David Harewood, actor and presenter

Desert Island Discs

David Harewood is a British actor and presenter who found global fame playing the CIA director David Estes in the acclaimed TV drama series Homeland. He was the first black actor to play Othello at the National theatre in 1997 and took the role of Martin Luther King in the Olivier award-winning play The Mountaintop in 2009.

David was born in Birmingham in 1965. After one of his teachers suggested that he should try his luck at acting, he won a place at RADA where he tackled a number of challenging roles including King Lear. After graduating, he performed in a range of television and theatre productions, but by the time he auditioned for Homeland he says he was down to his last £80. He joined the cast of Homeland in 2011 and the following year he was awarded an MBE for services to drama.

In 2019 he presented a BBC documentary called Psychosis and Me which told the story of the mental breakdown he experienced as a young man. The programme was nominated for a BAFTA award and was praised by critics for its honest exploration of a difficult subject and for helping to remove some of the stigma around mental health. He went on to present a range of documentaries which addressed subjects close to his heart including the health inequality exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the experience of slavery within the history of his own family.

David lives in London with his wife and their two daughters.

DISC ONE: Exodus by Bob Marley & The Wailers DISC TWO: Tears on My Pillow by Johnny Nash DISC THREE: One in Ten by UB40 DISC FOUR: $29.00 by Tom Waits DISC FIVE: I Still Haven’t found what I’m Looking For by The Chimes DISC SIX: (Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding DISC SEVEN: Cruisin’ by D’Angelo DISC EIGHT: Ain’t Nobody by Rufus and Chaka Khan

BOOK CHOICE: The Sandman by Neil Gaiman LUXURY ITEM: A disco dancefloor CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Ain’t Nobody by Rufus and Chaka Khan

Presenter Lauren Laverne Producer Paula McGinley