Stephen Mangan, actor
Desert Island Discs
BBC
4.4 • 13.7K Ratings
🗓️ 9 March 2025
⏱️ 51 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Stephen Mangan is an award winning actor who is also a presenter and writer. His prolific career includes comedic roles in TV hits Green Wing; Episodes and Adrian Mole. He also plays the much loved Nathan in BBC drama The Split and has appeared in many award winning theatre productions in the UK and on Broadway.
Born in London to Irish immigrant parents, Stephen studied Law at Cambridge University. His passion though was for acting and after taking time out to care for his mother, he spent three years at RADA before pursuing a successful career on stage, screen and film.
Stephen lives in London with his wife and three sons.
DISC ONE: King of the Road - Roger Miller DISC TWO: I Recall A Gypsy Woman - Don Williams DISC THREE: Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) - John Lennon DISC FOUR: Who Knows Where the Time Goes - Fairport Convention DISC FIVE: Stayin Alive - Bee Gees DISC SIX: Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83: II. Adagio assai. Composed by Maurice Ravel and performed by Martha Argerich (piano) and Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Claudio Abbado DISC SEVEN: Rhapsody in Blue. Composed by George Gershwin and performed by New York Philharmonic, conducted by Zubin Mehta DISC EIGHT: (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher - Jackie Wilson
BOOK CHOICE: Collected Works of Seamus Heaney LUXURY ITEM: A piano CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Stayin Alive - Bee Gees
Presenter: Lauren Laverne Producer: Sarah Taylor
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | He tells her that she will be sent to France as a secret agent, and if she's caught, she's going to be shot. |
| 0:09.3 | I'm Helen Obalam Carter, and this is history's secret heroes, where I shine a light on extraordinary stories from World War II. |
| 0:17.6 | What they wanted was someone to get themselves arrested and sent to Auschwitz. |
| 0:22.0 | Tales of deception, an incredible acts of resistance and courage. She was a born soldier. |
| 0:27.4 | She's a freedom fighter in its widest sense. The brand new series of history's secret heroes. |
| 0:32.8 | Listen first on BBC Sounds. BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:40.1 | Hello, I'm Lauren Levern, and this is the Desert Island Discs podcast. |
| 0:43.8 | Every week, I ask my guest to choose the eight tracks, book and luxury they'd want to take with them |
| 0:48.8 | if they were cast away to a desert island. |
| 0:51.7 | And, for rights reasons, the music is shorter than the original broadcast. |
| 0:56.4 | I hope you enjoy listening. My castaway this week is the actor Stephen Mangan. He's best known for his comedies, but is as versatile as he is popular. |
| 1:24.8 | As well as shows like episodes and Green Wing, he's also taken on serious roles, |
| 1:29.2 | like the hit BBC drama The Split, |
| 1:31.4 | and his long career on stage |
| 1:32.9 | includes a Tony-nominated run on Broadway. |
| 1:35.9 | He's also the host of game shows and arts programmes, |
| 1:38.4 | such as The Fortune Hotel and Portrait Artist of the Year. |
| 1:41.7 | He runs his own production company |
| 1:43.1 | and is the author of a series |
| 1:44.6 | of successful children's books, including the memorably titled The Fart That Changed the World. |
| 1:50.2 | Born in London to Irish parents, he won a scholarship to a leading boarding school. He always |
| 1:55.1 | loved drama, but says that with his background, declaring you wanted to become an actor, |
... |
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