Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles are joined by Comedian Ed Byrne. He went from youthful horticultural dreams to stand up star and has toured every other year since the late 90s – so what’s he done in lockdown? Some walking, some woodwork and a cookery show... he join us. We also have writer and poet Penny Pepper who is also a wheelchair-user who defied doctors' diagnoses and got inspired by the Sex Pistols and her English teacher to go into writing, leading to her book First in the World Somewhere. ...
Jan 23, 2021•1 hr 24 min
Labour peer Baroness Joan Bakewell has been a television presenter for over fifty years, most recently fronting Landscape Artist of the Year which returned to our screen this week. She joins Richard and Nikki to explain why she has taken up watercolours in lockdown. Marc Hamer was homeless and worked on the railways before enrolling in art college. After discovering a creative outlet in gardening, Marc spent years creating and maintaining the garden of the mysterious, aristocratic Mrs Cashmere w...
Jan 16, 2021•1 hr 24 min
Richard Coles and Nikki Bedi are joined by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage. Writing for three decades, his first published poem was in 1987 whilst he was working in his day job as a probation officer, a job he followed his father into. A geography graduate who is still based in his home county of Yorkshire, how did he end up a member of the Royal household? Vick Hope is a TV and radio presenter known for her work on the Capital Breakfast Show, I’m a Celebrity Daily Drop and as one of the new presen...
Jan 09, 2021•1 hr 23 min
Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles are joined by celebrity chef and food campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who talks about changes we can make to our diet to eat and live better. Thriller writer CJ Daugherty talks about her new book, Number 10, in which a fictional prime minister’s daughter battles subterranean intrigue in Whitehall. She also reveals her own chequered past before becoming a writer. Award-winning author Andrew O’Hagan shares his Inheritance Tracks. He’s chosen This Is My Life by ...
Jan 05, 2021•1 hr 24 min
Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles are joined by writer and comedian Adam Buxton, who talks about his partnership with schoolfriend Joe Cornish, family relationships and performs a song. Anne Glenconner’s memoir Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown became a bestseller. Now 88, Lady Glenconner has written her first novel Murder on Mustique, set on the island formerly owned by her husband. She discusses her life, dealing with tragedy and why she’s now at her happiest. As a B...
Dec 26, 2020•1 hr 24 min
Nikki Bedi and Rev Richard Coles are joined by Michel Roux Jr. whose father and uncle were the first in the UK to achieve three Michelin stars for their London restaurant Le Gavroche, where he partly trained in classical French cookery, also doing military service working in the kitchens of the Elysee Palace cooking for two French presidents. He now runs Le Gavroche, and has continued the cooking dynasty as his own daughter has also become a chef. Maria Leijerstam Edy holds the Guinness World Re...
Dec 19, 2020•1 hr 24 min
Dame Katherine Grainger won five medals for rowing in five consecutive Olympic Games from 2000 to 2016, including gold in London 2012. She also has a PhD in criminal law and is chair of UK Sport. She joins Richard Coles and Nikki Bedi to discuss her extraordinary life. Kelly Jones is the frontman of the rock band the Stereophonics. Known for his distinctive gravel-voice, he was born in South Wales and followed his dad into the music industry. He’s just released a solo album Don’t Let the Devil T...
Dec 12, 2020•1 hr 25 min
Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles are joined by award winning crime writer Ian Rankin who talks about taking John Rebus out of Edinburgh in his latest novel. Listener Joy France reveals how she became known as the Rapping Granny. Richard Essien's skills as a hip-hop dancer and dazzling illusionist saw him sail to the final of Britain’s Got Talent 2020, using stage persona Magical Bones. Comedian Mark Watson shares his Inheritance Tracks - The Logical Song by Supertramp and In The New Year by The Walk...
Dec 05, 2020•1 hr 24 min
Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles are joined by Mica Paris. Hauled up onstage by Prince, fish 'n' chips with Stevie Wonder and footsie with Whitney Houston, and now EastEnders and a Gospel album. John 'Chickie' Donohue joins us from New York - he travelled more than 8,000 miles into the middle of the Vietnam War, to take his buddies some beers. Listener Liza Frank has been looking into folklore of the British Isles and sometimes beyond, and set her self the challenge of doing a ritual or tradition ev...
Nov 28, 2020•1 hr 25 min
Richard Coles and Nikki Bedi are joined by pub-loving celebrity chef Tom Kerridge who has been awarded two Michelin stars since opening The Hand and Flowers in Marlow. The pub celebrates its 15th anniversary with The Hand and Flowers Cookbook. Since opening the pub Tom has been a fixture of British cooking programmes and has famously lost 12st in weight. He has also turned his attention to the plight of British pubs in lockdown with his new BBC series Saving Britain’s Pubs. Comedian and televisi...
Nov 21, 2020•1 hr 25 min
Gabriel Byrne joins Richard Coles and Nikki Bedi. The Award-winning actor made his acting debut as a shepherd in a Nativity play and since then has made over 80 films, won a Golden Globe for In Treatment and had a successful stage career. He talks about growing up in Ireland, wanting to be a priest, turning his life around and loving a simple life. Courtney Act talks about her life and career which includes winning Celebrity Big Brother 2018 (UK). The performer also talks about why she's giving ...
Nov 14, 2020•1 hr 25 min
Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles are joined by Akram Khan. Winning a disco dance competition as a child encouraged Akram to pursue what he saw as his one talent: dance. Today he is one of the UK’s leading choreographers, has an MBE for services to dance, and tells stories through dance on stages as varied as Sadlers Wells to the 2012 London Olympics stadium. Sarah Beeny has graced our TV screens for the past 20 years as one of the nation’s most loved property experts. She estimates that she’s now be...
Nov 07, 2020•1 hr 24 min
Sir David Jason turned 80 this year and spent lockdown writing his new book A Del of a Life: Lessons I’ve Learned which describes how, despite beginning his career as an electrician, he went on to play some of the UK's best-loved characters including Granville, Pa Larkin, Detective Inspector Jack Frost, Danger Mouse and, of course, Derek Trotter. He explains to Richard Coles and Nikki Bedi how he achieved the title of Britain’s 4th most hard working actor. Journalist and television presenter Ste...
Oct 31, 2020•1 hr 25 min
Richard Coles and Shaun Keaveny are joined by Phillip Schofield who shares his highlights from spending nearly 40 years in television, and talks about coming out as gay- both publicly and privately. Wim Hof, also known as The Ice Man, holds multiple world records including climbing the highest mountains in the world while wearing only shorts. He reveals how the cold was his saviour in tough times and that a traumatic birth made him a man on a mission. When Skepta won his 2016 Mercury prize he th...
Oct 24, 2020•1 hr 24 min
Richard Coles and Nikki Bedi are joined by Rupert Everett, star of stage and screen with titles such as My Best Friend’s Wedding, An Ideal Husband, The Importance of being Earnest, Shakespeare in Love, St Trinian’s, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and his directorial debut which he also wrote and starred in: The Happy Prince. We also have Charlotte Mensah, the UK’s authority on natural Afro, mixed and curly textured hair. Her journey took her between Ghana and the UK, overcoming som...
Oct 17, 2020•1 hr 24 min
Broadcaster and former MP Michael Portillo joins Suzy Klein and Richard Coles to discuss his new book which celebrates ten years of Great British Railway Journeys. Actor Jude Akuwudike was born in Nigeria and lived there until he was six when a baffling illness lead to his parents, who were studying in London, to bring him to the UK for treatment. Jude recovered but the Civil War prevented his family returning to Nigeria and Jude went on become an actor, training at RADA and having successful ca...
Oct 10, 2020•1 hr 25 min
Richard Coles and Suzy Klein are joined by multi-award-winning dancer and Strictly Head Judge Shirley Ballas. Liam Meredith is a former offender who has turned his life around to become a dairy conservationist, business owner and mentor to young prisoners. Lara Prior-Palmer talks about being the first woman and youngest competitor to win the Mongol Derby, known as the world's longest and hardest endurance horse race. Dave Stewart shares his Inheritance Tracks: Only a Pawn in Their game by Bob Dy...
Oct 07, 2020•1 hr 24 min
Richard Coles and Marverine Cole are joined by writer and illustrator Cressida Cowell, whose How to Train Your Dragon series has sold 11 million books worldwide in 38 languages and is a major DreamWorks Animation film franchise, she’s also written the Wizard of Once series, the Emily Brown books and is the current Children’s laureate. Rob Halford is lead singer of Grammy Award winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. He struggled with his identity and drug and alcohol addiction. He's now sober and...
Sep 26, 2020•1 hr 25 min
Alan Davies joins Richard Coles and Marverine Cole. Having spent nearly 20 years on the QI panel, performing sell-out comedy tours and appearing in television sitcoms and dramas, Alan has branched out and written an unflinching memoir about his painful childhood. Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason is a former lecturer at Birmingham University and the mother of seven children. The third eldest, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, was BBC Young Musician 2016 and performed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markl...
Sep 19, 2020•1 hr 25 min
Richard Coles and Shaun Keaveny are joined by Charles Spencer. Charles has a few hats – as Earl Spencer he is the custodian of Althorp house in Northamptonshire; he is the brother of Diana, Princess of Wales; he is the Queen’s godson; but also he is a respected author of history books – his latest tells the events of almost 900 years ago involving a dramatic shipwreck which changed the course of history – the story is, as he describes it, a mash up of Titanic and Game of Thrones with a bit of Sl...
Sep 12, 2020•1 hr 25 min
Richard Coles and Angela Scanlon are joined by TV presenter Richard Osman who has written his first detective novel set in a retirement village. Ian Ridley is a sports writer who has written about the healing power of sport and the solace he found in county cricket following the death of his wife, pioneering sports journalist Vikki Orvice. Bestselling writer Caitlin Moran discusses the unexpected difficulties of middle age life in her new book More Than A Woman. Plus your thank yous and an inter...
Sep 05, 2020•1 hr 25 min
Richard Coles and Angela Scanlon are joined by Nicola Benedetti. The violinist started the year winning her first Grammy and during lockdown she’s been inspiring thousands of people virtually, as well as indulging her passion for cooking. Actor Mark Williams reflects on his extraordinary career, as The Fast Show celebrates over 25 years since its first broadcast. Lucy Chapman's CV includes pop-punk musician, cabaret performer, librarian and now trainee barrister. She talks about her path to law ...
Aug 29, 2020•1 hr 25 min
Richard Coles and Michelle Ackerley are joined by writer Joanne Harris; broadcaster Peter Snow; wildlife journalist and wasp expert Ben Aldiss and chef Joshna Maharaj. Born in Barnsley, writer Joanne Harris MBE was a teacher for 15 years during which time three of her novels were published including Chocolat in 1999 which was made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliet Binoche. Since then, she has written 15 more novels, two novellas, two collections of short stories, a Dr Who novella, gue...
Aug 22, 2020•1 hr 25 min
Richard Coles and Michelle Ackerley are joined by Bob Harris. He has been whispering on our airwaves for 50 years: starting at Radio 1 and going to TV’s Whistle Test, Radio Luxembourg, Radio 2, BBC 6 Music, numerous local radio stations, back to Radios 1, 2 and 6 Music… all the time touring with musicians, interviewing them and listening to them – his passion for introducing music to the masses earning him numerous awards, and an OBE. We'll also speak to Alice Dearing. She is one of the most suc...
Aug 15, 2020•1 hr 25 min
Jackie Kay is the national poet of Scotland and has taken her Makar duties seriously. She has written a weekly poem during lockdown, brought art into people’s homes with the broadcast Makar to Makar and written about the Black Lives Matter protests. She joins Richard Coles and Bridgitte Tetteh to discuss the timely reissue of her play The Lamplighter which follows five characters who are sold into the British slave trade. Emily Kolltveit was the lead singer of a goth metal band for nearly a deca...
Aug 08, 2020•1 hr 25 min
Richard Coles and Bridgitte Tetteh are joined by Danielle de Niese who became the youngest ever winner of the Australian TV programme Young Talent Time at the age of 9. Her family relocated to Los Angeles, where Danielle made her professional operatic debut at the age of 15 with the Los Angeles Opera. She made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera at 19 and now performs around the world. She will host the TV coverage of the Proms 2020 later this summer. Loyd Grossman claims he hasn’t had a career,...
Aug 01, 2020•1 hr 25 min
Richard Coles and Nikki Bedi are joined by TV presenter Richard Hammond, who has driven all kinds of vehicles all over the world. He discusses his passion for cars and motorbikes and how he dealt with life-changing injuries following a 300 mph crash in a jet-powered dragster. Kat Harbourne is one of the presenters of the Naked Podcast. She explains why she interviews people in the nude and whether it leads to a more revealing interview. Paul Wood is an expert in urban trees. His passion has led ...
Jul 25, 2020•1 hr 25 min
Richard Coles and Nikki Bedi are joined by Graeme Garden - one third of the Goodies along with Bill Oddie and the late Tim Brooke-Taylor. In the classic BBC television show the trio played agents for hire and would do "anything, anywhere, anytime". Astride their trusty ‘Trandem’ – a three-seater bicycle – they tackled a giant kitten, parodied westerns with a Cornish version called “Bunfight at the OK Tea Rooms” and were chased by a giant Dougal from Magic Roundabout. Graeme also created I'm Sorr...
Jul 18, 2020•1 hr 24 min
Richard Coles and Viv Groskop are joined by aesthetician and skin expert Caroline Hirons. She went from counter girl to being dubbed the most powerful woman in the beauty industry, her blog has clocked up over a hundred thousand views and her book has just become the second ever on beauty to go to number one in the charts. And furniture restorer Jay Blades, known for TV's The Repair Shop on why he cares so much about old things and the stories behind them. Annie Atkins is a graphic designer who ...
Jul 11, 2020•1 hr 23 min
Richard Coles and Viv Groskop talk to England football legend John Barnes who earned 79 caps over 12 years. His talent was spotted as a teenager and he began his career at Watford, going on to have huge success at Liverpool in the 1980s and 90s. He has been a coach, a football manager and even scored a number 1 single with his contribution to football song World In Motion, and now works as a commentator and pundit. DJ, raconteur, author, producer, broadcaster and Fun Lovin’ Criminal, Huey Morgan...
Jul 04, 2020•1 hr 23 min
