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

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

For more information about the program, please visit BBC.co.uk.

Radio 4. My My castaway this week is the actor Damien Lewis. As part of the wave of British talent

that's crashed onto America's shores in recent years, his impact has made a deep impression on the creative landscape.

His role as Sergeant Brody in Homeland saw him win both an Emmy and a Golden Globe, and along

with Band of Brothers, the Foresight Saga and a long list of other credits.

He now ranks as one of our most well-recognised and highly regarded performers.

Things didn't always look so peachy.

Age 11 and in the school production of Princess Ida,

he forgot the entire third act and stood mute

in front of a packed auditorium.

Telling then that rather than sending him scuttling into the wings with shame, he soldered on.

And by 16 he knew performing was more than anything what he wanted to do.

He says, I am a person who's ambitious. I'm ambitious to get the very best from every moment and even

if that's just taking my children to the zoo I want it to be the best it can be and that

to me Damian Lewis sounds exhausting. Are you a ball of sort of kinetic energy

who feels you've got to occupy every moment?

No, I'm not because I fail that constantly but I think it's probably part of the way I was brought up

part of my schooling that one just tries one's best at all times and giving any less than that is somehow

unsatisfying. And you are married of course the notable and highly accomplished actress Helen McCrory. The bit about going to the zoo with the kids, you've got two kids, are you actually able to do that

without people with camera phones and paparazzi annoying you?

...