Molly Parkin

The Grand Dame of bohemian living, Molly Parkin reveals her castaway choices.

In a specially extended edition for BBC Radio 4 Extra, Molly shares her life story with Kirsty Young and explains her musical, book and luxury choices.

Molly Parkin left the Welsh valleys to train as a fine artist in London and was a successful painter then teacher before becoming a fashion writer and novelist. She is as well known, though, for her lifestyle as her work. She adopted a hedonistic approach to life - smoking and drinking through the night and picking up numerous lovers along the way.

Now aged 79, Molly prefers to live alone and says she has found a calmer way of living:

"I have been blessed, and made it my business, to surround myself with larger than life characters," she says, "love, on a very profound level comes unexpectedly and brilliantly."

DISC ONE: Accentuate the Positive - Bette Midler
DISC TWO: Three Sheets to the Wind - Liane Carroll
DISC THREE: A Kiss to Build a Dream On - Louis Armstrong
DISC FOUR: Somewhere towards love - Ian Shaw
DISC FIVE: Rockin' Chair - George Melly
DISC SIX: Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
DISC SEVEN: Never Forget How to Dance - Sarah Jane Morris
DISC EIGHT: Good Golly Miss Molly - Little Richard

BOOK CHOICE: The History of the Colony - Sophie Parkin
LUXURY CHOICE: Her entire outfit including her Andrew Logan Brooch
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Good Golly Miss Molly - Little Richard

Producer: Leanne Buckle

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2011.