Prunella Scales

Sue Lawley's castaway is one of the country's favourite actresses Prunella Scales. She's most easily recognised as Sybil Fawlty, wife of John Cleese, the manic hotelkeeper in the television series Fawlty Towers, but it's a role which represents a very small part of all she's done. Since her debut in Bristol 40 years ago, she has never been out of work, and recently she's scaled new heights with her portrayal of the Queen in Alan Bennett's A Question of Attribution. She'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the problems associated with playing such a well-known and much-loved figure, and also about the rest of her long and successful career.

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

Favourite track: Ruht Wohl Ihr Heiligen Gebeine by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Complete works in German by William Shakespeare and The Bible in Russian and a Russian dictionary Luxury: A huge tapestry kit