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Neil Gaiman is a writer whose list of titles spans many forms from novels, including American Gods, to children\\u2019s stories such as Coraline and the comic book the Sandman.

Neil grew up in East Grinstead and after finishing school he became a journalist and then wrote short stories and books. One of his early commissions was writing a companion to The Hitchhiker\\u2019s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. In 1989 he began to write the Sandman series for DC Comics which were illustrated by his friend Dave McKean.

The Sandman became the first comic ever to receive a literary award - the World Fantasy Award for Best Short Story \\u2013 and is credited with bringing comics from an underground art form into the mainstream. It is currently in production as a television series.

Neil started writing what became the fantasy novel Good Omens in the 1980s but put it aside to concentrate on the Sandman. When his friend Terry Pratchett suggested they go back to it and finish it together, they turned Neil\\u2019s initial 5,000 words into a novel which was adapted for radio in 2014 and became a television series starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen.

Neil wrote his first children\\u2019s book, The Day I Swapped my Dad for Two Goldfish, in 1997. His next children\\u2019s book Coraline, about a little girl adrift in a parallel universe, was initially deemed to be too frightening to publish but is now a family favourite.

Neil is married to the musician Amanda Palmer and lives in upstate New York.

DISC ONE: Rock \'n\' Roll Suicide by David Bowie \\nDISC TWO: Love Unrequited (The Nightmare Song) composed by Gilbert & Sullivan, performed by \\nThe D\\u2019Oyly Carte Opera Company, John Reed (baritone) and The New Symphony Orchestra Of London, conducted by Isidore Godfrey \\nDISC THREE: Soho (Needless to Say) by Al Stewart \\nDISC FOUR: The Ballad Of Sweeney Todd: "Attend The Tale Of Sweeney Todd", composed by Stephen Sondheim and performed by Len Cariou and the original Broadway Cast of Sweeney Todd- 1979 \\nDISC FIVE: Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed \\nDISC SIX: Tear in Your Hand by Tori Amos \\nDISC SEVEN: Bees in Trees by Michael Nyman \\nDISC EIGHT: Holding Your Hand by Thea Gilmore

BOOK CHOICE: The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe \\nLUXURY ITEM: A Victorian accounts ledger, a fountain pen and an unlimited supply of ink\\nCASTAWAY\'S FAVOURITE: Bees in Trees by Michael Nyman

Presenter: Lauren Laverne\\nProducer: Paula McGinley