David Beckham is to be the celebrity guest chosen to mark the 75th anniversary of the popular Radio show Desert Island Discs. Acclaimed presenter Kirsty Young will introduce the English footballing icon and Unicef ambassador to BBC Radio 4 listeners, as Becks provides an insight into his musical tastes and literary pleasures.
Held the appearance record
The long-running show celebrates the notable milestone on January 29th, with their familiar guest no stranger to landmarks himself. Until last year he held the appearance record for an outfield player for the English national team, when Wayne Rooney became the latest history maker in that regard.
Becks delighted by the invite
A clearly delighted Beckham stated that “music has been a huge part of my – and my family’s – life,” adding that it is a “real pleasure to highlight that” on the programme. His wife, Victoria, was a part of the all-female group the Spice Girls that had a massive impact on the music scene during the 1990s, achieving chart-topping success across the world. Their debut single “Wannabe” was a number one hit in a remarkable 37 countries.
Multi-league title winner
The 41-year-old former football star also had the distinction of winning league titles in four countries over his illustrious career – England, Spain, USA and France – so his choice of eight recordings may reflect his globe-trotting lifestyle.
It will also be interesting to see if any of his spouse’s tracks receive a mention as he discusses his colourful career and outlines the reasons behind his musical selection, although Becks is said to favour Eminem, U2, Bob Marley and Jay-Z.
Book and luxury item selection
Besides selecting music to make his imagined solitude more palatable, Beckham will also be asked to pick a book and a luxury item that he would take with him to the desert island.
The luxury item is often a particularly interesting part of the show, with previous guests having made some rather intriguing picks in the past.
Bizarre choice by Cleese
Perhaps the most bizarre choice over the years was requested by the zany John Cleese – after being granted special dispensation by then host Sue Lawley – when he asked for Michael Palin to accompany him.
No great surprise there one would think, until he added the condition that his fellow Python would have to be dead and stuffed first!
Plomley’s brainchild
Desert Island Discs was first aired in 1942 on the BBC Forces Programme, when the legendary broadcaster Roy Plomley introduced his audience to the novel concept for the first time. Young took over the reins in 2006, after Michael Parkinson and then Lawley had picked up the mantle following Plomley’s death in 1985. The programmes’s longevity has been such that of its genre only America’s Grand Ole Opry country music show is believed to have run for longer.
