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 1979, and the presenter was Roy Plumlee. Our castaway this week is a writer and performer who is star of Monte Python and

ripping yarns Michael Palin Michael are you a gregarious man?

Well, I'm half and half. I mean, I write in groups, two or six, minimum of two, but on the other

hand, I do like to get away from people.

So you're now, here and people. So to what extent would isolation worry you?

Well, I think for the first two or three weeks I probably would really enjoy it you know do all those things I

really wanted to do such as swimming making sand castles those things you know without

people watching all the time do you have any musical skill no No, except listening to music.

I really know, it's one of my great sadnesses.

I did have one piano lesson, but I was taught by somebody who

grabbed each finger and rammed it down on the keys and that passed for learning

to play the piano and so it's rather put me off.

It didn't take.

It didn't take and neither has any other instrument.

My children have a rather better at it than I am.

So I get a vicarious enjoyment.

Did you find it very difficult to narrow your choice down to eight? How long did it take you?

Yes, well, I tried to do it very quickly because I thought well it's best to be just

instinctive and there must be eight records which have immediately come to mind and

I changed that list about four times since then so it's taken me over a weekend

...