Desert Island Discs Revisited

Original version

BBC Radio 4 Extra

Factual: Life Stories

Selected castaway gems from the BBC Desert Island Discs archive.

Desert Island Discs Revisited: Doctor Who at 60: Billie Piper

Billie Piper, actor

Billie Piper

Doctor Who at 60

Desert Island Discs

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Desert Island Discs Revisited, Doctor Who at 60, Billie Piper

Actor Billie Piper is castaway by Lauren Laverne.

4 Extra Debut. From Gene Wilder to Oasis. Actor Billie Piper shares her castaway choices with Lauren Laverne. From 2021.

Billie Piper is castaway on a desert island by Lauren Laverne.

Billie is an Olivier Award winning actor and former pop star.

She was born in Swindon in September 1982, and her parents nurtured her interests in dance and drama from a young age. 

After a winning a scholarship to study at the Sylvia Young Theatre School, she moved to London as a young teenager, leaving the family home.  By the age of 15, she was a full time pop star. She became the youngest female artist ever to go straight to number one in the UK charts when her debut single was a hit in 1998.

Just three years later, after releasing more successful singles and two albums and touring furiously to promote them, Billie left the music industry.  She married the DJ Chris Evans, and found herself the frequent subject of newspaper stories. 

She decided to turn to acting, her first love, and by 2005 she was back in the spotlight playing Rose Tyler in the BBC’s revival of Doctor Who. 

Since then she has taken on a wide range of acclaimed screen and stage roles, most notably picking up all six available awards for Best Actress  – including the Olivier Award – when she starred in a new version of Lorca's play Yerma.  Her recent TV series I Hate Suzy, which she co-created, has been BAFTA nominated and she has also written and directed her first film, Rare Beasts. 

DISC ONE: Pure Imagination by Gene Wilder
DISC TWO: This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody) by Talking Heads
DISC THREE: Sara by Fleetwood Mac   
DISC FOUR: Out of Space by The Prodigy  
DISC FIVE: Champagne Supernova by Oasis   
DISC SIX: Turn The Page by The Streets
DISC SEVEN: Halo by Beyoncé
DISC EIGHT: Juicy by The Notorious B.I.G    

BOOK CHOICE:  The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy
LUXURY ITEM: Billie’s children’s art work    
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Champagne Supernova by Oasis  

Producer: Sarah Taylor

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2021.

Desert Island Discs Revisited: Doctor Who at 60

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama. With recent favourites from BBC Radio 4.

4 Extra's castaway collection celebrating the 60th anniversary of BBC TV's Doctor Who

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