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Desert Island Discs

Simon Pegg, actor

Desert Island Discs

BBC

Society & Culture, Music Commentary, Music, Personal Journals

4.413.7K Ratings

🗓️ 11 June 2023

⏱️ 35 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Simon Pegg is an actor and screenwriter who became a household name after appearing in two of Hollywood’s most successful film franchises – Mission: Impossible and Star Trek. He also won many fans for co-creating the so-called Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy of films – Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and the World’s End. Simon was born in Gloucester and studied theatre, film and television at the University of Bristol. As a student he started performing stand-up routines with his pet goldfish called Roger who was a Marxist poet – albeit a silent one. Simon first appeared on television in the mid-1990s and made a name for himself by co-creating the sitcom Spaced with the actor Jessica Hynes and the director Edgar Wright. He is one of the few performers to have achieved what Radio Times calls the “Holy Grail of Nerdom” – playing roles in Doctor Who, Star Trek – as Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott – and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He also co-wrote the screenplay for Star Trek Beyond. In 2006 Simon played the British technician Benji Dunn in Mission: Impossible III and has appeared in every Mission: Impossible film since. He is currently filming the eighth instalment alongside Tom Cruise. Simon lives in Hertfordshire with his wife Maureen, daughter Tilly and their dogs. DISC ONE: A Day in the Life – The Beatles DISC TWO: Rosalinda’s Eyes – Billy Joel DISC THREE: The Asteroid Field. Composed and conducted by John Williams and performed by London Symphony Orchestra DISC FOUR: Accept Yourself – The Smiths DISC FIVE: Marian (Version) – The Sisters of Mercy DISC SIX: I Feel For You – Chaka Khan DISC SEVEN: I Bloom Blaum – Coldplay DISC EIGHT: Salt In The Wound - Boygenius BOOK CHOICE: The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks LUXURY ITEM: A coffee maker CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: A Day in the Life – The Beatles Presenter Lauren Laverne Producer Paula McGinley

Transcript

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0:00.0

BBC Sounds Music Radio Podcasts

0:04.9

Hello, I'm Lauren LeVern and this is the Deser Island Disks Podcast.

0:08.6

Every week I ask my guests to choose the eight tracks, book and luxury they'd want to take with them

0:13.9

if they were cast away to a desert island.

0:16.5

And for right reasons, the music is shorter than the original broadcast.

0:21.2

I hope you enjoy listening.

0:30.1

Music Radio Music

0:42.9

My cast away this week is the actor and writer Simon Pegg.

0:46.8

He's described himself as a nerd-do-well, but that's only part of the story.

0:51.1

Today he's up there in the credits for two of Hollywood's most successful film franchises,

0:56.4

Mission Impossible and Star Trek.

0:58.7

Sure, he's an 80s kid from Gloucester who turned his childhood obsessions, zombies,

1:03.0

cop shows and sci-fi into the cult classics, shone of the dead, hot fuzz and the world's end,

1:08.4

but his talent has taken him much further.

1:10.8

Steven Spielberg cast him in Tintin and Ready Player One and he co-wrote Star Trek

1:15.8

beyond when the team needed a new script just weeks before shooting began.

1:20.7

He started out as a stand-up comedian and broke through with the much-loved slacker sitcom

1:25.5

Spaced, which he co-created with Jessica Hines and director Edgar Wright.

1:30.0

He says,

1:30.9

I'd like to never get cynical about my job to always maintain a certain degree of wonder about it

1:36.0

and an appreciation of where I am.

1:38.2

Simon Pegg, welcome to Does it Island Discs.

...

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