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Episode details

Radio 4 Extra,18 Oct 2026,45 mins

SeriesAdventurers 2

Redmond O'Hanlon

Desert Island Discs Revisited

Available for 29 days

Explorer and travel writer Redmond O'Hanlon is castaway by Sue Lawley. Redmond has trekked to deserted mountain tops for a glimpse of the rare Borneo rhinoceros and paddled through river swamps to find the Congo's mythical monster. Deep in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, he stayed with the most violent people on Earth, the Yanomari Indians. Along the way, he's encountered scorpions, vipers and a giant catfish "which can take your foot off at the ankle", all in search of a story. As he tells Sue, although his long-suffering companions survive the journey, they vow never to travel with him again - not even to High Wycombe. Now he's planning a trip to New Guinea - but will Sue agree to accompany him? DISC ONE: Vera Schlosser, Berit Linholm and Brigitte Faesbaende - Wagner’s The Ride Of The Valkyries DISC TWO: Song of the Mistlethrush recorded by Ludwig Koch DISC THREE: Winston Churchill - "Finest Hour" speech DISC FOUR: The Baka Forest People Of Southeast Cameroon - Yelli 3 DISC FIVE: Arthur Davis - Women Abandon Us from Verdi’s Rigoletto DISC SIX: Tribe Of The Andes – Tawantinsuyo: Virgenes Del Sol DISC SEVEN: The Rolling Stones - Little Red Rooster DISC EIGHT: Puffin O'Hanlon and John Melvin - Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A major CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Puffin O'Hanlon and John Melvin - Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A major BOOK CHOICE: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy LUXURY CHOICE: A pair of green, insulated Leica binoculars 8 X 20 Producer: Angie Nehring First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1997.

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