Hello I'm Kirstie Young and this is a download from the Desert Island Discs archive.

This edition may be slightly different from what was actually broadcast, but it is the only version we have.

It comes from the British Library's radio collection. The recording didn't contain

the guest's eight music choices, so we rebuilt the original show by using discs from

the BBC Gramophone Library. For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

Full details can be found on the Castaways page on the Desert Island Discs website.

The program was originally broadcast in 1981,

and the presenter was Roy Plumley. I'll cost away this week is the actress Joan Plowwright. Joan how much does music mean in your life?

It's meant a great deal in my life ever since I was a child. The house was always full of music. My parents were both very

fond of music, though they couldn't play. You played, of course, you played the piano.

Yes, I played. I was the middle one of three children. I have two brothers and we all played.

Has that been useful to you in the theatre? Have you played on stage?

Oh goodness, yes. I mean I trained at the Oldwick Theatre School which is a

classical school and most classical plays need music and dance and singing one is usually called upon to do a peasant

dance or a song do you sing yes I do how well could you face up to

isolation How well could you face up to isolation?

I think I maybe could.

I'm just saying could face up to it.

I'm not saying well.

Would music help this meager allowance of just eight records?

Tremendously.

What's the first one you have there?

...