Hello, I'm Christy Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs Archive.

For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

The program was originally broadcast in 1978, and the presenter was Roy Plumley.

This week, our cast away is the actor, Derek Jacobi.

Derek, have you ever imagined yourself as a cast away?

No, not really. I don't think I'd make up a good one.

Could you endure loneliness?

Yes, I think I could. I could. I quite like being on my own.

But always with the knowledge that at the end of a telephone, or a five minute walk around the corner, there's somebody in a friend.

Were you an only child?

Yes, yes.

Is music important?

Fairly, yes.

Have you any skilled youth? You'll play in a few minutes.

No, unfortunately, I did learn the piano when I was young, but my music teacher moved away.

She lived next door, you see, and she moved away when I was ten.

By which time, I was up to the standard of playing in competitions, in Bethnal Green, and that sort of thing.

And winning some of them, and you know, I cannot play a note now.

What was your plan in choosing these records?

There were all highly talented people whose company I would like to share, and all the songs have some association for me.

Where do we start?

We start with Noel Card.

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