Hello, I'm Kirstie 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 1988, and the presenter was Michael Parkinson. Our castaway is one of our most versatile actresses on stage.

She's won awards for a work in both musicals and comedies.

On television, her workers range from the part of Joan in Dennis Potter's Penny's From Heaven,

through musical specials to four appearances with

Malcolm and Wies. For the past two years she's worked at the National

at present she's back in the West End and back in the musical theatre. The

show is the first ever Western Revival of South Pacific.

The character she plays is Nellie Fallbush.

I cast away is Jemma Craven.

Jemma, quite obviously a silly question to start with,

I mean music has played a terribly important part in your life, hasn't it?

Yes, it has. I remember music being important to me from a very, very early age. My grandfather,

who unfortunately I never had the chance to meet.

I know you used to play the Irish Harp.

My grandmother had a beautiful, beautiful singing voice.

My mother has a beautiful singing voice.

Can't say the same about my father.

There's that sort of tradition in the family of music.

So how have you gone about selecting these records for your desert island?

Are they memories or what?

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