Roy Plomley by the guest's choice of music. His contract was renewed for a further 15 shows. In the end he presented 1,791 editions of the programme stretching over 43 years. Its success was attributed to his skill as an interviewer and to his meticulous research. Plomley was succeeded as presenter by Michael Parkinson (1985–1988), then by Sue Lawley (1988–2006), and most recently by Kirsty Young. "Desert Island Discs" is the second longest-running radio programme in the world (after the Grand Ole Opry), and it is still running. Until late September 2009, unlike many other BBC radio programmes, "Desert Island Discs" was
Smooth Radio presenter history from 3 March. This coincided with a return to some regional programming, and the departure of Simon Bates, Lynn Parsons, Carlos and David Prever. New names joining the network included ex-GM-TV presenter Andrew Castle, who would host the breakfast show in London, replacing Bates. Other changes included Kate Garraway taking over Parsons' mid-morning show, Paul Phear joining the network as an afternoon presenter and Heart Cambridge presenter Chris Skinner replacing Carlos in the evenings. Myleene Klass of Classic FM was also given a Saturday morning show on Smooth, replacing David Prever. Global announced that regional breakfast and drivetime shows would