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

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

The program was originally broadcast in 1982, and the presenter was Roy Plumley. This week sees the 25th birthday of the BBC Natural History Unit, so it seems right that our

castaway this week should be its only a begetter, the writer, critic, and broadcaster, Desmond

Hawkins.

Desmond, does music mean a lot in your life?

Yes it does. It, I think always has done, but perhaps increasingly so now I listen a lot.

Have you any practical skill? Do you play anything?

Not very well. I had some piano lessons as a lad and I sang in the choir and learnt a bit

about music that away and I sometimes fiddle about with a recorder but no I'm not really an instrumentalist.

Did you find it a very difficult task to choose just eight records to take to this desolate

island? Yes I did because I've got a wine Catholic taste.

I'm not a specialist and so there is you know there's a lot of things I'd love to have taken.

What's your first record? Well I rather chose a Beethoven because I suppose he's been my longest music companion as as a youngster I used to play his symphonies and conduct them all to myself and I still am a Beethoven man.

So I chose a cellosonata which is played by Jackie Dupree and Stephen Bishop whom I admire both of them. You're going to be here. Oh, You're going to be here. An excerpt from the Beethoven cello sonata number three in A Major,

Opus 69, Jacqueline Dupre and Stephen Bishop Kibarsovich.

Most of your work Desmond has been associated with the West Country. Are you a West Countryman by birth?

Well I'm not absolutely, no, I think I'm almost naturalised now, but I was born in Surrey and I do have moments of treason during the cricket season

when I have to hide my zeal that Surrey should win the championship.

Otherwise I'm pretty West Country by now.

Right. Are you one of a large family?

No, I just had the one brother.

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