Desert Island Discs: Blanchett, Spielberg and Young to appear on festive specials

Hollywood stars Cate Blanchett and Steven Spielberg, and erstwhile BBC presenter Kirsty Young volition look connected Desert Island Discs successful a bid of festive specials adjacent month.

Guests volition articulation presenter Lauren Laverne arsenic the BBC Radio 4 amusement marks its 80th birthday.

They volition stock which 8 recordings, publication and luxury point they would instrumentality with them if they were formed distant connected a godforsaken island.

Episodes aerial connected 11, 18 and 25 December.

Blanchett's occurrence volition beryllium broadcast first, during which the Australian histrion volition sermon increasing up successful Melbourne.

She volition besides speech astir her emergence to fame successful the 1998 movie Elizabeth, arsenic good arsenic her wider acting career, which has earned her 2 Academy Awards, 3 Baftas and 3 Golden Globes.

The pursuing Sunday volition spot Spielberg speech to Laverne astir his puerility mini-movies and his archetypal large interruption arsenic a manager with the 1971 motortruck pursuit play Duel.

He volition besides code immoderate of his astir celebrated works - E.T., Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, The BFG - and look astatine however they were shaped by a young person's perspective.

Christmas Day volition spot Young instrumentality to Desert Island Discs - this clip successful the impermanent chair.

The seasoned BBC broadcaster hosted the amusement from 2006 to 2018, presenting astir 500 episodes of the programme. She stepped distant arsenic host pursuing wellness problems.

Young, who presented the Queen's authorities ceremonial and parts of the precocious monarch's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, volition sermon these moments, arsenic good arsenic her vocation successful Scotland and elsewhere.

On casting distant astir 500 radical herself, the broadcaster said: "It was a somewhat discombobulating and thoroughly enjoyable experience.

"Although making anyone constrictive down their favourite discs to conscionable 8 is frankly unreasonable. It'll ne'er drawback on."

First broadcast successful January 1942, the format of Desert Island Discs has yielded immoderate revealing interviews with a wide scope of guests.

During Young's clip alone, stars specified arsenic Dame Judi Dench, George Michael, Tom Hanks and Bruce Springsteen appeared connected the show.