Mike Leigh OBE - Desert Island Discs

What this episode covers

The castaway on Desert Island Discs this week is the filmmaker and director Mike Leigh. He first came to public attention on a dark and stormy evening when 16 million people tuned to BBC1 to watch his film Abigail's Party. It was also the night that ITV was blacked out by a strike, there was a highbrow documentary on BBC2, and Channel 4 didn't exist. His recent films Secrets and Lies and Naked won top awards at Cannes, building on the recognition he received for his earlier, more gentle portrait of working-class life - Life is Sweet. He explains to Sue Lawley how his early films were inspired by the work of Harold Pinter, Samuel Beckett and Francois Truffaut. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Clarinet Concerto in A Clarinet Concerto in A Major K622 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Luxury: Lavatory and lavatory paper

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How long is this episode of Desert Island Discs?

This episode is 37 minutes long.

When was this Desert Island Discs episode published?

This episode was published on September 21, 1997.

What is this episode about?

The castaway on Desert Island Discs this week is the filmmaker and director Mike Leigh. He first came to public attention on a dark and stormy evening when 16 million people tuned to BBC1 to watch his film Abigail's Party. It was also the night that...

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