Desert Island Discs

The BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2022.
She has reported from many war-torn countries, including Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, but says she doesn't want to be defined by war. Instead, she is interested in the human cost of conflict. When she arrives in a place, she embeds herself in the lives of the local people; discovering what she calls the “heat and dust” of a society helps her to tell their stories.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

The former England manager Gareth Southgate was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2024.
He was 25 when he made his debut for the England team. By the time he retired from international football, he had been capped 57 times. As England manager, he led the team to two finals in the European Championships, further than they had come in more than five decades since 1966.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

The actor Michael Sheen was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2025.
He has portrayed many real people on stage including Tony Blair, Brian Clough and David Frost, though never Jack Nicholson. That was his father's department, who had a second career impersonating the actor, which started around the time Nicholson played the Joker in the 1989 Batman film.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

Record producer Rick Rubin was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2022.
He is responsible for shaping the sound of artists such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Beastie Boys and is credited with reinvigorating the career of Johnny Cash in the 1990s, but you're more likely to see him reclining on a sofa than hunched over a mixing desk when he's hard at work. He explains what he listens for in a piece of music.
You can hear the full episode on BBC Sounds.

The writer and journalist Caitlin Moran was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2017.
Her journey took her from a three-bedroom council house in Wolverhampton, where she lived with her parents and seven siblings, to becoming a columnist for The Times newspaper and writing her own sitcom. She explains why she feels it's important to highlight the experience of those raised on benefits like herself.
You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.