Synopsis:

The longest running programme in the history of broadcasting, Desert Island Discs, was launched in 1942 and quickly became a British institution. For the past seven decades everyone who is anyone has been cast adrift and washed up on on a desert island. This delightful Arena classic, made in 1982, celebrated the fortieth anniversary of the programme. Roy Plomley, the show's founder and presenter for over forty years, resides on his own desert island while taking viewers through a whimsical history of the programme, including its conception and early scripted live shows. The format was a precursor to today's obsession with celebrity; as the original producer Leslie Perowne put it: "I think everybody wants to know the private tastes of public people." Surrounded by many of the records, books and luxuries chosen by his castaways, Plomley revisits islanders including Frankie Howerd, Arthur Askey (stranded four times), and the special guest for the 40th anniversary programme, Paul McCartney.