Alan presents a rebroadcast of a special reconstruction of Noel Coward's appearance on the BBC's "Desert Island Discs" in 1963. This was first heard on the annual Noel Coward birthday special in 2007. Paul Whitworth plays Coward and Alan plays Roy Plomley, the series host.
Coward's playlist:
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Third Movement – Sergei Rachmaninov, piano, with Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra
All the Way – Frank Sinatra with Nelson Riddle conducting the orchestra
Coward: “Private Lives” (Act 1, love scene) – Noel Coward and Gertrude Lawrence
Bellini: Norma, “Casta Diva” - Maria Callas with Tulio Serafin and La Scala Orchestra
Shakespeare: “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?” - Dame Edith Evans
The Critics - Peter Sellers and Irene Handl
“A Hole in the Ground” – Bernard Cribbins
Verdi: Requiem, “Dies Irae” (opening)- Victor de Sabata and La Scala Orchestra