Bradley Walsh, presenter and actor

Desert Island Discs

BBC

Society & Culture, Music Commentary, Music, Personal Journals

4.4 • 13.7K Ratings

🗓️ 12 June 2022

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Bradley Walsh is a familiar face to many millions of TV viewers, as the host of quiz shows including The Chase and Blankety-Blank, and as an actor in dramas such as Doctor Who and The Larkins. Bradley was born in Watford and after leaving school at 16 he was apprenticed to the local Rolls-Royce factory as a jet engineer. A keen footballer, he signed to Brentford FC when he was 19 but his career was cut short by injury after only two seasons with the club. He dealt with this blow by turning his attention to the entertainment business. He worked as a Pontin’s bluecoat and then tried his luck as a stand-up comedian - doing impressions and telling jokes at working men’s clubs. In 1986 he turned professional, and his first booking was a stint at the Pavilion Theatre on Cromer Pier. Later he became the support act for performers including Dame Shirley Bassey, Leo Sayer and Sir Tom Jones. In 1997 he hosted the quiz show Wheel of Fortune and three years later got his first acting role in the Channel 4 series Lock Stock….a spin-off from Guy Ritchie’s 1998 feature film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. He followed this up with roles in Coronation Street, Law & Order: UK and Doctor Who Bradley released his debut album Chasing Dreams, featuring his interpretations of popular standards, in 2016. In that year it became the biggest-selling debut album by a British artist. Bradley lives in Essex with his wife Donna and their son Barney who appears alongside him in the television series Bradley & Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad. DISC ONE: Life on Mars? by David Bowie DISC TWO: March of the Mods by Joe Loss Orchestra DISC THREE: Bye Bye Baby by Bay City Rollers DISC FOUR: I’m Mandy Fly Me by 10cc DISC FIVE: Firefly by Tony Bennett DISC SIX: The Hungry Years by Neil Sedaka DISC SEVEN: Always and Forever by Heatwave DISC EIGHT: That’s Life (Remastered 2008) by Frank Sinatra BOOK CHOICE: The Count of Monte Christo by Alexandre Dumas LUXURY ITEM: A set of golf clubs and balls CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Always and Forever by Heatwave Presenter: Lauren Laverne Producer: Paula McGinley

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds Music Radio Podcasts
0:04.9	Hello, I'm Lauren LeVern and this is the Deser Island Disks Podcast.
0:08.6	Every week I ask my guests to choose the eight tracks, book and luxury they'd want to take with them
0:13.9	if they were cast away to a desert island.
0:16.4	And for right reasons, the music is shorter than the original broadcast.
0:21.2	I hope you enjoy listening.
0:44.4	My cast away this week is the television presenter, actor and entertainer Bradley Walsh.
0:49.7	He's been a familiar face on our screens since the 90s, but in recent years the share breadth of his
0:55.1	output has reached critical mass. In case you're still catching up, his adventures include
1:00.0	stand-up comedy quiz shows including the Chase and Blankety Blank, Pantel, Big Budger dramas,
1:05.2	Coronation Street, Doctor Who and Travel Programs, which he co-presents with his son, Barney.
1:10.3	And then there's the singing. In 2016 he released the biggest selling debut album by a British artist.
1:17.2	He was born in Watford and was an apprentice engineer at the nearby Rolls Royce factory,
1:21.4	making jet engines before signing for Brentford Football Club.
1:25.1	When Injury put an end to his dreams of playing for England, he decided to give entertainment a
1:30.3	world. They became a blue coat of pontons, doing the rounds at work in men's clubs before
1:34.8	turning professional in 1986. When asked what advice he would give to his 18-year-old self,
1:40.7	he says, keep your feet on the ground, smile and turn upon time.
1:44.4	Dune TV is not brain surgery, so don't think you're important. That said, you are making people happy,
1:50.4	which is a great feeling. Bradley Walsh, welcome to Desert Island Disks.
1:54.2	Oh, thanks, Lauren. Yeah. Blimey, yeah, that's, that's quite emotional to hear in that.
1:59.8	I've got to say. Yeah, it's quite tricky to get it all into one introduction.
	...

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