Overview

Flotsam & Jetsam is the ultimate trivia book for fans of the popular BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs, and a fascinating introduction for all those who have yet to discover its delights. Taking the reader through seven decades of wonderful entertainment, here is an absorbing range of facts, figures and miscellany - including who chose what, and why. It also reveals much about the castaways' drives and motivations, their influences and, of course, their lives. Spanning the early years with the original presenter, Roy Plomley, and the present day, the Desert Island Discs programme has brought its own unique surprises to listeners, some very personal, some humorous, such as Eric Morecambe's choice of a deckchair as his luxury and Ernie Wise's of a deckchair ticket machine. From Beethoven to the Beatles, from chessboards and chocolate to Jane Austen and Zola, Flotsam & Jetsam is the perfect companion guide to the national treasure that is Desert Island Discs.

Full Product Details

9780552167819

Table of Contents

Reviews

This ultimate trivia book for fans of BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs invites the reader to delve into a treasure trove of castaway anecdotes and amusing luxury items... Guaranteed to take readers on a magical journey through the last 70 years of music Telegraph Books Thoroughly researched, lively and lighthearted... an artifact - the kind you would take to a desert island Big Issue Mitchell Symons is the doyen of trivialists, who has been truffling out absurd facts ever since he wrote all the questions in Trivial Pursuit that weren't wrong. This book is exhaustive and slightly mad, and my life was appreciably poorer before I owned it. Outstanding -- Marcus Berkmann The Spectator

Author Information

Mitchell Symons was born in London and studied Law at the LSE. He has worked as both a BBC television researcher and director, and was a principal writer for the early editions of Trivial Pursuit. An experienced broadcaster and journalist, Mitchell won the Columnist of the Year award in 2002 and now writes a regular column for the Sunday Express. He has written several books and for the past two years he has won the prestigious Blue Peter 'Best Book with Facts' award. He lives with his wife Penny and their two sons in Sussex.

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