DELIUS on "DESERT ISLAND DISCS"
 (long-running UK radio programme hosted by Roy Plomley)


Each celebrity guest is asked to select 8 records that they would wish to take with them if they were to be stranded on a desert island.  
The following guests selected a work by Delius. 
(as documented in the book "Desert Island Lists" by Roy Plomley with Derek Drescher, ISBN 0091517613)

The Desert Island Discs Archive is now online!  
See the castaways who selected Delius at this link.




BROADCAST DATE
NAME
CLAIM TO FAME
DELIUS WORK SELECTED
RECORDING SPECIFIED
30 Apr 1942
IVOR NOVELLO
Composer, playwright, actor
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring
RPO/Beecham
20 Mar 1944
MABEL CONSTANDUROS
Novelist, playwright, actress
and variety artist
Serenade from "Hassan"
LPO/Beecham
4 Aug 1945
FREDERICK GRISEWOOD
Broadcaster
Summer Night on the River
RPO/Beecham
29 Dec 1945
SONIA DRESDEL
Actress
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
RPO/Beecham
24 Jan 1951
YVONNE ARNAUD
Actor, Musician, Concert Pianist
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
RPO/Beecham
13 Jun 1951
GRACIE FIELDS
Singer and actress
Intermezzo and Serenade from "Hassan"
Halle' Orch/Lambert
9 Oct 1951
HENRY KENDALL
Actor and director
La Calinda from "Koanga"
LPO/Beecham
15 Jan 1952
SYBIL THORNDIKE
Actress
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring
RPO/Beecham
1 Apr 1952
RICHARD HEARNE
Actor and comedian
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring
RPO/Beecham
13 May 1952
AND 2 Feb 1974
FAY COMPTON
Actress
"To The Queen Of My Heart" and
"Love's Philosophy"
Heddle Nash/Gerald Moore
29 Jul 1952
CHRISTOPHER STONE
Broadcaster
La Calinda from "Koanga"
Halle' Orch/Lambert
14 Nov 1952
NIGEL PATRICK
Actor and director
Serenade from "Hassan"
LPO/Beecham
5 Nov 1954
EVELYN LAYE
Actress and singer
Paris, the Song of a Great City
LSO/Collins
14 Nov 1955
VIC OLIVER
Comedian, actor and musician
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
RPO/Beecham
21 Nov 1955
BEVERLEY NICHOLS
Novelist, playwright and
journalist
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
RPO/Beecham
2 Jan 1956
LAURENCE HARVEY
Actor
Closing Scene from "Hassan"
Royal Opera House Choir,
LPO/Beecham
16 Apr 1956
MARIE BURKE
Actress and singer
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring RPO/Beecham
4 Feb 1957
PETER SELLERS
Actor and comedian
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring LSO/Collins
17 Jun 1957
PERCY EDWARDS
Bird and animal imitator
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring RPO/Beecham
9 Sep 1957
ERIC BARKER
Comedian
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring RPO/Beecham
23 Sep 1957
CHRISTOPHER STONE
Record presenter
La Calinda from "Koanga"
LPO/Beecham
23 Dec 1957
SIR THOMAS BEECHAM
Conductor
Part 1 of "A Mass of Life"
London Philharmonic Choir/
RPO/Beecham
23 Jun 1958
DEREK McCULLOUGH
'Uncle Mac' of Children's Hour
Prelude to "Irmelin"
LPO/Beecham
21 Jul 1958
JEAN POUGNET
Violinist
Brigg Fair
RPO/Beecham



NOTE:  Beginning in 1959, the guest was asked
to identify which of his records they would
keep if they could select ONLY ONE.
If they selected the Delius record, it is marked
with a triple asterisk (***).

20 Jul 1959
GEORGE MELACHRINO
Conductor, composer & arranger
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring ***
RPO/Beecham
29 Feb 1960
JACK JACKSON
Broadcaster
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring RPO/Beecham
21 Mar 1960
MICHAEL SOMES
Dancer
Paris
RPO/Beecham
18 Apr 1960
ANNE HEYWOOD
Actress
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
RPO/Beecham
8 Aug 1960
LORD BOOTHBY
Politician and journalist
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
RPO/Beecham
7 Nov 1960
FREDDY GRISEWOOD
Broadcaster
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring RPO/Beecham
28 May 1962
SIR ALAN COBHAM
Pioneer in long-distance aviation
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
LSO/Collins
8 October 1962
GWEN FFRANGCON-DAVIES
Actress
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring RPO/Beecham
5 Nov 1962
GEORGE SHEARING
Jazz pianist
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring RPO/Beecham
10 Nov 1962
VAL GIELGUD
Playwright, novelist and
Head of BBC radio drama
Serenade from "Hassan"
RPO/Beecham
18 Mar 1963
DUDLEY PERKINS
"Can I Help You?" broadcaster
Brigg Fair
RPO/Beecham
24 Jun 1963
BERYL REID
Comedienne
Summer Night On The River
RPO/Beecham
22 Jul 1963
VIVIENNE
Photographer
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
RPO/Beecham
26 Aug 1963
DR. REGINALD JACQUES
Conductor & lecturer
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring RPO/Beecham
8 Nov 1965
CONSTANCE SHACKLOCK
Opera singer
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
RPO/Beecham
25 Sep 1967
DORIS ARNOLD
BBC broadcaster & producer
Piano Concerto in C minor
Benno Moiseiwitsch/
Philharmonia Orch/Lambert
23 Dec 1967
DAME GLADYS COOPER
Actress and manager
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring RPO/Beecham
21 Oct 1968
BARBARA MURRAY
Actress
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet" ***
RPO/Beecham
9 Jun 1969
STANFORD ROBINSON
Conductor
Excerpt from "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
Lorely Dyer/
RPO/Beecham
23 Jun 1969
EVELYN LAYE
Actress and singer
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
LSO/Barbirolli
7 Jul 1969
LEONARD HENRY
Comedian
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring  *** RPO/Beecham
21 Jul 1969
PETER PEARS
Tenor
Brigg Fair
LSO/Toye
4 Oct 1969
THEA HOLME
Actress and writer
Serenade from "Hassan"
RPO/Beecham
11 Oct 1969
HENRY WILLIAMSON
Writer
Cynara
John Shirley-Quirk/
Royal Liverpool Phil/
Groves
18 Oct 1969
MAX ADRIAN
Actor
(Portrayed Delius in
"Song of Summer")
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
LSO/Barbirolli
31 Jan 1970
STANLEY BAXTER
Actor and comedian
La Calinda from "Koanga"
Halle' Orch/Lambert
25 April 1970
SIR GAVIN DE BEER
Scientist
Serenade from "Hassan"
RPO/Beecham
8 Aug 1970
DAVID DAVIS
Broadcaster for children
Brigg Fair
RPO/Beecham
12 Sep 1970
HELEN WATTS
Contralto
Idyll
Heather Harper/
John Shirley-Quirk/
RPO/Davies
3 Oct 1970
CARRIE TUBB
Soprano
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet" ***
LSO/Barbirolli
21 Aug 1971
MRS SYLVA STUART WATSON
Licensee of the
Theatre Royal, Haymarket
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
LSO/Barbirolli
11 Sep 1971
DAVID SHEPHERD
Painter
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
RPO/Beecham
15 Apr 1972
WENDY HILLER
Actress
In A Summer Garden
RPO/Beecham
14 Oct 1972
CHRISTOPHER GABLE
Actor
(portrayed Eric Fenby in
"Song of Summer")
Song of Summer
LSO/Barbirolli
19 May 1973
JOSEPH COOPER
Pianist, lecturer and broadcaster
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring RPO/Beecham
16 June 1973
BASIL DEAN
Theater and film producer
and director
(directed original production of
"Hassan" in 1923)
Serenade from "Hassan"
AND The Golden Road to Samarkand
from "Hassan"
RPO/Beecham
30 Jun 1973
BRENDA BRUCE
Actress
Florida Suite  ***
RPO/Beecham
11 Aug 1973
GERVASE DE PEYER
Clarinetist and conductor
Intermezzo from "Fennimore and Gerda"
RPO/Beecham
8 Sep 1973
JOYCE CAREY
Actress
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
LSO/Barbirolli
2 Feb 1974
FAY COMPTON
Actress
Love's Philosophy
Heddle Nash/
Gerald Moore
1 Jun 1974
LESLIE MITCHELL
Broadcaster
Summer Night on the River  ***
RPO/Beecham
25 Jan 1975
BERNARD HAILSTONE
Portrait Painter
A Song Before Sunrise
RPO/Beecham
15 Nov 1975
VINCE HILL
Singer and entertainer
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring RPO/Beecham
24 Jul 1976
MEL TORME'
Singer and songwriter
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring  *** RPO/Beecham
14 May 1977
PEGGY LEE
Singer
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet" ***
LSO/Barbirolli
25 Jun 1977
JACK PARNELL
Bandleader and drummer
Summer Night On The River
LPO/Beecham
10 Sep 1977
ROBIN RICHMOND
Organist and entertainer
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet" ***
LSO/Barbirolli
16 May 1981
SIR JOHN GIELGUD
Actor
NOTE: This was Sir John Gielgud's 2nd
appearance on the program, but his first time
to select a work by Delius.

The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
RPO/Beecham
1 Aug 1981
JULIAN LLOYD WEBBER
Cellist
La Calinda from "Koanga"
Halle' Orch/Barbirolli
23 Oct 1982
MIKE HARDING
Comedian
Brigg Fair
NOTE: this was his only "classical" choice
LSO/Barbirolli
6 Nov 1982
THOMAS ALLEN
Baritone
The Walk to the Paradise Garden
from "A Village Romeo and Juliet"
LSO/Barbirolli
10 Nov 1984
VERNON HANDLEY
Conductor
A Mass of Life
LPO/Beecham
16 Mar 1985
GORDON BENINGFIELD
Artist / Designer
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring
RPO/Beecham
16 Jul 1989
SIR THOMAS ARMSTRONG
Principal of Royal Academy of Music /
Conductor
Brigg Fair ***
RPO/Beecham
27 May 1990
DAVID BLUNKETT, MP
Politician
Song of Summer
Philharmonia/Hughes
17 Mar 1991
SIR TREVOR HOLDSWORTH
Chairman of National Power
Summer Evening
RPO/Beecham
19 Mar 1995
FELIX APRAHAMIAN
Musician / Critic
A Mass of Life
LPO/Beecham
15 Jul 2007
OLIVER POSTGATE
Creator of "Bagpuss" / Animator
Summer Evening
RPO/Beecham
24 May 2009
BARRY HUMPHRIES
Comedian, Actor, Artist, Producer
("Dame Edna Everage")
"They are not long, the weeping and the laughter"
(from Songs of Sunset) ***
Nancy Evans,
LPO/Beecham
20 Jun 2010
LEWIS GILBERT
Film Director
Brigg Fair
Philharmonia/Hughes


Other selections of interest:



7 Sep 1959 SIR LEONARD HUTTON Cricketer "On Ilkla Moor 'Baht 'At"
(basis for Fenby overture)
Yorkshire Vocal Quartette
30 Sep 1967 ROY CASTLE Entertainer "On Ilkla Moor 'Baht 'At" Grenadier Guards Band
13 Feb 1971
HARVEY SMITH
Showjumper
"On Ilkla Moor 'Baht 'At" Muriel George/
Ernest Butcher, piano


 

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