In its primary Sunday morning slot, Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4 finishes at noon. This is the cue for radio cognoscenti to turn the digital dial a single notch – to BBC Radio 3. Because as Desert Island Discs ends, Private Passions, its lesser known twin, is about to begin.
I wrote here recently about the celebrations around DID’s 80th anniversary. And many of the comments from Spectator readers were along the lines of ‘yes, but it’s no Private Passions’. And that sentiment, which I partly share, comes, I think, from the fact that PP feels the more serious, the more grown-up of two otherwise very similarly formatted shows.
‘The big difference is that on Desert Island Discs people do not necessarily have to be passionate about music. In fact, sometimes you feel they almost dislike music’
Both feature a sustained conversation between a single guest and presenter, discussing their life and work, choosing music they find meaningful.
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