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Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst 

BBC Radio 4


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


Desert Island Discs

Michael Sheen is an award-winning actor.

After finding his love for the stage with the West Glamorgan Youth theatre as a teenager, he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. 

He spent the 1990s making a name for himself as a stage actor, shining in the classics from Romeo and Juliet to Peer Gynt as well as in 20th century masterpieces such as Look Back in Anger and Amadeus, receiving several Olivier Award nominations along the way.

A relocation to the US in the early 2000s with his then partner, the actress Kate Beckinsale, and their young daughter Lily prompted a move into films. His breakthrough came in 2003 when he portrayed Tony Blair in a Stephen Frears film called The Deal. It was the beginning of what became an unlikely specialism: morphing into real people from recent history: Kenneth Williams, David Frost, Brian Clough, Chris Tarrant, and Prince Andrew – with two more outings as Tony Blair thrown in for good measure.

Michael was born in Newport, South Wales, in February 1969, the eldest of two children to Meyrick and Irene. He grew up in Port Talbot from the age of eight and considers it his hometown. 

His first love was football, and he was spotted as youngster by an Arsenal talent scout to play for their youth team. His parents decided against moving the family to London and he turned to acting instead and graduated from RADA in 1991.

Alongside the classic dramas, his range extends to appearing in fantasy and science fiction films such as The Twilight Saga and Tron: Legacy. 

Michael has said that the most meaningful project to him was a modern restaging of the passion play in Port Talbot in 2011, which involved the participation of a thousand local people, because it opened his eyes to the difficulties many of them were experiencing. He has since used his own money to fund the 2019 Homeless World Cup in Cardiff and set up an organisation which supports community groups. 

Michael lives in Wales with his partner, the actress Anna Lundberg, and their two young daughters. 

DISC ONE: Vienna - Ultravox 
DISC TWO: The Ecstasy Of Gold - Ennio Morricone 
DISC THREE: Desire - Talk Talk 
DISC FOUR: Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones 
DISC FIVE: Ready for Drowning - Manic Street Preachers 
DISC SIX: Passion - Peter Gabriel 
DISC SEVEN: Dark Secret - Lau
DISC EIGHT: Oh Yeah - Yello 

BOOK CHOICE: The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell 
LUXURY ITEM: A football
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Vienna - Ultravox 

Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Sarah Taylor

There are more than 2000 programmes in our archive available for you to listen to. We have cast away other notable actors including Sir Anthony Hopkins and some of the people Michael has played including Kenneth Williams, Chris Tarrant and Tony Blair. You can find all those episodes and more by searching BBC Sounds.

Michael Sheen, actor

The rock legend Bruce Springsteen was cast away by Kirsty Young back in 2016.

Bruce has won 20 Grammys, two Golden Globes, an Academy Award, and his albums sell in their millions around the world. He grew up in New Jersey in a family that teetered on the brink of poverty. His first guitar was rented rather than bought, and he spent his apprentice years as a musician and singer with local bands before landing a record deal in 1972.

He spoke to Kirsty about his love of dancing and his first live performances.

You can find the full episode on BBC Sounds.

Bruce Springsteen on the joy of dancing

In 2024, the athlete Dame Sarah Storey was cast away by Lauren Laverne.

Sarah Storey is Great Britain’s most successful Paralympian. She was just 14 when she took two weeks off school to compete as a swimmer in the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics where she won her first two gold medals.

She spoke to Lauren about the first time she watched the Olympics on TV.

You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

Sarah Storey on her sporting dreams

In 2015, the American lawyer Bryan Stevenson was cast away by Kirsty Young.

Bryan is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a private, not-for-profit organisation in the US working on death penalty cases, prison and sentencing reform, and issues of race and poverty.

He spoke to Kirsty about racism in the American criminal justice system.

You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

Bryan Stevenson on race and criminal justice in America

The broadcasting legend Sir David Attenborough was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2012 for the 70th anniversary of Desert Island Discs.

Sir David told Kirsty about his passion for fossils, which began as a child and inspired his love of the natural world.

You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

David Attenborough on his connection to the natural world

The actor Dustin Hoffman was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2012.

He has been a leading man in Hollywood for over fifty years. His career includes movies such as The Graduate, All The President's Men, Kramer v Kramer, Tootsie and Rain Man.

He spoke to Kirsty about his relationship with his father.

You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

Dustin Hoffman on his father

The writer Marian Keyes was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2017.

It’s thirty years since she published her first novel, Watermelon. Her books have sold in their millions, and many of her bestsellers have been adapted for the screen.

She spoke to Kirsty about how she feels when she’s finished writing a book.

You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

Marian Keyes on writing

The footballer David Beckham was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2017.

Born and raised in East London, he spent hours as a child kicking a ball around at the local park with his father. At the age of seven, he played for his first team, Ridgeway Rovers, before coming to the attention of Manchester United.

He spoke to Kirsty about how his love of football – and fashion – started at an early age.

You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

David Beckham on his childhood love of football and fashion

The great American writer Maya Angelou was cast away back in 1987.

She told Michael Parkinson about the disturbing reason she became temporarily mute during her childhood, which in turn led to her love of poetry. Some listeners may find her description of events upsetting.

You can find the full episode on BBC Sounds.

Details of organisations offering information and support with child sexual abuse are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Maya Angelou on the trauma that made her mute

The surgeon David Nott was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2016 shortly after returning from war-torn Syria.

He spoke to Kirsty about his experiences of working in a warzone for the first time back in the early 90s.

You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

David Attenborough on his connection to the natural world

Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst

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