Somewaht aptly perhaps, Tangled Up in Blue the seminal song by Bob Dylan, was revealed yesterday as a favourite of David Cameron, the Witney MP and leader of the Conservative Party.

But his attempt to namedrop Oxford band Radiohead appears to have backfired on him.

On Radio Four's Desert Island Discs , Mr Cameron revealed a list of songs he would have with him as a castaway.

And while his obscure selection included Benny Hill (Ernie, the Fastest Milkman in the West), REM, Pink Floyd and Mendelssohn, Mr Cameron told presenter Sue Lawley how Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke played a song specially for him at a recent show.

Mr Cameron, 39, said: "I sent this rather sad letter saying I'd love to come to the concert, thank you for asking. PS please play this, my favourite song and he did."

But, according to a Radiohead spokesman, the set list for the Friends of the Earth benefit show which did include Mr Cameron's favourite song Fake Plastic Trees had "nothing to do with any special guests".

Mr Cameron's list of songs, which also included The Smiths and The Killers, comes a week after he managed to muscle in on David and Victoria Beckham's World Cup party after not being on the original invitation list.

In a startling revelation, he also told how suspected KGB operatives "interrogated" him as he travelled with a friend on the Black Sea coast in the Soviet Union during a gap year between school and university in 1985.

Mr Cameron, who was then 19, said he had a "great friend" living in Moscow but did not elaborate on how he was able to come and go from the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War.

Inevitably, he was pressed on his time at Oxford University where he was a member of the notorious Bullingdon Club, but not an active student Conservative.

He said: "Oxford was a drink-fuelled place but (I did) nothing too heinous, I hope.

"We drank too much and fell over, but lots of people do.

"I had a good time at university, I worked moderately hard and think it's fair in life you are entitled to have a private past."

It was a year ago this month, weeks before it was officially announced, that the Oxford Mail exclusively revealed Mr Cameron was in the running to become the new Tory leader.

He admitted he and his wife Samantha "stopped and thought about" whether challenging for the leadership was the right thing to do, given the fact the couple had a severely disabled son, Ivan, and another child, Nancy.

DAVID'S PICKS 1. Tangled Up in Blue Bob Dylan What else for a man who has become leader of the Tory Party?

2. Ernie, the Fastest Milkman in the West Benny Hill "They said she was too good for him, she was haughty, proud and chic, but Ernie got his cocoa there, three times every week" surely not a reference to his and Samantha's courtship?

3. Wish You Were Here Pink Floyd He may not think so when or if becomes PM 4. On Wings of Song (Mendelssohn) Kiri Te Kanawa After a period of denigration, Mendelssohn's creative talents were finally recognised 5. Fake Plastic Trees Radiohead "And if I could be who you wanted If I could be who you wanted All the time, all the time" surely a sentiment all politicians must feel 6. This Charming Man The Smiths "Punctured bicycle On a hillside desolate Will nature make a man of me yet?" A keen cyclist, Mr Cameron must have had his fair share of blow-outs on his bike 7. Perfect Circle REM Blue blood, Eton, Oxford University, Central Office researcher, Michael Howard's speech writer and Tory Party leader.

Perfect Circle? More like full circle 8. All These Things that I've Done The Killers "Is there room for one more son" Mr Cameron and his wife Samantha obviously thought so as their third child Arthur was born on Valentine's Day this year.

Luxury item: A case of malt whisky from Jura Book: The River Cottage Cookbook by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall