Desert Island Discs

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Castaway guests share the soundtrack of their lives.

Eight tracks, a book and a luxury: what would you take to a desert island? Guests share the soundtrack of their lives.

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Desert Island Discs: Professor Tim Spector, scientist

Professor Tim Spector, scientist

BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Professor Tim Spector, scientist

Professor Tim Spector, scientist, shares the soundtrack of his life with Lauren Laverne.

Professor Tim Spector, scientist, shares the eight tracks, book and luxury item he would take with him if cast away to a desert island. With Lauren Laverne.

Tim Spector is Professor of Genetic Epidemiology and Head of the Department of Twin Research at King’s College London.   He was one of the co-founders of the ZOE Covid Symptom study, which for which he was awarded an OBE. He has also written best-selling books about the relationship between what we eat and our health and well-being.    

Tim was born in London in 1958 into a medical family.  His mother was a physiotherapist and his father was an eminent pathologist, although Tim initially resisted his father’s encouragement to follow him into medicine.  Once qualified, Tim specialised in rheumatology before switching to epidemiology.  In 1992, he set up a large-scale research study of twins which now has more than 15,000 identical and non-identical twins taking part.

After a health scare in 2011, Tim became more interested in how we can influence the microbes in our gut to help us stay well. He has published several books on the science of eating well and is a pioneer in personalised food nutrition.

Tim lives in London with his wife, who is also a doctor.  

DISC ONE: Life on Mars - David Bowie 
DISC TWO: Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 / Act 1 - 13. Dance Of The Knights Composed by Sergei Prokofiev and performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy
DISC THREE: Paint it, Black - The Rolling Stones
DISC FOUR: Dreams - Fleetwood Mac 
DISC FIVE: Puttin’ on the Ritz - Gene Wilder playing Dr Frankenstein, Peter Boyle as The Monster and Norbert Schiller as the announcer. Music conducted by John Morris from Young Frankenstein (Original Soundtrack) 
DISC SIX: All of Me (live) - Louis Armstrong 
DISC SEVEN: That’s Entertainment - The Jam 
DISC EIGHT: In the Ghetto - Elvis Presley 

BOOK CHOICE:  A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
LUXURY ITEM: A fermenting set
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: All of Me (live) - Louis Armstrong 
 
Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer   Sarah Taylor

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