What is the most chosen song on Desert Island Discs?
Perhaps the greatest radio programme of all time, Desert Island Discs has been a flagship of the BBC since its inception all the way back in January 1942. For the uninitiated, or those who are impossibly behind the times, the show chronicles the eight favourite tracks that a famous ‘castaway’ would take with them to a desert island, along with one book, one luxury, the Bible and the complete works of Shakespeare.
Starting on the BBC Forces Programme during World War Two, Desert Island Discs has since evolved into the UK’s longest-running radio show. The programme offers unparalleled insight into the lives and musical tastes of its guests, who range in stature from famous artists to MPs. Now presented by the great Lauren Laverne, the show has evolved to place more focus on the interview aspect of its output, often telling the narrative of a castaway’s life through their song choices. In contrast, the older episodes tend to focus almost solely on the musical choices themselves.
If Desert Island Discs proves anything, it is that you can gauge a great deal from somebody’s musical taste. After all, music is not merely a background noise; it is a way of life – one of the most popular and accessible art forms out there. The BBC programme aims to celebrate that fact, and it does so with all the charm and dedication that you would expect from the Beeb.
With well over 3,000 episodes, over 25,000 songs and five presenters over the course of its eight-decade reign, there has been predictable overlap between some of the discs picked by guests. Data collected by Andrew Gustar back in 2020 showed that classical music, as a genre, has dominated the castaway’s top picks, with the likes of Mozart, Strauss and Bach high up in the rankings.
The most common pick, as of 2020, was Handel’s ‘Messiah’, which has been chosen by a total of 119 castaways since the show’s inception. The track is a highlight of the British-German composer’s discography, first performed in Dubin in 1742. The success of the track on Desert Island Discs likely comes from the enduring popularity of Handel in the UK, where his work has been recorded and re-released time and time again. Its strong Christian message also falls in line with the religious beliefs of many guests on Desert Island Discs, which likely adds to its notoriety.
How have choices changed over time?
As is to be expected, the castaway choices have grown more and more focused on popular music as the years have progressed. Back in the 1940s, when the interviewees were generally more stuffy and, well, old-fashioned, classical music was the name of the game. Nowadays, with guests like Bob Mortimer, Greta Gerwig and Maxine Peake taking the spotlight, the music tends to be more exciting and accessible.
Nevertheless, the decades-long dominance of classical music is a hard one to shift. The most popular non-classical track takes the form of Edith Piaf’s ‘Je ne regrette rien’, chosen by nearly 50 different guests, while Frank Sinatra is predictably the most popular non-classical artist on the programme. Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ – a somewhat self-aggrandising choice, one might say – has been chosen by 28 castaways, as had Louis Armstrong’s ‘A Wonderful World’. While The Beatles might seem like an obvious choice, it must be remembered that the show had been running for 18 years before the band had even formed. These days, the Fab Four are a fairly popular choice, with ‘Yesterday’ being their most popular track among castaways.
What is the most popular book on Desert Island Discs?
Alongside the eight tracks, the BBC also grants castaways three books: The Bible, the complete works of Shakespeare, and a book of their own choosing. The addition of a book to the programme only came in 1951, with actor Henry Kendall the first to receive the honour, which he used to select Who’s Who in the Theatre (what use he believed to be on a desert island remains unknown).
Castaways’ book choices are littered with all the classics you would expect to hear: Pride and Prejudice, War and Peace and Lord of the Rings, all featuring in the top ten list. The most popular literary work is the Italian narrative poem Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. The work is often hailed as one of the greatest examples of Western literature, and it seems as though the guests on Desert Island Discs are inclined to agree.
What is the most popular luxury item?
The only caveat when it comes to the luxury items seems to be that they cannot have a practical use; in other words, you can’t take a boat with you to leave the island. As the most interpretive part of the programme, this segment brings up some fairly whacky answers. However, the most common luxury items revolve around music, with musical instruments being a big hitter. Other common choices include beds, pillows, and blankets, as well as specific condiments and seasonings for food.
Many guests, mainly artists, authors and musicians, tend to opt for writing materials to jot down their thoughts while on the island, perhaps fancying themselves as tropical Samuel Pepys. You can tell a lot from a celebrity’s choice of luxury. For instance, the ever-modest Simon Cowell opted for a mirror (make of that what you will).
