Harriet Walter

Richard Curtis

Suzi Quatro

Declan Murphy

Actor Dame Harriet Walter; writer and director Richard Curtis; singer and songwriter Suzi Quatro and former jockey Declan Murphy join Libby Purves for the final edition of Midweek.Richard Curtis CBE is a writer, director and campaigner. His films include Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones's Diary, Mr Bean, Love Actually and The Boat That Rocked. His television comedies include Blackadder and the Vicar of Dibley. He is vice-chair of Comic Relief which he co-founded after visiting Ethiopia during the 1985 famine. He has co-produced the Red Nose Day Live night for the BBC since 1988 and the charity has made over £1 billion for projects in Africa and the UK. Red Nose Day USA is broadcast in May. Declan Murphy is a former jockey who survived a catastrophic fall at Haydock Park in May 1994. His injuries were so severe that the Racing Post published his obituary. In his memoir, Centaur, he recounts his upbringing in rural Limerick, his life as a leading amateur jockey and riding winners in the Champion Chase and Gold Cup. Eighteen months after falling from Arcot and following his painstaking recovery, he got back in the saddle to ride his final winner Jibereen at Chepstow. Centaur by Declan Murphy with Ami Rao is published by Doubleday. Dame Harriet Walter is an actor, acclaimed for her work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. She recently played Julius Caesar, Henry IV and Prospero in The Tempest in Phyllida Lloyd's celebrated all-female Donmar Shakespeare Trilogy. She stars in the new film The Sense of an Ending alongside Jim Broadbent and Charlotte Rampling which is based on the Julian Barnes novel. Other roles include the Duchess of Malfi, Hedda Gabler, Cleopatra and Lady Macbeth. Her book, Brutus and Other Heroines - Playing Shakespeare's Roles for Women, is published by Nick Hern Books.Suzi Quatro is a singer and songwriter. Born in Detroit, she made her debut on stage playing bongos in her father's jazz band, The Art Quatro Trio. Her first hit Can the Can reached number one in May 1973 and she went on to become a regular fixture in the British charts with tracks including 48 Crash, Too Big and Devil Gate Drive. In the late Seventies she turned to acting, appearing in Happy Days and starred in the West End in Annie Get Your Gun in 1986. She is a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 2. Suzi is appearing in the Legends Live tour alongside David Essex; the Osmonds and Hot Chocolate.

Actor Dame Harriet Walter; writer and director Richard Curtis; singer and songwriter Suzi Quatro and former jockey Declan Murphy join Libby Purves for the final edition of Midweek. Richard Curtis CBE is a writer, director and campaigner. His films include Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones's Diary, Mr Bean, Love Actually and The Boat That Rocked. His television comedies include Blackadder and the Vicar of Dibley. He is vice-chair of Comic Relief which he co-founded after visiting Ethiopia during the 1985 famine. He has co-produced the Red Nose Day Live night for the BBC since 1988 and the charity has made over £1 billion for projects in Africa and the UK. Red Nose Day USA is broadcast in May. Declan Murphy is a former jockey who survived a catastrophic fall at Haydock Park in May 1994. His injuries were so severe that the Racing Post published his obituary. In his memoir, Centaur, he recounts his upbringing in rural Limerick, his life as a leading amateur jockey and riding winners in the Champion Chase and Gold Cup. Eighteen months after falling from Arcot and following his painstaking recovery, he got back in the saddle to ride his final winner Jibereen at Chepstow. Centaur by Declan Murphy with Ami Rao is published by Doubleday. Dame Harriet Walter is an actor, acclaimed for her work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. She recently played Julius Caesar, Henry IV and Prospero in The Tempest in Phyllida Lloyd's celebrated all-female Donmar Shakespeare Trilogy. She stars in the new film The Sense of an Ending alongside Jim Broadbent and Charlotte Rampling which is based on the Julian Barnes novel. Other roles include the Duchess of Malfi, Hedda Gabler, Cleopatra and Lady Macbeth. Her book, Brutus and Other Heroines - Playing Shakespeare's Roles for Women, is published by Nick Hern Books. Suzi Quatro is a singer and songwriter. Born in Detroit, she made her debut on stage playing bongos in her father's jazz band, The Art Quatro Trio. Her first hit Can the Can reached number one in May 1973 and she went on to become a regular fixture in the British charts with tracks including 48 Crash, Too Big and Devil Gate Drive. In the late Seventies she turned to acting, appearing in Happy Days and starred in the West End in Annie Get Your Gun in 1986. She is a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 2. Suzi is appearing in the Legends Live tour alongside David Essex; the Osmonds and Hot Chocolate.

Harriet Walter, Richard Curtis, Suzi Quatro, Declan Murphy

Alfie Boe

John Agard

Katy Brand

Allan Jenkins

Tenor Alfie Boe, poet John Agard, writer Allan Jenkins, and comedian and writer Katy Brand join Libby Purves.Alfie Boe is one of our most popular tenors. He is starring as Billy Bigelow in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel alongside Katherine Jenkins at ENO's London Coliseum. He has performed in opera and musical theatre alike, from Baz Luhrmann's La Boheme on Broadway to leading the cast of Les Miserables in the West End. The youngest of nine children, he left school to work as a mechanic before being plucked off the shop-floor to stardom. Carousel is at ENO's London Coliseum.John Agard is a poet. Winner of the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry, his new show Roll Over Atlantic is a reimagining of the voyage of Christopher Columbus and his discovery of the 'New World'. Born and educated in Guyana, John came to the UK in 1977. His most famous poems explore identity and belonging and he writes for children as well as adults and is well known for his skill in performing poetry. Roll Over Atlantic is on tour. Allan Jenkins is the editor of the Observer Food Monthly. In his memoir, Plot 29, he recounts his life growing up in foster care with his brother Christopher. Their foster father introduced them to the joys of growing flowers which triggered Allan's lifelong love of gardening. As the boys grew up, their lives took different paths and Allan began to search for the answers to questions about his past. His book follows the course of a year in which he traces the story of his birth parents and finds solace tending his London allotment. Plot 29 - A Memoir is published by Fourth Estate.Katy Brand is an award-winning comedian, writer and actor. She is taking part in the Red Nose African Convoy acting as one of the outriders to a convoy of HGVs travelling from Kenya to Uganda to deliver supplies to Comic Relief funded projects. Katy's show I Was a Teenage Christian explores her youthful fascination with evangelical Christianity. The Red Nose African Convoy is broadcast on BBC One. I Was a Teenage Christian is on tour from May. Producer: Annette Wells.

Tenor Alfie Boe, poet John Agard, writer Allan Jenkins, and comedian and writer Katy Brand join Libby Purves. Alfie Boe is one of our most popular tenors. He is starring as Billy Bigelow in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel alongside Katherine Jenkins at ENO's London Coliseum. He has performed in opera and musical theatre alike, from Baz Luhrmann's La Boheme on Broadway to leading the cast of Les Miserables in the West End. The youngest of nine children, he left school to work as a mechanic before being plucked off the shop-floor to stardom. Carousel is at ENO's London Coliseum. John Agard is a poet. Winner of the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry, his new show Roll Over Atlantic is a reimagining of the voyage of Christopher Columbus and his discovery of the 'New World'. Born and educated in Guyana, John came to the UK in 1977. His most famous poems explore identity and belonging and he writes for children as well as adults and is well known for his skill in performing poetry. Roll Over Atlantic is on tour. Allan Jenkins is the editor of the Observer Food Monthly. In his memoir, Plot 29, he recounts his life growing up in foster care with his brother Christopher. Their foster father introduced them to the joys of growing flowers which triggered Allan's lifelong love of gardening. As the boys grew up, their lives took different paths and Allan began to search for the answers to questions about his past. His book follows the course of a year in which he traces the story of his birth parents and finds solace tending his London allotment. Plot 29 - A Memoir is published by Fourth Estate. Katy Brand is an award-winning comedian, writer and actor. She is taking part in the Red Nose African Convoy acting as one of the outriders to a convoy of HGVs travelling from Kenya to Uganda to deliver supplies to Comic Relief funded projects. Katy's show I Was a Teenage Christian explores her youthful fascination with evangelical Christianity. The Red Nose African Convoy is broadcast on BBC One. I Was a Teenage Christian is on tour from May. Producer: Annette Wells.

Alfie Boe, John Agard, Katy Brand, Allan Jenkins

Omid Djalili

Diana Moran

Jack Thorne

Dashni Morad

Comedian and actor Omid Djalili; playwright Jack Thorne; fitness expert Diana Moran and singer and presenter Dashni Morad join Libby Purves.Diana Moran is well known as The Green Goddess who, back in the 1980s and clad in emerald green lycra, encouraged television viewers to shape up. Her new book Sod Sitting, Get Moving! urges people in their 60s, 70s and 80s to exercise and eat healthily to help with fitness, strength and suppleness in their later years. The former catwalk model discovered the joy of keeping fit in her 30s as she convalesced from a major operation, devising her own exercise regime to help her recovery. Sod Sitting, Get Moving! By Diana Moran and Muir Gray is published by Green Tree.Dashni Morad is a television presenter and singer. She is a former Kurdish refugee whose family fled from Iraq and Saddam Hussein's persecution when she was five. The family finally settled in the Netherlands where her broadcasting career blossomed. Dashni set up a charity, Green Kids, which helps children affected by conflict and has established two libraries at refugee camps across Iraqi Kurdistan. She is donating the proceeds of her new single, Love Wins, to Green Kids. Jack Thorne is an award-winning writer whose work spans theatre, film, television and radio. His new musical Junkyard is inspired by the true story of the Lockleaze playground in Bristol - known as 'The Vench' - which was established over 30 years ago and is still operating today. Jack's father built the Vench as part of an outreach scheme to encourage creativity and inventiveness and to give children a taste of manual labour. Jack's theatre credits include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hope and Let the Right One In and his television work includes National Treasure and This is England. Junkyard is at the Bristol Old Vic and then on tour.Omid Djalili is an award-winning comedian and actor born in London to Iranian parents. He's currently on a UK tour with Schmuck for a Night in which he tries to make sense of the world around him. He will make his Chichester Festival Theatre debut playing Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof in July. His stage credits include Oliver! and What the Butler Saw in the West End and films include The Infidel, Shaun the Sheep and Gladiator. Schmuck for a Night is currently on tour. Fiddler on the Roof is at Chichester Festival Theatre. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Comedian and actor Omid Djalili; playwright Jack Thorne; fitness expert Diana Moran and singer and presenter Dashni Morad join Libby Purves. Diana Moran is well known as The Green Goddess who, back in the 1980s and clad in emerald green lycra, encouraged television viewers to shape up. Her new book Sod Sitting, Get Moving! urges people in their 60s, 70s and 80s to exercise and eat healthily to help with fitness, strength and suppleness in their later years. The former catwalk model discovered the joy of keeping fit in her 30s as she convalesced from a major operation, devising her own exercise regime to help her recovery. Sod Sitting, Get Moving! By Diana Moran and Muir Gray is published by Green Tree. Dashni Morad is a television presenter and singer. She is a former Kurdish refugee whose family fled from Iraq and Saddam Hussein's persecution when she was five. The family finally settled in the Netherlands where her broadcasting career blossomed. Dashni set up a charity, Green Kids, which helps children affected by conflict and has established two libraries at refugee camps across Iraqi Kurdistan. She is donating the proceeds of her new single, Love Wins, to Green Kids. Jack Thorne is an award-winning writer whose work spans theatre, film, television and radio. His new musical Junkyard is inspired by the true story of the Lockleaze playground in Bristol - known as 'The Vench' - which was established over 30 years ago and is still operating today. Jack's father built the Vench as part of an outreach scheme to encourage creativity and inventiveness and to give children a taste of manual labour. Jack's theatre credits include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hope and Let the Right One In and his television work includes National Treasure and This is England. Junkyard is at the Bristol Old Vic and then on tour. Omid Djalili is an award-winning comedian and actor born in London to Iranian parents. He's currently on a UK tour with Schmuck for a Night in which he tries to make sense of the world around him. He will make his Chichester Festival Theatre debut playing Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof in July. His stage credits include Oliver! and What the Butler Saw in the West End and films include The Infidel, Shaun the Sheep and Gladiator. Schmuck for a Night is currently on tour. Fiddler on the Roof is at Chichester Festival Theatre. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Omid Djalili; Diana Moran; Jack Thorne; Dashni Morad.

David Rodigan

Jackie Malton

Hisham Matar

Loudon Wainwright III

Singer and songwriter Loudon Wainwright III; reggae DJ David Rodigan; former detective Jackie Malton and writer Hisham Matar join Libby Purves.David 'RamJam' Rodigan MBE is a DJ, famed for his selections of reggae and dancehall music. He has played on stations from Capital 95.8 and Kiss to BBC 1Xtra and Radio 2 and is a regular on the club and festival circuit. A 65-year-old white man from Oxford who speaks in RP, he seems the very antithesis of the music that he loves and represents. In 2012 he won the highest reggae sound system honour by winning the World Clash Re-Set contest in New York. His autobiography, Rodigan: My Life in Reggae is published by Constable. Hisham Matar is a Libyan writer and the son of Jaballa Matar, a prominent political activist who opposed Colonel Gaddafi's regime. When Hisham was 19 his father was kidnapped while the family were living in exile in Cairo. Hisham would never see his father again. After the fall of Gaddafi in 2011 Hisham was finally able to return to Libya to try to discover what happened to his father. In his memoir, The Return, he recounts his physical and psychological journey to find his father and rediscover his country. The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land In Between, is published by Penguin.Jackie Malton is a former detective chief inspector in the Metropolitan Police, best known for being the inspiration for the character of DCI Jane Tennison in the Prime Suspect drama written by Lynda La Plante. Her police career started in Leicestershire and in the Met she went on to work in the Flying Squad of the 1980s. As an openly gay women in the police force during that time she found herself at odds in a male world but went on to forge a successful career before retiring to become a script consultant and addiction counsellor. Loudon Wainwright III is a Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter. In his one man show, Surviving Twin, he connects some of his best songs with the writings of his late father Loudon Wainwright Jr, the highly regarded Life Magazine columnist. The show, which has never been performed in the UK, explores issues such as birth, loss, parenthood, pet ownership and mortality and Loudon intersperses a selection of his father's compositions with songs from his own catalogue. Surviving Twin is at the Leicester Square Theatre.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Singer and songwriter Loudon Wainwright III; reggae DJ David Rodigan; former detective Jackie Malton and writer Hisham Matar join Libby Purves. David 'RamJam' Rodigan MBE is a DJ, famed for his selections of reggae and dancehall music. He has played on stations from Capital 95.8 and Kiss to BBC 1Xtra and Radio 2 and is a regular on the club and festival circuit. A 65-year-old white man from Oxford who speaks in RP, he seems the very antithesis of the music that he loves and represents. In 2012 he won the highest reggae sound system honour by winning the World Clash Re-Set contest in New York. His autobiography, Rodigan: My Life in Reggae is published by Constable. Hisham Matar is a Libyan writer and the son of Jaballa Matar, a prominent political activist who opposed Colonel Gaddafi's regime. When Hisham was 19 his father was kidnapped while the family were living in exile in Cairo. Hisham would never see his father again. After the fall of Gaddafi in 2011 Hisham was finally able to return to Libya to try to discover what happened to his father. In his memoir, The Return, he recounts his physical and psychological journey to find his father and rediscover his country. The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land In Between, is published by Penguin. Jackie Malton is a former detective chief inspector in the Metropolitan Police, best known for being the inspiration for the character of DCI Jane Tennison in the Prime Suspect drama written by Lynda La Plante. Her police career started in Leicestershire and in the Met she went on to work in the Flying Squad of the 1980s. As an openly gay women in the police force during that time she found herself at odds in a male world but went on to forge a successful career before retiring to become a script consultant and addiction counsellor. Loudon Wainwright III is a Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter. In his one man show, Surviving Twin, he connects some of his best songs with the writings of his late father Loudon Wainwright Jr, the highly regarded Life Magazine columnist. The show, which has never been performed in the UK, explores issues such as birth, loss, parenthood, pet ownership and mortality and Loudon intersperses a selection of his father's compositions with songs from his own catalogue. Surviving Twin is at the Leicester Square Theatre. Producer: Paula McGinley.

David Rodigan; Loudon Wainwright III; Jackie Malton; Hisham Matar

Patti Boulaye

Charlie Condou

Tracy Tynan

David Toole

Singer Patti Boulaye; dancer David Toole; actor Charlie Condou and costume designer Tracy Tynan join Libby Purves.David Toole is an actor and dancer who played a starring role in the 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony. Born without the use of his legs, he turned his back on a job with the post office to study at the Laban Centre of Movement and Dance and follow his dream of becoming a dancer. He is performing with Stopgap Dance Company in The Enormous Room, a new touring piece about grief and the relationship between a father and daughter. The Enormous Room is at Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler's Wells before heading off on tour.Patti Boulaye OBE is a singer and actor. Her autobiography, The Faith of a Child, charts her life growing up in Nigeria during the Biafran War to her West End debut in the musical Hair. In her new show, Billie and Me, she considers the parallels between Billie Holiday's troubled life and her own - at times difficult - experiences. The production starts its UK tour at the Pheasantry in London. The Faith of a Child - The Autobiography is published by Bipada Academy Ltd.Tracy Tynan is a costume designer and writer. The daughter of theatre critic Kenneth Tynan and actor and writer Elaine Dundy, she recounts her story of growing up amid the wreckage of her parents' disintegrating marriage. The couple were at the epicentre of a glamorous show business world - their social circle included Laurence Olivier, Orson Wells and Tennessee Williams. But the bohemian, hard drinking environment came at a cost and Tracy - who describes her life then as being "in a movie with lots of crazy people" - writes candidly about a childhood where the drama happened offstage. Wear and Tear: The Threads of My Life by Tracy Tynan is published by Duckworth.Charlie Condou is an actor best known for his role as midwife Marcus Dent in the British soap opera Coronation Street. He stars in a touring production of The Crucible playing the witch hunter Reverend Hale. In recent years Charlie has written extensively about his experiences co-parenting - he and his partner care for their children with a friend who is also the children's mother. The Crucible starts its tour at the Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Singer Patti Boulaye; dancer David Toole; actor Charlie Condou and costume designer Tracy Tynan join Libby Purves. David Toole is an actor and dancer who played a starring role in the 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony. Born without the use of his legs, he turned his back on a job with the post office to study at the Laban Centre of Movement and Dance and follow his dream of becoming a dancer. He is performing with Stopgap Dance Company in The Enormous Room, a new touring piece about grief and the relationship between a father and daughter. The Enormous Room is at Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler's Wells before heading off on tour. Patti Boulaye OBE is a singer and actor. Her autobiography, The Faith of a Child, charts her life growing up in Nigeria during the Biafran War to her West End debut in the musical Hair. In her new show, Billie and Me, she considers the parallels between Billie Holiday's troubled life and her own - at times difficult - experiences. The production starts its UK tour at the Pheasantry in London. The Faith of a Child - The Autobiography is published by Bipada Academy Ltd. Tracy Tynan is a costume designer and writer. The daughter of theatre critic Kenneth Tynan and actor and writer Elaine Dundy, she recounts her story of growing up amid the wreckage of her parents' disintegrating marriage. The couple were at the epicentre of a glamorous show business world - their social circle included Laurence Olivier, Orson Wells and Tennessee Williams. But the bohemian, hard drinking environment came at a cost and Tracy - who describes her life then as being "in a movie with lots of crazy people" - writes candidly about a childhood where the drama happened offstage. Wear and Tear: The Threads of My Life by Tracy Tynan is published by Duckworth. Charlie Condou is an actor best known for his role as midwife Marcus Dent in the British soap opera Coronation Street. He stars in a touring production of The Crucible playing the witch hunter Reverend Hale. In recent years Charlie has written extensively about his experiences co-parenting - he and his partner care for their children with a friend who is also the children's mother. The Crucible starts its tour at the Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Patti Boulaye, Charlie Condou, Tracy Tynan and David Toole.

Patrick Stewart

Shappi Khorsandi

Oscar Duke

Mischa Pearson

Actor Sir Patrick Stewart; comedian and writer Shappi Khorsandi; medic Oscar Duke and charity worker Mischa Pearson join Libby Purves. Mischa Pearson set up the Teapot Project in Ipswich, Suffolk. The charity collects good food from restaurants and supermarkets that would otherwise go to waste and distributes it to the local homeless through charities, youth hostels and churches. As a teenager Mischa was homeless for two years and spent time living in hostels before finding employment in the catering business. Around 4,000 people a month benefit from meals provided by the Teapot Project and there are plans to open a new café with an adjacent food boutique offering ''pay as you feel' produce in the heart of the town. Sir Patrick Stewart is an actor. He plays Professor Charles Xavier in Logan, the latest in the American superhero series of X-Men films. Patrick has appeared on Broadway and West End stages in productions ranging from A Life in the Theatre, The Master Builder, and The Tempest. He recently joined forces with his X-Men co-star Sir Ian McKellen in Harold Pinter's No Man's Land. Perhaps best known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation, his screen appearances include Dune, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, ConspiracyTheory, Extras I, Claudius, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Logan is on general release from March 1st. Dr Oscar Duke is currently training to be a GP. He presents Born Too White on BBC Two which explores the discrimination and persecution of people with albinism in East Africa. Born with the genetic condition of Albinism himself, Oscar discovers that there have been 170 attacks on people with albinism in Tanzania in the last 10 years and 70 of these attacks were fatal. Many are killed for their body parts which are believed to have magical powers. Born Too White is broadcast on BBC Two.Shappi Khorsandi is a comedian and writer. She is currently touring her show, Oh My Country! From Morris Dancing to Morrissey in which she celebrates the 40th anniversary of her arrival in Britain from Iran. She describes the show as reclaiming her patriotism by sending a love letter to her adopted land. She also appears on television in Live At The Apollo, Have I Got News for You and Q.I. Her latest novel, Nina Is Not OK, is out in paperback. Oh My Country! From Morris Dancing to Morrissey tours the UK until June.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Actor Sir Patrick Stewart; comedian and writer Shappi Khorsandi; medic Oscar Duke and charity worker Mischa Pearson join Libby Purves. Mischa Pearson set up the Teapot Project in Ipswich, Suffolk. The charity collects good food from restaurants and supermarkets that would otherwise go to waste and distributes it to the local homeless through charities, youth hostels and churches. As a teenager Mischa was homeless for two years and spent time living in hostels before finding employment in the catering business. Around 4,000 people a month benefit from meals provided by the Teapot Project and there are plans to open a new café with an adjacent food boutique offering ''pay as you feel' produce in the heart of the town. Sir Patrick Stewart is an actor. He plays Professor Charles Xavier in Logan, the latest in the American superhero series of X-Men films. Patrick has appeared on Broadway and West End stages in productions ranging from A Life in the Theatre, The Master Builder, and The Tempest. He recently joined forces with his X-Men co-star Sir Ian McKellen in Harold Pinter's No Man's Land. Perhaps best known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation, his screen appearances include Dune, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, ConspiracyTheory, Extras I, Claudius, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Logan is on general release from March 1st. Dr Oscar Duke is currently training to be a GP. He presents Born Too White on BBC Two which explores the discrimination and persecution of people with albinism in East Africa. Born with the genetic condition of Albinism himself, Oscar discovers that there have been 170 attacks on people with albinism in Tanzania in the last 10 years and 70 of these attacks were fatal. Many are killed for their body parts which are believed to have magical powers. Born Too White is broadcast on BBC Two. Shappi Khorsandi is a comedian and writer. She is currently touring her show, Oh My Country! From Morris Dancing to Morrissey in which she celebrates the 40th anniversary of her arrival in Britain from Iran. She describes the show as reclaiming her patriotism by sending a love letter to her adopted land. She also appears on television in Live At The Apollo, Have I Got News for You and Q.I. Her latest novel, Nina Is Not OK, is out in paperback. Oh My Country! From Morris Dancing to Morrissey tours the UK until June. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Patrick Stewart; Shappi Khorsandi; Oscar Duke; Mischa Pearson.

Michael Mosley

Camille O'Sullivan

Peter Laws

Pradyumna Kumar

Broadcaster Michael Mosley; singer and actor Camille O'Sullivan; Baptist minister and writer Peter Laws and artist Pradyumna Kumar join Libby Purves.Peter Laws is an ordained Baptist minister who has written his debut crime novel, Purged. The protagonist is Matt Hunter, a sociology professor who also assists the police tackle religiously-motivated crimes. Peter also hosts a podcast and YouTube show, The Flicks That Church Forgot, which reviews horror films from a theological perspective. Purged by Peter Laws is published by Allison and Busby. Pradyumna Kumar, known as PK, was born in a remote part of Orissa in eastern India. His childhood as an untouchable was one of hardship and prejudice. Yet during these years, he kept a palm leaf bearing an astrologer's prophecy: 'You will marry a girl who is not from the village, not even from the country; she will be musical, own a jungle and be born under the sign of the ox'. It was a prophecy that would come true, but only after a 7,000 mile journey that would take him across continents, on a second-hand bicycle, to be with the woman he loved. The Amazing Story of the Man Who Cycled from India to Europe for Love by Per J Andersson is published by One World.Camille O'Sullivan is a French-Irish singer and actor who is known for her dramatic interpretations of the narrative songs of Jacques Brel, Nick Cave, David Bowie and Radiohead. As an actor she appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company's Rape of Lucrece, for which she also created original music with Feargal Murray. She also starred in Mrs Henderson Presents alongside Judi Dench and Will Young. She is touring the UK with her new show The Carny Dream, starting in Oxford on 3 March. Michael Mosley is a journalist and presenter. In his new series The Secrets of Your Food he joins James Wong to celebrate the physics, chemistry and biology at work inside the food we eat. Born in India, Michael worked as a banker in the City of London before studying psychiatry. He then joined the BBC, producing a range of science programmes and later moving in front of the camera. He begins his new series in the laboratory where he deconstructs breast milk and travels to Mexico to study the intake of a professional Lucha Libra wrestler - it involves 50 eggs a week. The Secrets of Your Food is broadcast on BBC Two.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Broadcaster Michael Mosley; singer and actor Camille O'Sullivan; Baptist minister and writer Peter Laws and artist Pradyumna Kumar join Libby Purves. Peter Laws is an ordained Baptist minister who has written his debut crime novel, Purged. The protagonist is Matt Hunter, a sociology professor who also assists the police tackle religiously-motivated crimes. Peter also hosts a podcast and YouTube show, The Flicks That Church Forgot, which reviews horror films from a theological perspective. Purged by Peter Laws is published by Allison and Busby. Pradyumna Kumar, known as PK, was born in a remote part of Orissa in eastern India. His childhood as an untouchable was one of hardship and prejudice. Yet during these years, he kept a palm leaf bearing an astrologer's prophecy: 'You will marry a girl who is not from the village, not even from the country; she will be musical, own a jungle and be born under the sign of the ox'. It was a prophecy that would come true, but only after a 7,000 mile journey that would take him across continents, on a second-hand bicycle, to be with the woman he loved. The Amazing Story of the Man Who Cycled from India to Europe for Love by Per J Andersson is published by One World. Camille O'Sullivan is a French-Irish singer and actor who is known for her dramatic interpretations of the narrative songs of Jacques Brel, Nick Cave, David Bowie and Radiohead. As an actor she appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company's Rape of Lucrece, for which she also created original music with Feargal Murray. She also starred in Mrs Henderson Presents alongside Judi Dench and Will Young. She is touring the UK with her new show The Carny Dream, starting in Oxford on 3 March. Michael Mosley is a journalist and presenter. In his new series The Secrets of Your Food he joins James Wong to celebrate the physics, chemistry and biology at work inside the food we eat. Born in India, Michael worked as a banker in the City of London before studying psychiatry. He then joined the BBC, producing a range of science programmes and later moving in front of the camera. He begins his new series in the laboratory where he deconstructs breast milk and travels to Mexico to study the intake of a professional Lucha Libra wrestler - it involves 50 eggs a week. The Secrets of Your Food is broadcast on BBC Two. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Michael Mosley, Camille O'Sullivan, Peter Laws, Pradyumna Kumar

Annie Siddons

Kimberley Chambers

Explorer and writer Levison Wood; author Kimberley Chambers; journalist and writer John de St Jorre and performer and playwright Annie Siddons join Libby Purves.Kimberley Chambers is a former market trader, DJ and minicab driver who is now a best-selling author. She came to fiction late in life, writing during her down time as a cabbie. Inspired by her 'colourful life', the books are gritty crime novels with a twist of dark humour set in and around London's East End and featuring a cast of spirited characters. Her latest release, Backstabber is published by Harper Collins.John de St Jorre is a journalist and writer. In his memoir, Darling Baby Mine, he writes about the search for his mother who was erased from the family history. Unable to find so much as a photo of her, the distant memory of a woman laughing while smoking is the only image of her he has. He grew up in wartime Britain under the care of his father and stepmother and it wasn't until he reached adulthood that he began to piece together his mother's tragic story. Darling Baby Mine is published by Quartet.Annie Siddons is a playwright, performer and musician. Her new show How (Not) to live in Suburbia is based on her own experiences of loneliness when she felt adrift as a single mother living in what she calls one of London's 'most married' suburbs. Annie takes a poignant and humorous look at what it is like to live in a community where you don't fit in, the compromises people make for the sake of their children, how chronic loneliness manifests itself and her own personal quest to cure it. How (Not) to live in Suburbia is at the Soho Theatre and later on tour. Levison Wood is an explorer, photographer and author. He spent ten years in the British Army and led expeditions on five continents. He has travelled in over 80 countries and spent a number of years living in the wilds of Africa and Asia. For his most recent expedition, he set out to trek 1800 miles from Mexico to Columbia which was filmed for the Channel 4 series, Walking the Americas. Beginning in the north-eastern tip of Mexico, he tackles the entire length of Central America, through eight countries before attempting to cross the treacherous Darien Gap into Colombia and South America. His book Walking the Americas is published by Hodder and Stoughton.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Explorer and writer Levison Wood; author Kimberley Chambers; journalist and writer John de St Jorre and performer and playwright Annie Siddons join Libby Purves. Kimberley Chambers is a former market trader, DJ and minicab driver who is now a best-selling author. She came to fiction late in life, writing during her down time as a cabbie. Inspired by her 'colourful life', the books are gritty crime novels with a twist of dark humour set in and around London's East End and featuring a cast of spirited characters. Her latest release, Backstabber is published by Harper Collins. John de St Jorre is a journalist and writer. In his memoir, Darling Baby Mine, he writes about the search for his mother who was erased from the family history. Unable to find so much as a photo of her, the distant memory of a woman laughing while smoking is the only image of her he has. He grew up in wartime Britain under the care of his father and stepmother and it wasn't until he reached adulthood that he began to piece together his mother's tragic story. Darling Baby Mine is published by Quartet. Annie Siddons is a playwright, performer and musician. Her new show How (Not) to live in Suburbia is based on her own experiences of loneliness when she felt adrift as a single mother living in what she calls one of London's 'most married' suburbs. Annie takes a poignant and humorous look at what it is like to live in a community where you don't fit in, the compromises people make for the sake of their children, how chronic loneliness manifests itself and her own personal quest to cure it. How (Not) to live in Suburbia is at the Soho Theatre and later on tour. Levison Wood is an explorer, photographer and author. He spent ten years in the British Army and led expeditions on five continents. He has travelled in over 80 countries and spent a number of years living in the wilds of Africa and Asia. For his most recent expedition, he set out to trek 1800 miles from Mexico to Columbia which was filmed for the Channel 4 series, Walking the Americas. Beginning in the north-eastern tip of Mexico, he tackles the entire length of Central America, through eight countries before attempting to cross the treacherous Darien Gap into Colombia and South America. His book Walking the Americas is published by Hodder and Stoughton. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Levison Wood; Kimberley Chambers; John de St Jorre; Annie Siddons.

Femi Oyebode

Sheila Kohler

Stephen Boxer

Actor Stephen Boxer; writer Sheila Kohler; psychiatrist and poet Professor Femi Oyebode and composer Heloise Tunstall-Behrens join Libby Purves.Heloise Tunstall-Behrens is a composer and bee-keeper. Her new work The Swarm, a 60-minute opera performed by the Quorum, follows a swarm of bees in their search for a new home as they encounter a deadly extractor fan, a thunder storm and a fierce debate over two potential sites on which to build a hive. Inspiration for the piece came after Heloise inserted a recording device into her hives during a particularly dynamic phase of swarming. The Swarm is at the Vault Festival, The Vaults, London SE1 .Professor Femi Oyebode is professor of psychiatry and head of department at the University of Birmingham. Winner of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Lifetime Achievement Award, he has also written six volumes of poetry. Professor Oyebode believes medicine is increasingly technology-based, meaning the patient can easily get lost, and he regards medicine as an art rather than a science, a profession in which you apply skills to people. "Every person is different," he says. "As psychiatrists, we are trained to understand human beings and this includes understanding ourselves."Sheila Kohler is a writer. In her memoir, Once We Were Sisters, she tells the story of growing up in the suffocating gentility of 1950s South Africa with her sister Maxine. Her sister's death in a car accident in 1976 galvanised Sheila to start writing as a way of dealing with her grief. The author of 14 works of fiction, her new book addresses her relationship with her sister and, more broadly, the violence underpinning much of her homeland. Once We Were Sisters is published by Canongate.Stephen Boxer is an actor best known for his roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company including Titus Andronicus and King Lear and portraying CS Lewis in Shadowlands. He is currently in Raising Martha, a new dark comedy by award-winning writer David Spicer. The play tackles terrorism, animal rights, and six-foot frogs! Raising Martha is at the Park Theatre, Finsbury Park, London N4.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Actor Stephen Boxer; writer Sheila Kohler; psychiatrist and poet Professor Femi Oyebode and composer Heloise Tunstall-Behrens join Libby Purves. Heloise Tunstall-Behrens is a composer and bee-keeper. Her new work The Swarm, a 60-minute opera performed by the Quorum, follows a swarm of bees in their search for a new home as they encounter a deadly extractor fan, a thunder storm and a fierce debate over two potential sites on which to build a hive. Inspiration for the piece came after Heloise inserted a recording device into her hives during a particularly dynamic phase of swarming. The Swarm is at the Vault Festival, The Vaults, London SE1 . Professor Femi Oyebode is professor of psychiatry and head of department at the University of Birmingham. Winner of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Lifetime Achievement Award, he has also written six volumes of poetry. Professor Oyebode believes medicine is increasingly technology-based, meaning the patient can easily get lost, and he regards medicine as an art rather than a science, a profession in which you apply skills to people. "Every person is different," he says. "As psychiatrists, we are trained to understand human beings and this includes understanding ourselves." Sheila Kohler is a writer. In her memoir, Once We Were Sisters, she tells the story of growing up in the suffocating gentility of 1950s South Africa with her sister Maxine. Her sister's death in a car accident in 1976 galvanised Sheila to start writing as a way of dealing with her grief. The author of 14 works of fiction, her new book addresses her relationship with her sister and, more broadly, the violence underpinning much of her homeland. Once We Were Sisters is published by Canongate. Stephen Boxer is an actor best known for his roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company including Titus Andronicus and King Lear and portraying CS Lewis in Shadowlands. He is currently in Raising Martha, a new dark comedy by award-winning writer David Spicer. The play tackles terrorism, animal rights, and six-foot frogs! Raising Martha is at the Park Theatre, Finsbury Park, London N4. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Professor Femi Oyebode; Sheila Kohler; Stephen Boxer; Heloise Tunstall-Behrens

Evelyn Glennie

Milton Jones

Xiaolu Guo

Arno Geiger

Percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie; comedian Milton Jones; writer and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo and novelist Arno Geiger meet Libby Purves.Evelyn Glennie is an award-winning percussionist. She played the first percussion concerto in the history of The Proms at the Albert Hall in 1992, which paved the way for orchestras around the world to feature percussion concerti. She also played a leading role role in the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Profoundly deaf since childhood, she set out to use her body as a resonating chamber, 'hearing' partly through her bare feet on the floor. As part of the Celtic Connections Festival she is playing a new piece marking the 70th anniversary of the partition of India alongside fellow percussionist Trilok Gurtu. The Rhythm in Me premieres at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.Xiaolu Guo is a Chinese born writer and film-maker. In her memoir, Once Upon a Time in the East, she recounts her tumultuous life from meeting her parents for the first time at six and living in grinding poverty with her illiterate grandparents in a fishing village on the East China Sea. Her story takes her from a run-down shack to film school in a rapidly changing Beijing, navigating the complexities of modern China - censorship, underground art and Western boyfriends. Once Upon a Time in the East: A story of Growing Up is published by Chatto &amp; Windus.Arno Geiger is an Austrian novelist. In The Old King in his Exile he tells the story of his late father August's struggle with Alzheimer's disease. The book is a deeply moving account of his father's illness but also stresses how it brought the two closer together. A remote figure, August didn't talk to his family much about his past - a frugal childhood and wartime experiences as a child soldier - but as his dementia took hold his son discovered more about the man and his character. The Old King in his Exile is published by And Other Stories.Milton Jones is a stand-up comedian, known by many as the king of the one-liners. He's a regular panellist on BBC Two's Mock the Week and Live at the Apollo and , Thanks a Lot Milton Jones! on Radio 4. Later this year he embarks on a new tour, Milton Jones is Out There, taking a philosophical look at his life so far with his 'manifesto of nonsense'. Milton Jones is Out There 2017 tour begins in September at the Richmond Theatre.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie; comedian Milton Jones; writer and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo and novelist Arno Geiger meet Libby Purves. Evelyn Glennie is an award-winning percussionist. She played the first percussion concerto in the history of The Proms at the Albert Hall in 1992, which paved the way for orchestras around the world to feature percussion concerti. She also played a leading role role in the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Profoundly deaf since childhood, she set out to use her body as a resonating chamber, 'hearing' partly through her bare feet on the floor. As part of the Celtic Connections Festival she is playing a new piece marking the 70th anniversary of the partition of India alongside fellow percussionist Trilok Gurtu. The Rhythm in Me premieres at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Xiaolu Guo is a Chinese born writer and film-maker. In her memoir, Once Upon a Time in the East, she recounts her tumultuous life from meeting her parents for the first time at six and living in grinding poverty with her illiterate grandparents in a fishing village on the East China Sea. Her story takes her from a run-down shack to film school in a rapidly changing Beijing, navigating the complexities of modern China - censorship, underground art and Western boyfriends. Once Upon a Time in the East: A story of Growing Up is published by Chatto &amp; Windus. Arno Geiger is an Austrian novelist. In The Old King in his Exile he tells the story of his late father August's struggle with Alzheimer's disease. The book is a deeply moving account of his father's illness but also stresses how it brought the two closer together. A remote figure, August didn't talk to his family much about his past - a frugal childhood and wartime experiences as a child soldier - but as his dementia took hold his son discovered more about the man and his character. The Old King in his Exile is published by And Other Stories. Milton Jones is a stand-up comedian, known by many as the king of the one-liners. He's a regular panellist on BBC Two's Mock the Week and Live at the Apollo and , Thanks a Lot Milton Jones! on Radio 4. Later this year he embarks on a new tour, Milton Jones is Out There, taking a philosophical look at his life so far with his 'manifesto of nonsense'. Milton Jones is Out There 2017 tour begins in September at the Richmond Theatre. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Evelyn Glennie; Milton Jones; Xiaolu Guo; Arno Geiger.

Lively and diverse conversation with weekly guests

One of my favourite programs from the Beeb. Pithy, timely and entertaining. I almost always come away having learnt something.

Very diverse

Midweek

Richard Goldstein

Kimmie Rhodes

Sir Anthony Seldon

Paul Wayne

Libby Purves meets headmaster and writer Sir Anthony Seldon; former rock critic Richard Goldstein; chocolatier Paul Wayne Gregory and singer and songwriter Kimmie Rhodes.Paul Wayne Gregory is an award-winning chocolatier who provided chocolates for the Queen's 80th birthday celebrations. He trained as a pastry chef before learning the art of chocolate artistry in France and Spain under chefs Jean Valentine and Oriol Balaguer. He is currently working on a chocolate art exhibition which will feature sculptures, casts, copies of famous pieces of art such as the Mona Lisa and original chocolate art work by Paul himself.Richard Goldstein is acknowledged as one of the founders of rock criticism who started his career at the Village Voice in 1966. He championed the idea that rock music was a serious art form long before it was acceptable. In his memoir, Another Little Piece of My Heart, he tells how he toured with Janis Joplin, hung out with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys and was in the front row when Jimi Hendrix burnt his guitar. Another Little Piece of My Heart: My Life of Rock and Revolution in the Sixties is published by Bloomsbury.Sir Anthony Seldon is the headmaster of Wellington College in Berkshire. He introduced happiness - or well-being - lessons at his school and co-founded Action for Happiness which aims to create a happier and more caring society. In his book, Beyond Happiness, Sir Anthony distinguishes between pleasure, happiness and joy and offers an eight-step approach on how to make our lives more meaningful and rewarding. Beyond Happiness: The Trap of Happiness and How to find Deeper Meaning and Joy is published by Hodder &amp; Stoughton.Kimmie Rhodes is a singer and songwriter whose songs have been record by a range of performers including Willie Nelson, Wynonna Judd, Trisha Yearwood, Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris. She grew up in Lubbock, Texas and began her singing career at the age of six with her family gospel trio. Her new album, Cowgirl Boudoir, is dedicated to her mentor - singer and record producer Cowboy Jack Clement. Cowgirl Boudoir is on Sunbird Records. Kimmie Rhodes is on tour.

Libby Purves meets headmaster and writer Sir Anthony Seldon; former rock critic Richard Goldstein; chocolatier Paul Wayne Gregory and singer and songwriter Kimmie Rhodes. Paul Wayne Gregory is an award-winning chocolatier who provided chocolates for the Queen's 80th birthday celebrations. He trained as a pastry chef before learning the art of chocolate artistry in France and Spain under chefs Jean Valentine and Oriol Balaguer. He is currently working on a chocolate art exhibition which will feature sculptures, casts, copies of famous pieces of art such as the Mona Lisa and original chocolate art work by Paul himself. Richard Goldstein is acknowledged as one of the founders of rock criticism who started his career at the Village Voice in 1966. He championed the idea that rock music was a serious art form long before it was acceptable. In his memoir, Another Little Piece of My Heart, he tells how he toured with Janis Joplin, hung out with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys and was in the front row when Jimi Hendrix burnt his guitar. Another Little Piece of My Heart: My Life of Rock and Revolution in the Sixties is published by Bloomsbury. Sir Anthony Seldon is the headmaster of Wellington College in Berkshire. He introduced happiness - or well-being - lessons at his school and co-founded Action for Happiness which aims to create a happier and more caring society. In his book, Beyond Happiness, Sir Anthony distinguishes between pleasure, happiness and joy and offers an eight-step approach on how to make our lives more meaningful and rewarding. Beyond Happiness: The Trap of Happiness and How to find Deeper Meaning and Joy is published by Hodder &amp; Stoughton. Kimmie Rhodes is a singer and songwriter whose songs have been record by a range of performers including Willie Nelson, Wynonna Judd, Trisha Yearwood, Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris. She grew up in Lubbock, Texas and began her singing career at the age of six with her family gospel trio. Her new album, Cowgirl Boudoir, is dedicated to her mentor - singer and record producer Cowboy Jack Clement. Cowgirl Boudoir is on Sunbird Records. Kimmie Rhodes is on tour.

Richard Goldstein, Sir Anthony Seldon, Paul Wayne Gregory, Kimmie Rhodes

Sally Magnusson

Steven Isserlis

Dan Hurley

Tommy Hanover

Libby Purves meets journalist and writer Dan Hurley; cellist Steven Isserlis; broadcaster and writer Sally Magnusson and registrar Tommy Hanover.Dan Hurley is a science journalist who writes regularly for the New York Times and Neurology Today. In his new book Smarter: The New Science of Building Brain Power, he tests various cognitive exercises which aim to boost intelligence. The exercises range from learning the Renaissance lute; trying out commercial brain-training programmes and physical training. Smarter: The New Science of Building Brain Power is published by Viking.Steven Isserlis is the renowned cellist, writer and teacher who performs with orchestras around the world. Steven and his sisters have released Julius Isserlis: Piano Music featuring newly discovered work by their Russian Jewish grandfather - pianist and composer Julius Isserlis. Julius, who was a contemporary of Rachmaninov and Scriabin, fled Communist Russia in 1922 and in 1938 escaped from Vienna which was in the grip of the Nazis. Julius Isserlis: Piano Music is on Hyperion Records.Sally Magnusson is a journalist, broadcaster and writer. She has presented a range of programmes including Panorama and BBC Breakfast and currently presents Reporting Scotland and Songs Of Praise. In 1996 she won a Scottish BAFTA for her commentary on the documentary Dunblane: A Community Remembers. In her new book she writes about her mother Mamie's battle with dementia. Where Memories Go: Why Dementia Changes Everything is published by Two Roads.Tommy Hanover is a registrar at Westminster Register Office. He features in a two-part documentary series about day-to-day life at the registry office. The office holds the births, deaths and marriage records of a range of names including Winston Churchill, Joan Collins and Margaret Thatcher as well as members of the Royal Family. Births, Deaths and Marriages is Broadcast on ITV.

Libby Purves meets journalist and writer Dan Hurley; cellist Steven Isserlis; broadcaster and writer Sally Magnusson and registrar Tommy Hanover. Dan Hurley is a science journalist who writes regularly for the New York Times and Neurology Today. In his new book Smarter: The New Science of Building Brain Power, he tests various cognitive exercises which aim to boost intelligence. The exercises range from learning the Renaissance lute; trying out commercial brain-training programmes and physical training. Smarter: The New Science of Building Brain Power is published by Viking. Steven Isserlis is the renowned cellist, writer and teacher who performs with orchestras around the world. Steven and his sisters have released Julius Isserlis: Piano Music featuring newly discovered work by their Russian Jewish grandfather - pianist and composer Julius Isserlis. Julius, who was a contemporary of Rachmaninov and Scriabin, fled Communist Russia in 1922 and in 1938 escaped from Vienna which was in the grip of the Nazis. Julius Isserlis: Piano Music is on Hyperion Records. Sally Magnusson is a journalist, broadcaster and writer. She has presented a range of programmes including Panorama and BBC Breakfast and currently presents Reporting Scotland and Songs Of Praise. In 1996 she won a Scottish BAFTA for her commentary on the documentary Dunblane: A Community Remembers. In her new book she writes about her mother Mamie's battle with dementia. Where Memories Go: Why Dementia Changes Everything is published by Two Roads. Tommy Hanover is a registrar at Westminster Register Office. He features in a two-part documentary series about day-to-day life at the registry office. The office holds the births, deaths and marriage records of a range of names including Winston Churchill, Joan Collins and Margaret Thatcher as well as members of the Royal Family. Births, Deaths and Marriages is Broadcast on ITV.

Sally Magnusson, Steven Isserlis, Dan Hurley, Tommy Hanover

Chris Boardman

Bella Merlin

Rex Pickett

Libby Purves meets Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman; writer Rex Pickett; writer and academic Bella Merlin and performer Natalie James.Bella Merlin is an actor, writer, and professor of acting and directing at the University of California, Riverside. In her book, Facing the Fear, she draws on her own and other actors' personal experiences to address the issue of stage fright and how the complex relationship between the actor and the audience affects the condition. Drawing on neurological research, she also offers practical tips from physical wellbeing to performance strategies. Facing the Fear An Actor's Guide to Overcoming Stage Fright is published by Nick Hern Books.Natalie Nicole James is dancer and circus performer. She plays Mowgli in Metta Theatre's new adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. The story of a child raised by wolves has been transposed to a contemporary urban jungle featuring street dancing monkeys, a beat-boxing bin man Baloo and graffiti artist Bagheera. The Jungle Book is at Cork's Midsummer Festival and at London Wonderground Festival, Southbank.Chris Boardman MBE won an Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics β the first British cyclist to win for 75 years. He went on to become the first British rider since Tommy Simpson in 1967 to wear the race leader's yellow jersey in the Tour de France. Now a commentator and presenter, his endeavours both on and off the bike have made him the founding father of the current gold generation of British cyclists. His memoir, Triumphs and Turbulence My Autobiography, is published by Ebury Press.Rex Pickett is a writer and the author of the novel Sideways which became an award-winning film directed by Alexander Payne. Now a play, adapted by the author, Sideways is the story of Miles and Jack, best friends facing their own personal crises who head off to Santa Barbara for a week of wine tastings. Sideways is at the St James Theatre, London.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Libby Purves meets Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman; writer Rex Pickett; writer and academic Bella Merlin and performer Natalie James. Bella Merlin is an actor, writer, and professor of acting and directing at the University of California, Riverside. In her book, Facing the Fear, she draws on her own and other actors' personal experiences to address the issue of stage fright and how the complex relationship between the actor and the audience affects the condition. Drawing on neurological research, she also offers practical tips from physical wellbeing to performance strategies. Facing the Fear An Actor's Guide to Overcoming Stage Fright is published by Nick Hern Books. Natalie Nicole James is dancer and circus performer. She plays Mowgli in Metta Theatre's new adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. The story of a child raised by wolves has been transposed to a contemporary urban jungle featuring street dancing monkeys, a beat-boxing bin man Baloo and graffiti artist Bagheera. The Jungle Book is at Cork's Midsummer Festival and at London Wonderground Festival, Southbank. Chris Boardman MBE won an Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics β the first British cyclist to win for 75 years. He went on to become the first British rider since Tommy Simpson in 1967 to wear the race leader's yellow jersey in the Tour de France. Now a commentator and presenter, his endeavours both on and off the bike have made him the founding father of the current gold generation of British cyclists. His memoir, Triumphs and Turbulence My Autobiography, is published by Ebury Press. Rex Pickett is a writer and the author of the novel Sideways which became an award-winning film directed by Alexander Payne. Now a play, adapted by the author, Sideways is the story of Miles and Jack, best friends facing their own personal crises who head off to Santa Barbara for a week of wine tastings. Sideways is at the St James Theatre, London. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Chris Boardman, Bella Merlin, Rex Pickett, Natalie Nicole James.

This week Libby Purves is joined by Clarence B Jones, Carodoc King and Yangzom Brauen.Clarence B Jones was the co-author of the 'I Have a Dream' speech and a close confidant to Martin Luther King himself. He was there, on the road, collaborating with the great minds of the time, and hammering out the ideas that would shape the civil rights movement. He is the sole survivor of those who had direct participation in these events. His book 'Behind the Dream', co-written by Stuart Connelly, is published by MacMillan.Carodoc King is a leading literary agent. In his memoir 'Problem Child' he tells of his childhood growing up in the 1950s in a large and eccentric family in Essex. He was treated harshly by his mother, sent to boarding school aged six and when he was fifteen found out he was adopted and a year later his parents removed him from school and ejected him completely from the family. With a natural survival instinct he got a place at Oxford, and thirty years later he goes in search of his natural family. 'Problem Child' is published by Simon &amp; Schuster.Yangzom Brauen's grandmother Kunsang was one of Tibet's youngest nuns, who escaped the Chinese invasion of her country with her young family. They fled over the Himalayas to India, where they spent several years in refugee camps where both her husband and younger child died. She and her daughter eventually went to live in Switzerland, where Yangzom was born. She is now an actress living in Los Angeles and very involved with the Free Tibet movement. Kunsang is still alive and in her nineties. Their story is told in the book 'Across Many Mountains: Three Daughters of Tibet', published by Harvill Secker.

This week Libby Purves is joined by Clarence B Jones, Carodoc King and Yangzom Brauen. Clarence B Jones was the co-author of the 'I Have a Dream' speech and a close confidant to Martin Luther King himself. He was there, on the road, collaborating with the great minds of the time, and hammering out the ideas that would shape the civil rights movement. He is the sole survivor of those who had direct participation in these events. His book 'Behind the Dream', co-written by Stuart Connelly, is published by MacMillan. Carodoc King is a leading literary agent. In his memoir 'Problem Child' he tells of his childhood growing up in the 1950s in a large and eccentric family in Essex. He was treated harshly by his mother, sent to boarding school aged six and when he was fifteen found out he was adopted and a year later his parents removed him from school and ejected him completely from the family. With a natural survival instinct he got a place at Oxford, and thirty years later he goes in search of his natural family. 'Problem Child' is published by Simon &amp; Schuster. Yangzom Brauen's grandmother Kunsang was one of Tibet's youngest nuns, who escaped the Chinese invasion of her country with her young family. They fled over the Himalayas to India, where they spent several years in refugee camps where both her husband and younger child died. She and her daughter eventually went to live in Switzerland, where Yangzom was born. She is now an actress living in Los Angeles and very involved with the Free Tibet movement. Kunsang is still alive and in her nineties. Their story is told in the book 'Across Many Mountains: Three Daughters of Tibet', published by Harvill Secker.

09/03/2011

Simon Watt

Cal Flyn

Martin Gurdon

Baba Israel

Libby Purves meets biologist and stand-up Simon Watt; motoring journalist Martin Gurdon; hip-hop artist Baba Israel and journalist Cal Flyn.Martin Gurdon is a motoring journalist. In his book, An Estate Car Named Desire, he recounts tales of his car-obsessed childhood in the 1960s - a lost world of Ford Anglias, Triumph Heralds and Morris Minors. During his dysfunctional years at boarding school cars were both his salvation and his undoing. An Estate Car Named Desire - A Life on the Road is published by Duckworth Overlook.Baba Israel is a hip-hop artist. He will be performing The Spinning Wheel at the Roundhouse, as part of The Last Word Festival. The multi-media production explores the life of his father Steve Ben Israel, a New York-based poet, jazz musician, activist, stand-up comedian and member of the Sixties performance collective The Living Theatre. The Spinning Wheel is at The Roundhouse, London NW1.Cal Flyn is a journalist whose book, Thicker than Water, tells the story of her great-great-great uncle, Angus McMillan. Mythologized as a dashing explorer and pioneer who left his native Scotland for Australia during the time of the Highland Clearances, he in fact led a number of gruesome massacres of indigenous people. As she traces his footsteps across Australia, Cal asks how a man could commit such terrible acts and considers the concept of intergenerational guilt. Thicker Than Water - History, Secrets and Guilt is published by William Collins.Simon Watt is a biologist, stand-up, writer and broadcaster. His new comedy science podcast, Level Up Human, explores various ways to improve the human condition. Featuring guests from the worlds of comedy and science, the podcast asks whether we will soon be able to edit the human genome with so-called molecular scissors and examines the case for driverless transport and companion robots. Level Up Human launches at the Cheltenham Science Festival.

Libby Purves meets biologist and stand-up Simon Watt; motoring journalist Martin Gurdon; hip-hop artist Baba Israel and journalist Cal Flyn. Martin Gurdon is a motoring journalist. In his book, An Estate Car Named Desire, he recounts tales of his car-obsessed childhood in the 1960s - a lost world of Ford Anglias, Triumph Heralds and Morris Minors. During his dysfunctional years at boarding school cars were both his salvation and his undoing. An Estate Car Named Desire - A Life on the Road is published by Duckworth Overlook. Baba Israel is a hip-hop artist. He will be performing The Spinning Wheel at the Roundhouse, as part of The Last Word Festival. The multi-media production explores the life of his father Steve Ben Israel, a New York-based poet, jazz musician, activist, stand-up comedian and member of the Sixties performance collective The Living Theatre. The Spinning Wheel is at The Roundhouse, London NW1. Cal Flyn is a journalist whose book, Thicker than Water, tells the story of her great-great-great uncle, Angus McMillan. Mythologized as a dashing explorer and pioneer who left his native Scotland for Australia during the time of the Highland Clearances, he in fact led a number of gruesome massacres of indigenous people. As she traces his footsteps across Australia, Cal asks how a man could commit such terrible acts and considers the concept of intergenerational guilt. Thicker Than Water - History, Secrets and Guilt is published by William Collins. Simon Watt is a biologist, stand-up, writer and broadcaster. His new comedy science podcast, Level Up Human, explores various ways to improve the human condition. Featuring guests from the worlds of comedy and science, the podcast asks whether we will soon be able to edit the human genome with so-called molecular scissors and examines the case for driverless transport and companion robots. Level Up Human launches at the Cheltenham Science Festival.

Simon Watt, Cal Flyn, Martin Gurdon, Baba Israel

Eric Carter

Ray Cooney

Cambridge Jones

Libby Purves meets cabaret performer Eve Ferret, World War Two Hurricane pilot Eric Carter, director and playwright Ray Cooney and photographer Cambridge Jones.Eve Ferret is a cabaret performer. She first performed at the Blitz club in London in the late 70s and early 80s and appeared in the film Absolute Beginners with David Bowie. After a 30 year gap from performing, she is back with a new show Ferret Up the Arts at the Arts Theatre in London. Her first album (as yet unnamed) is also about to be released. She also starts her Don't Be So Shellfish tour of British seaside towns in April. Ferret Up the Arts is at the Arts Theatre, LondonEric Carter is the sole survivor of 81 Squadron, a Royal Air Force fighter squadron which took part in a secret mission to the Soviet Union in June 1941. The mission, code named Force Benedict, was initiated to defend the port of Murmansk which was the country's only port not under Nazi occupation. RAF Wing 151 - comprising 81 and 154 Squadrons - had a range of objectives which included teaching Russian pilots to fly Hurricanes, escorting Russian bombers over German lines and flying numerous patrols against the Luftwaffe. Eric's book, Force Benedict, written with Antony Loveless, is published by Hodder &amp; Stoughton.Ray Cooney is a writer, director and actor. His play, Two Into One about a philandering MP is currently at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Ray's theatrical career began as a boy actor in 1946 before he went into repertory theatre and joined the Brian Rix Company at the Whitehall Theatre. His writing career includes the hits Move Over Mrs Markham, Run For Your Wife, Out of Order for which he won an Olivier Award. Two Into One is at the Menier Chocolate Factory.Cambridge Jones is a photographer whose subjects have included several Prime Ministers, members of the Royal Family, Hollywood celebrities and rock stars. His latest exhibition, 26 Characters, at the Story Museum in Oxford features many of Britain's best loved writers and storytellers transforming themselves into their favourite character from a childhood book. Participants include Julia Donaldson, Shirley Hughes, Terry Pratchett and Malorie Blackman. 26 Characters is at the Story Museum in Oxford.Producer: Annette Wells.

Libby Purves meets cabaret performer Eve Ferret, World War Two Hurricane pilot Eric Carter, director and playwright Ray Cooney and photographer Cambridge Jones. Eve Ferret is a cabaret performer. She first performed at the Blitz club in London in the late 70s and early 80s and appeared in the film Absolute Beginners with David Bowie. After a 30 year gap from performing, she is back with a new show Ferret Up the Arts at the Arts Theatre in London. Her first album (as yet unnamed) is also about to be released. She also starts her Don't Be So Shellfish tour of British seaside towns in April. Ferret Up the Arts is at the Arts Theatre, London Eric Carter is the sole survivor of 81 Squadron, a Royal Air Force fighter squadron which took part in a secret mission to the Soviet Union in June 1941. The mission, code named Force Benedict, was initiated to defend the port of Murmansk which was the country's only port not under Nazi occupation. RAF Wing 151 - comprising 81 and 154 Squadrons - had a range of objectives which included teaching Russian pilots to fly Hurricanes, escorting Russian bombers over German lines and flying numerous patrols against the Luftwaffe. Eric's book, Force Benedict, written with Antony Loveless, is published by Hodder &amp; Stoughton. Ray Cooney is a writer, director and actor. His play, Two Into One about a philandering MP is currently at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Ray's theatrical career began as a boy actor in 1946 before he went into repertory theatre and joined the Brian Rix Company at the Whitehall Theatre. His writing career includes the hits Move Over Mrs Markham, Run For Your Wife, Out of Order for which he won an Olivier Award. Two Into One is at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Cambridge Jones is a photographer whose subjects have included several Prime Ministers, members of the Royal Family, Hollywood celebrities and rock stars. His latest exhibition, 26 Characters, at the Story Museum in Oxford features many of Britain's best loved writers and storytellers transforming themselves into their favourite character from a childhood book. Participants include Julia Donaldson, Shirley Hughes, Terry Pratchett and Malorie Blackman. 26 Characters is at the Story Museum in Oxford. Producer: Annette Wells.

Eric Carter, Ray Cooney, Cambridge Jones, Eve Ferret

Peter Hain

Susie Boyt

Lilla Rowcliffe

Philip Mould

Libby Purves meets Peter Hain MP; art dealer Philip Mould; author Susie Boyt and fly fisherwoman Lilla Rowcliffe.Philip Mould is a gallery owner, international art dealer and writer who has been dealing in antiques from an early age. He started by collecting and selling 18th Century shoe buckles as a boy and moved on to deal in artwork worth tens of thousands of pounds. He co-presents BBC1's Fake or Fortune with Fiona Bruce and is a regular expert on the Antiques Roadshow.Lilla Rowcliffe is a fly fisher. Now in her eighties, she only took up the sport following the death of her husband and sister when she was in her fifties. Her first catch, in Scotland, was a 45 pound salmon, and since then, Lilla has fished around the world. She has a house close to where fly-fishing lure creator Megan Boyd lived and she features in a documentary, Kiss the Water, about Boyd's life and fly fishing.Peter Hain is the Labour MP for Neath and a former Cabinet minister whose political career spans four decades. He grew up in South Africa under Apartheid before moving to London. Peter's parents Adelaine and Walter were, and continue to be, prominent freedom-fighters. Ad and Wal - A Story of Values, Duty, Sacrifice in Apartheid South Africa is published by Biteback Publishing.Susie Boyt is a writer and the daughter of artist Lucian Freud. Her memoir, My Judy Garland Life, has been adapted for the stage. It tells the story of Susie's admiration for Garland as she was growing up, and how Judy's songs helped Susie through her personal troubles. My Judy Garland Life is at The Nottingham Playhouse.

Libby Purves meets Peter Hain MP; art dealer Philip Mould; author Susie Boyt and fly fisherwoman Lilla Rowcliffe. Philip Mould is a gallery owner, international art dealer and writer who has been dealing in antiques from an early age. He started by collecting and selling 18th Century shoe buckles as a boy and moved on to deal in artwork worth tens of thousands of pounds. He co-presents BBC1's Fake or Fortune with Fiona Bruce and is a regular expert on the Antiques Roadshow. Lilla Rowcliffe is a fly fisher. Now in her eighties, she only took up the sport following the death of her husband and sister when she was in her fifties. Her first catch, in Scotland, was a 45 pound salmon, and since then, Lilla has fished around the world. She has a house close to where fly-fishing lure creator Megan Boyd lived and she features in a documentary, Kiss the Water, about Boyd's life and fly fishing. Peter Hain is the Labour MP for Neath and a former Cabinet minister whose political career spans four decades. He grew up in South Africa under Apartheid before moving to London. Peter's parents Adelaine and Walter were, and continue to be, prominent freedom-fighters. Ad and Wal - A Story of Values, Duty, Sacrifice in Apartheid South Africa is published by Biteback Publishing. Susie Boyt is a writer and the daughter of artist Lucian Freud. Her memoir, My Judy Garland Life, has been adapted for the stage. It tells the story of Susie's admiration for Garland as she was growing up, and how Judy's songs helped Susie through her personal troubles. My Judy Garland Life is at The Nottingham Playhouse.

Lilla Rowcliffe, Philip Mould, Peter Hain, Susie Boyt

Helen Czerski

Paapa Essiedu

Jim Richards

Physicist Helen Czerski; composer Odaline de la Martinez; actor Paapa Essiedu and geologist and gold prospector Jim Richards join Libby Purves.Physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski studies the bubbles underneath breaking waves and their effects on weather and climate. In her book, Storm in a Teacup, she explains how the same scientific principles behind the little everyday things we see all around us link to some of the most important science and technology of our time because the patterns of physics are universal. She argues that knowing some of the basic principles of physics gives us a new way of looking at and being in the world that surrounds us. Storm in a Teacup - The Physics of Everyday Life by Helen Czerski is published by Bantam Press. Paapa Essiedu is an actor who plays Edmund in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of King Lear, opposite Antony Sher's Lear. He was on course to study medicine when he decided to change direction and follow his true passion to study drama. His first job was a minor role in the Merry Wives of Windsor for the RSC but he made waves when he stepped up to play Edmund opposite Simon Russell Beale's Lear when the actor he was understudying lost his voice. Last year Paapa played the RSC's first black Hamlet, drawing on his background growing up in London and the cultural references of his Ghanaian family. King Lear is at the Barbican, London. Jim Richards has been a gold prospector, miner and geologist and is currently a mining executive in Australia, working on graphene and sustainable energy. A former geology student and officer in the British Army, he gave up a promising career to pursue his dream of mining for gold in Brazil. In his book, Gold Rush, he recounts tales of piranha-infested rivers in South America, blazing deserts in Australia, the war-torn jungles of Laos, and how his passion cost him numerous relationships and money. Gold Rush - How I found, Lost and Made a Fortune is published by September Publishing.Odaline de la Martinez is a Cuban-American composer and conductor and was the first woman to conduct at the BBC Proms in 1984. She established the London Festival of American Music ten years ago to promote the work of established American composers who were less well known to UK audiences. She also founded her ensemble Lontano which champions new music and celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. The London Festival of American Music is at The Warehouse, London.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Physicist Helen Czerski; composer Odaline de la Martinez; actor Paapa Essiedu and geologist and gold prospector Jim Richards join Libby Purves. Physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski studies the bubbles underneath breaking waves and their effects on weather and climate. In her book, Storm in a Teacup, she explains how the same scientific principles behind the little everyday things we see all around us link to some of the most important science and technology of our time because the patterns of physics are universal. She argues that knowing some of the basic principles of physics gives us a new way of looking at and being in the world that surrounds us. Storm in a Teacup - The Physics of Everyday Life by Helen Czerski is published by Bantam Press. Paapa Essiedu is an actor who plays Edmund in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of King Lear, opposite Antony Sher's Lear. He was on course to study medicine when he decided to change direction and follow his true passion to study drama. His first job was a minor role in the Merry Wives of Windsor for the RSC but he made waves when he stepped up to play Edmund opposite Simon Russell Beale's Lear when the actor he was understudying lost his voice. Last year Paapa played the RSC's first black Hamlet, drawing on his background growing up in London and the cultural references of his Ghanaian family. King Lear is at the Barbican, London. Jim Richards has been a gold prospector, miner and geologist and is currently a mining executive in Australia, working on graphene and sustainable energy. A former geology student and officer in the British Army, he gave up a promising career to pursue his dream of mining for gold in Brazil. In his book, Gold Rush, he recounts tales of piranha-infested rivers in South America, blazing deserts in Australia, the war-torn jungles of Laos, and how his passion cost him numerous relationships and money. Gold Rush - How I found, Lost and Made a Fortune is published by September Publishing. Odaline de la Martinez is a Cuban-American composer and conductor and was the first woman to conduct at the BBC Proms in 1984. She established the London Festival of American Music ten years ago to promote the work of established American composers who were less well known to UK audiences. She also founded her ensemble Lontano which champions new music and celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. The London Festival of American Music is at The Warehouse, London. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Helen Czerski; Odaline de la Martinez; Paapa Essiedu; Jim Richards.

Fr David Delargy

Hannah Peel

Novelist Ken Follett; scientist Dr Joseph Cook; musician Hannah Peel and Roman Catholic Priest and singer Fr David Delargy join Libby Purves.Fr David Delargy is a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the classical singing trio, the Priests. The group recently released a new album, Alleluia, and manage to balance the responsibilities of parish life in Northern Ireland with a global music career. Friends from an early age, the three later studied in Rome as seminarians and have sung together for 40 years. They grew up during the Troubles and speak of music as a unifying force that brings together people of all faiths. Alleluia by the Priests is released on Sony Red Essential. Dr Joseph Cook is research associate at the University of Sheffield who studies glacial microbiology. He is one of the winners of the Young Laureate award - a category of Rolex's Global Awards for Enterprise 2016. Through his Ice Alive mission, Joseph is exploring polar ice microbes in the vast 'frozen rainforest' of the Greenland ice sheet and communicating how these microbes influence, nutrient and carbon cycles and other aspects of the world and its systems. Ken Follett is an author of thrillers and historical novels whose titles include Eye of the Needle, Edge of Eternity and Fall of Giants. In Granta Magazine he remembers his upbringing and his parents who were members of the Plymouth Brethren church. As a small boy he was barred from watching television and listening to music which led him to reject all forms of faith in later life. After writing his book The Pillars of the Earth, about the building of a fictional medieval cathedral, he returned to his own version of spirituality. Bad Faith by Ken Follet is published in Granta Magazine. Musician Hannah Peel's new album, Awake But Always Dreaming, was inspired by her grandmother who suffered from dementia. The album is about memory - the formation of memories and the devastating loss or slow, insidious damage caused by dementia. This Christmas, Hannah's music also accompanies Alzheimer's Research UK's charity appeal, animated by Aardman and narrated by Stephen Fry. She has also launched Memory Playlist, a project inviting participants to make playlists of their lives. Awake But Always Dreaming is released on My Own Please Label.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Novelist Ken Follett; scientist Dr Joseph Cook; musician Hannah Peel and Roman Catholic Priest and singer Fr David Delargy join Libby Purves. Fr David Delargy is a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the classical singing trio, the Priests. The group recently released a new album, Alleluia, and manage to balance the responsibilities of parish life in Northern Ireland with a global music career. Friends from an early age, the three later studied in Rome as seminarians and have sung together for 40 years. They grew up during the Troubles and speak of music as a unifying force that brings together people of all faiths. Alleluia by the Priests is released on Sony Red Essential. Dr Joseph Cook is research associate at the University of Sheffield who studies glacial microbiology. He is one of the winners of the Young Laureate award - a category of Rolex's Global Awards for Enterprise 2016. Through his Ice Alive mission, Joseph is exploring polar ice microbes in the vast 'frozen rainforest' of the Greenland ice sheet and communicating how these microbes influence, nutrient and carbon cycles and other aspects of the world and its systems. Ken Follett is an author of thrillers and historical novels whose titles include Eye of the Needle, Edge of Eternity and Fall of Giants. In Granta Magazine he remembers his upbringing and his parents who were members of the Plymouth Brethren church. As a small boy he was barred from watching television and listening to music which led him to reject all forms of faith in later life. After writing his book The Pillars of the Earth, about the building of a fictional medieval cathedral, he returned to his own version of spirituality. Bad Faith by Ken Follet is published in Granta Magazine. Musician Hannah Peel's new album, Awake But Always Dreaming, was inspired by her grandmother who suffered from dementia. The album is about memory - the formation of memories and the devastating loss or slow, insidious damage caused by dementia. This Christmas, Hannah's music also accompanies Alzheimer's Research UK's charity appeal, animated by Aardman and narrated by Stephen Fry. She has also launched Memory Playlist, a project inviting participants to make playlists of their lives. Awake But Always Dreaming is released on My Own Please Label. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Ken Follett, Fr David Delargy, Hannah Peel, Joseph Cook

Hunter Davies

Daniel Evans

Henry Normal

Fiona Bird

Libby Purves meets writer Hunter Davies; artistic director Daniel Evans; poet Henry Normal and forager and cook Fiona Bird.Fiona Bird is a forager, writer and cook. A former finalist on Masterchef, her new book Let Your Kids Go Wild Outside is full of enthusiasm for the natural world and aims to encourage children to get off the sofa and explore the great outdoors. Fiona lives on the Isle of South Uist where she forages for seaweed which she features in a range of dishes from casseroles and soups to bread and biscuits. Let Your Kids Go Wild Outside is published by CICO Books.Hunter Davies OBE is an author, journalist and broadcaster. He is the author of over 50 books, including biographies, novels, children's fiction and several books about the Lake District.. He wrote the only official biography of the Beatles. In his memoir, The Co-Op's Got Bananas! he reflects on his childhood and coming of age in post-war Britain. The Co-Op's Got Bananas! is published by Simon and Schuster.Daniel Evans is the outgoing artistic director of Sheffield Theatres who is taking on the same role at Chichester Festival Theatre. As a director at Sheffield Theatres his productions include The Effect, The Full Monty and An Enemy of the People. As an actor, his work for the company includes Company, The Pride, Cloud Nine and The Tempest. His performance in Sunday in the Park with George won him his second Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical and a Tony Award nomination. His production of Show Boat is at the New London Theatre.Henry Normal - whose real name is Peter Carroll - is a comedian, producer and poet. As a writer and producer he has won awards for his work on The Royle Family, Gavin and Stacey and the Mrs Merton Show. He also wrote and produced the Oscar-nominated film Philomena. He is performing his poetry at the Stratford-Upon-Avon Literary Festival and his programme A Normal Family, about his son who has autism, returns to BBC Radio 4 later this year. The Stratford-Upon-Avon Literary Festival is at the Stratford Artshouse.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Libby Purves meets writer Hunter Davies; artistic director Daniel Evans; poet Henry Normal and forager and cook Fiona Bird. Fiona Bird is a forager, writer and cook. A former finalist on Masterchef, her new book Let Your Kids Go Wild Outside is full of enthusiasm for the natural world and aims to encourage children to get off the sofa and explore the great outdoors. Fiona lives on the Isle of South Uist where she forages for seaweed which she features in a range of dishes from casseroles and soups to bread and biscuits. Let Your Kids Go Wild Outside is published by CICO Books. Hunter Davies OBE is an author, journalist and broadcaster. He is the author of over 50 books, including biographies, novels, children's fiction and several books about the Lake District.. He wrote the only official biography of the Beatles. In his memoir, The Co-Op's Got Bananas! he reflects on his childhood and coming of age in post-war Britain. The Co-Op's Got Bananas! is published by Simon and Schuster. Daniel Evans is the outgoing artistic director of Sheffield Theatres who is taking on the same role at Chichester Festival Theatre. As a director at Sheffield Theatres his productions include The Effect, The Full Monty and An Enemy of the People. As an actor, his work for the company includes Company, The Pride, Cloud Nine and The Tempest. His performance in Sunday in the Park with George won him his second Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical and a Tony Award nomination. His production of Show Boat is at the New London Theatre. Henry Normal - whose real name is Peter Carroll - is a comedian, producer and poet. As a writer and producer he has won awards for his work on The Royle Family, Gavin and Stacey and the Mrs Merton Show. He also wrote and produced the Oscar-nominated film Philomena. He is performing his poetry at the Stratford-Upon-Avon Literary Festival and his programme A Normal Family, about his son who has autism, returns to BBC Radio 4 later this year. The Stratford-Upon-Avon Literary Festival is at the Stratford Artshouse. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Hunter Davies, Daniel Evans, Henry Normal, Fiona Bird

This week Libby Purves is joined by Sophie Thompson, Patrick Cockburn, Kevin Skelton and Fred Sirieix.Sophie Thompson is the award-winning stage, film and television actor who is currently reprising her role in the critically acclaimed Clybourne Park, an hilarious satire which explores the fault line between race and property. Written in two parts, over two generations in 1959 and 2009, the company play a different role in each act. Clybourne Park has just transferred to the West End and is playing at Wyndham's Theatre.Patrick Cockburn is Iraq correspondent for the Independent. Seven years ago he was halfway around the world in Afghanistan when he learned from his wife that their son Henry had been admitted to a hospital mental health ward having appeared to have suffered a mental breakdown. Ten days later, Henry was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. In their book, 'Henry's Demons', Patrick and Henry give their extraordinary account of Henry's rapid descent into mental illness and of Patrick's journey towards understanding the changes in his son. 'Henry's Demons: Living with Schizophrenia' is published by Simon &amp; Schuster.Kevin Skelton's wife Mena was one of the twenty-nine people killed in the IRA bombing of Omagh, the single worst atrocity in thirty years of violence in Northern Ireland. In the weeks and months that followed, Kevin found it difficult to cope. In his book 'Sent By An Angel', he tells how a year before his wife died, they had taken a young girl, Andreea, from a Romanian orphanage for a two-week holiday to their home. He was able to gain strength from continuing to support the orphanage and Andreea, organising charitable trips to Romania. 'Sent By An Angel' is published by Hay House.Fred Sirieix is General Manager at one of London's top restaurants and can currently been seen in BBC Two's Michel Roux's Service, training and mentoring eight young people for a career in front-of-house. The idea for the programme came from an initiative 'Galvin's Chance' that Fred and Chris Galvin came up with two years ago to help disadvantaged young people aged 18 to 24 years old, to give them the chance to train to become world-class hospitality staff in the restaurant business.

This week Libby Purves is joined by Sophie Thompson, Patrick Cockburn, Kevin Skelton and Fred Sirieix. Sophie Thompson is the award-winning stage, film and television actor who is currently reprising her role in the critically acclaimed Clybourne Park, an hilarious satire which explores the fault line between race and property. Written in two parts, over two generations in 1959 and 2009, the company play a different role in each act. Clybourne Park has just transferred to the West End and is playing at Wyndham's Theatre. Patrick Cockburn is Iraq correspondent for the Independent. Seven years ago he was halfway around the world in Afghanistan when he learned from his wife that their son Henry had been admitted to a hospital mental health ward having appeared to have suffered a mental breakdown. Ten days later, Henry was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. In their book, 'Henry's Demons', Patrick and Henry give their extraordinary account of Henry's rapid descent into mental illness and of Patrick's journey towards understanding the changes in his son. 'Henry's Demons: Living with Schizophrenia' is published by Simon &amp; Schuster. Kevin Skelton's wife Mena was one of the twenty-nine people killed in the IRA bombing of Omagh, the single worst atrocity in thirty years of violence in Northern Ireland. In the weeks and months that followed, Kevin found it difficult to cope. In his book 'Sent By An Angel', he tells how a year before his wife died, they had taken a young girl, Andreea, from a Romanian orphanage for a two-week holiday to their home. He was able to gain strength from continuing to support the orphanage and Andreea, organising charitable trips to Romania. 'Sent By An Angel' is published by Hay House. Fred Sirieix is General Manager at one of London's top restaurants and can currently been seen in BBC Two's Michel Roux's Service, training and mentoring eight young people for a career in front-of-house. The idea for the programme came from an initiative 'Galvin's Chance' that Fred and Chris Galvin came up with two years ago to help disadvantaged young people aged 18 to 24 years old, to give them the chance to train to become world-class hospitality staff in the restaurant business.

02/02/2011

Jason Lewis

Adela Jusic

June Tabor

Brian Cox

Libby Purves meets actor Brian Cox; adventurer Jason Lewis; artist Adela Jusic and singer June Tabor.Actor Brian Cox has performed in the West End, on Broadway, at the National Theatre and the Royal Court. He is currently playing Jack in Conor McPherson's The Weir at the Donmar Warehouse. Brian joined Dundee Rep as a young man and since then has carved out a successful theatre and Hollywood career - his films include Manhunter, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and Coriolanus. The Weir is at the Donmar Warehouse.Jason Lewis is an adventurer who became the first person to circumnavigate the earth using human power. His journey took over 13 years, starting in 1994 and finishing in 2007. Using only the power of his body he travelled 46,505 miles across five continents, two oceans and one sea. His book, The Expedition - Dark Waters, is the first in a trilogy about his experiences and is published by Billy Fish Books.Adela Jusic is a Bosnian artist whose work is part of Conflicted Memory, a show featuring eight female artists who have experienced life in conflict zones. Born in Sarajevo, Adela's work is inspired by her father who was a sniper in the Bosnian army and was himself killed by a sniper's bullet. Conflicted Memory is at the Alan Cristea Gallery in London.June Tabor is widely recognised as one of Britain's leading folk singers. Her style straddles folk and jazz and she often sings unaccompanied. At last year's Radio 2 Folk Awards she won Singer of the Year and, with the Oysterband, she also picked up best group and best album. Her latest band and album - both called Quercus - feature Iain Bellamy on saxophone and Huw Warren on piano. Quercus is released on ECM records and the band are performing at the Salisbury Festival.Producer: Paula Mcginley.

Libby Purves meets actor Brian Cox; adventurer Jason Lewis; artist Adela Jusic and singer June Tabor. Actor Brian Cox has performed in the West End, on Broadway, at the National Theatre and the Royal Court. He is currently playing Jack in Conor McPherson's The Weir at the Donmar Warehouse. Brian joined Dundee Rep as a young man and since then has carved out a successful theatre and Hollywood career - his films include Manhunter, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and Coriolanus. The Weir is at the Donmar Warehouse. Jason Lewis is an adventurer who became the first person to circumnavigate the earth using human power. His journey took over 13 years, starting in 1994 and finishing in 2007. Using only the power of his body he travelled 46,505 miles across five continents, two oceans and one sea. His book, The Expedition - Dark Waters, is the first in a trilogy about his experiences and is published by Billy Fish Books. Adela Jusic is a Bosnian artist whose work is part of Conflicted Memory, a show featuring eight female artists who have experienced life in conflict zones. Born in Sarajevo, Adela's work is inspired by her father who was a sniper in the Bosnian army and was himself killed by a sniper's bullet. Conflicted Memory is at the Alan Cristea Gallery in London. June Tabor is widely recognised as one of Britain's leading folk singers. Her style straddles folk and jazz and she often sings unaccompanied. At last year's Radio 2 Folk Awards she won Singer of the Year and, with the Oysterband, she also picked up best group and best album. Her latest band and album - both called Quercus - feature Iain Bellamy on saxophone and Huw Warren on piano. Quercus is released on ECM records and the band are performing at the Salisbury Festival. Producer: Paula Mcginley.

Brian Cox, Jason Lewis, Adela Jusic, June Tabor

Tom Mangold

Nick Yarris

Vanessa Toulmin

Television reporter and writer Tom Mangold; death row survivor Nick Yarris; rally car driver Catie Munnings and Professor Vanessa Toulmin of the National Fairground Archive join Libby Purves.Catie Munnings is an 18-year-old rally car driver. She won the FIA European Rally Championships Ladies' trophy 2016 after only her first season in the sport. At 13 she could execute a perfect handbrake turn and then followed her father Chris, a former rally driver who ran the London Rally School at Brands Hatch, into the sport. When she isn't training in the gym or on the track, Catie has been campaigning to encourage more girls to get into motorsport.Tom Mangold is a television reporter and author who worked as an investigative journalist on the BBC's current affairs series Panorama for 26 years - its longest serving reporter. In his memoir, Splashed!, he recounts his years in the 1950s and 60s on some of Fleet Street's most ruthless newspapers - a time when chequebook journalism ruled. During his career he covered stories from the Profumo Affair to conflicts around the world including Vietnam and Northern Ireland. Splashed! - A Life from Print to Panorama is published by Biteback.Nick Yarris spent 23 years in prison, 22 of them on death row, before DNA evidence finally cleared him in 2003. In 1982 Yarris, a 21-year-old car thief and drug addict from Philadelphia, was sentenced to death for the abduction, rape and murder of a young woman. He spent the next 22 years - much of it in solitary confinement - enduring the casual brutality routinely dished out by guards and inmates. During his time in prison he read up to three books a day and studied the details of his own legal case. Later, as the technology developed, he pressed for post-conviction DNA testing which eventually led to his acquittal. The Fear of 13 Countdown to Execution: My Fight for Survival on Death Row by Nick Yarris is published by Cornerstone.Professor Vanessa Toulmin is director of City and Cultural Engagement at the University of Sheffield. She is also research director of the National Fairground Archive and her collection of circus and fairground material features in a new exhibition at the university. Born into a fairground family herself, her archive also includes material relating to early cinema, world's fairs, magic, wild west shows, menageries, variety, seaside entertainment, and amusement parks. The Spectacle and Wonder exhibition is at the University of Sheffield Library.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Television reporter and writer Tom Mangold; death row survivor Nick Yarris; rally car driver Catie Munnings and Professor Vanessa Toulmin of the National Fairground Archive join Libby Purves. Catie Munnings is an 18-year-old rally car driver. She won the FIA European Rally Championships Ladies' trophy 2016 after only her first season in the sport. At 13 she could execute a perfect handbrake turn and then followed her father Chris, a former rally driver who ran the London Rally School at Brands Hatch, into the sport. When she isn't training in the gym or on the track, Catie has been campaigning to encourage more girls to get into motorsport. Tom Mangold is a television reporter and author who worked as an investigative journalist on the BBC's current affairs series Panorama for 26 years - its longest serving reporter. In his memoir, Splashed!, he recounts his years in the 1950s and 60s on some of Fleet Street's most ruthless newspapers - a time when chequebook journalism ruled. During his career he covered stories from the Profumo Affair to conflicts around the world including Vietnam and Northern Ireland. Splashed! - A Life from Print to Panorama is published by Biteback. Nick Yarris spent 23 years in prison, 22 of them on death row, before DNA evidence finally cleared him in 2003. In 1982 Yarris, a 21-year-old car thief and drug addict from Philadelphia, was sentenced to death for the abduction, rape and murder of a young woman. He spent the next 22 years - much of it in solitary confinement - enduring the casual brutality routinely dished out by guards and inmates. During his time in prison he read up to three books a day and studied the details of his own legal case. Later, as the technology developed, he pressed for post-conviction DNA testing which eventually led to his acquittal. The Fear of 13 Countdown to Execution: My Fight for Survival on Death Row by Nick Yarris is published by Cornerstone. Professor Vanessa Toulmin is director of City and Cultural Engagement at the University of Sheffield. She is also research director of the National Fairground Archive and her collection of circus and fairground material features in a new exhibition at the university. Born into a fairground family herself, her archive also includes material relating to early cinema, world's fairs, magic, wild west shows, menageries, variety, seaside entertainment, and amusement parks. The Spectacle and Wonder exhibition is at the University of Sheffield Library. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Tom Mangold, Nick Yarris, Catie Munnings, Vanessa Toulmin.

Rachael Stirling

Diana Darke

Kevin Warwick

Sir Roger Bannister

Libby Purves meets former athlete Sir Roger Bannister; professor of cybernetics Kevin Warwick; actor Rachael Stirling and writer Diana Darke.Kevin Warwick is a professor of cybernetics and deputy vice-chancellor for research at the University of Coventry. Since 1998 he has been implanting computer chips into his body, some directly communicating with his nervous system. He was dubbed the world's first cyborg when he had a silicon chip implanted in his arm and is currently attempting to get ethical approval to have a chip implanted into his brain.Sir Roger Bannister CBE is a former Olympic athlete who is best-known for being the first person to run the mile in under four minutes in 1954. In his new autobiography, Twin Tracks, Sir Roger tells the full story of the dedication and talent that led to his unprecedented achievement and of his professional life as a distinguished doctor and neurologist. Twin Tracks is published by Biteback.Diana Darke is a writer and translator who has specialised in the Middle East for over 30 years. In 2005 she bought and restored a house in the heart of Damascus. In September 2012, as fighting intensified and millions were forced to flee their homes, she offered her house as a sanctuary to Syrian friends. Up to 40 people continue to find refuge there today. My House in Damascus: An Inside View of the Syrian Revolution is published by Haus Publishing.Actor Rachael Stirling is currently starring in Mike Bartlett's new play, An Intervention, about two friends who make very different decisions in life. Her acting credits range from The Bletchley Circle and Tipping the Velvet on television to theatre productions The Recruiting Officer and An Ideal Husband. Intervention is at the Watford Palace Theatre.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Libby Purves meets former athlete Sir Roger Bannister; professor of cybernetics Kevin Warwick; actor Rachael Stirling and writer Diana Darke. Kevin Warwick is a professor of cybernetics and deputy vice-chancellor for research at the University of Coventry. Since 1998 he has been implanting computer chips into his body, some directly communicating with his nervous system. He was dubbed the world's first cyborg when he had a silicon chip implanted in his arm and is currently attempting to get ethical approval to have a chip implanted into his brain. Sir Roger Bannister CBE is a former Olympic athlete who is best-known for being the first person to run the mile in under four minutes in 1954. In his new autobiography, Twin Tracks, Sir Roger tells the full story of the dedication and talent that led to his unprecedented achievement and of his professional life as a distinguished doctor and neurologist. Twin Tracks is published by Biteback. Diana Darke is a writer and translator who has specialised in the Middle East for over 30 years. In 2005 she bought and restored a house in the heart of Damascus. In September 2012, as fighting intensified and millions were forced to flee their homes, she offered her house as a sanctuary to Syrian friends. Up to 40 people continue to find refuge there today. My House in Damascus: An Inside View of the Syrian Revolution is published by Haus Publishing. Actor Rachael Stirling is currently starring in Mike Bartlett's new play, An Intervention, about two friends who make very different decisions in life. Her acting credits range from The Bletchley Circle and Tipping the Velvet on television to theatre productions The Recruiting Officer and An Ideal Husband. Intervention is at the Watford Palace Theatre. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Sir Roger Bannister, Prof Kevin Warwick, Rachael Stirling, Diana Darke

Bradley Walsh

Debbie Young-Somers

Salley Vickers

Ed Victor

Actor Bradley Walsh; novelist Salley Vickers; literary agent Ed Victor and Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers join Libby Purves.Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers is community educator at the Movement for Reform Judaism. Formerly a rabbi at the West London Synagogue of British Jews, she is performing stand-up comedy for the first time at the JW3 Jewish Comedy Festival. She is a regular contributor for Radio 2's Pause for Thought, and has appeared on 4ThoughtTV. The JW3 Jewish Comedy Festival, West Hampstead, London NW6. Salley Vickers is the author of seven novels including Miss Garnet's Angel and The Cleaner of Chartres. She was born in Liverpool where her parents were active members of the Communist Party. She has worked as a university teacher of literature and as a psychoanalyst which triggered her interest in the effects of trans-generational trauma. Her new novel, Cousins, is about the secrets that emerge after a so-called 'night climber' at Cambridge University falls to his death. The story is told through the eyes of three women who were close to him. Cousins is published by Viking.Bradley Walsh is an actor, presenter and comedian. A familiar face on television, he presents the Chase, Keep it in the Family and Live at the London Palladium. His work as an actor includes Coronation Street and Law and Order UK in which he played the lead role of detective sergeant Ronnie Brookes. He has now turned to music, recording a collection of his favourite crooning songs including one he co-wrote - Chasing Dreams. Chasing Dreams is released on Sony Music. Ed Victor is a literary agent who represents a client list including Nigella Lawson, Alastair Campbell, Keith Richards and Rupert Everett. His agency celebrates its 40th birthday this year and he is generally acknowledged to be a game changer in the world of book publishing - elevating agents to key players in the publication process. During his career he nurtured the talents of Douglas Adams and Iris Murdoch who would go years without contacting him and then would call him up every couple of years to say "Ed, I've written a novel." Producer: Paula McGinley.

Actor Bradley Walsh; novelist Salley Vickers; literary agent Ed Victor and Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers join Libby Purves. Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers is community educator at the Movement for Reform Judaism. Formerly a rabbi at the West London Synagogue of British Jews, she is performing stand-up comedy for the first time at the JW3 Jewish Comedy Festival. She is a regular contributor for Radio 2's Pause for Thought, and has appeared on 4ThoughtTV. The JW3 Jewish Comedy Festival, West Hampstead, London NW6. Salley Vickers is the author of seven novels including Miss Garnet's Angel and The Cleaner of Chartres. She was born in Liverpool where her parents were active members of the Communist Party. She has worked as a university teacher of literature and as a psychoanalyst which triggered her interest in the effects of trans-generational trauma. Her new novel, Cousins, is about the secrets that emerge after a so-called 'night climber' at Cambridge University falls to his death. The story is told through the eyes of three women who were close to him. Cousins is published by Viking. Bradley Walsh is an actor, presenter and comedian. A familiar face on television, he presents the Chase, Keep it in the Family and Live at the London Palladium. His work as an actor includes Coronation Street and Law and Order UK in which he played the lead role of detective sergeant Ronnie Brookes. He has now turned to music, recording a collection of his favourite crooning songs including one he co-wrote - Chasing Dreams. Chasing Dreams is released on Sony Music. Ed Victor is a literary agent who represents a client list including Nigella Lawson, Alastair Campbell, Keith Richards and Rupert Everett. His agency celebrates its 40th birthday this year and he is generally acknowledged to be a game changer in the world of book publishing - elevating agents to key players in the publication process. During his career he nurtured the talents of Douglas Adams and Iris Murdoch who would go years without contacting him and then would call him up every couple of years to say "Ed, I've written a novel." Producer: Paula McGinley.

Bradley Walsh, Salley Vickers, Ed Victor, Debbie Young-Somers.

Peggy Seeger

Stanley McMurtry

Milton Mermikides

James Buchanan

Libby Purves meets folk singer Peggy Seeger; cartoonist Stanley McMurtry; composer Milton Mermikides and director Alex Mermikides and auctioneer James Buchanan.Stanley McMurtry MBE, otherwise known as MAC, has been the Daily Mail's cartoonist for the past 46 years. He started out as an animator before becoming a cartoonist, producing daily images for the Daily Sketch and latterly the Mail. Mac views his role as making "dreary news of the daily paper brighter by putting in a laugh". In all of his cartoons, except when making a political statement or when it depicts a tragedy, Mac includes a small portrait of his wife within the picture. MAC's Year 2015 - Cartoons from the Daily Mail is published by Spellbinding Media.Milton Mermikides was diagnosed with leukaemia 11 years ago and his sister Alex became his bone marrow donor. Together they have created Bloodlines, a combination of a dance performance and a medical lecture, which conveys what happens in the body - and in the mind - of someone undergoing last-chance treatment. Bloodlines is part of the 2015 Manchester Science Festival and is at the John Thaw Theatre at the University of Manchester.Peggy Seeger is an American folk singer who, along with her late husband Ewan MacColl, led the folk revival movement of the 1950s and '60s. She is on tour with the album Joy of Living which features new interpretations of MacColl's songs by artists including Martin Carthy, Christy Moore, Steve Earle, Eliza Carthy and Jarvis Cocker. Joy of Living - A Tribute to Ewan MacColl is on Cooking Vinyl. The Ewan MacColl Tribute Tour starts with a concert at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.James Buchanan founded Amati, an auction house for string instruments. He started out as a porter at Bonhams auction house and after completing his apprenticeship worked at Christie's and Bromptons before setting up his own house in 2012. He quickly realised he had an eye for distinguishing between the real and the fake and has handled instruments worth millions of pounds from the great Italian makers Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù. The Amati Exhibition is at the Langham Hotel, London.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Libby Purves meets folk singer Peggy Seeger; cartoonist Stanley McMurtry; composer Milton Mermikides and director Alex Mermikides and auctioneer James Buchanan. Stanley McMurtry MBE, otherwise known as MAC, has been the Daily Mail's cartoonist for the past 46 years. He started out as an animator before becoming a cartoonist, producing daily images for the Daily Sketch and latterly the Mail. Mac views his role as making "dreary news of the daily paper brighter by putting in a laugh". In all of his cartoons, except when making a political statement or when it depicts a tragedy, Mac includes a small portrait of his wife within the picture. MAC's Year 2015 - Cartoons from the Daily Mail is published by Spellbinding Media. Milton Mermikides was diagnosed with leukaemia 11 years ago and his sister Alex became his bone marrow donor. Together they have created Bloodlines, a combination of a dance performance and a medical lecture, which conveys what happens in the body - and in the mind - of someone undergoing last-chance treatment. Bloodlines is part of the 2015 Manchester Science Festival and is at the John Thaw Theatre at the University of Manchester. Peggy Seeger is an American folk singer who, along with her late husband Ewan MacColl, led the folk revival movement of the 1950s and '60s. She is on tour with the album Joy of Living which features new interpretations of MacColl's songs by artists including Martin Carthy, Christy Moore, Steve Earle, Eliza Carthy and Jarvis Cocker. Joy of Living - A Tribute to Ewan MacColl is on Cooking Vinyl. The Ewan MacColl Tribute Tour starts with a concert at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. James Buchanan founded Amati, an auction house for string instruments. He started out as a porter at Bonhams auction house and after completing his apprenticeship worked at Christie's and Bromptons before setting up his own house in 2012. He quickly realised he had an eye for distinguishing between the real and the fake and has handled instruments worth millions of pounds from the great Italian makers Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù. The Amati Exhibition is at the Langham Hotel, London. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Peggy Seeger, Stanley McMurtry, Alex and Milton Mermikides, James Buchanan

Aaron Rosen

Zack McGuiness

Bonnie Langford

Nick Wisdom

Tom Vaughan

Libby Purves meets actor Bonnie Langford; Nick Wisdom, son of Norman; Tom Vaughan, co-founder of Juliana's Discotheque; Dr Aaron Rosen who devised the Jewish Museum London's exhibition called Love and student Zack McGuiness.Zack McGuinness is a student at Kings College, London where Aaron Rosen lectures in sacred traditions and the arts. Aaron devised the Jewish Museum London's new exhibition called Love which features everyday objects, historic artefacts and works of art inspired by love. For the exhibition Zack donated a tin containing the caul which was wrapped around his neck when he was born while Aaron gave a print in memory of his late sister. Your Jewish Museum: Love is at The Jewish Museum London.Bonnie Langford is a television, film and theatre actor. She stars alongside Robert Lindsay in the West End Musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. As a six-year-old she won TV talent show Opportunity Knocks and made her theatre debut at seven in an adaptation of Gone with the Wind. By the age of 12 she was playing Violet Elizabeth Bott in the TV series Just William. She has appeared in a number of productions including Spamalot, Chicago and Sweet Charity. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is at the Savoy Theatre, London.Nick Wisdom is the son of legendary actor, singer and comedian, Sir Norman Wisdom OBE. Nick has created an exhibition about his father, A Lifetime in Showbusiness, featuring handwritten scripts, musical instruments and the Gump suit that became synonymous with his father's comedic onscreen persona, Norman Pitkin. A Lifetime in Showbusiness: A Tribute to Sir Norman Wisdom is at De Montfort Hall, Leicester and is part of Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival.Tom Vaughan is a British businessman and entrepreneur. His first novel, The Other Side of Loss, has just been published. Tom co-founded Juliana's Discotheque with his brother Oliver in 1966. Juliana's started out as a mobile disco and provided the entertainment for debutante balls, country house parties and the Prince of Wales's investiture ball. The Other Side of Loss is published by Pencoyd Press.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Libby Purves meets actor Bonnie Langford; Nick Wisdom, son of Norman; Tom Vaughan, co-founder of Juliana's Discotheque; Dr Aaron Rosen who devised the Jewish Museum London's exhibition called Love and student Zack McGuiness. Zack McGuinness is a student at Kings College, London where Aaron Rosen lectures in sacred traditions and the arts. Aaron devised the Jewish Museum London's new exhibition called Love which features everyday objects, historic artefacts and works of art inspired by love. For the exhibition Zack donated a tin containing the caul which was wrapped around his neck when he was born while Aaron gave a print in memory of his late sister. Your Jewish Museum: Love is at The Jewish Museum London. Bonnie Langford is a television, film and theatre actor. She stars alongside Robert Lindsay in the West End Musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. As a six-year-old she won TV talent show Opportunity Knocks and made her theatre debut at seven in an adaptation of Gone with the Wind. By the age of 12 she was playing Violet Elizabeth Bott in the TV series Just William. She has appeared in a number of productions including Spamalot, Chicago and Sweet Charity. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is at the Savoy Theatre, London. Nick Wisdom is the son of legendary actor, singer and comedian, Sir Norman Wisdom OBE. Nick has created an exhibition about his father, A Lifetime in Showbusiness, featuring handwritten scripts, musical instruments and the Gump suit that became synonymous with his father's comedic onscreen persona, Norman Pitkin. A Lifetime in Showbusiness: A Tribute to Sir Norman Wisdom is at De Montfort Hall, Leicester and is part of Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival. Tom Vaughan is a British businessman and entrepreneur. His first novel, The Other Side of Loss, has just been published. Tom co-founded Juliana's Discotheque with his brother Oliver in 1966. Juliana's started out as a mobile disco and provided the entertainment for debutante balls, country house parties and the Prince of Wales's investiture ball. The Other Side of Loss is published by Pencoyd Press. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Aaron Rosen; Zack McGuiness; Bonnie Langford; Nick Wisdom; Tom Vaughan.

Janice Connolly

Thomas Pakenham

Hugh Warwick

Libby Purves meets historian Thomas Pakenham; actor Janice Connolly; Asfa-Wossen Asserate, the great-nephew of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and ecologist Hugh Warwick.Janice Connolly is an actor and comic who stars in the BBC Radio 2 sit com Barbara Nice, part of the network's Comedy Showcase season. The show is based around her character Barbara, a housewife from Stockport, mother of five and occasional stage-diver. Janice played in a range of punk bands before moving into comedy. She was discovered by Peter Kay and starred as Holy Mary in both series of Phoenix Nights. Barbara Nice is broadcast on BBC Radio 2.Thomas Pakenham, the 8th Earl of Longford, is a writer, historian, photographer and champion of trees. In his latest book, The Company of Trees, he recounts his personal quest to establish an arboretum on the family estate, Tullynally, in Ireland. He writes about his often hazardous plant-hunting expeditions and his efforts to preserve old trees and historic woodland. He is chairman of the Irish Tree Society. The Company of Trees - A Year in a Lifetime's Quest is published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson.Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate is a member of the Imperial House of Ethiopia. A political analyst, his book King of Kings tells the story of his great-uncle, Emperor Haile Selassie I. The book follows the emperor's story from his early life and coronation to exile and then return to his country where he fought alongside the Allies during World War Two. His downfall and death followed a military coup in Ethiopia in 1974. King of Kings - The Triumph and Tragedy of Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia is published by Haus Publishing.Hugh Warwick is an ecologist and writer who has studied hedgehogs for 25 years. He is the author of A Prickly Affair - My Life with Hedgehogs and is a spokesperson for the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. He is running The Day of the Hedgehog - a hedgehog summit in which experts will launch a ten year conservation strategy for the species. The Day of the Hedgehog is at The International Centre in Telford.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Libby Purves meets historian Thomas Pakenham; actor Janice Connolly; Asfa-Wossen Asserate, the great-nephew of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and ecologist Hugh Warwick. Janice Connolly is an actor and comic who stars in the BBC Radio 2 sit com Barbara Nice, part of the network's Comedy Showcase season. The show is based around her character Barbara, a housewife from Stockport, mother of five and occasional stage-diver. Janice played in a range of punk bands before moving into comedy. She was discovered by Peter Kay and starred as Holy Mary in both series of Phoenix Nights. Barbara Nice is broadcast on BBC Radio 2. Thomas Pakenham, the 8th Earl of Longford, is a writer, historian, photographer and champion of trees. In his latest book, The Company of Trees, he recounts his personal quest to establish an arboretum on the family estate, Tullynally, in Ireland. He writes about his often hazardous plant-hunting expeditions and his efforts to preserve old trees and historic woodland. He is chairman of the Irish Tree Society. The Company of Trees - A Year in a Lifetime's Quest is published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson. Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate is a member of the Imperial House of Ethiopia. A political analyst, his book King of Kings tells the story of his great-uncle, Emperor Haile Selassie I. The book follows the emperor's story from his early life and coronation to exile and then return to his country where he fought alongside the Allies during World War Two. His downfall and death followed a military coup in Ethiopia in 1974. King of Kings - The Triumph and Tragedy of Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia is published by Haus Publishing. Hugh Warwick is an ecologist and writer who has studied hedgehogs for 25 years. He is the author of A Prickly Affair - My Life with Hedgehogs and is a spokesperson for the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. He is running The Day of the Hedgehog - a hedgehog summit in which experts will launch a ten year conservation strategy for the species. The Day of the Hedgehog is at The International Centre in Telford. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Janice Connolly, Thomas Pakenham, Asfa-Wossen Asserate, Hugh Warwick.

Michel Roux Jr

Thomas Heatherwick

Sarah Beynon

Dorothy Saul-Pooley

Libby Purves meets designer Thomas Heatherwick; chef Michel Roux Jr; entomologist Dr Sarah Beynon and pilot Dorothy Saul-Pooley.Dr Sarah Beynon is an entomologist who has just opened Grub Kitchen, a restaurant with insect dishes on the menu. Based at her bug farm in Pembrokeshire, Grub Kitchen features such delights as cricket falafels and mealworm hummus. Sarah's fascination with the natural world started in childhood - at five she was given her first 'bug box'. In the course of her research she has studied insects around the world including Zambia, Indonesia, Bolivia and Honduras. Grub Kitchen is at Lower Harglodd Farm, Pembrokeshire in Wales.Chef Michel Roux Jr has spent many years working with organisations helping young people to find employment. In the series Kitchen Impossible he puts eight trainees with disabilities through an intensive four week introduction course to catering. The trainees are people who have been "written off" by employers because of their disabilities. Kitchen Impossible with Michel Roux Jr is broadcast on Channel 4.Thomas Heatherwick is a designer whose studio was behind projects such as the UK Pavilion for the Shanghai World Expo in 2010, the Olympic Cauldron for the 2012 London Olympic Games and the design of the New Bus for London. The studio is currently working on the capital's Garden Bridge which will span the Thames between the South Bank and Temple. The bridge, which has aroused much controversy, will serve as a free public space, featuring trees, shrubs, climbing plants, hedges and flowers.Dorothy Saul-Pooley is Master of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots - the first woman to head the organisation in its 85-year history. A lawyer turned pilot and flying instructor, she fell in love with flying at an early age but didn't take her first flying lesson until she reached her early thirties. In 2006 she qualified as a helicopter instructor and her logbook currently records over 9,500 flying hours at the controls of over 85 different types including fixed wing and rotary, piston, jet, glider and microlight aircraft.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Libby Purves meets designer Thomas Heatherwick; chef Michel Roux Jr; entomologist Dr Sarah Beynon and pilot Dorothy Saul-Pooley. Dr Sarah Beynon is an entomologist who has just opened Grub Kitchen, a restaurant with insect dishes on the menu. Based at her bug farm in Pembrokeshire, Grub Kitchen features such delights as cricket falafels and mealworm hummus. Sarah's fascination with the natural world started in childhood - at five she was given her first 'bug box'. In the course of her research she has studied insects around the world including Zambia, Indonesia, Bolivia and Honduras. Grub Kitchen is at Lower Harglodd Farm, Pembrokeshire in Wales. Chef Michel Roux Jr has spent many years working with organisations helping young people to find employment. In the series Kitchen Impossible he puts eight trainees with disabilities through an intensive four week introduction course to catering. The trainees are people who have been "written off" by employers because of their disabilities. Kitchen Impossible with Michel Roux Jr is broadcast on Channel 4. Thomas Heatherwick is a designer whose studio was behind projects such as the UK Pavilion for the Shanghai World Expo in 2010, the Olympic Cauldron for the 2012 London Olympic Games and the design of the New Bus for London. The studio is currently working on the capital's Garden Bridge which will span the Thames between the South Bank and Temple. The bridge, which has aroused much controversy, will serve as a free public space, featuring trees, shrubs, climbing plants, hedges and flowers. Dorothy Saul-Pooley is Master of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots - the first woman to head the organisation in its 85-year history. A lawyer turned pilot and flying instructor, she fell in love with flying at an early age but didn't take her first flying lesson until she reached her early thirties. In 2006 she qualified as a helicopter instructor and her logbook currently records over 9,500 flying hours at the controls of over 85 different types including fixed wing and rotary, piston, jet, glider and microlight aircraft. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Michel Roux Jr, Thomas Heatherwick, Dr Sarah Beynon, Dorothy Saul-Pooley.

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