David chose 'I Say a Little Prayer' by Aretha Franklin because it was a pivotal song for him at 16, introducing him to a different kind of music with complex chord changes and time signatures. He loved the warmth and emotion of the song.
David found writing about happiness challenging because it is a wonderful experience but a boring thing to watch. He believed that happiness and contentment are hard to sustain in a story without making it grim or pessimistic.
David chose 'Cloudbusting' by Kate Bush because it was a song that hovered between joy and sadness, and it was a piece of music he idolized as a 15-year-old. He found it strange, eccentric, and wonderful.
David chose 'Life on Mars?' by David Bowie because of its grandiosity, the mix of classical piano and glam rock drums, and its unexpected directions. He found it to be a fantastic and almost ridiculous piece of music.
David chose 'Goldberg Variations' by Bach because it reminded him of his time in New York, where he would listen to it while writing letters to friends. It felt very writerly and like writing music.
David chose 'Coyote' by Joni Mitchell because it was a song that reminded him of his collaboration with Sam Shepard. He and his friend Matthew adapted a Sam Shepard play, and this song was a significant part of that experience.
David chose 'We Belong Together' by Rickie Lee Jones because it was a song he and his partner, Hannah, shared in the early days of their relationship. It made him think of Hannah and meant a lot to him.
David chose 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes?' by Fairport Convention because it resonated with his awareness of time accelerating as he got older. The song is tender and poignant, and it was used in the soundtrack of the adaptation of his book 'Us'.
David chose 'Protection' by Massive Attack because it was a theme song for 'One Day' and was used in the Netflix adaptation. He loved the voice of Tracey Thorn and the happy experience of working on the Netflix series.
David chose Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy because it was a great love story he hadn't read yet. He wanted to complete it and see it through, considering it a mission and a chance to fill a gap in his reading education.
David chose a piano and sheet music because he loved music but had no musical ability. He saw it as a chance to finally learn to play the piano and improve beyond grade two, which he had reached as a teenager.
The writer David Nicholls is best known for his 2009 novel One Day which has sold 6 million copies, been made into a film and a Netflix series which reached the top 10 in 89 countries. He’s written six novels and his work as a screenwriter has won him a BAFTA and an Emmy nomination.
He was born in 1966 and studied Drama and English Literature at Bristol University. This partly inspired his novel Starter for Ten. After university he spent one year in New York studying acting before returning to the UK to try and forge a career as an actor. He spent three years at the National Theatre but was mostly an understudy which inspired his novel Understudy.
After a few years, David left acting and pursued a writing career and had success as a TV screen writer. Alongside his award-winning career as a TV writer he has won many prizes for his novels.
David lives in London with his partner, Hannah and their two children.
Presenter Lauren Laverne Producer Sarah Taylor
DISC ONE: I Say a Little Prayer - Aretha Franklin DISC TWO: Cloudbusting - Kate Bush DISC THREE: Life on Mars? - David Bowie DISC FOUR: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria. Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and performed by Glenn Gould (piano) Coyote - Joni Mitchell DISC FIVE: Coyote - Joni Mitchell DISC SIX: We Belong Together - Rickie Lee Jones DISC SEVEN: Who Knows Where The Time Goes? - Fairport Convention DISC EIGHT: Protection - Massive Attack featuring Tracey Thorn BOOK CHOICE: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy LUXURY ITEM: A piano and sheet music CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: I Say a Little Prayer - Aretha Franklin