BBC Locals to air Desert Island Discs

Special localised editions of Desert Island Discs will air on the BBC’s local radio stations as part of the celebrations of the programme’s 70th anniversary.

A commemorative edition will air on Radio 4 on Sunday 29 January next year at 11.15am, followed at midday by a simultaneous broadcast of local specials across stations in the BBC Nations and Regions portfolio.

From this weekend, listeners across the UK are being invited to pick one record that they would save from the waves if they were stranded on the mythical desert island and tell the story behind it. Producers at the BBC’s local stations across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will then be sent the web submissions from people in their area for them to consider for inclusion in the special show.

Desert Island Discs presenter Kirsty Young said: “We’re all really excited about it. The idea came about because earlier this year we asked the listeners to choose their top 8 tracks – tracks that really meant something to them. We elicited some fascinating, intimate stories that we didn’t expect. So we think this will be a wonderful way for people all across the nation to celebrate Desert Island Discs’ anniversary by sharing more of those stories with us.”