Francesca Simon
Children's author Francesca Simon is interviewed by Kirsty Young for Desert Island Discs.
Kirsty Young's castaway is the children's author Francesca Simon.
Educated at Yale and Oxford she initially thought she'd pursue an academic life - but within weeks of her son's birth, found that ideas for children's stories started flowing. She's now written twenty books featuring her creation Horrid Henry and they sell in their millions.
She sees Horrid Henry as sitting within the long tradition of anarchic characters in children's literature. She says: "Everyone responds to Henry because I think everyone feels - however conventional they seem on the outside - that they are rebellious and unconventional, and Henry really taps into that."
Producer: Leanne Buckle.
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Music Played
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The Beach Boys
Surfin' USA
Composer: Berry/Wilson
- California Gold: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys CD1.
- EMI.
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Jacques Brel
Amsterdam
Composer: Jacques Brel
- Quand on N鈥檃gue l鈥檃mour.
- Barclay.
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Emma Kirkby
Columba Aspexit from a Feather on the Breath of God
Composer: Abbess Hildegard of Bingen
- Hildegard of Bingen :A Feather on the Breath of God.
- Hyperion.
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Joan Baez
The Trees they Grow So High
Composer: Traditional
- Joan Baez Vol.2.
- Vanquad.
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The Judds
Why Not Me
Composer: Harlan Howard, Sonny Throckmorton, and Brent Maher
- Why Not Me.
- Curb.
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[theatre]
Slap That Bass from Crazy for You
Composer: George and Ira Gershwin
- Crazy for You.
- Cast.
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Jonathan Dove
Tobias and the Angel
Artist: Darren Abrahams and James Laing with the Young Vic Chorus & Ensemble conducted by David Charles Abell.
- Tobias and the Angel.
- Chandos.
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Castaway's Favourite
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Mandy Patinkin
Finishing the Hat
Composer: Stephen Sondheim
- Sunday in the Park with George.
- Masterworks Broadway.
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Book Choice
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The Eustace Diamonds - Anthony Trollope
Luxury Choice
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Cappuccino maker
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Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Kirsty Young |
Interviewed Guest | Francesca Simon |
Broadcasts
- Sun 6 Nov 2011 11:15成人快手 Radio 4
- Fri 11 Nov 2011 09:00成人快手 Radio 4
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