Episode details

Available for 28 days
Actor Kenneth Williams is castaway by Michael Parkinson. For 40 years he has occupied a unique place on stage, screen and radio. Kenneth recalls his long career which has ranged from working on radio classics like Hancock's Half Hour and Round the Horne to being a regular member of the cast in the Carry On films. DISC ONE: Gabriel Fauré’s Barcarolle No.1 in A minor, Op.26 - Paul Crossley DISC TWO: Alfred Tennyson/Roger Quilter’s Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal - Kathleen Ferrier DISC THREE: Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major, Op. 24 'Spring' - 1st movement - Itzhak Perlman, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy DISC FOUR: Jaime Ovalle’s The Bluebird - Gérard Souzay DISC FIVE: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in C major - Academy of St Martin in the Fields, conducted by Neville Marriner DISC SIX: Francisco Tárrega’s Adelita (from Three Mazurkas) - Julian Bream DISC SEVEN: Franz Schubert’s Piano Trio No. 1 in B flat major – 2nd movement - Oistrakh Trio DISC EIGHT: Johannes Brahms’s Wenn ich mit Menschen (from Four Serious Songs, Op.121) - Hermann Prey CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major, Op. 24 'Spring' - 1st movement - Itzhak Perlman, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy BOOK CHOICE: The Golden Treasury - Francis Palgrave LUXURY CHOICE: Crate of Cologne Producer: Ray Abbott First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1987. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** This programme is part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s THE VERSATILE VOICE OF KENNETH WILLIAMS This is our celebration marking what would have been the actor's 100th birthday on 22 February 2026.
Programme Website