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Brian Cox, actor

Brian Cox, actor, chooses the eight tracks, book and luxury he would want take if cast away to a desert island. With Lauren Laverne.

Brian Cox CBE is a Scottish actor whose career spans almost 60 years, from his early days sweeping the stage at his local theatre in Dundee to his current Golden Globe-winning role as the media patriarch Logan Roy in the HBO series Succession. He has appeared in more than 100 films, many television series, and has won two Olivier awards for his work on stage.

Brian Cox was born in 1946, the youngest of five children, and grew up in a working-class household in Dundee. His father died of cancer when he was eight and his mother, who was receiving regular psychiatric treatment, was unable to take care of him. He moved in with his sister Betty and her family.

He left school aged 14 with no qualifications, and started out as a stage hand and stage cleaner at Dundee Rep, before winning a place at drama school. Years of theatre work followed, alongside actors such as Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud and Albert Finney. His later stage roles include acclaimed performances as King Lear at the National Theatre, and Titus Andronicus for the Royal Shakespeare Company. On film, his work includes the first screen portrayal of Hannibal Lecter - renamed Lecktor - in Manhunter, and blockbusters such as The Bourne Identity, X-Men 2, Braveheart and Troy.

He received a CBE in 2002, and lives in New York City with his second wife Nicole Ansari.

DISC ONE: Bridge Over Troubled Water by Johnny Cash
DISC TWO: Saturday Night at the Movies by The Drifters
DISC THREE: The Air That I Breathe by KD Lang
DISC FOUR: Get Back by The Beatles
DISC FIVE: La quête by Jacques Brel
DISC SIX: Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell
DISC SEVEN: God Only Knows by The Beach Boys
DISC EIGHT: Don’t Get Me Wrong by The Pretenders

BOOK CHOICE: In Search of the Miraculous by P.D. Ouspensky
LUXURY ITEM: A sewing kit
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: God Only Knows by The Beach Boys

Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Sarah Taylor

Available now

34 minutes

Music Played

  • Johnny Cash

    Bridge Over Troubled Water

    • American IV: The Man Comes Around.
    • Sony Music Entertainment UK Ltd.
    • 4.
  • The Drifters

    Saturday Night At The Movies

    • The Very Best of The Drifters.
    • Old Gold Records Limited.
    • 1.
  • k.d. lang

    The Air That I Breathe

    • Drag.
    • Warner.
    • 2.
  • The Beatles

    Get Back

    • 1.
    • EMI Records Limited.
    • 22.
  • Jacques Brel

    La quête

    • Infiniment.
    • Universal Music Operations Ltd.
    • 1.
  • Joni Mitchell

    Both Sides Now

    • Both Sides Now.
    • Warner Music UK Limited.
    • 12.
  • The Beach Boys

    God Only Knows

    • Greatest Hits.
    • Capitol Records.
    • 18.
  • Pretenders

    Don't Get Me Wrong

    • Get Close.
    • Warner Music UK Limited.
    • 6.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 29 Mar 2020 11:00
  • Fri 3 Apr 2020 09:00

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