This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (April 2024) |
The BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs invites castaways to choose eight pieces of music, a book (in addition to the Bible – or a religious text appropriate to that person's beliefs – and the Complete Works of Shakespeare) and a luxury item that they would take to an imaginary desert island, where they will be marooned indefinitely. The rules state that the chosen luxury item must not be anything animate or indeed anything that enables the castaway to escape from the island, for instance a radio set, sailing yacht or aeroplane. The luxury was not introduced to the programme until after about 100 programmes and the book after about 400 programmes. The choices of book and luxury can sometimes give insight into the guest's life, and the choices of guests between 1951 and 1960 are listed here.
1951
edit| Date | Castaway | Book | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 January 1951 | Eric Portman | No book | No item |
| 10 January 1951 | Monica Dickens | No book | No item |
| 17 January 1951 | Robertson Hare | No book | No item |
| 24 January 1951 | Yvonne Arnaud | No book | No item |
| 31 January 1951 | Donald Peers | No book | No item |
| 7 February 1951 | Peter Scott | No book | No item |
| 14 February 1951 | Constance Cummings | No book | No item |
| 21 February 1951 | Jack Buchanan | No book | No item |
| 28 February 1951 | Kay Hammond | No book | No item |
| 7 March 1951 | Peter Ustinov | No book | No item |
| 14 March 1951 | Joan Hammond | No book | No item |
| 21 March 1951 | John Clements | No book | No item |
| 28 March 1951 | Ted Kavanagh | No book | No item |
| 4 April 1951 | Anona Winn | No book | No item |
| 11 April 1951 | Muir Mathieson | No book | No item |
| 18 April 1951 | Peter Fleming | No book | No item |
| 25 April 1951 | Margaret Lockwood | No book | Crossword puzzles |
| 2 May 1951 | Petula Clark | No book | No item |
| 9 May 1951 | Larry Adler | No book | No item |
| 16 May 1951 | Denis Compton and Bill Edrich | No book | No item |
| 23 May 1951 | Ann Todd | No book | No item |
| 30 May 1951 | Maggie Teyte | No book | No item |
| 6 June 1951 | Tommy Trinder | No book | No item |
| 13 June 1951 | Gracie Fields | No book | No item |
| 20 June 1951 | Eric Coates | No book | No item |
| 27 June 1951 | Bill Johnson | No book | No item |
| 4 July 1951 | Stanley Holloway | No book | No item |
| 11 July 1951 | Cicely Courtneidge | No book | No item |
| 18 July 1951 | Leslie Henson | No book | No item |
| 25 July 1951 | Jean Kent | No book | No item |
| 1 August 1951 | Jimmy Edwards | No book | Euphonium |
| 8 August 1951 | Joyce Grenfell | No book | No item |
| 15 August 1951 | A. E. Matthews | No book | No item |
| 22 August 1951 | Phyllis Calvert | No book | No item |
| 29 August 1951 | Vivian Ellis | No book | No item |
| 5 September 1951 | Anne Crawford | No book | No item |
| 12 September 1951 | Freddie Mills | No book | No item |
| 16 September 1951 | Sally Ann Howes | No book | Garlic |
| 25 September 1951 | George Robey | No book | No item |
| 2 October 1951 | Mai Zetterling | No book | No item |
| 9 October 1951 | Henry Kendall | Who's Who in the Theatre | No item |
| 23 October 1951 | Gerald Moore | No book | A double bass |
| 30 October 1951 | Clemence Dane | No book | No item |
| 6 November 1951 | Ronald Shiner | No book | Any animal which he could train |
| 13 November 1951 | Diana Wynyard | No book | El Medico by Goya |
| 20 November 1951 | George Formby | No book | His first ukulele |
| 27 November 1951 | Kathleen Harrison | The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens | No item |
| 4 December 1951 | Elisabeth Schumann | No book | No item |
| 11 December 1951 | John Mills | No book | No item |
| 18 December 1951 | Vera Lynn | No book | Curling tongs |
1952
edit| Date | Castaway | Book | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January 1952 | Jack Hulbert | No book | Cigarettes |
| 8 January 1952 | Carroll Gibbons | No book | Music manuscript paper |
| 15 January 1952 | Sybil Thorndike | No book | A blue vase, an engagement present |
| 22 January 1952 | Spike Hughes | No book | A barrel of wine |
| 29 January 1952 | Jeanne de Casalis | No book | A picture by Cézanne or a large feather bed |
| 5 February 1952 | Peter Brough and Archie Andrews |
No book | Golf clubs |
| 19 February 1952 | Compton Mackenzie | No book | Four pipes and matches |
| 26 February 1952 | Elizabeth Welch | No book | No item |
| 4 March 1952 | Roger Livesey | No book | Golf clubs |
| 11 March 1952 | Hermione Gingold | No book | A barrel of lipstick |
| 18 March 1952 | Fred Emney | No book | A large box of cigars |
| 26 March 1952 | Anna Neagle | No book | Tea |
| 1 April 1952 | Richard Hearne | No book | No item |
| 8 April 1952 | Wynford Vaughan-Thomas | No book | Combined radio and television receiver |
| 15 April 1952 | Delia Murphy | No book | A still for making poteen |
| 22 April 1952 | Richard Murdoch and Kenneth Horne |
No book | Murdoch – A test-your-strength fairground machine Horne – a mah-jong set |
| 29 April 1952 | Kirsten Flagstad | No book | Knitting needles and wool |
| 13 May 1952 | Fay Compton | No book | Her two dogs |
| 20 May 1952 | Robert Beatty | No book | No item |
| 27 May 1952 | Dorothy Dickson | No book | No item |
| 3 June 1952 | Gilbert Harding | No book | A Kelly Man |
| 10 June 1952 | Googie Withers | No book | A jade amulet |
| 17 June 1952 | Godfrey Winn | No book | A pack of cards for bridge |
| 24 June 1952 | Ellaline Terriss | No book | A piano |
| 1 July 1952 | Boyd Neel | No book | A gramophone for slow-playing records |
| 8 July 1952 | Fred Perry | No book | Radio transmitter |
| 15 July 1952 | Henry Hall | No book | A watch |
| 22 July 1952 | Gladys Cooper | No book | No item |
| 29 July 1952 | Christopher Stone | No book | A good soft bed |
| 5 August 1952 | Joan Greenwood | No book | Cigarettes |
| 12 August 1952 | Michael Denison and Dulcie Gray |
No book | Denison – a raft (to fish) Gray – a large supply of insecticide |
| 19 August 1952 | Trevor Howard | No book | One of his wife's cakes |
| 26 August 1952 | Anne Shelton | Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl | The little cross that hangs over her bed |
| 2 September 1952 | Richard Attenborough[1] | No book | Set of record catalogues |
| 9 September 1952 | Vivien Leigh | No book | A piano |
| 16 September 1952 | Ted Ray | No book | A dozen hairnets |
| 23 September 1952 | Winifred Atwell | No book | A comb (for hair and making comb and paper music) |
| 3 October 1952 | Esmond Knight | The Story of Art by Ernst Gombrich | No item |
| 10 October 1952 | Binnie Hale | No book | A piano |
| 17 October 1952 | Joy Worth | No book | A very expensive piece of jewellery |
| 24 October 1952 | Florence Desmond | No book | Family photograph album |
| 31 October 1952 | W. J. MacQueen-Pope | No book | One of his lucky charms |
| 7 November 1952 | Tessie O'Shea | No book | Her ukulele |
| 14 November 1952 | Nigel Patrick | No book | His 'useless' dog |
| 21 November 1952 | Ada Reeve | No book | A workbox for embroidery |
| 28 November 1952 | Sonnie Hale | No book | Scented Soap |
| 5 December 1952 | Gordon Harker | No book | A camera and lots of film |
| 12 December 1952 | Bill Greenslade | No book | No item |
| 19 December 1952 | Joy Nichols | No book | A mink sleeping bag |
- ^ Chose as one of his records a football commentary by Raymond Glendenning of Bolton Wanderers versus Chelsea F.C., 2 June 1945.
1953
edit| Date | Castaway | Book | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 January 1953 | Wilfred Pickles | The Oxford Book of English Verse | His yellow waistcoat |
| 9 January 1953 | Margaret Rutherford | No book | A bejewelled golden comb |
| 16 January 1953 | Ralph Lynn | No book | His eyeglass |
| 23 January 1953 | Belita | No book | An encyclopedia |
| 30 January 1953 | Duncan Carse | No book | A pin-up picture |
| 6 February 1953 | Donald Wolfit | The Bible | A violin with instruction book |
| 13 February 1953 | Jean Carson | No book | An umbrella |
| 20 February 1953 | David Tomlinson | No book | Eddie Gray's juggling equipment |
| 27 February 1953 | Sheila Sim | No book | A clock |
| 6 March 1953 | Richard Todd | No book | No item |
| 13 March 1953 | Pamela Brown | No book | Encyclopædia Britannica |
| 20 March 1953 | Max Miller | No book | A double pack of cards |
| 27 March 1953 | Moira Lister | A book about astronomy | A guitar |
| 3 April 1953 | Webster Booth | No book | An ivory pig – his lucky charm |
| 10 April 1953 | Yolande Donlan[2] | A Mediterranean cookbook | No item |
| 17 April 1953 | Norman Wisdom | No book | Motor car and petrol |
| 24 April 1953 | Isabel Jeans | No book | Her St Christopher's Medal |
| 1 May 1953 | John Arlott | No book | The biggest second-hand bookshop in the world |
| 8 May 1953 | Jack Hawkins | No book | No item |
| 15 May 1953 | Naunton Wayne | No book | No item |
| 22 May 1953 | Arthur Wint | No book | No item |
| 29 May 1953 | Pamela Kellino | Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert | No item |
| 12 June 1953 | Sir Ralph Richardson | No book | His pipe |
| 19 June 1953 | Robert Helpmann | No book | A box of paints |
| 26 June 1953 | Leo Genn | No book | A chess set with a book of problems |
| 2 July 1953 | Lizbeth Webb | No book | Nicholas, her three-inch-tall boy mascot |
| 10 July 1953 | Geraldine McEwan | No book | A box of watercolours |
| 17 July 1953 | Cecil Parker | Oxford Book of Quotations | No item |
| 24 July 1953 | Brian Reece | No book | A ventriloquist's dummy |
| 31 July 1953 | Cyril Ritchard | No book | A photograph of his wife, Madge Elliott |
| 7 August 1953 | Nora Swinburne | The Bible | Her make-up box and contents |
| 14 August 1953 | Hugh Williams | No book | A corkscrew |
| 21 August 1953 | Alfredo Campoli | No book | A football |
| 28 August 1953 | Leslie A "Hutch" Hutchinson | An anthology of world poetry | No item |
| 4 September 1953 | Hugh Sinclair | No book | No item |
| 11 September 1953 | Peggy Cummins | No book | A painting of circus horses by Toulouse-Lautrec |
| 18 September 1953 | Jack Warner | No book | A blue silk scarf |
| 25 September 1953 | Bernard Miles | The complete works of Shakespeare | No item |
- ^ Allowed 10 discs, due to time allowances.
1954
edit| Date | Castaway | Book | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 September 1954 | Mary Ellis | No book | A keg of eau de Cologne |
| 24 September 1954 | Vivian De Gurr St George | No book | A picture of his wife |
| 1 October 1954 | Jessie Matthews | No book | An enormous bottle of perfume |
| 8 October 1954 | John Betjeman | No book | The lower half of the west window of St Marys Church, Fairford, Gloucestershire |
| 15 October 1954 | T. E. B. Clarke | Ruff's Guide to the Turf | No item |
| 22 October 1954 | Valerie Hobson[3] | No book | The Albert Memorial |
| 29 October 1954 | Nigel Balchin | No book | A figure of an urchin, sculpted by Donatello |
| 5 November 1954 | Evelyn Laye | No book | Her bed, complete with big French pillows |
| 12 November 1954 | Robert Henriques | No book | Oil paints |
| 18 November 1954 | Celia Johnson[4] | A book on astronomy | A rose cutting and some English soil |
| 25 November 1954 | Captain M. E. B. Banks RM | No book | A painting of mushrooms by William Nicholson |
| 2 December 1954 | Reginald Dixon | No book | A harmonium |
| 9 December 1954 | Fred Hoyle | No book | A large photo of a lot of people at a race meeting |
| 16 December 1954 | Margaret Leighton | No book | Girl Guide camp bed |
| 23 December 1954 | Dorothy Ward | No book | A make-up box |
| 30 December 1954 | Bobby Howes[5] | No book | Red and white wine |
1955
edit| Date | Castaway | Book | Luxury | More info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 January 1955 | Dorothy Tutin | No book | Piano | more |
| 13 January 1955 | Sir Cedric Hardwicke | No book | Newspaper | more |
| 20 January 1955 | Harriet Cohen | No book | Box of make-up | more |
| 27 January 1955 | Eric Ambler | No book | Novelist | more |
| 10 February 1955 | Robert Harris | No book | Tuning fork | more |
| 17 February 1955 | Sir Osbert Lancaster | No book | Venus de Milo | more |
| 24 February 1955 | Chris Chataway | No book | Underwater breathing apparatus | more |
| 3 March 1955 | Pat Smythe | No book | Guitar | more |
| 10 March 1955 | Pat Kirkwood | No book | Gardenia bush | more |
| 17 March 1955 | Sir Alan P Herbert | No book | Field glasses | more |
| 24 March 1955 | Tod Slaughter | No book | Harmonica | more |
| 21 April 1955 | Arthur Askey | No book | Piano | more |
| 28 April 1955 | Sir Malcolm Sargent | No book | Hot water bottle or ice machine | more |
| 5 May 1955 | Anthony Asquith | No book | Seaside pier with slot machines | more |
| 12 May 1955 | Tommy Farr | No book | Longest bar of soap in the world | more |
| 19 May 1955 | Barbara Kelly | No book | Beach ball | more |
| 7 June 1955 | Emlyn Williams | No book | Encyclopaedia | more |
| 14 June 1955 | Tony Mottram | No book | Writing paper and pencils | more |
| 21 June 1955 | Nicholas Monsarrat | No book | Autographed letters of Lord Nelson | more |
| 28 June 1955 | Michael Redgrave | No book | Pipes and matches | more |
| 5 July 1955 | Yehudi Menuhin | No book | Violin and strings | more |
| 12 July 1955 | Lionel Gamlin | No book | Back number of The New Yorker | more |
| 19 July 1955 | Ursula Jeans | No book | Suntan lotion | more |
| 26 July 1955 | Edward Allcard | No book | Five ton block of lead as keel for schooner | more |
| 2 August 1955 | Isobel Baillie | No book | Tea | more |
| 9 August 1955 | Michael Ayrton | No book | An ancient Greek sculpture | more |
| 16 August 1955 | Claire Bloom | No book | N/A | more |
| 23 August 1955 | R C Sherriff | No book | Scotch whisky | more |
| 30 August 1955 | Herbert Wilcox | No book | Toothbrush and toothpaste | more |
| 6 September 1955 | Eileen Joyce | No book | Encyclopaedia | more |
| 13 September 1955 | Philip Harben | No book | Field glasses | more |
| 26 September 1955 | Leslie Welch | No book | Bed | more |
| 3 October 1955 | John Gregson | No book | Guitar | more |
| 10 October 1955 | Max Bygraves | No book | Golf clubs | more |
| 17 October 1955 | James Robertson Justice | No book | Mixed flower seeds | more |
| 24 October 1955 | Sidonie Goossens | No book | Handbag | more |
| 31 October 1955 | Frances Day | No book | Piano | more |
| 7 November 1955 | Valentine Dyall | No book | Trumpet | more |
| 14 November 1955 | Vic Oliver | No book | Music manuscript paper | more |
| 21 November 1955 | Beverley Nichols | No book | Oil painting equipment | more |
| 28 November 1955 | Jack Train | No book | Rose bush | more |
| 5 December 1955 | Bernard Braden | No book | Pair of wife's earrings | more |
| 12 December 1955 | Bob Monkhouse and Denis Goodwin | Encyclopædia Britannica | Large coloured picture of Marilyn Monroe | more |
| 26 December 1955 | Sir Anton Dolin | No book | Photo album | more |
1956
edit| Date | Castaway | Book | Luxury | More info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 January 1956 | Laurence Harvey | The Complete Works of Shakespeare | Barrel of wine | more |
| 16 January 1956 | Sam Costa | No book | Painting from the National Gallery | more |
| 23 January 1956 | Dora Bryan | No book | Stereoscope with slides of her family | more |
| 6 February 1956 | David Nixon | Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll | Photograph of his wife and baby son | more |
| 13 February 1956 | Terry-Thomas | No book | Horse saddle | more |
| 20 February 1956 | Robert Fabian | No book | Umbrella | more |
| 27 February 1956 | Kenneth More | The Complete Works of Shakespeare | English rock garden | more |
| 5 March 1956 | Nancy Spain | Fifth Form of St. Dominic's by Talbot Baines | No item | more |
| 12 March 1956 | Donald Sinden | The Complete Works of Shakespeare | Lucky charm | more |
| 19 March 1956 | Vanessa Lee | Encyclopædia Britannica | Clock | more |
| 26 March 1956 | Cyril Smith | No book | Cards | more |
| 2 April 1956 | Bebe Daniels | No book | Typewriter and paper | more |
| 9 April 1956 | Stan Kenton | The Mature Mind by H. L. Overstreet | Unknown | more |
| 16 April 1956 | Marie Burke | Large book of short stories | Tea | more |
| 23 April 1956 | John Neville | No book | Landscape painting by Ivor Hitchins | more |
| 30 April 1956 | Athene Seyler | No book | Six feet of English hedgerow | more |
| 7 May 1956 | Len Harvey | No book | Box of books | more |
| 14 May 1956 | Dora Labbette | No book | Paper and pencils | more |
| 21 May 1956 | David Hughes | Encyclopædia Britannica | Golf clubs | more |
| 28 May 1956 | Robert Atkins | No book | Live performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream from the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre | more |
| 4 June 1956 | Stirling Moss | No book | Hair restorer | more |
| 11 June 1956 | Ted Heath | No book | Racing form books | more |
| 18 June 1956 | Eartha Kitt | Her autobiography | No item | more |
| 25 June 1956 | Eric Maschwitz | No book | Botticelli's Primavera | more |
| 2 July 1956 | Leslie Caron | No book | Artist's materials | more |
| 9 July 1956 | Jim Laker | No book | Cricket ball and a piano | more |
| 16 July 1956 | Eva Turner | No book | Dresden | more |
| 23 July 1956 | Tex Ritter | No book | Cards and a guitar | more |
| 30 July 1956 | Shirley Abicair | No book | Case of avocado pears | more |
| 6 August 1956 | Peter Ustinov | Encyclopaedia | Tennis racket | more |
| 13 August 1956 | Dennis Brain | Back number of motor magazines | Typewriter and paper | more |
| 20 August 1956 | Dennis Price | Volume of Giles cartoons | Painting materials | more |
| 27 August 1956 | Bernard Newman | No book | Atlas | more |
| 3 September 1956 | Humphrey Lyttelton | No book | Trumpet | more |
| 10 September 1956 | Harry Secombe | No book | Collapsible concrete model of Broadcasting House with plastic announcers etc. | more |
| 17 September 1956 | Valentine Britten | No book | Photograph of Battersea Power Station | more |
| 24 September 1956 | Turner Layton | No book | Piano | more |
| 1 October 1956 | Kenneth Tynan | No book | Pleasure gardens of Barcelona | more |
| 8 October 1956 | Ada Cherry Kearton | No book | Cards | more |
| 15 October 1956 | Peter Katin | No book | Painting of the Virgin of the Rocks | more |
| 22 October 1956 | Anthony Steel | No book | Portrait of his wife by Annigoni | more |
| 29 October 1956 | Isobel Barnett | No book | Hot water bottle | more |
| 12 November 1956 | Donald Campbell | No book | Cigarettes | more |
| 19 November 1956 | Dennis Noble | No book | Binoculars | more |
| 26 November 1956 | Malcolm Muggeridge | No book | Paper and pencils | more |
| 3 December 1956 | John Watt | No book | Thermos flask | more |
| 10 December 1956 | Spike Milligan | No book | Barometer | more |
| 14 December 1956 | Eight inhabitants from the Ascension Islands in the South Atlantic | No book | Unknown | more |
| 17 December 1956 | Peter Finch | Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes | Painting materials | more |
| 24 December 1956 | Janette Scott | No book | Complete glamour outfit | more |
| 31 December 1956 | Tyrone Power | No book | Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks | more |
1957
edit| Date | Castaway | Book | Luxury | More info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 January 1957 | George Cansdale | No book | Field glasses | more |
| 14 January 1957 | Gerard Hoffnung | No book | His paintbox and tuba | more |
| 21 January 1957 | Dilys Powell | No book | Paper and pencils | more |
| 28 January 1957 | Zena Dare | No book | Mink coat | more |
| 4 February 1957 | Peter Sellers | The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens | Snorkel outfit | more |
| 11 February 1957 | Peggy Ashcroft | No book | Frogwoman's outfit | more |
| 18 February 1957 | Jack Solomons | No book | Punchbag | more |
| 25 February 1957 | Edgar Lustgarten | No book | Woman's evening gown | more |
| 4 March 1957 | Anthony Quayle | No book | Writing materials | more |
| 11 March 1957 | Elizabeth Bowen | Emma by Jane Austen | Kaledioscope | more |
| 18 March 1957 | Alan Melville | No book | Tennis practice wall, rackets and balls | more |
| 25 March 1957 | Bud Flanagan | No book | Premium bonds | more |
| 1 April 1957 | Chris Brasher | No book | Sailing dinghy | more |
| 8 April 1957 | Cicely Courtneidge | No book | Family photograph album | more |
| 15 April 1957 | Ralph Wightman | No book | Pipe cleaners | more |
| 22 April 1957 | Tommy Steele | Do-it-yourself book | No item | more |
| 29 April 1957 | Gwen Catley | No book | Painting of London to be commissioned from Graham Sutherland | more |
| 6 May 1957 | David Attenborough | No book | Piano | more |
| 13 May 1957 | Rawicz & Landauer | Biographies of composers | Soap | more |
| 20 May 1957 | Dick Bentley | No book | Champagne-making kit | more |
| 27 May 1957 | Victor Borge | No book | Not paying tax or insurance | more |
| 3 June 1957 | Alec Robertson | Anthology of poetry | China cat | more |
| 10 June 1957 | Count Basie | No book | Picture of his family with a New York City background | more |
| 17 June 1957 | Percy Edwards | No book | John Constable's painting of Willy Lott's cottage | more |
| 24 June 1957 | Mantovani | No book | Music manuscript paper, pencils and rubber | more |
| 1 July 1957 | Harold Hobson | No book | Cricket bat | more |
| 8 July 1957 | Tamara Karsavina | No book | Wooden statue of St Florian | more |
| 15 July 1957 | Fred Streeter | Gardening dictionary | Greenhouse for growing orchids | more |
| 22 July 1957 | Blanche Thebom | No book | Jewelled gold statuette of St George and the Dragon from the Shutzkammar, Munich | more |
| 29 July 1957 | Audrey Russell | No book | Astronomical telescope | more |
| 5 August 1957 | Tony Hancock | No book | Television set | more |
| 12 August 1957 | Owen Berry | No book | Photograph of Granny Grove | more |
| 19 August 1957 | Leopold Stokowski | No book | Tape recorder | more |
| 26 August 1957 | David Farrar | No book | Golf clubs and balls | more |
| 2 September 1957 | Alma Cogan | No book | Paper, pencils and paints | more |
| 9 September 1957 | Eric Barker | No book | Cricket bowling machine | more |
| 16 September 1957 | C A Lejeune | No book | Soil and rose bushes | more |
| 23 September 1957 | Christopher Stone | No book | Paper and fountain pen | more |
| 30 September 1957 | Marius Goring | No book | Piano | more |
| 7 October 1957 | Moura Lympany | A la recherche du temps perdu by Marcel Proust | Flower seeds | more |
| 14 October 1957 | John Dankworth | Cricket annuals from 1920 onwards | Saxophone | more |
| 21 October 1957 | Commander Ibbett | No book | Barrel of beer | more |
| 28 October 1957 | Belinda Lee | No book | Language teaching records for all languages | more |
| 4 November 1957 | Bransby Williams | No book | Paper and pencils | more |
| 11 November 1957 | Jack Teagarden | No book | Trombone and materials for making a crystal radio | more |
| 18 November 1957 | Joan Cross | No book | Cards | more |
| 25 November 1957 | James Fisher | No book | Field glasses and modern plumbing | more |
| 2 December 1957 | Moira Shearer | No book | Champagne | more |
| 9 December 1957 | Eric Sykes | No book | Typewriter and paper | more |
| 16 December 1957 | Earl Hines | No book | Piano | more |
| 23 December 1957 | Sir Thomas Beecham | No book | Havana cigars | more |
| 30 December 1957 | Lupino Lane | No book | Camera | more |
1958
edit| Date | Castaway | Book | Luxury | More info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 January 1958 | Wendy Toye | No book | Framed Ronald Searle drawings | more |
| 13 January 1958 | Lionel Hale | No book | Model theatre | more |
| 20 January 1958 | Max Jaffa | No book | Violin and champagne | more |
| 27 January 1958 | Victor Silvester | No book | Piano | more |
| 3 February 1958 | Anton Walbrook | No book | Indo-Chinese Buddha | more |
| 10 February 1958 | Rex Palmer | No book | Alcohol | more |
| 17 February 1958 | Ben Lyon | No book | Film projector and films of his family | more |
| 24 February 1958 | Margaret Rawlings | No book | Tapestry-making kit | more |
| 3 March 1958 | Michael Flanders and Donald Swann | No book | Two pianos | more |
| 10 March 1958 | Beryl Grey | No book | Swedish wooden horse | more |
| 17 March 1958 | Frankie Vaughan | No book | Painting materials | more |
| 24 March 1958 | Flora Robson | No book | Sunbathing oil | more |
| 31 March 1958 | Geraldo | No book | Piano | more |
| 7 April 1958 | Ian Carmichael | No book | Writing materials and beer | more |
| 14 April 1958 | Cleo Laine | No book | Perfume | more |
| 21 April 1958 | Billy Mayerl | No book | Well-stocked bar | more |
| 28 April 1958 | Ruby Miller | A novel by Somerset Maugham | Perfume | more |
| 5 May 1958 | Oliver Messel | No book | Painting materials | more |
| 12 May 1958 | Roy Plomley | No book | Desk with typewriter and paper | more |
| 19 May 1958 | Agnes Nicholls | Illustrated dictionary | Perfume | more |
| 26 May 1958 | Kay Smart | No book | Champagne | more |
| 2 June 1958 | Eric Robinson | No book | £1 million in pound notes | more |
| 9 June 1958 | Naomi Jacob | No book | Soap | more |
| 16 June 1958 | Jean Sablon | No book | Menu from Maxim's restaurant in Paris | more |
| 23 June 1958 | Derek McCulloch | Encyclopaedia | Inflatable pillow | more |
| 30 June 1958 | Sarah Vaughan | No book | Golf clubs and balls | more |
| 7 July 1958 | Tito Gobbi | No book | Expensive ivory back-scratcher | more |
| 14 July 1958 | Wilfrid Hyde-White | No book | Picture of Charlie Chaplin and model of a Rolls-Royce | more |
| 21 July 1958 | Jean Pougnet | War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy | Cask of brandy | more |
| 28 July 1958 | Elisabeth Schwarzkopf | French cookery book | Suntan oil | more |
| 4 August 1958 | Eamonn Andrews | Collected short stories of Somerset Maugham | Field glasses | more |
| 11 August 1958 | Elsie and Doris Waters | The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith | Sunshade and garbage disposal unit | more |
| 18 August 1958 | Dr Ludwig Koch | No book | Hans Christian Andersen's mechanical bird and birdcage | more |
| 25 August 1958 | Hephzibah Menuhin | No book | Chinese language course | more |
| 1 September 1958 | Jack Payne | No book | Piano | more |
| 8 September 1958 | Percy Kahn | No book | Tape recorder | more |
| 15 September 1958 | Dickie Henderson | No book | Cine projector and films | more |
| 22 September 1958 | Alicia Markova | No book | Perfume | more |
| 29 September 1958 | Hardy Amies | No book | Dressing case | more |
| 6 October 1958 | Harry Belafonte | No book | Michelangelo's David | more |
| 13 October 1958 | Richard Dimbleby | No book | Piano | more |
| 20 October 1958 | Elizabeth Seal | No book | Tea | more |
| 27 October 1958 | Benno Moiseiwitsch | No book | Roulette table | more |
| 3 November 1958 | Edmundo Ros | No book | Film projector and films | more |
| 10 November 1958 | Elena Gerhardt | A philosophical work by Johann Wolfgang Goethe | Tapestry-making kit | more |
| 17 November 1958 | June Paul | No book | Painting by Gauguin | more |
| 24 November 1958 | G H Elliott | No book | Waistcoat (his mascot since 1903) | more |
| 1 December 1958 | Paul Robeson | No book | Carved Benin head | more |
| 8 December 1958 | Stanley Black | No book | Piano | more |
| 15 December 1958 | Aaron Copland | No book | Chess set | more |
| 22 December 1958 | Charlie Drake | Encyclopaedia | Regency candelabra | more |
| 29 December 1958 | Sandy MacPherson | No book | Radio set | more |
1959
edit| Date | Castaway | Book | Luxury | More info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 January 1959 | Ronnie Boyer and Jeanne Ravel | Mysticism by Evelyn Underhill and Encyclopaedia | Soap and white tie and tails | more |
| 12 January 1959 | Ronald Searle | Reproductions of works by James Gillray | Car fitted with a telescope | more |
| 19 January 1959 | John Osborne | No book | Perfume | more |
| 26 January 1959 | Frederick Ashton | No book | Happy pills | more |
| 2 February 1959 | June Thorburn | No book | Mink stole | more |
| 9 February 1959 | Chris Barber | No book | Sports car and petrol | more |
| 16 February 1959 | John Morris | The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky | Soap and a piano | more |
| 23 February 1959 | Peter Cushing | No book | Painting materials and model soldiers | more |
| 2 March 1959 | Cyril Fletcher | No book | Tape recorder | more |
| 9 March 1959 | Judy Grinham | War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy | Typewriter and paper | more |
| 16 March 1959 | Ernest Thesiger | No book | Painting materials | more |
| 23 March 1959 | Malcolm Arnold | Oxford Book of English Verse | Green Havana cigars | more |
| 30 March 1959 | Laurens van der Post | The Odyssey by Homer | Piano | more |
| 6 April 1959 | Sylvia Syms | Her husband's handwritten limericks | Tapestry-making materials | more |
| 13 April 1959 | Edric Connor | Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton | Toothbrush | more |
| 20 April 1959 | Tyrone Guthrie | Anthology of poetry, some in French and German | Rum | more |
| 27 April 1959 | Marjorie Westbury | The Golden Bough by James Frazer | Blue-green silk robe with packets of flower seeds in the pockets | more |
| 4 May 1959 | Lord Brabazon of Tara | The Human Situation by MacNeill Dixon | Hot water bottle | more |
| 11 May 1959 | Ray Ellington | David Copperfield by Charles Dickens | Bed with mosquito net | more |
| 18 May 1959 | Dame Rebecca West | The plays of Jean Racine | Carved stone head of a Chinese philosopher | more |
| 25 May 1959 | Alfred Marks | Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll | Telephone (out of service) | more |
| 1 June 1959 | Robert Farnon | Optics by Isaac Newton | Telescope | more |
| 15 June 1959 | Henry Sherek | Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens | Epstein statue | more |
| 22 June 1959 | Lotte Lehmann | Faust by Johann Wolfgang Goethe | Paintbox | more |
| 29 June 1959 | Uffa Fox | Anthology of world poetry | Painting materials | more |
| 6 July 1959 | Hermione Baddeley | The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame | Painting by Renoir | more |
| 13 July 1959 | Harold Abrahams | Book of Quotations by Burton Egbert Stevenson | Mircofilm of Bell's life | more |
| 20 July 1959 | George Melachrino | The works of Plato | Turkish delight | more |
| 27 July 1959 | Ivor Newton | London telephone directory | Champagne | more |
| 3 August 1959 | BC Hilliam | The Gilbert and Sullivan Book by Leslie Baily | Whisky | more |
| 10 August 1959 | Norman Fisher | The dialogues of Plato | Writing materials | more |
| 17 August 1959 | Bessie Love | The drawings of Fougasse | Eau de Cologne | more |
| 24 August 1959 | Charles Mackerras | Foreign translation of a long English novel | Wine | more |
| 31 August 1959 | John Snagge | The Little World of Don Camillo by Giovannino Guareschi | Painting by Rembrandt | more |
| 7 September 1959 | Sir Leonard Hutton | History of cricket | Golf clubs and balls | more |
| 14 September 1959 | Douglas Byng | The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam by Edward Fitzgerald | Photographs | more |
| 21 September 1959 | Peggy Cochrane | The Week-End Book | Piano | more |
| 28 September 1959 | Frankie Howerd | War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy | Photographs | more |
| 5 October 1959 | Robertson Hare | His autobiography | Telescope | more |
| 12 October 1959 | Dave Brubeck | Encyclopaedia | Piano | more |
| 19 October 1959 | Alfred Hitchcock | Mrs Beeton's Household Management | Continental railway timetable | more |
| 26 October 1959 | George Thalben-Ball | Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome | White rug | more |
| 2 November 1959 | Steve Race | The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne | Chess set | more |
| 9 November 1959 | Sir Arthur Bliss | Works on astronomy | Telescope | more |
| 16 November 1959 | Benny Hill | Collection of language courses | Film camera | more |
| 23 November 1959 | Joan Sutherland | Memoirs of Jenny Lind by Otto Goldschmidt | Bed | more |
| 30 November 1959 | Billy Cotton | Two historical novels | Ticket home | more |
| 7 December 1959 | John Paddy Carstairs | Roget's Thesaurus | Piano | more |
| 14 December 1959 | Andor Foldes | Anthology of English Verse by Edith Sitwell | The Dürer | more |
| 21 December 1959 | Eve Boswell | Book on one of the world's philosophies | Piano | more |
| 28 December 1959 | Ted Moult | The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens | Drawing equipment | more |