BBC World Service To Broadcast David Beckham’s Desert Island Discs

On 4^th February, the BBC World Service will broadcast a special ‘Desert Island Discs’ interview with David Beckham – the former professional footballer who is also known for his humanitarian work and marriage to ‘Spice Girl’ Victoria Beckham.

BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs is one of the BBC’s most iconic radio programmes and has been running in the UK since 1942. In each episode, a well-known personality is invited on to the programme to talk about their life and choose eight music records, a book and a luxury item they would take with them were they to be marooned on a desert island. The series is celebrating its 75^th anniversary by featuring David Beckham as ‘the castaway’, and BBC World Service will also mark the anniversary by broadcasting the interview for its international audiences.

Kirsty Young, who has presented Desert Island Discs since 2006, will talk to David Beckham about his life, career and musical tastes. Which eight songs would David Beckham take if he were castaway on a desert island?

David Beckham said: “I’m delighted to join Desert Island Discs for its 75th anniversary celebrations. Music has been a huge part of my - and my family’s - life and it is a real pleasure to highlight that on such an iconic programme.”

David Beckham's castaway discs:

Every Time We Say Goodbye, Ella Fitzgerald
What A Fool Believes, Michael McDonald
I am the resurrection, The Stone Roses
Something About The Way You Look Tonight, Sir Elton John.
(On this, David Beckham said: "We became friends with Elton, and he was coming to the wedding to perform this song. We had a phone call that morning to say unfortunately Elton was on the plane and had a heart attack. Obviously we were more worried about his health and how he was but we christened the kids a couple of years after that, and he came and performed this song in our house, and it's a very special song for us."
No es lo mismo, Alejandro Sanz – which David Beckham says reminds him of his time in Madrid, when he used to go to a bar on his own to practice Spanish and “eat jamon and drink a cerveza.”
Wild Horses, The Rolling Stones
The Girl Is Mine, Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney
Si tu vois ma mère, Sidney Bechet – which Beckham says reminds him of Paris, where he ended his professional playing career.

The book David said he would take with him was On Fire by Francis Mallmann - an outdoor cooking book which he said would be useful on a desert island. The luxury item David would take to the desert island would be his England caps.

On his marriage to wife Victoria (nee Adams, who was in the band The Spice Girls), David Beckham says:

"We're a strong family unit. We've got strong parents, we were brought up with the right values. Of course you make mistakes over the years. We all know marriage is difficult at times, and it's about working through it… People have talked about 'do we stay together because it's a brand?' Of course not. We stay together because we love each other. We stay together because we have four amazing children… Of course you go through tough times… but we're very respectful of our life, and when we do go through tough times we work through them as a family, as a unit," he said.

David describes how when they first started dating they had to have dates in a restaurant car park in David’s bright blue BMW because Simon Fuller, the Spice Girls manager, was so protective of the girls.

On his relationship with Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson:

Beckham admits that “There were certain decisions I made back then that were wrong and I can see why the manager got so frustrated… There was one occasion when Victoria was in Ireland. I had a day off so I flew over to Ireland. I didn’t feel I needed to tell the manager what I was doing. As I was coming back at 6am for training, I was sat in the lounge and the manager walked in. He didn’t talk to me. I knew I was in a little bit of trouble. I can understand the manager then thinking, ‘OK, he’s not looking after his body,’ or ‘He’s not resting as he should do’. All the manager ever wanted was the best for the team, the best for the club and the best for the individual.”

The low-point happened after a defeat to Arsenal when Ferguson kicked a boot at Beckham, cutting his eyebrow: “It was a freak accident,” adding, “He could never do it again, because I have seen him in training!”

Beckham received death threats after famously being sent off against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup. Alex Ferguson was the first person to call him after the game. “That gave me strength to get through probably the toughest time that I’ve been through in my life.” Victoria had just found out she was pregnant with their first son, Brooklyn. “It should have been a happy time and it wasn’t.”

The end of his Manchester United career came in 2003. While on holiday, David found out he was being sold to Barcelona when his friend saw it on TV. David spoke to his agent and said, “If I am going to move, I want to move to Real Madrid,” and within a day he met with the President of Real Madrid and agreed that’s where he would move. He was so hurt he couldn’t watch Manchester United play for three years afterwards.

On his relationship with his father:
Beckham Sr, was, according to David, “a bit of a taskmaster” and that his parenting was “tough love”. He would practise football in a local park with his father and a goal with no net. “Hit the cross bar, hit the cross bar,” his dad would say. “I’m a lot softer [with my children] than my dad was with me.” When he was 7, David played for local youth team on a Sunday morning and his dad would pick apart his game afterwards. The first time his dad told him he’d done really well was when he got his 100th cap for England. “It made me emotional. Everyone wants to please their parents.”

On his interest in fashion:
David’s interest in fashion is well documented and started early. He recalls being asked to be a pageboy at a wedding, aged six. The choice was a normal suit, or burgundy velvet knickerbockers, white tights and white ballet shoes, and David chose the latter. “I felt great! My Dad looked at me as if to say, ‘Really, that’s what you picked?’”

On his role as a Unicef Ambassador:
David’s a Unicef ambassador and works with many different charities. “It’s not for vanity, I do it because it’s something I’m so passionate about”. He recalls going to Thailand for the first time with Manchester United, being invited to a women’s centre and immediately wanting to learn more. He remembers thinking: “I want to get involved, it’s important that I do this.”

On his football memorabilia:
David keeps match memorabilia, including old football shirts and all of his England caps. His medals are in a bank safe: “They’re so precious to me. They’re for my children in the future.” He has over 1,000 pairs of boots which are kept in storage.

Mary Hockaday, Controller BBC World Service English said: “Desert Island Discs is a truly iconic BBC radio programme and we’re very pleased to be marking its 75^th anniversary with this special edition for our audiences across the globe. David Beckham is a British footballing hero and a global celebrity who talks openly about his life and the part music has played in it so he’s the perfect ‘castaway’ to welcome audiences to Desert Island Discs.”

Desert Island Discs with David Beckham will be broadcast on BBC World Service on 4th February and available afterwards as a podcast.