Desert Island Discs

Professor Liz Morris is a glaciologist whose work in some of the earth’s most inhospitable environments has broadened humanity’s understanding of climate change and polar science. Her accolades include the prestigious Polar Medal and an OBE for services to Polar Science.
Liz was born in London in 1946 and family legend has it that she fell in love with snow and ice the following year during what was known as the Big Freeze - one of the most severe and punishing winters in British history.
She studied physics at Bristol University and applied for a role at the British Antarctic Survey in the early Seventies. At that time the institute did not have any female scientists working in the field and her application was rejected.
Liz bided her time and eventually did get to work at the BAS, becoming head of the Ice and Climate Division in 1986. The following year she became the first British woman to undertake tent-based research in Antarctica, arriving just as the ozone hole discovery was breaking.
Liz completed her last field trip in 2014. In 2020 the Antarctic Place-Names Committee named a glacier in her honour.
Liz divides her time between the Cotswolds and Scotland.
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley

Norman Cook, DJ and musician, shares the eight tracks, book and luxury item he would take with him if cast away to a desert island. With Lauren Laverne.

Jo Nesbø is a writer, known as the king of 'Nordic Noir'. His internationally bestselling crime thrillers following the exploits of detective Harry Hole have been translated into fifty languages, sold over sixty million copies and have been adapted for film and TV.
Being a bestselling author was not his first job. As a teenager, he played football professionally before an injury put paid to his sporting career. He played guitar and wrote songs for a band which then became very successful in Norway and he combined his gigging nightlife with a day job on Norway’s stock market.
His relentless schedule led to him taking time off from both the band and the stock market and whilst he was travelling on a plane to Australia, he wrote his first draft of his debut Harry Hole novel. He has since gone on to write thirteen Harry Hole novels along with children’s stories and other standalone books.
Jo lives in Oslo.
DISC ONE: Perfect Skin - Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
DISC TWO: Ticket To Ride - The Beatles
DISC THREE: Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) - Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
DISC FOUR: I Can’t Be Satisfied – Muddy Waters
DISC FIVE: Bus to Baton Rouge - Lucinda Williams
DISC SIX: Hand of God - Nick Cave, Warren Ellis
DISC SEVEN: Swamp - Talking Heads
DISC EIGHT: Independence Day - Bruce Springsteen
BOOK CHOICE: Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski
LUXURY ITEM: A shoehorn
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Independence Day - Bruce Springsteen
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Sarah Taylor
Desert Island Discs has cast other writers away over the years including Lee Child, Steven King and Martina Cole. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.

Anna Maxwell Martin is an award-winning actor whose versatility is evident from the breadth of parts she has played in popular television programmes including Motherland, Ludwig and Line of Duty.
Anna was born and brought up in Yorkshire and loved acting and performing from a young age putting on shows with her friends in the cul-de-sac where they all lived. She read history at Liverpool University and then won a place at LAMDA.
She made her professional debut in the Little Foxes at the Donmar Warehouse directed by Marianne Elliott. Her breakthrough came in 2003 playing Lyra Belacqua in the National Theatre’s landmark production of His Dark Materials.
In recent years she has become an advocate for vulnerable children and their families – especially those navigating the SEND – special educational needs and/or disabilities – system in schools. She was motivated to take on this role after struggling to get help for her daughters who were struggling with profound grief following the death of their father.
Anna lives in London with her daughters.
DISC ONE: I Love To Boogie – T. Rex
DISC TWO: The Greatest Love of All - Whitney Houston
DISC THREE: Together In Electric Dreams - Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder
DISC FOUR: Gianni Schicchi: "O mio babbino caro" (Lauretta) Composed by Giacomo Puccini and performed by Maria Callas (soprano) and Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Tullio Serafin
DISC FIVE: When A Knight Won His Spurs – The Choir of Salisbury Cathedral, directed by David Halls
DISC SIX: Dry Your Eyes - The Streets
DISC SEVEN: Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell
DISC EIGHT: Tell Him - Lauryn Hill
BOOK CHOICE: Jackson Brodie Series by Kate Atkinson
LUXURY ITEM: Anna’s lucky conker
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: The Greatest Love of All - Whitney Houston
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley
Desert Island Discs has cast away many actors to the island over the years including Julie Walters, Jessie Buckley and Adeel Aktar. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.

Peter Layton is a pioneering British glass artist and the founder of London Glassblowing, one of the most influential glass studios and galleries in the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the development of the studio glass movement, helping to establish glass as an artistic medium.
Born in Prague to Jewish parents, he and his family escaped in 1939 and settled in Bradford, where Peter counted the artist David Hockney among his friends. A trip to the United States in the 1960s to teach ceramics led him to his first encounter with glassblowing, and when he returned to the UK he set up a studio called London Glassblowing. Its ethos of collaboration and openness remains the same 50 years after its founding, and members of the public are welcome to see Peter and his colleagues create spectacular pieces of art out of glass.
Peter’s work is influenced by many things: early pieces tackled political issues, and he finds clouds, pebbles and other natural forms particularly inspiring. Peter lives in London with his wife Ann. He has three children and seven grandchildren.
DISC ONE: When I’m Cleaning Windows - George Formby
DISC TWO: Kol Nidrei, Op. 4, composed by Max Bruch, performed by Jacqueline du Pré (cello) and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Barenboim
DISC THREE: Take Five - Dave Brubeck
DISC FOUR: Blowin’ in the Wind - Bob Dylan
DISC FIVE: White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane
DISC SIX: Lute Concerto in D Major, RV 93: II. Largo, composed by Antonio Vivaldi, performed by Paul O'Dette (lute) The Parley of Instruments conducted by Peter Holman
DISC SEVEN: Suzanne - Nina Simone
DISC EIGHT: Elegy for the Arctic - Ludovico Einaudi
BOOK CHOICE: The Choice by Edith Eger
LUXURY ITEM: A solar-powered digital picture frame
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Suzanne - Nina Simone
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Tim Bano
Desert Island Discs has cast away many artists to the island over the years, including Peter’s friend David Hockney, as well as the sculptor Anthony Gormley and Cornelia Parker. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.