This is an extended version of a programme first broadcast on Sunday 28 May 2023. Ronnie O’Sullivan OBE is currently ranked the number one snooker player in the world, and is widely regarded as one of the finest players in the history of the sport. He has won the Masters a record seven times and he jointly holds the record for winning the World Snooker Championship seven times. Since 1997 he has held the world record for the fastest 147 break, leading to his nickname 'the Rocket'. Ronnie grew up in Essex and his father gave him his first snooker cue when he was seven. He took to the game immediately: he was playing on a full size snooker table when he was just eight, and two years later he was beating adult players. By the age of 12, he was winning cash prizes in local tournaments, and was soon earning more than his teachers. Ronnie turned professional when he was 16, and quickly established himself as a star player and a fans' favourite - but he has also made headlines away from the snooker table, with accounts of his depression and struggles with alcohol and drugs. For many years he has kept his physical and mental health in check through his passion for running. He received an OBE in 2016 for services to snooker. DISC ONE: Lose Yourself - Eminem DISC TWO: Careless Whisper - Wham! DISC THREE: Step by Step - Whitney Houston DISC FOUR: Real Gone Kid - Deacon Blue DISC FIVE: You’re So Vain - Carly Simon DISC SIX: Maybe Tomorrow - Stereophonics DISC SEVEN: Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) - Train DISC EIGHT: That’s All - Genesis BOOK CHOICE: Running with the Kenyans by Adharanand Finn LUXURY ITEM: A painting set CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: That’s All - Genesis Presenter Lauren Laverne Producer Sarah Taylor
BBC Sounds Music Radio Podcasts hello, I'm Lauren Laverne and this is the Desert Island Discs podcast.
Every week I ask my guests to choose the eight tracks, book and luxury they'd want to take with them if they were cast away to a desert island.
And for rights reasons, the music is shorter than the original broadcast.
I hope you enjoy listening.
My castaway this week is the snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan.
He's arguably the greatest player in the long history of his sport and his career is littered with superlatives.
At 19, he became the youngest Masters winner in history.
Last year, at 46, he became the oldest winner of the World Championships, a title he's won seven, seven times.
He's made over a thousand century breaks, more than any other player in competition, and has held the record for the fastest 147 break since 1997, when he cleared the table in 5 minutes and 8 seconds.
It's not just his wins that have earned his place in the history books, though, it's how he's played the game.
His attack, intensity and flair on the bays earned him the nickname the Rocket, and his ascent captured the imaginations of sports fans around the world.
But there were times when it seemed like he might crash, burn.
But he kept going, kept winning.
And now he says, you're either a fighter or you're not a fighter.
It's something you're given and I know I have that in me.
Resilience, courage, determination.
I'll have the bad day, but the next morning, I'm back at it.
Ronnie O'Sullivan, welcome to Desert Island Discs.
Thank you.
Thank you.