From Don McLean to Johnny Cash. Comedian Johnny Vegas talks to Kirsty Young about his music castaway choices.

As a stand-up comic he made his name as one of the most brilliant and unpredictable acts on the circuit. His stage persona was a belligerent drunk who would heckle his own audience. But the more successful he became, the more the similarities between his own life and his stage character seemed to blur. "I found popularity through self-destruction" he says, "and that can be quite addictive".

In recent years, he has cut down on his drinking, lost weight and now got engaged - all part of a plan to ensure he reached his 40th birthday and could be a proper father to his young son. "Life's actually turned around and been very good to me," he says.

DISC ONE: Johnny Cash - Hurt
DISC TWO: Deacon Blue - Dignity
DISC THREE: The Who - Love Reign O'er Me
DISC FOUR: Pulp - Common People
DISC FIVE: Colin Hay - Waiting for My Real Life to Begin
DISC SIX: The Beautiful South - Domino Man
DISC SEVEN: The La’s - There She Goes
DISC EIGHT: Don McLean - Vincent

BOOK CHOICE: The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists - Robert Tressell
LUXURY CHOICE: Kiln
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Johnny Cash - Hurt

Producer: Leanne Buckle

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010. Show less