75 years of
Kirsty
Some have become irate, others have squirmed – but most have both charmed and informed, many showing a side the public had never seen.
And along the way we’ve enjoyed countless joyful moments.
Now Deser t Island Discs celebrates its 75th anniversary next Sunday, with special castaway David Beckham.
A three- hour celebration will be broadcast to mark the milestone since the first broadcast on January 29, 1942.
When writer Caitlin Moran appears on BBC Radio 4 today it will be on the 3103rd p r o g ra m m e, w i t h each Castaway picking the eight tunes, one book and one luxury item with which they’d like to be marooned.
Creator Roy Plomley was the man originally asking the questions. Since then, only three others have quizzed the castaways; Michael Parkinson, Sue Lawley and, for the past decade, Kirsty Young.
East Kilbride- born Kirsty says it has given her countless magical moments – from Tom Jones serenading her to Sir Michael Caine giving her a roast potato recipe.
And Kirsty, who also hosts Saturday’s anniversary special on Radio 4 Extra, told The Sunday Post of her delight at the show’s ongoing success.
Three million reckon their week wouldn’t be the same without tuning in; on top of that a couple of million a month catch up via downloads.
“To take over any job from someone who has done it very well for a good, long time is i ntimidating,” admits Kirsty, 48.
“And Sue Lawley was a hard act to follow.
“But at the time. I was rea l ly exhilarated rather
Kirsty says Tom Hanks moved her and Dustin Hoffman surprised her. than overwhelmed by the challenge.” A decade on, the figures are at record levels and the download numbers continue to rise.
A small part- time team of just five put the show together, digging into their castaway subject’s life in minute detail.
And Kirsty says that reading all their notes as well as doing indepth research herself is critical to putting her interviewee at ease. “There’s no substitute for good preparation,” she insists. “You have to have it in your head as you go along to fill in the bits of information that the listener needs,” Kirsty says.
“So each interview is like swotting for a mini exam in someone’s life.
“Once all that’s done I sit down in front of the mic with my