On today's programme, Adrian Chiles is with Steve Backshall. The adventurer and naturalist has captivated all of us with his work, but especially children - millions of them - who he’s led wide-eyed into the natural world. Frank Cottrell-Boyce is blessed with a similar gift for capturing the imagination of children, as well as grownups. The esteemed screenwriter is presently the Children’s Laureate. Frank will be appearing on the programme ahead of his appearance at the Children's Laureate Lectu...
May 09, 2026•57 min
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall found his calling in the countryside of Gloucestershire and Devon to become a cook on the wild side championing seasonal and sustainable ingredients. Lucy Shepherd is our explorer who has navigated her way from the safety of the Suffolk countryside to the amazon and arctic, including the Cardiff studio. And Jonathan Shalit, who began writing music reviews at school and ended up managing the talents of some of the biggest names in music and show business. Plus the Inhe...
May 02, 2026•57 min
On today's programme, Adrian is joined with a poet, an actor and a woman who has been through a military coup in the 1960s. Joseph Coelho the poet was raised in a tower block in Roehampton. He wrote his way into the role of children’s laureate and fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Lesley Nicol, the actress, grew up in Irlam, Greater Manchester and ended up in Downtown Abbey. Some journey that for Mrs Patmore, the cook who, disappointingly, can’t cook in real life. And Tari Lang who grew...
Apr 25, 2026•57 min
John Robins is a critically-acclaimed comic with awards a-plenty, and now a blistering memoir "Thirst; worked around Twelve Drinks That Changed My Life. Arit Anderson of Gardeners’ World is on her way to the centre of the gardening world, the Chelsea Flower Show, where she’s creating a special space for those with Parkinson's. Starting with a distressed raccoon she found in a bloke’s garage, Lindsey McKenna’s spent the last 15 years saving two hundred exotic animals. We'll be thanking six burly ...
Apr 18, 2026•57 min
“Prankster” hardly does Dom Joly justice. He’s been a diplomat, a linguist, a traveller, a broadcaster, a writer and lots more besides. Walter Iuzzolino is the "Walter" behind Channel 4’s Walter Presents series. A man who probably watches more TV from more countries than anyone else on the planet. Dr Jaqueline Stroud, Professor of Soil Science at Warwick University, likes nothing better than eavesdropping on worms. And we hear the Inheritance Tracks of the actor and star of The Pitt; Noah Wyle. ...
Apr 11, 2026•57 min
Today an adventurer, a chef and a composer. From special forces to chief scout Bear Grylls likes a challenge, his latest being nothing less than a successful re-write of the story of Jesus. Our chef is Chris Roberts, aka Flamebaster, whose key ingredients are food, fire and frightening levels of enthusiasm. And our composer is Liz Lane, the sometime child prodigy, who found her gift for composition suited the sound of brass bands down to the ground. All that, plus the rescue dog from Kampala who...
Apr 04, 2026•56 min
Radio 4's Saturday morning show brings you extraordinary stories and remarkable people.
Mar 28, 2026•56 min
Adrian spends the hour in the company of renowned TV producer John Lloyd, the modest genius mind behind such national institutions as Spitting Image, QI and Blackadder. Also on the porgramme, Kala Subbuswamy who saw no reason why a middle-aged woman couldn't start a punk band, so did just that. And Jazz Turner didn't let her disability stop her sailing solo around the British Isles, and now she plans to take on the world. And the Inheritance Tracks of former presenter of BBC Breakfast and Saturd...
Mar 21, 2026•57 min
On Saturday Live this week, a virtuoso violinist, a singer with a powerful story of motherhood, love and grief, and the woman who made her fortune working out how we shop. Adrian spends the hour in great company with Nigel Kennedy, Jess Mills and the hugely influential Edwina Dunn OBE. Also today, we'll be hearing from a somewhat out of breath Greg James, pedalling his way from Weymouth to Edinburgh for Comic Relief. And we are treated to a special performance by Nigel and his band - Alec Dankwo...
Mar 14, 2026•55 min
We’re in the company of an eminent foreign correspondent, a no less eminent expert in the field of flowers, and the woman who’s built the most beautiful spaces for cancer care. Our journalist is our man in Moscow - our last man in Moscow, really - Steve Rosenberg. Bringing colour, fragrance and joy to our studio is the queen of cut flowers, Sarah Raven. And we’ll all be scattering rose petals at the feet of Dame Laura Lee for all her work leading the cancer support charity Maggies. All that, plu...
Mar 07, 2026•56 min
On Saturday Live this week we’ll be looking up, down and all over the place. Dame Maggie Aderin, space scientist, will have us looking to the skies in wonder before David Mearns, shipwreck hunter, takes us down into the ocean deep as we marvel at his life’s work - and a man never short of a sense of wonder is writer, actor, comedian, sailor and lover of alpacas...Griff Rhys Jones. Also today, we’ll rise from the depths to the surface for some sea shantying from The Longest Johns - and we’ll be g...
Feb 28, 2026•55 min
Today we’re in the company of a billionaire, a hostage negotiator and the most sought after screenwriter in the business. The screenwriter in question is Jack Thorne who’s now turned his considerable talent to a brilliant TV adaptation of Lord of the Flies. Nicky Perfect says hostage negotiation is all about empathy, and less about talking than listening. And we’ll be all ears as she tells us what we can all learn from the techniques police negotiators use. And we’ll certainly be paying close at...
Feb 21, 2026•57 min
Today we have a comedian, a nun and an undertaker’s beautician. Mark Steel says that when there’s a crisis afoot, while everyone else is panicking the comedians in the room are busy finding the funny side. This Mark’s done, with a book about what he calls his adventures in cancerland. The remarkable Sister Libby Osgood, worked for NASA before she became a nun. Quite the career path that. And Jayne Lownds - who brought her expertise as a high-street beautician into the family funeral business. Al...
Feb 14, 2026•56 min
Alexander Armstrong on life as a writer, Professor Patricia Wiltshire explains the role of a forensic botanist, Mackenzie Crook unveils the secrets behind his latest show.
Feb 07, 2026•57 min
We have a writer, a shepherdess, and a man in favour of doing more of nothing. Our writer wrote one of the biggest books of the last 25 years. The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night-time has brought joy to millions of children, and adults. And now Mark Haddon’s written a memoir just as memorable. Our Shepherdess is almost certainly the only Shepherdess you can name. The Yorkshire Shepherdess herself, Amanda Owen, whose new tv series suggests her love of her farming life burns as brightly as ...
Jan 31, 2026•57 min
Today's programme features a couple of very nice movers. There’s Anton de Beke, fresh from the first night of the Strictly Tour to recount a life of dance and showbiz. Lizzy Yarnold is used to moving at a rather more ferocious speed as our most successful winter Olympian. Picking up on the sweet smell of success, Michael O’Shaugnassey is an expert in scents and uses them to access prisoners memories. Also today, a man considered so dull that he’s won an award for it, and the Inheritance Tracks o...
Jan 24, 2026•56 min
This week's programme is fashioned out of clay and stone, against a background of beautiful birdsong. Our potter is the king of clay himself, Keith Brymer Jones, the big, friendly, funny, tearful face of The Great Pottery Throw Down. Our stonemason, Jennie Regan, was taught her craft with the help of the King, and has returned the favour by carving some stone for him. The birdsong will be supplied by Sean Ronayne who has managed to record the sound of all but two of Ireland’s 200 native bird spe...
Jan 17, 2026•56 min
Jake Humphrey is a High Performance broadcaster - he's spoken openly about his mental health and what drives him, and in his podcast and new book he uncovers what makes the likes of Sir Chris Hoy and Sarina Wiegman tick. Madelaine Thomas has excelled in not one but two fields. Firstly as a dominatrix and then as a tech entrepreneur helping others protect their privacy. Dr Uy Hoang, also has two strings to his bow. As an eminent epidemiologist he maps the path of diseases. As an enthusiast for wa...
Jan 10, 2026•56 min
Josh Widdicombe is about to take his stand up show on the road around the country and his latest new podcast series; Dr Helen Sharman talks about the time she became Britain’s first astronaut, and Finlay Wilson a Yoga teacher and author discusses all things yoga in all sorts of glorious Scottish settings. Plus Emily Watson the actor with an astonishing list of theatre, film and television credits to her name, and an array of awards and nominations to match chooses her Inheritance Tracks. Produce...
Jan 03, 2026•57 min
On this Christmas special edition of Saturday Live, we take a deep-dive into the world of board games. Marcia Lewis’s has board games in her blood - her father was the creator of Cluedo. Neil Scanllan holds not one, not two, but four world records for his remarkable collection of Monopoly sets. Dr Harshan Lamabadusuriya, doctor by day, scrabble assassin by night, has had the best season of his life becoming the UK champion for the second time. Also today, BBC Inside Science presenter Tom Whipple...
Dec 20, 2025•57 min
The actor and art lover Russell Tovey - who’s not only on a mission to spread his love of art far and wide… but is humanity's best hope in the War between Land and Sea. There’s no hint of CGI in the warzones Sally Becker’s been to - the recipient of a Lifetime achievement award at this year’s Pride of Britain, she’s made it her life’s work to help children in some of the most unimaginable situations. And Vanessa Ruck - who spent seven years recovering from a life-changing car accident… only to t...
Dec 13, 2025•57 min
Chris McCausland, funny, clever, excellent dancer, widely loved. The list goes on. His new autobiography "Keeping Laughing" charts his life and career across a twenty-five-year journey where he lost his sight but found moments of happiness and laughter along the way. Douglas Roberston, survived being cast adrift in the pacific ocean for 38 days after a killer whale. Just a teenager at the time, he reveals the extremes he had to go to extremes to survive. Another tackler of apparently insurmounta...
Dec 06, 2025•56 min
We’re in the company of Ben Miller, comedian, actor, writer and some time student of physics...here to tell us how Father Christmas can in fact deliver a gift to every child in just one night with his new book "The Night I Met Father Christmas". Someone who has had an early Christmas present already is Lucy Steeds, who this week was crowned the winner of the Waterstones Book of the Year. She reveals the process of how her debut book, "The Artist", has become so successful - and how he channels h...
Nov 29, 2025•57 min
Michael Sheen is an actor, director and Welshman who describes his vision and impact of the Welsh National Theatre, exploring how the stage can reflect and shape national identity, and what can be learned from football scouts to find the next generation of talent. Convicted fraudster Alex Wood reveals how he went from a would be child prodigy violinist to defrauding millions of pounds out of people. Now, he is a fraud hunter looking for personal redemption whilst helping the police and presentin...
Nov 22, 2025•57 min
On a wet and windy Saturday Live, Hollie Cook joins us to discuss a career that has seen her music streamed millions of times online, as well what it's like to be raised by a Sex Pistol - her dad, Paul Cook is with us too, still drumming up a storm half a century after it all started. The almost indecently talented Jasmine Mitchell - completing a degree in medicine while finding time to win Bake Off by a country mile. Extreme cleaner Ben Giles started out cleaning windows, and moved into cleanin...
Nov 15, 2025•57 min
The acclaimed illustrator and children’s author Oliver Jeffers discuses the power of fatherhood in both his life and work, from his father's visionary education beliefs during The Troubles, to how his own role as a father feeds into his work - his new book is "I'm Very Busy". Eleanor Thatcher, is a fifth generation cider maker, and the first woman in the family to join the senior leadership of Thatchers, she reveals the wise words that have been passed down the family tree. Lesley Pearse is a pr...
Nov 08, 2025•56 min
Ken Follett has sold 200 million books around the world, in more than 80 countries and into 30 different languages. He made his breakthrough with spy thrillers before working his way back through time, and now we find him telling the story of the building of Stonehenge in his latest book, "Circle of Days". The Macabees musician Felix White wanted to be a footballer, didn’t we all, until it became clear to him aged seven that he wasn’t good enough... so he turned to Football Manager by post. Foot...
Nov 01, 2025•56 min
Sir David Suchet has reignited his little grey cells to traverse the world, following in the footsteps of the great Agatha Christie in a new book and television series "Travels with Agatha Christie". Tony Foster is also a keen traveller, as an adventure artist he has ventured deep into the world’s wildernesses, painting 17,000ft up Mount Everest and in the very heart of the Grand Canyon. Stacey McNeil is someone else who finds inspiration from nature and expresses it through her art - after bein...
Oct 25, 2025•57 min
Peter James is one of the UK's bestselling authors who's Detective Grace series now hosts Queen Camila in a staring role, by Royal request, in his latest novel "The Hawk is Dead". But this isn't his first familial involvement with the Royal family, as his mother was the official glovemaker to Queen Elizabeth II. Jim Ashworth-Beaumont was a former army veteran and skilled prosthetics expert - until one day a dramatic crash with a lorry, whilst out cycling, left him needing his own expertise. Eliz...
Oct 18, 2025•57 min
It’s often said that one pretty sure route to happiness is to find something you love doing, and then make a career out of doing it, and seems to be exactly what Susie Dent has managed to do with her lifelong fascination with words. In her new book "The Roots We Share" Susie spreads her love of language. Fekky grew up in Lewisham, and used music as his escape from a life of gangs and violence. But during lockdown he, like many of us, found his green fingers and has since upped sticks and moved t...
Oct 11, 2025•56 min
