Jo Brand

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the stand-up comedian Jo Brand. From the word go she always anticipated she would be heckled about her weight and appearance. While most people would run a mile at the thought of standing in front of a rowdy, aggressive and largely drunk audience, she says that the worst that can happen is humiliation - and she adds that as a woman, she was already equipped to deal with this, because people felt free to comment disparagingly on her appearance in everyday life.

Her first career was as a psychiatric nurse - and for several years she would spend the day working in a psychiatric unit before appearing at a comedy club in the evening. Both careers demand an ability to be calm in extreme situations and to display a confidence that is often not felt. Her extreme act meant that for many years she was labelled a man-hating feminist - but she confounded critics by getting married and having two children.

Elements of this programme may offend some listeners.

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

Choices

1.

Johannes Brahms

Variations on the St Antoni Chorale - theme

Orchestra: The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor: Claudio Abbado

Others who chose this artist

2.

Castaway's favourite

Kate Bush

Oh England, My Lionheart

Others who chose this artist

3.

Paul Robeson

Gloomy Sunday

Others who chose this artist

4.

The Damned

Smash It Up

Others who chose this artist

5.

Talking Heads

People Like Us

Others who chose this artist

6.

Billy Bragg

Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards

Others who chose this artist

7.

Elvis Costello

Couldn’t Call It Unexpected No 4

Others who chose this artist

8.

Abdullah Ibrahim

The Wedding

Others who chose this artist

Book

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon

Others who chose this author

Luxury item

A church organ

Others who chose a similar luxury