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Adam Kay, writer

Adam Kay, writer and former doctor, shares the eight tracks, book and luxury item he would take with him if cast away to a desert island. With Lauren Laverne.

Adam Kay is a writer whose memoir This is Going to Hurt; Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor won the Book of the Year prize at the National Book Awards and has sold over three million copies. It was adapted for television as a 91Èȱ¬ series that won four BAFTAs this year, including Adam’s award for best drama writer.

Adam was born in Brighton in 1980 and studied medicine at Imperial College London. In 2004 he started working as a junior doctor, specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology. In 2010 he left medicine following a catastrophic incident in surgery.

He had kept a diary throughout his medical career, partly to help cope with the long shifts and stressful environment that came with life as a hospital doctor. In 2016 Adam read from his diaries for a show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the positive reception he received from audiences encouraged him to use them as the basis for a memoir. The book became a publishing sensation, and Adam has published further books and enjoyed considerable success with his live performances.

Adam lives in Oxfordshire with his husband James.

DISC ONE: Chopsticks - Liberace
DISC TWO: Mis-shapes - Pulp
DISC THREE: Chopin: Waltz No. 14 in E Minor, Op. posth. (no intro) Composed by Frédéric Chopin and performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy
DISC FOUR: Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat - Stubby Kaye, Original Cast Chorus (from Guys and Dolls)
DISC FIVE: Forgot About Dre - Dr Dre & Eminem
DISC SIX: Poisoning Pigeons - Tom Lehrer
DISC SEVEN: A Lady of a Certain Age - The Divine Comedy
DISC EIGHT: San Diego Serenade - Tom Waits

BOOK CHOICE: York Notes for the Complete Works of Shakespeare
LUXURY ITEM: A diary and pen
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: San Diego Serenade - Tom Waits

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley

Available now

37 minutes

Last on

Fri 23 Jun 2023 09:00

Music Played

  • Liberace

    Chopsticks

    • Super Hits.
    • Columbia/Legacy.
    • 2.
  • Pulp

    Mis-Shapes

    • Different Class.
    • Universal-Island Records Ltd..
    • 1.
  • Frédéric Chopin

    Chopin: Waltz No. 14 in E Minor, Op. posth.

    Performer: Vladimir Ashkenazy.
    • Chopin: 10 Waltzes; 7 Nocturnes.
    • 10.
  • Stubby Kaye, Original Cast Chorus

    Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat

    • The Broadway Musicals: Guys and Dolls (Original Cast Recordings).
    • H&H Music Ltd.
    • 14.
  • Dr. Dre

    Forgot About Dre (feat. Eminem)

    • 2001.
    • Aftermath.
    • 10.
  • Tom Lehrer

    Poisoning Pigeons

    • The Rest Of Tom Lehrer.
    • Shout!.
    • 1.
  • The Divine Comedy

    A Lady of a Certain Age

    • Victory For The Comic Muse.
    • Parlophone UK.
    • 4.
  • Tom Waits

    San Diego Serenade

    • The Heart of Saturday Night.
    • Asylum Records.
    • 2.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 18 Jun 2023 11:15
  • Fri 23 Jun 2023 09:00

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