Desert Island Discs is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942.
Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordings (usually, but not always, music), a book and a luxury item that they would like to take if they were to be cast away on a desert island, whilst discussing their life and the reasons for their choices. It was devised and originally presented by Roy Plomley, and over the years has been presented by Michael Parkinson, Sue Lawley, Kirsty Young and current host Lauren Laverne.
More than 3,400 episodes have been recorded, with some guests having appeared more than once and some episodes featuring more than one guest. An example of a guest who falls into both categories is Bob Monkhouse, who appeared with his co-writer Denis Goodwin on 12 December 1955 and in his own right on 20 December 1998.
When Desert Island Discs marked its 75th year in 2017, The Guardian called the show a radio classic. In February 2019 a panel of broadcasting industry experts named it the greatest radio programme of all time.
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