Tim Rice

Tim Rice

Author: BBC Radio 4 June 27, 2004 Duration: 34:51
Desert Island Discs: Archive 2000-2005
SocietySociety & CultureCultureJournalsPersonal

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the world famous lyricist Sir Tim Rice. Sir Tim is best known for his collaborative work with Andrew Lloyd Webber creating some of the best loved musicals of recent years. The duo first teamed up in the late 1960s first producing Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, which is a staple of school end-of-term shows as well as enjoying numerous runs in the West End. The groundbreaking Jesus Christ Superstar followed, and then Evita, depicting the life of Eva Peron.

As a child growing up in Hertfordshire, he was enchanted by astronomy and cricket and excelled academically. On leaving school, he shunned university and tried his hand with the law. But he had dreams of becoming a pop star or, at the very least, a songwriter, and so he took a job as a management trainee with EMI records. When he met Andrew Lloyd Webber after replying to his request for a 'with it' writer he realised his future lay as a lyricist. Sir Tim was knighted in 1994 and he's the co-author of the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles and a co-founder of Pavilion Books.

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

Favourite track: Once in Royal David's City by Gauntlett Book: Molesworth by Geoffrey Willans Luxury: A telescope


The Desert Island Discs: Archive 2000-2005 podcast opens a unique window into a pivotal era, drawing from the BBC Radio 4 archives. This isn't just a collection of interviews about music; it's a deeply personal exploration of life, ambition, and memory through the voices of the early 21st century. Each episode presents a guest from this period-be they an artist, a politician, a scientist, or an activist-facing the program's enduring and revealing premise: selecting the eight pieces of music they would take if stranded alone. The conversation that unfolds around these choices is where the magic happens. The host gently guides them from their selections into stories of childhood influences, career-defining moments, personal triumphs, and profound losses. You'll hear the crackle of a vinyl record lead into a confession, or a symphony cue a tale of resilience. Listening to this podcast feels like uncovering a time capsule of cultural and emotional history, where a pop song can explain a political stance and a classical adagio can frame a love story. It’s an intimate study of character and a testament to how the soundtrack of our lives shapes our identity. These archived conversations, preserved in this podcast, remain compelling because they bypass the superficial, using music as the key to unlock genuine human experience.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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Desert Island Discs: Archive 2000-2005
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