Umberto Eco

Sue Lawley's guest on Desert Island Discs today is the writer Martin Amis. He describes his books as comedies, but, like London Fields and Other People, they are frequently dark and disturbing.He says that he has no choice as to the subjects of his books. "They come from nowhere ...  Show more

The castaway on Desert Island Discs this week is Absolutely Fabulous! Jennifer Saunders began "doing funny things with props" in the early 1980s. With her stage partner Dawn French, she toured the clubs and comedy venues making people laugh with acts like The Menopause Sisters. A ...  Show more

Works by Umberto EcoThe Name of the RoseFoucault’s PendulumThe Prague CemeteryOn the Shoulders of Giants Other Related Books or MaterialsSigns and Secrets: the Worlds of Umberto Eco (2013 documentary)Always Narrating: The Making and Unmaking of Umberto Eco (link opens a 2020 Los ...  Show more

The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is a man who prefers to shun any sort of label, but has already attracted quite a number of them - writer, actor, raconteur, wit - but it is as a so-called 'alternative comedian' that Stephen Fry has been most remarkable, and he'll ...  Show more

Italian author Umberto Eco discusses his novel The Name of the Rose, set in a 14th Century Franciscan monastery and answers questions from an invited audience.(Photo: Umberto Eco) 

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Ralph Fiennes. His first Hollywood film role was as the Nazi concentration camp leader in Schindler's List, a part which, he says, had a profoundly disturbing effect on him. His latest project, playing the jaded hero Onegin, is the culmination of a ...  Show more