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Desert Island Discs

Willie Rushton

Desert Island Discs

BBC

Music, Personal Journals, Society & Culture, Music Commentary

4.314.3K Ratings

🗓️ 18 August 1984

⏱️ 32 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Willie Rushton is a cartoonist, actor, writer and a regular member of quiz game panels. He tells Roy Plomley about how he came to be one of the founders of Private Eye, about the early days of the TV programme That Was the Week That Was, and he chooses eight records he would take to the mythical island.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan by Sam Browne Book: Anthology by G.K. Chesterton Luxury: Piano

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hello I'm Kirstie Young and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive.

0:05.0

For Wright's reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

0:08.0

The program was originally broadcast in 1984 and the presenter was Roy Plumlee. This week our cast away is the actor, humorist, artist, cartoonist and broadcaster William Rushton.

0:35.6

William, what are your feelings about a desert island? I mean it suits some people better than others.

0:41.6

How could you envisage the idea?

0:44.0

I'm frankly terrified. I mean the thing that really worries me is how I got there.

0:48.0

I mean I don't take ships, so it has to be a plane crash.

0:52.0

So I see myself now having done a Robinson Crusoe alone on this beach with 600

0:57.0

plastic lunches which are going to slowly decay as I sit and watch them.

1:03.0

The other thing, of course, you never tell us is what size this thing is.

1:06.0

It is quite a reasonable but deserted,

1:08.0

there's an island, but is there vegetation, rock faces,

1:10.0

perhaps cliffs?

1:11.0

Oh yes, rock faces vegetation.

1:12.0

You can pick your own island providing is not too big

1:14.8

how about music does that mean a lot to you it's a strange thing in my life

1:18.7

music I am no real musical taste whatsoever I think basically I like listening to the radio

1:23.7

and being surprised. I mean what I enjoy most I think is driving down the motorway and

1:27.8

just fiddling with this I have this one little button you can press at the

1:30.3

least dangerous moments when I'm on Juggernaut's racing on either side of you

1:33.0

and see what comes up and I'm quite happy with it. It can be a bit of motor sight or it can be a showstopper

1:37.8

or some meaningless pop number. Have you any executants killed you play an instrument?

...

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