Breaking records

As the 70th anniversary of Desert Island Discs approaches, Kate Chisholm charts its enduring success

Ed Miliband should be worried. He’s not as yet been invited to choose eight ‘favourite’ pieces of music for that staple of the Radio 4 diet, Desert Island Discs (or DID to those in the know). Nick Clegg, David Cameron and even Alex Salmond have all been cast away, but not Miliband. Perhaps he’s not being taken seriously enough as the leader of the Labour party? Perhaps he’s not yet ready to reveal his Top Eight records?

It’s 70 years since the soaring strings and screeching seagulls of ‘By the sleepy lagoon’ were first heard on British radio, setting the scene for an hour of whimsical chat with an invited guest who’d been instructed to imagine what it would be like to be marooned with only eight pieces of music for company. Since then 805 women and 2,084 men (what an imbalance) have been landed on that no-longer-so-deserted isle. Roy Plomley, who was the presenter until his death in 1985, himself appeared twice. Very quickly, the programme became threaded into the warp of British life. If you’ve not been cast away, then surely you’re not quite pukka.

Both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown hastened to be on the show before the 1997 election. In those far-off days Brown (in March 1996) came before Blair (a few months later in November). Don’t choose any music that’s too far out; do remember to talk about the children must have been the mantras instilled in Blair by his advisers.

‘Do you cook?’ asked Sue Lawley, who presided over the island from 1988 to 2006. ‘Occasionally,’ said Blair, pausing just long enough before adding, ‘for the kids.’ But he then went one better.