Show Notes
This week Sue Lawley's castaway is the Booker prize-winning novelist Pat Barker. Pat Barker was 39 when she had the phone call every writer dreams about - her first book, Union Street, was to be published. The book went on to be made into a film, Stanley and Iris, with Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep. Initially she wrote about the hard lives of working-class, Northern women, and the compromises some made in order to survive. But she became a household name for her Regeneration trilogy about World War I and its aftermath - the final book in the series, The Ghost Road, won the 1995 Booker prize. In Desert Island Discs she discusses her writing, her inspiration, the importance of her grandparents in her upbringing and what it was like growing up as a 'mistake' - a war-time baby born to her unmarried mother. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Dawn (The First of Sea Interludes) by Benjamin Britten Book: Book on tropical fish to identify them Luxury: Snorkelling equipment
More from Desert Island Discs: Archive 2000-2005
Sue Lawley's castaway is the actress Kim Cattrall. Kim Cattrall became a household name in her forties as a result of playing man-eater, defiant singleton and PR mogul Samantha Jones in Sex and the City. She is about to star in the play Whose Life is it Anyway? in the West End of London. She was born in Liverpool but grew up in Canada and decided to be an actress at a young age. She says a formative experience was appearing in a school play Piffle It's Only a Sniffle when she took the role of a cold germ which had to infect the other children by tickling them with a feather until they sneezed. She spent time in drama schools in Canada, Liverpool and New York and says now that her first love is theatre - and her film roles allow her to feed her theatre habit. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: My Favourite Things by John Coltrane Book: An English Dictionary Luxury: Fragrant body cream
Sue Lawley's castaway is the singer Engelbert Humperdinck. Engelbert Humperdinck is one of Britain's most successful entertainers. He is known as the King of Romance and has been at the top of the showbusiness ladder for nearly 40 years - selling more than 130 million records including sixty-four gold and 23 platinum albums.
Sue Lawley's castaway this week is John Fortune. John Fortune is one of Britain's most respected and enduring satirists. For the past 12 years he has been half of the award-winning double act, The Long Johns, with John Bird, that have brought a sharper political edge to Bremner, Bird and Fortune. As a result of the act, they have been named the Best Opposition by The Oldie Magazine and are Bafta award winners. It is a return to the forefront of political satire for John Fortune - he had joined Peter Cook in setting up The Establishment Club in the 1960s and had taken the review to America to widespread acclaim and returned to Britain to write for, among others, BBC Three and Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Piano Sonata No 30 in E Major by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: The Leopard (In Italian & English) by Giuseppe di Lampedusa Luxury: A rug made by the Baluch people from Afghanistan
Sue Lawley's castaway this week is Sir Bobby Robson. Sir Bobby Robson is one of the most enduring and popular faces in football. For more than five decades he has dedicated his life to the game - as a player and manager. As a small boy growing up in a mining village in County Durham, he learnt his ball skills by playing football in the streets and backyard with his four brothers. By the time he was 15, Bobby knew he had a particular gift and was attracting the attention of the local talent scouts. But, despite being offered a professional place by his home team of Newcastle, he decided to head south to Fulham, where he thought he'd have a greater chance to shine. He went on to play successfully for Fulham and West Bromwich Albion and earned twenty England caps before an ankle injury cut short his international career. He then managed Ipswich Town for 13 very successful years - leaving when he was offered the opportunity manage the England squad. After a successful career in Europe he returned to Britain in 1999 to manage Newcastle but was sacked early in the season. Despite health problems, he says he hasn't given up hope of finding another club to manage. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: It Was a Very Good Year by Robbie Williams and Frank Sinatra Book: The works of historian John Keegan: The First World War & the Second World War collected into one volume by John Keegan Luxury: Sun lounger with canopy to protect him from the sun
Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the artist Tracey Emin. Tracey Emin is one of the most successful and controversial artists to emerge during the 1990s. Her work was championed early on by influential art dealer Jay Jopling and later by the collector Charles Saatchi. Her work is highly autobiographical and confessional. A talented drawer and painter, she has attracted most attention for her art installations - including her tent, Everyone I Have Ever Slept With and the Turner Prize-nominated My Bed. Her art is adored and condemned in equal measure, but wherever she exhibits she attracts queues and has a room at Tate Britain dedicated to her work. She was brought up in Margate and she has recently finished a film, Top Spot, which reflects her own experiences. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Young Americans by David Bowie Book: Ethics by Spinoza Luxury: A pen which would never run out