Hi, it's Nicola Cocklin.

Young people have been making history for years, but we don't often hear about them.

My brand new series on BBC Sounds sets out to put this right.

In history's youngest heroes, I'll be revealing the fascinating stories of 12 young people

who've played a major role in history and who've helped shape our world.

Like Audrey Hepburn, Nelson Mandela, Louis Braille

and Lady Jane Grey, history's youngest heroes with me, Nicola Cochlin. Listen on BBC Sounds.

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young. Thank you for downloading this podcast of Desert Island Discs from BBC Radio 4.

For rights reasons, the music choices are shorter than in the radio broadcast.

For more information about the programme, please visit BBC.co.com.ukes slash Radio 4.

Music My castaway this week is the rock star Alice Cooper.

Born in Detroit, he grew up an asthmatic skinny kid, but a turn in the school concert,

miming to Beatles tracks, convinced him that his future lay on stage. He realized early on that

while rock music had many heroes, there were few villains, and that was the territory he marked

out for himself. I was more than happy, he says,

to be Rock's Captain Hooke. He developed his trademark look, blackened, hollow eyes and long,

straggly hair, and set about designing live shows that were gleefully gory and macabre. He has

staged countless mock executions, using a guillotine, electric chair, noose, and significant

quantities of fake blood. He says of those early days, we were into fun, sex, death, and money

when everybody else was into peace and love. It strikes me, Alice Cooper, you must have a very

good sense of humor. I hope so. That's the one thing people I think have finally started digesting about Alice Cooper, you must have a very good sense of humor. I hope so. That's the one thing people,

I think, have finally started digesting about Alice Cooper from the beginning. It was a marriage

...