - Else Torp and Christopher Bowers-Broadbent
DISC THREE: Do You Wanna Funk - Sylvester 
DISC FOUR: Big Time Sensuality, the Fluke Magimix - Björk 
DISC FIVE: Harry Patch (In Memory of) - Radiohead
DISC SIX: Kill Dem - Jamie xx  
DISC SEVEN: Get Better - alt-J 
DISC EIGHT: I Saw - Young Fathers BOOK CHOICE: Green Woodwork: Working with Wood the Natural Way by Mike Abbott
LUXURY ITEM: A complete set of woodworking tools        
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE:  Kill Dem - Jamie xx  Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer   Sarah Taylor

Patrick Grant, designer and broadcaster

Dame Donna Langley is chairman and chief content officer for the NBC Universal Studio Group, the first British woman in history to run a major Hollywood film studio. She green lit Christopher Nolan’s latest film Oppenheimer and was one of the earliest and most ardent supporters of the Abba movie Mamma Mia.She was born in London and brought up on the Isle of Wight. She always knew she was adopted as a baby, which she says made her feel special within her family. She left London for Los Angeles when she was in her early twenties, looking for adventure rather than following a career plan.In LA, she worked in a club on Sunset Boulevard before taking up an internship with a film producer. Later she worked as an assistant at the production studio New Line Cinema, and in 2001 she joined Universal Studios as senior vice president of production.    She says her decision to say yes to a film is based on her gut instinct and whether she loves it.  She is a champion of original content and early on in her career backed Straight Outta Compton – the story of the hip hop band NWA – and later Get Out, directed by Jordan Peele. She currently oversees major franchises including Fast and Furious, Despicable Me and Jurassic World.Dame Donna lives in California with her husband and two children. DISC ONE: Thank You For The Music - Abba
DISC TWO: Zorba the Greek - Mikis Theodorakis  
DISC THREE: La Wally - composed by Alfredo Catalani and performed by Wilhelmenia Fernandez
DISC FOUR: This is the Day - The The 
DISC FIVE: It Was A Good Day - Ice Cube
DISC SIX: Never Is a Promise - Fiona Apple 
DISC SEVEN: All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem 
DISC EIGHT: Come Home (feat. André 3000) - Anderson Paak BOOK CHOICE: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez 
LUXURY ITEM: Tarot cards        
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE:  All My Friends - LCD SoundsystemPresenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer  Paula McGinley

Dame Donna Langley, film studio executive

Greg Jackson is the founder and CEO of Octopus Energy.  The company is the UK’s second largest domestic energy provider with over five million customers and is one of Europe’s leading investors in renewables. Greg was born in Germany in 1971 where his father was a surveyor in the army.  The family returned to the UK a few years later and, following his parents’ divorce, Greg and his two younger siblings were brought up by his mother in Halifax.  He describes his mother’s fortitude in bringing up three children on a tight budget as inspirational.Greg left school at 16 to write video games but returned to education a few years later to complete his A-Levels.  He went on to study economics at Cambridge University and then joined Procter and Gamble’s graduate scheme where he worked in marketing.He became managing director of a mirror business when he was still in his twenties and then began flexing his business acumen by investing in a series of tech start-up businesses.  In 2015 he secured £10m in investment to start a new energy company.Greg has two sons and lives in west London. DISC ONE: The Only Way is Up - Yazz & The Plastic Population
DISC TWO: Run To The Hills - Iron Maiden  
DISC THREE: Shipping Forecast (BBC Radio 4) Read by Eugene Fraser   
DISC FOUR: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For - U2
DISC FIVE: Dizzy - The Wonder Stuff and Vic Reeves  
DISC SIX: The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
DISC SEVEN: One Day Like This - Elbow
DISC EIGHT:  Rockaway Beach - Motörhead BOOK CHOICE: The Apollo Guidance Computer: Architecture and Operation by Frank O'Brien 
LUXURY ITEM: A pinball machine     
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: One Day Like This - Elbow   Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer  Paula McGinley

Greg Jackson, entrepreneur

Katherine Ryan is a Canadian comedian and writer.  Her edgy and provocative routines have led to sell-out tours, comedy specials on television and her sitcom series The Duchess.  Based on her experience at the time, the Duchess tells the story of a successful, happily single mother and Katherine wrote it out of frustration because she believed no one else was telling a story like hers on screen.Katherine was born in Sarnia in Ontario where she attended a local French-speaking primary school.  The school celebrated the arts and Katherine became a musical theatre enthusiast who could sing, dance, write and act.Later she moved to Toronto where she studied city planning and worked for a branch of the restaurant chain Hooters.  She credits the latter with teaching her the value of being entertaining and smart.In 2008 she relocated to London with her boyfriend and a few years later she got her big break as a comedian, performing on the panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats.  By now a single mother to daughter Violet, she developed a rapport with audiences by sharing stories from her own life – both funny and sad.  She describes her tendency to connect with her fans in this way as her “language of love”.In 2019, while filming an episode of the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are in Canada, she met up with her high school boyfriend, Bobby.  They hadn’t seen each other for 20 years but the spark was still there and later that year they married in Denmark and went on to have two children together.The programme was recorded on September 6th.DISC ONE: Spice Up Your Life - The Spice Girls 
DISC TWO: The Real Slim Shady - Eminem 
DISC THREE: La Isla Bonita - Madonna
DISC FOUR: Soul One - Blind Melon
DISC FIVE: 22 - Taylor Swift
DISC SIX: Psychic City (Classixx Remix) - Yacht
DISC SEVEN: Crash Into Me - Dave Matthews Band
DISC EIGHT: 16 Shots - Stefflon DonBOOK CHOICE:  The Highway Rat by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler
LUXURY ITEM: A hat and skincare set
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Spice Up Your Life - The Spice Girls Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley

Katherine Ryan, comedian

Lucinda Russell is a Scottish racehorse trainer. Her stables in Kinross have sent out almost 900 winners, including two Grand National champions. She is one of only two Scottish trainers and four women to have celebrated a Grand National win since the event began in 1839, and her yard is the most successful in the history of Scottish jump racing.  Lucinda was born in Edinburgh in 1966. Although she didn’t come from a racing background – her father ran the family’s whisky business – she was obsessed with horses from a very young age. After many years of pleading, she finally got her first pony at the age of 10. A few years later the family moved from Edinburgh to Arlay Farm near Milnathort in Kinross-shire, where she still trains her horses today.After studying psychology at the University of St Andrews, Lucinda began riding competitively, which she funded by buying and training horses before selling them on. She took out her professional trainer’s licence in 1995 and built up her stables on the family farm. Lucinda’s first success at the Grand National was in 2017 with One for Arthur, ridden by Derek Fox. She had helped buy the horse for the owners, two self-described ‘golf widows’. She was awarded an OBE for services to horseracing in the Queen’s Birthday Honours the following year. Then in 2023 she won again with Corach Rambler. Lucinda runs her stables with her partner the former National Hunt jockey Peter Scudamore.DISC ONE: Some Nights - Fun.  
DISC TWO: Forever Young - Alphaville 	
DISC THREE: Wand'rin' Star - Lee Marvin
DISC FOUR: Piano Man - Billy Joel
DISC FIVE: This Is The Day - The The
DISC SIX: To Win Just Once -The Saw Doctors
DISC SEVEN: Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Andy Williams 
DISC EIGHT: Andante, Andante - ABBA  BOOK CHOICE: Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery by Andris J. Kaneps, Kenneth William Hinchcliff, and Raymond J. Geor  
LUXURY ITEM: A camper van        
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Andy Williams Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer  Katy Hickman

Lucinda Russell, horse trainer

Adrian Edmondson first shot to national fame in 1982, playing the studded punk Vyvyan in the TV sitcom The Young Ones, set in a seedy student flat. The cast largely came from the developing alternative comedy scene, and included Rik Mayall and Alexei Sayle. Adrian was born in Bradford in 1957. He spent time as a child in Cyprus, Bahrain and Uganda, following his father who worked as a teacher for the armed forces. He attended a boarding school in Yorkshire from the age of 11, where he often rebelled against its rules and restrictions, but enjoyed performing in school plays. He headed to Manchester University to study drama, where he soon met Rik Mayall. They bonded over their shared interests in comedy, double acts, violent slapstick and the plays of Samuel Beckett. It was the start of a long performing partnership and friendship, which included the anarchic TV comedy and long-running touring show Bottom and a production of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot on the West End stage.Adrian has also worked widely as an actor and musician, including an acclaimed appearance as Scrooge for the RSC, and performances with the reunited Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. Adrian married Jennifer Saunders in 1985, and they have three daughters.DISC ONE:  Downtown - Petula Clark 
DISC TWO:  A Song of the Weather - Flanders & Swann 
DISC THREE:  Sugar, Sugar - The Archies  
DISC FOUR:  On My Radio - The Selecter   
DISC FIVE:  Jole Blon - Vin Bruce
DISC SIX:  Saturday Gigs - Mott the Hoople  
DISC SEVEN:  I’m Bored - Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band    
DISC EIGHT:  Wide Open Spaces - The Chicks (formerly The Dixie Chicks)BOOK CHOICE:  Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett 
LUXURY ITEM:  A tab of acid         
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE:  Wide Open Spaces - The Chicks  Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer  Sarah Taylor

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