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.

BBC Radio 4 LW

Desert Island Discs: Clive Myrie, journalist

16/06/2024

Clive Myrie, journalist

BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Clive Myrie, journalist

Clive Myrie, journalist, shares the soundtrack of his life with Lauren Laverne.

Clive Myrie, journalist, shares the eight tracks, book and luxury item he would take with him if cast away to a desert island. With Lauren Laverne.

Clive Myrie is an award-winning journalist and news presenter who is one of the BBC’s most experienced foreign correspondents. In 2021 he took over from John Humphrys as Question Master of the quiz show Mastermind and has also presented travel programmes about Italy and the Caribbean. 

Clive’s parents are from Jamaica and he was born in Farnworth, near Bolton – one of seven children. As a young boy he had a paper round and one of the perks was reading the leftover newspapers which gave him the opportunity to learn about a world beyond Bolton. He loved watching the news on television and his role models were Alan Whicker and Sir Trevor McDonald who inspired him to become a journalist. 

After he graduated from university Clive took up a place on the BBC’s reporter training scheme and in 1996 he was sent to Japan - his first posting as a foreign correspondent. During his career he has reported from war zones including Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine. 

In 2021 Clive was named Television Journalist of the Year and Network Presenter of the Year at the Royal Television Society Television Journalism Awards.

Clive lives in north London with his wife Catherine. 

DISC ONE: String Quartet No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131: VI. Adagio quasi un poco andante. Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven and performed by Kodály Quartet
DISC TWO: Welcome to My World - Jim Reeves 
DISC THREE: Così fan tutte ossia La scuola degli amanti, K.588 / Act 1 - Soave sia il vento. Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and performed by Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano), Ann Murray (mezzo soprano), Ferruccio Furlanetto (bass) and Wiener Philharmoniker  
DISC FOUR: All Blues - Miles Davis
DISC FIVE: Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: I. Prelude. Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and performed by Paul Tortelier
DISC SIX: Slave to the Rhythm - Grace Jones
DISC SEVEN: Long, Long Summer - Dizzy Gillespie
DISC EIGHT: Stomp! - The Brothers Johnson

BOOK CHOICE: The Metropolitan Museum of Art catalogue
LUXURY ITEM: Hot pepper sauce        
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Long, Long Summer - Dizzy Gillespie

Presenter  Lauren Laverne
Producer  Paula McGinley

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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