Len Goodman
4 Extra Debut. From Harry Belafonte to Gene Kelly. Strictly Come Dancing鈥檚 Len Goodman shares his castaway choices with Kirsty Young. From 2011.
"7". TV ballroom dance judge Len Goodman shares his castaway choices with Kirsty Young.
Len became a star of 大象传媒 TV's 'Strictly Come Dancing' and the US show 'Dancing with the Stars', after a 40-year career as a ballroom dancer and judge.
Born in London's East End, as a kid he was a barrow-boy, selling fruit and veg on his grandfather's stall. He went on to work on the docks as a welder. But come Saturday night he would don his best threads and head for the Embassy ballroom in Welling.
It was later in life, when Len found international fame and it was, he says, perfect timing.
"If it had happened when I was 30, I'd have been one of these people that would be seen rolling out of nightclubs drunk, with a couple of dolly-birds on my arm. The pilot was on my 60th birthday and I think it was the perfect age because I was sensible by then, my feet were planted firmly on the ground."
DISC ONE: Good Morning - Gene Kelly, Donald O鈥機onnor & Debbie Reynolds
DISC TWO: Pencil Full of Lead - Paolo Nutini
DISC THREE: Tiger Rag - The Mills Brothers
DISC FOUR: The Moulin Rouge theme - Edmundo Ros and His Orchestra
DISC FIVE: Fat Sam鈥檚 Grand Slam - Bugsy Malone
DISC SIX: Take Five - Dave Brubeck
DISC SEVEN: In My Life - The Beatles
DISC EIGHT: Island in the Sun - Harry Belafonte
BOOK CHOICE: An Anthology of British poetry
LUXURY CHOICE: Set of golf clubs and balls
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Pencil Full of Lead - Paolo Nutini
Producer: Leanne Buckle
First broadcast on 大象传媒 Radio 4 in June 2011.
Last on
Broadcasts
- Sun 10 Dec 2023 10:00大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra
- Sun 10 Dec 2023 15:00大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra
- Sun 10 Dec 2023 21:00大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra
- Mon 11 Dec 2023 04:00大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra
The Desert Island Discs podcast
Subscribe or download individual episodes.
Listen to over 2,000 programmes
Click above to browse castaways, from 1942 to today.
Articles
Read the surprising things we've learned about some stand-out castaways.