Stephen Mangan to star in new desert island comedy alongside ‘castaway’ celebrities

The star of TV drama The Split joins Sandi Toksvig, Richard Madeley and more in Radio 4 sitcom based on the fictional tropical isle

As the latest Desert Island Discs castaway this Sunday morning the actor Stephen Mangan is happy to confess that his first big theatrical role was as Beauty in an infant production of Beauty and the Beast. The star of the popular television drama The Split also freely admits that he saw his childhood stint as a church altar boy chiefly as a chance to enjoy the limelight.

But the really surprising discovery for listeners is that if Mangan had not now been marooned as a guest on the long-running BBC programme by presenter Lauren Laverne, he could never have made his next show.