<description>&lt;p&gt;Adeel Akhtar is an award-winning actor whose breakthrough role came in 2010 when he starred in Chris Morris’s black comedy Four Lions. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He won his first BAFTA for Best Actor in 2017 for his role in the BBC drama Murdered by My Father. His second, for Best Supporting Actor, came in 2023 playing Andy Fisher in the BBC series Sherwood.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adeel was born in Hounslow in West London and grew up in Buckinghamshire. He discovered a love of acting at school when he and a group of friends put on a production of Harold Pinter’s play The Homecoming. He read law at university but in 2002 followed his true passion and took a drama course at The Actors Studio in New York.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He got his first screen part playing one of the four hijackers of United Airlines Flight 93 in the television docudrama Let’s Roll: the Story of Flight 93. He has gone on to stretch his talents playing roles in the television series Fool Me Once, The Night Manager and Killing Eve. More recently he appeared on stage in The Cherry Orchard and a new play called The Empire.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adeel lives in London with his wife, documentary maker Alexis Burke, and their two children.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;DISC ONE: The Weight - Aretha Franklin 
DISC TWO: Jamaica Farewell - Harry Belafonte 
DISC THREE: Danny Nedelko - Idles 
DISC FOUR: First Big Weekend - Arab Strap 
DISC FIVE: After Hours - Velvet Underground 
DISC SIX: Time to Pretend - MGMT 
DISC SEVEN: People’s Faces - Kae Tempest 
DISC EIGHT: Do You Realize?? - The Flaming Lips &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;BOOK CHOICE: A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders
LUXURY ITEM: A solar-powered air fryer
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Do You Realize?? - The Flaming Lips &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Desert Island Discs has cast many actors away to the island over the years including Cillian Murphy, Stephen Graham, Lesley Manville and Helen McCrory. Adeel’s friend Meera Syall is in our archive too. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Adeel Akhtar, actor, shares the soundtrack of his life with Lauren Laverne.

Adeel Akhtar is an award-winning actor whose breakthrough role came in 2010 when he starred in Chris Morris’s black comedy Four Lions. He won his first BAFTA for Best Actor in 2017 for his role in the BBC drama Murdered by My Father. His second, for Best Supporting Actor, came in 2023 playing Andy Fisher in the BBC series Sherwood.Adeel was born in Hounslow in West London and grew up in Buckinghamshire. He discovered a love of acting at school when he and a group of friends put on a production of Harold Pinter’s play The Homecoming. He read law at university but in 2002 followed his true passion and took a drama course at The Actors Studio in New York.He got his first screen part playing one of the four hijackers of United Airlines Flight 93 in the television docudrama Let’s Roll: the Story of Flight 93. He has gone on to stretch his talents playing roles in the television series Fool Me Once, The Night Manager and Killing Eve. More recently he appeared on stage in The Cherry Orchard and a new play called The Empire.Adeel lives in London with his wife, documentary maker Alexis Burke, and their two children.DISC ONE: The Weight - Aretha Franklin 
DISC TWO: Jamaica Farewell - Harry Belafonte 
DISC THREE: Danny Nedelko - Idles 
DISC FOUR: First Big Weekend - Arab Strap 
DISC FIVE: After Hours - Velvet Underground 
DISC SIX: Time to Pretend - MGMT 
DISC SEVEN: People’s Faces - Kae Tempest 
DISC EIGHT: Do You Realize?? - The Flaming Lips BOOK CHOICE: A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders
LUXURY ITEM: A solar-powered air fryer
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Do You Realize?? - The Flaming Lips Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinleyDesert Island Discs has cast many actors away to the island over the years including Cillian Murphy, Stephen Graham, Lesley Manville and Helen McCrory. Adeel’s friend Meera Syall is in our archive too. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.

Adeel Akhtar, actor

<description>&lt;p&gt;Jesse Armstrong is a British author, screenwriter, and producer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He has written several award-winning TV comedies and satirical dramas and won many accolades for his work including two BAFTA TV Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and three Writers Guild of America Awards. His hit HBO series Succession has won nineteen Emmys. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jesse was born and educated in Oswestry, Shropshire, and attended Manchester University where he studied American Studies as an undergraduate and American History for his Masters. After university, he worked as a researcher for a Labour Member of Parliament for a couple of years it was an experience that would later inform his time as a writer on The Thick of It. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He met his writing partner, Sam Bain, at Manchester University and together they created and co-wrote 9 seasons of Channel 4’s BAFTA-winning comedy Peep Show and 4 seasons of the student comedy Fresh Meat. 
 
During this time, he also wrote for the political satire series The Thick of It and co-wrote the film In the Loop, the latter of which earned him Oscar and BAFTA nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also co-wrote the films Four Lions and Downhill and wrote and directed the television film, Mountainhead.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He was the creator and show-runner of the hit HBO TV show Succession, a drama about a fictional powerful media family with the plot centring around which child would succeed the father played by Brian Cox. Succession won a total of 19 Emmys including Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for each of Succession’s four seasons.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He lives in London with his wife and has two children in their twenties.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;DISC ONE: A Day in the Life - The Beatles
DISC TWO: Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division 
DISC THREE: Debaser - Pixies 
DISC FOUR: Georgia on my Mind - Billie Holiday
DISC FIVE: The Magic Number - De La Soul
DISC SIX: New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down - LCD Sound System 
DISC SEVEN: Dream Song 28: Snow Line. Written and read by John Berryman 
DISC EIGHT: Violin Concerto in D Major, RV 234 “L’inquietudine” 1: Allegro. Composed by Antonio Vivaldi and performed by Walter Gallozzi and I Musici &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;BOOK CHOICE: The Norton Anthology of Poetry 
LUXURY ITEM: A football 
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Georgia on my Mind - Billie Holiday &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Desert Island Discs has cast many TV writers away to the island over the years including Russell T Davies, Sally Wainwright and Abi Morgan. You’ll also find the stars of Peep Show, Robert Webb and David Mitchell in there too along with the actor Brian Cox who played the patriarch, Logan Roy, in Jesse’s hit TV series, Succession. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Jesse Armstrong, writer, shares the soundtrack of his life with Lauren Laverne.

Jesse Armstrong is a British author, screenwriter, and producer.He has written several award-winning TV comedies and satirical dramas and won many accolades for his work including two BAFTA TV Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and three Writers Guild of America Awards. His hit HBO series Succession has won nineteen Emmys. Jesse was born and educated in Oswestry, Shropshire, and attended Manchester University where he studied American Studies as an undergraduate and American History for his Masters. After university, he worked as a researcher for a Labour Member of Parliament for a couple of years it was an experience that would later inform his time as a writer on The Thick of It. He met his writing partner, Sam Bain, at Manchester University and together they created and co-wrote 9 seasons of Channel 4’s BAFTA-winning comedy Peep Show and 4 seasons of the student comedy Fresh Meat. 
 
During this time, he also wrote for the political satire series The Thick of It and co-wrote the film In the Loop, the latter of which earned him Oscar and BAFTA nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also co-wrote the films Four Lions and Downhill and wrote and directed the television film, Mountainhead.He was the creator and show-runner of the hit HBO TV show Succession, a drama about a fictional powerful media family with the plot centring around which child would succeed the father played by Brian Cox. Succession won a total of 19 Emmys including Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for each of Succession’s four seasons.He lives in London with his wife and has two children in their twenties.DISC ONE: A Day in the Life - The Beatles
DISC TWO: Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division 
DISC THREE: Debaser - Pixies 
DISC FOUR: Georgia on my Mind - Billie Holiday
DISC FIVE: The Magic Number - De La Soul
DISC SIX: New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down - LCD Sound System 
DISC SEVEN: Dream Song 28: Snow Line. Written and read by John Berryman 
DISC EIGHT: Violin Concerto in D Major, RV 234 “L’inquietudine” 1: Allegro. Composed by Antonio Vivaldi and performed by Walter Gallozzi and I Musici BOOK CHOICE: The Norton Anthology of Poetry 
LUXURY ITEM: A football 
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Georgia on my Mind - Billie Holiday Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah TaylorDesert Island Discs has cast many TV writers away to the island over the years including Russell T Davies, Sally Wainwright and Abi Morgan. You’ll also find the stars of Peep Show, Robert Webb and David Mitchell in there too along with the actor Brian Cox who played the patriarch, Logan Roy, in Jesse’s hit TV series, Succession. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.

Jesse Armstrong, writer

<description>&lt;p&gt;Jojo Moyes is a British novelist and screenwriter. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She began her writing career as a journalist and worked at the Egham and Staines News, Independent and South China Morning Post. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whilst working nightshifts on the Independent, she pursued her novel writing ambitions and wrote books by day. Her first few books were well received but did not topple the best seller lists. That all changed in 2012 when her novel You Before Me was published. Readers fell in love with the story of Louisa Clark, who takes a job looking after an angry young quadriplegic man. The book sold fifteen million copies, was made into a film and Jojo wrote two sequels. Her novels are beloved of book clubs and have sold in excess of fifty seven million copies and have been translated into forty-six languages. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jojo lives in London.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;DISC ONE: Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Laughing Version) (Live) - Elvis Presley 
DISC TWO: Golden Slumbers - The Beatles 
DISC THREE: Silly Games - Janet Kay 
DISC FOUR: The Art Teacher - Rufus Wainwright 
DISC FIVE: Mozart: Vesperae solennes de confessore in C, K.339: 5. Laudate Dominum omnes gentes (Ps. 116/117) Composed by Mozart and performed by Edith Mathis (soprano), MDR Rundfunkchor Leipzig (choir), Staatskapelle Dresden (orchestra), conducted by Peter Schreier 
DISC SIX: Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell 
DISC SEVEN: A Better Time to Meet - Adrianne Lenker &amp;amp; Buck Meek 
DISC EIGHT: Je L’Aime à Mourir - Francis Cabrel &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;BOOK CHOICE: The complete works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky 
LUXURY ITEM: A mechanical horse 
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Laughing Version - Live) - Elvis Presley &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Desert Island Discs has cast many writers away to the island over the years including Helen Fielding, Marian Keyes and Dame Jilly Cooper. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Jojo Moyes, writer, shares the soundtrack of her life with Lauren Laverne.

Jojo Moyes is a British novelist and screenwriter. She began her writing career as a journalist and worked at the Egham and Staines News, Independent and South China Morning Post. Whilst working nightshifts on the Independent, she pursued her novel writing ambitions and wrote books by day. Her first few books were well received but did not topple the best seller lists. That all changed in 2012 when her novel You Before Me was published. Readers fell in love with the story of Louisa Clark, who takes a job looking after an angry young quadriplegic man. The book sold fifteen million copies, was made into a film and Jojo wrote two sequels. Her novels are beloved of book clubs and have sold in excess of fifty seven million copies and have been translated into forty-six languages. Jojo lives in London.DISC ONE: Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Laughing Version) (Live) - Elvis Presley 
DISC TWO: Golden Slumbers - The Beatles 
DISC THREE: Silly Games - Janet Kay 
DISC FOUR: The Art Teacher - Rufus Wainwright 
DISC FIVE: Mozart: Vesperae solennes de confessore in C, K.339: 5. Laudate Dominum omnes gentes (Ps. 116/117) Composed by Mozart and performed by Edith Mathis (soprano), MDR Rundfunkchor Leipzig (choir), Staatskapelle Dresden (orchestra), conducted by Peter Schreier 
DISC SIX: Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell 
DISC SEVEN: A Better Time to Meet - Adrianne Lenker &amp; Buck Meek 
DISC EIGHT: Je L’Aime à Mourir - Francis Cabrel BOOK CHOICE: The complete works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky 
LUXURY ITEM: A mechanical horse 
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Laughing Version - Live) - Elvis Presley Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah TaylorDesert Island Discs has cast many writers away to the island over the years including Helen Fielding, Marian Keyes and Dame Jilly Cooper. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.

Jojo Moyes, writer

<description>&lt;p&gt;Kate Winslet is an actor who achieved global fame playing Rose DeWitt Bukater, opposite Leonard DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, in the 1997 James Cameron epic Titanic. During her career she has won five BAFTAs, two Emmys, five Golden Globes and an Academy Award for her role in the Reader. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kate was born in Reading in 1975 and attended Redroofs School for the Performing Arts in Maidenhead, Berkshire. Her film debut came in 1994 when she played a teenage killer in Peter Jackson’s film Heavenly Creatures. The following year she played Marianne Dashwood opposite Emma Thompson’s Elinor in Sense and Sensibility, directed by Ang Lee. Kate’s performance earned her a BAFTA for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She went on to consolidate her reputation as one of the most versatile actors of her generation by starring in a list of popular and critically acclaimed films including Hideous Kinky, Iris, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Holiday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last year Kate directed her first film, Goodbye June, starring Helen Mirren, Timothy Spall and Andrea Riseborough. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kate has three children and lives in West Sussex with her husband Ned and her family.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;DISC ONE: Georgia on my Mind - Roger Winslet and Sophie Breakenridge 
DISC TWO: Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs - Brian and Michael 
DISC THREE: Kiss from a Rose - Seal 
DISC FOUR: Summertime - Ella Fitzgerald 
DISC FIVE: Nuvole Bianche - Ludovico Einaudi 
DISC SIX: Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi - Radiohead 
DISC SEVEN: Blue Ridge Mountains - Fleet Foxes 
DISC EIGHT: Pump up the Jam - Technotronic 
 
BOOK CHOICE: Outside: Recipes for a Wilder Way of Eating by Gill Meller 
LUXURY ITEM: Freshly ground coffee 
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Georgia on my Mind – Roger Winslet and Sophie Breakenridge &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Desert Island Discs has cast many actors away over the years including Dame Emma Thompson, Cate Blanchett and Dame Helen Mirren. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Kate Winslet, actor, shares the soundtrack of her life with Lauren Laverne.

Kate Winslet is an actor who achieved global fame playing Rose DeWitt Bukater, opposite Leonard DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, in the 1997 James Cameron epic Titanic. During her career she has won five BAFTAs, two Emmys, five Golden Globes and an Academy Award for her role in the Reader. Kate was born in Reading in 1975 and attended Redroofs School for the Performing Arts in Maidenhead, Berkshire. Her film debut came in 1994 when she played a teenage killer in Peter Jackson’s film Heavenly Creatures. The following year she played Marianne Dashwood opposite Emma Thompson’s Elinor in Sense and Sensibility, directed by Ang Lee. Kate’s performance earned her a BAFTA for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She went on to consolidate her reputation as one of the most versatile actors of her generation by starring in a list of popular and critically acclaimed films including Hideous Kinky, Iris, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Holiday.Last year Kate directed her first film, Goodbye June, starring Helen Mirren, Timothy Spall and Andrea Riseborough. Kate has three children and lives in West Sussex with her husband Ned and her family.DISC ONE: Georgia on my Mind - Roger Winslet and Sophie Breakenridge 
DISC TWO: Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs - Brian and Michael 
DISC THREE: Kiss from a Rose - Seal 
DISC FOUR: Summertime - Ella Fitzgerald 
DISC FIVE: Nuvole Bianche - Ludovico Einaudi 
DISC SIX: Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi - Radiohead 
DISC SEVEN: Blue Ridge Mountains - Fleet Foxes 
DISC EIGHT: Pump up the Jam - Technotronic 
 
BOOK CHOICE: Outside: Recipes for a Wilder Way of Eating by Gill Meller 
LUXURY ITEM: Freshly ground coffee 
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Georgia on my Mind – Roger Winslet and Sophie Breakenridge Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinleyDesert Island Discs has cast many actors away over the years including Dame Emma Thompson, Cate Blanchett and Dame Helen Mirren. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.

Kate Winslet, actor

<description>&lt;p&gt;Lee Child is a writer who is best known for his series of bestselling novels featuring Jack Reacher. Reacher is an enigmatic 6ft 5in, 17-stone ex-military police major who rights wrongs before disappearing off into the sunset. The books have sold in their millions around the world and have inspired two films starring Tom Cruise and a television series.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lee Child was born James - Jim - Grant in 1954 and grew up in Birmingham. He studied Law at the University of Sheffield and then joined the presentation department at Granada Television where he was a shop steward and became a thorn in the side of the management. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At 40 he was made redundant and sat down to write his first Reacher novel Killing Floor. He found himself an agent and the novel was published in March 1997 - the franchise was up and running. In the UK Lee outsells both Stephen King and John Grisham and worldwide he sells between 12 and 15 million copies a year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2020 Lee announced that he was handing over the Reacher franchise to his younger brother Andrew Grant. The two brothers have worked on several novels since then and the thirtieth Reacher title features both brothers’ names on the cover.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lee Child was appointed CBE in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He lives in the Lake District with his wife Jane. They have one daughter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;DISC ONE: She Loves You - The Beatles 
DISC TWO: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones 
DISC THREE: So What - Miles Davis 
DISC FOUR: Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23: I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso – Allegro con spirito. Performed by Stephen Hough (piano) and Minnesota Orchestra, conducted by Osmo Vänskä
DISC FIVE: Joe’s Blues - Joe Pass 
DISC SIX: The Lemon Song - Led Zeppelin 
DISC SEVEN: Für Elise (Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor) Composed by Ludwig Beethoven and performed by Lang Lang 
DISC EIGHT: Delibes: Lakmé / Act 1: \"Sous le dôme épais\" (Flower Duet) Performed by Renée Fleming (soprano), Susan Graham (mezzo soprano), Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Sebastian Lang-Lessing &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;BOOK CHOICE: Killing Floor by Lee Child
LUXURY ITEM: A mechanical wind-up watch 
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: So What - Miles Davis &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Lee Child, writer, shares the soundtrack of his life with Lauren Laverne.

Lee Child is a writer who is best known for his series of bestselling novels featuring Jack Reacher. Reacher is an enigmatic 6ft 5in, 17-stone ex-military police major who rights wrongs before disappearing off into the sunset. The books have sold in their millions around the world and have inspired two films starring Tom Cruise and a television series.Lee Child was born James - Jim - Grant in 1954 and grew up in Birmingham. He studied Law at the University of Sheffield and then joined the presentation department at Granada Television where he was a shop steward and became a thorn in the side of the management. At 40 he was made redundant and sat down to write his first Reacher novel Killing Floor. He found himself an agent and the novel was published in March 1997 - the franchise was up and running. In the UK Lee outsells both Stephen King and John Grisham and worldwide he sells between 12 and 15 million copies a year.In 2020 Lee announced that he was handing over the Reacher franchise to his younger brother Andrew Grant. The two brothers have worked on several novels since then and the thirtieth Reacher title features both brothers’ names on the cover.Lee Child was appointed CBE in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours. He lives in the Lake District with his wife Jane. They have one daughter.DISC ONE: She Loves You - The Beatles 
DISC TWO: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones 
DISC THREE: So What - Miles Davis 
DISC FOUR: Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23: I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso – Allegro con spirito. Performed by Stephen Hough (piano) and Minnesota Orchestra, conducted by Osmo Vänskä
DISC FIVE: Joe’s Blues - Joe Pass 
DISC SIX: The Lemon Song - Led Zeppelin 
DISC SEVEN: Für Elise (Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor) Composed by Ludwig Beethoven and performed by Lang Lang 
DISC EIGHT: Delibes: Lakmé / Act 1: \"Sous le dôme épais\" (Flower Duet) Performed by Renée Fleming (soprano), Susan Graham (mezzo soprano), Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Sebastian Lang-Lessing BOOK CHOICE: Killing Floor by Lee Child
LUXURY ITEM: A mechanical wind-up watch 
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: So What - Miles Davis Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley

Lee Child, writer

Eight tracks, a book and a luxury: what would you take to a desert island? Guests share the soundtrack of their lives.

Desert Island Discs

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