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 Sue Lawley.

My cast away this week is a woman who has kept pace with her times. She began as a glamorous

child of the 60s and grew into an admired actress. Today acting is still her main profession,

but she writes as well, explaining in her books that other aspect of her varied life,

the domestic pleasures of being a wife and a mother. She is Jane Asher.

Jane, it seems to me that you've always been well-known whether it's as a child actress or a

trendsetter or a cake maker or a columnist. I mean, do you actually like being famous?

Well, I suppose if I'm honest, I can't dislike it that much, or I would have stopped doing all the

things that get noticed and get you written and talked about, but there are certain aspects of it.

I dislike intensely, but being famous in itself can be pleasing. I mean, if you do a play,

or you do a film, or television, whatever it is, and you get letters saying they enjoyed it,

and that they watched it, and pleased to do some more, it's very cheering, and I mean,

that wouldn't happen if you were entirely unknown and nobody knew who you were. So there are certain

aspects of it that, yes, I like. And what are the aspects that you dislike intensely?

Well, I think the obvious ones, like if you're up at the supermarket and you're looking dreadful

and shouting at the children, and then you suddenly notice some people staring at you,

you know, obviously thinking, oh, she's not like she's on television, then that's miserable.

You feel shy and embarrassed, or if you get written about in an unpleasant way, of course,

that's not very nice in the newspapers, which is an inevitable part, I think, of being famous.

So how will you cope on this desert island, stripped of your fame and your success, and perhaps

...