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Kirsty Young's castaway is comedian Jo Brand.

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the stand-up comedian Jo Brand. From the word go she always anticipated she would be heckled about her weight and appearance. While most people would run a mile at the thought of standing in front of a rowdy, aggressive and largely drunk audience, she says that the worst that can happen is humiliation - and she adds that as a woman, she was already equipped to deal with this, because people felt free to comment disparagingly on her appearance in everyday life.

Her first career was as a psychiatric nurse - and for several years she would spend the day working in a psychiatric unit before appearing at a comedy club in the evening. Both careers demand an ability to be calm in extreme situations and to display a confidence that is often not felt. Her extreme act meant that for many years she was labelled a man-hating feminist - but she confounded critics by getting married and having two children.

Elements of this programme may offend some listeners.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Oh England, My Lionheart by Kate Bush
Book: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
Luxury: A church organ.

Available now

45 minutes

Last on

Fri 23 Mar 2007 09:00
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 FM

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Music Played

  • Johannes Brahms

    Variations on the St Antoni Chorale - theme

    Orchestra: The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor: Claudio Abbado

    • Brahms: Symphony No 4.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.

  • Castaway's Favourite

    • Kate Bush

      Oh England, My Lionheart

      • Lionheart.
      • EMI.

  • Paul Robeson

    Gloomy Sunday

    • The Golden Age of 14 Beautiful Songs.
    • Golden Age.

  • The Damned

    Smash It Up

    • Sessions of the Damned.
    • Strange Fruit.

  • Talking Heads

    People Like Us

    • Wild Wild Life.
    • EMI.

  • Billy Bragg

    Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards

    • Must I Paint You a Picture?.
    • Cooking Vinyl.

  • Elvis Costello

    Couldn't Call It Unexpected No 4

    • Extreme Honey.
    • Warner.

  • Abdullah Ibrahim

    The Wedding

    • Water From An Ancient Well.
    • Tiptoe.

  • Book Choice

    • The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - Edward Gibbon

  • Luxury Choice

    • A church organ

Credits

Presenter Kirsty Young
Interviewed Guest Jo Brand

Broadcasts

  • Sun 18 Mar 2007 11:15
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
  • Fri 23 Mar 2007 09:00
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 FM

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