Hi, it's Nicola Cochlin. 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 Krista 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 2008. My Castaway this week is the soprano, Dame Felicity Lott.

Her skills as a singer, actor and storyteller, are relished by audiences internationally,

and after 30 years performing, her concerts remain instant sellouts.

Yet her loyal fans are lucky ever to have seen her on stage at all.

She planned to be a teacher, but was so crippled with nerves and the thought of addressing a class

that she abandoned the idea.

She was, she says, a shy, gawky girl who never thought she was good enough or had sharp enough elbows to get to the top.

I'm constantly inadequate, except when I get on stage, she says. And even then, someone will come

round afterwards and pierce the bubble. I veer from laughter to tears all the time and try not to

stop at the dangerous bits in between. So I wonder, Felicity Lot,

how on earth to someone who couldn't face teaching

because the element of performance in front of a class

scared them so much,

get in front of, let's call them, paying customers,

the audience, and have the confidence to sing?

I suppose because I'm doing something I've learnt,

or I hope, ideally I've learnt what I'm doing and, I mean, with a chance, but with standing up in front of a class,

if I have to speak, I mean, even here now, it fills me with terror really and standing in front

...