Classic Desert Island Discs - Dame Donna Langley

Lauren Laverne· Host0:00

Lauren Laverne here. We're taking our Easter break, so until we're back on air, we're showcasing a few programs from our archive. As usual, the music's been shortened for rights reasons. This week's guest is the film studio executive Dame Donna Langley, who was awarded the BAFTA fellowship this year. I cast her away in 2023. [waves crashing] [music] My castaway this week is Dame Donna Langley, chairman and chief content officer for the NBC Universal Studio Group. She's the first British woman in history to run a major studio, and is arguably the most powerful woman in Hollywood. Her brief encompasses Universal's film and television studios, and she oversees franchises like Fast and Furious, Despicable Me, and Jurassic World. Under her leadership, the studio has achieved record-breaking revenues and enjoyed some of the most profitable years in its 111-year history. She's earned respect in a fickle industry for her creative nous and championing of emerging talent, as well as successfully wooing the likes of Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan. She's also stuck her neck out by backing original content, often where others failed to see the potential. Mamma