Frederic Raphael's guest appearances

Frederic Raphael

Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010

Desert Island Discs: Archive 1981-1985

Raymond Briggs

Joan Plowright

Jack Higgins

Thomas Keneally

Peter Maxwell Davies

Brian Aldiss

David Starkey

Tony Adams

David King

Andy McNab

Stephen King

Sebastian Faulks

Jacqueline Wilson

Anthony Horowitz

Robert Harris

OwlTail

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the screen writer Frederic Raphael. For 50 years Frederic Raphael has written witty scripts for television and the silver screen. He won an Oscar for his film Darling, which starred Julie Christie, and became a household name with his television series The Glittering Prizes. He was born in Chicago but came to England as a boy - where, his father advised him, he could grow up to be 'an English gentleman' rather than 'an American Jew'. While his parents did not want to disown their faith, nor did they want to be defined by it and they were very cautious about the way Jews were perceived in Britain before the Second World War. He was one of only a handful of Jewish boys at boarding school and was isolated and miserable there. But his loneliness led him to the solitary pursuit of writing - an occupation where he could right the wrongs he had suffered. A bright pupil, his own glittering prize was winning a scholarship to Cambridge - after that, he said, no other success in his life could compare. For the past 50 years he has split his time between London, France and Greece - accompanied all the time by his wife, Sylvia-Betty.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]Favourite track: Vorka Sto Yialo by Manos Tacticos &amp; his BouzoukisBook: Oxford Latin DictionaryLuxury: Mont Blanc pen, nibs and spiral squared notebooks

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the screen writer Frederic Raphael. For 50 years Frederic Raphael has written witty scripts for television and the silver screen. He won an Oscar for his film Darling, which starred Julie Christie, and became a household name with his television series The Glittering Prizes. He was born in Chicago but came to England as a boy - where, his father advised him, he could grow up to be 'an English gentleman' rather than 'an American Jew'. While his parents did not want to disown their faith, nor did they want to be defined by it and they were very cautious about the way Jews were perceived in Britain before the Second World War. He was one of only a handful of Jewish boys at boarding school and was isolated and miserable there. But his loneliness led him to the solitary pursuit of writing - an occupation where he could right the wrongs he had suffered. A bright pupil, his own glittering prize was winning a scholarship to Cambridge - after that, he said, no other success in his life could compare. For the past 50 years he has split his time between London, France and Greece - accompanied all the time by his wife, Sylvia-Betty. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Vorka Sto Yialo by Manos Tacticos &amp; his Bouzoukis Book: Oxford Latin Dictionary Luxury: Mont Blanc pen, nibs and spiral squared notebooks

Roy Plomley's castaway is writer Frederic Raphael.Favourite track: Cello Concerto in B Minor by Antonin DvořákBook: Bilingual edition of poetry  by Giorgos SeferisLuxury: Painting Materials

Roy Plomley's castaway is writer Frederic Raphael. Favourite track: Cello Concerto in B Minor by Antonin Dvořák Book: Bilingual edition of poetry by Giorgos Seferis Luxury: Painting Materials