Brian Epstein appears on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs

Brian Epstein’s appearance on the long-running BBC radio series Desert Island Discs was first broadcast on this day.

The Beatles’ manager was interviewed by the show’s creator, Roy Plomley, and chose the eight records, luxury item and book he would take if stranded as a castaway on a desert island.

His choices were:

• George Martin Orchestra: ‘All My Loving’
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 In D major (Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra; conductor Karl Münchinger)
• Quartette Trés Bien: Kilimanjaro
• The Beatles: She’s a Woman
• Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D major (Orchestre de la Suisse Romande; conductor Ernest Ansermet)
• Michael Olatunji: Odun De! Odun De! (Happy New Year)
• Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor (Philadelphia Orchestra; soloist Isaac Stern; conductor Eugene Ormandy)
• Carmen Amaya and Company: Fiesta de Jerez

Epstein’s chosen book was Elected Silence by Thomas Merton, and his luxury item was a set of painting materials. If he were allowed to keep just one record from the eight it would be Quartette Trés Bien’s Kilimanjaro.