The radio programme Desert Island Discs has run continuously since 1942 and represents a unique record of the changing place of music in British society. In recognition of its iconic status, the BBC has recently created an online archive that currently includes podcasts of the last 25 years of programmes. This conference brings together musicologists, sociologists and media scholars to reflect on the programme’s historical and contextual significance, its changing position in Britain’s continually evolving media and its imitators in other parts of the world.

Speakers include:
Professor Andrew Blake, University of Winchester
Professor Philip Bohlman, University of Chicago
Dr Michael Bull, University of Sussex
Professor Laurie Cohen, University of Nottingham
Professor Martin Conway, City University London
Professor Tia DeNora, University of Exeter
Dr Jenny Doctor, Syracuse University
Professor Simon Frith FBA, University of Edinburgh
Professor David Hendy, University of Sussex
Dr Sarah Hill, Cardiff University
Dr Jo Littler, City University
Professor Will Straw, McGill University
Dr Peter Webb, University of Cambridge

Please click here for a copy of the programme and here for the British Academy website.