Saturday Live

The actor and producer Greg Wise is brother of Clare Wise, who died of cancer in 2016. Greg has co-written a book about how he and Clare dealt with her illness - the appointments, the hair loss, the chemo, the showers... and the cat, Grably. Jess French is a zoologist, naturalist and entomologist and presents CBeebies Minibeast Adventure with Jess. Her passion for scorpions and tarantulas began while helping her dad with his exotic invertebrate-breeding business and often acted as animal handler when he supplied them for TV shows. Jess Robinson came from a musical family and trained as a classical singer. She explains how she got waylaid by impressions and vocal gymnastics, and ran away to join the circus. She has since performed at the Edinburgh Festival and reached the semi-final of Britain's Got Talent. Spencer Conway, English teacher, decided at forty-two to abandon The Canterbury Tales and make his own epic pilgrimage to Africa, which he circumnavigated on a motorbike. He has done the same in South Ameri

Dame Evelyn Glennie tells presenters Aasmah Mir and Rev Richard Coles about her mission to find new ways to help people really listen. She blazed a trail as the world's first professional solo percussionist, having become profoundly deaf at the age of 12. When she's not touring internationally, there's little she likes better than getting out her trusty metal detector and going searching for buried treasure.Max Beesley was no stranger to showbiz glamour even before he became a TV star, having played drums onstage with Robbie Williams, Stevie Wonder and The Jam. But he was inspired by Robert De Niro to make the switch to acting. He's starred in series like Suits and Hotel Babylon, and is back on screen playing the rugged Harry Sharrow in the second series of Jamestown - which has been described as a Jacobean western.Jordanian-Irish singer songwriter Keeva explains how she copes with anxiety and depression while putting her life into song and performing on stage. She also pulls pints in a bar, and draws artisti

Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles are joined by the actress Jenny Agutter who plays Sister Julienne in Call the Midwife. She recalls her time living in Hollywood and reveals her passion for rap. Before being called to the bar, Tony Kent was a heavyweight amateur boxer. As a criminal defence lawyer he's defended high profile clients including Anthony Joshua. He has now written his first novel - Killer Intent. JP Devlin meets Madeleine Neave to discover why she set up the Antique Breadboard Museum at her home in Putney, London. Adam Golightly, best known for his column The Widower of the Parish, describes how he's sewed ribbons on to ballet slippers, taken up stained glass window making and his introduction to internet dating. Mehreen Baig is a former teacher and now a blogger and reporter who appeared in the reality show Muslims Like Us. And Suzi Quatro chooses her Inheritance Tracks: God Bless the Child by Billie Holliday and Try and Little Tenderness by Otis Reading.Call the Midwife is on BBC One on Su

Jo Wood's first foray into the public eye was as a popular newspaper's "Face of 1972" aged 17. After 5 years working as a model she met Ronnie Wood and spent the next 30 years living the whirlwind rock and roll lifestyle of the Rolling Stones until her marriage came to an abrupt end. She has since reinvented herself, promoting an organic lifestyle and her passion for interiors and fashion. She joins Aasmah and Richard in the studio.We also have Mollie Hughes, a climber who became the youngest woman in the world to scale both the north and south sides of Mount Everest. Marcellus Baz won BBC Sport Unsung Hero award 2016 for his work in breaking the cycle of crime via boxing at his school in Nottingham. And actor Jim Carter, best known for playing butler Carson in Downton Abbey. He's interviewing other actors in a series at the Tricycle Theatre.We have the Inheritance Tracks of legendary DJ Tony Blackburn, who chooses Reet Petite by Jackie Wilson and I'm Still Waiting by Diana RossAnd for Holocaust Memorial Day,

Broadcaster and author Dan Snow is the history guy - from first appearing on our screens with the 60th Anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein, with dad Peter to numerous other documentaries including the Rise of the Royal Navy, Battlefield Britain series and a documentary about his great great grandfather, former Prime Minister, Lloyd George. Alan Fell is Head of Props at the Royal Shakespeare Company - from severed heads to an armoured tank - creating weird stuff is part of the fun of his job. Louise Groves lost her parents and brother before she was sixteen and was placed in a foster family. She found the experience so positive, she became a foster parent herself and has fostered 48 children. Cookery writer Sumayya Usmani was a lawyer before following her true passion for food and is now an authority on Pakistani cuisine. She presents BBC Scotland's Kitchen Cafe. JP meets Saturday Live listener, Mike Farquhar, tells of a childhood event that he believes changed his life. Actor Josette Simon shares her I

Aasmah Mir and Suzy Klein are joined by the commentator and former England Rugby hooker, Brian Moore, who talks about his career, recent health scare and passion for opera and wine. 18 year old Liv Cooke is the current Football Freestyle World Champion. She describes how sitting at home with an injury led her to the sport. The actress, Julie Hesmondhalgh, recalls her childhood in Accrington, playing the first transgender role in a soap, and her love of campervans. JP meets Saturday Live listener, Pat Ellison Reed, to find out why her mum taught her Jujitsu. GP and TV doctor, Rangan Chatterjee, gives common-sense tips for a healthier lifestyle; describes how he almost missed his own child's illness and the joy he finds by playing in a band. Feargal Sharkey shares his Inheritance Tracks - Brown Eyed Handsome Man performed by Buddy Holly and Aceperience by Hardfloor.Brian Moore will be commentating on the Six Nations Championship, which runs from 3 February - 17 March. Julie Hesmondhalgh is appearing in the play

Actor Phil Daniels joins Aasmah and Richard in the studio. Since his first big role aged 19 as the lead in cult The Who film Quadrophenia, he hasn't stopped working in film, theatre or TV including Eastenders; Chicken Run; Les Miserables; Shakespeare; and the voice in Blur's Park Life. Now actor Phil Daniels is putting his versatility to good use in a new production of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Stefanie Reid is a five-time world record holder, reigning world champion in long jump, and triple Paralympic medallist in the long jump and 200m sprint. She'll be talking about her journey and the future. Fashion historian author and vintage clothes expert Amber Butchart joins us to talk about the significance of clothes in our lives, as explored in her new show 'A Stitch in Time', which fuses biography, art and the history of fashion to explore the lives of historical figures through the clothes they wore. A couple of years ago, after hearing a talk by a colleague, listener and teacher Helen Brace decided to set hersel

The poet Lemn Sissay, lexicographer Susie Dent and conservationist Ian Redmond join the Reverend Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir.Lemn Sissay is a poet and broadcaster who has written extensively about his childhood in care. His new collection of poetry Gold from the Stone is published by Canongate Books.Susie Dent is a lexicographer who is the resident word expert in Dictionary Corner on Countdown and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. Her book Dent's Modern Tribes - The Secret Languages of Britain is published by John Murray Publishers.Ian Redmond is a wildlife biologist and conservationist, renowned for his work with great apes and elephants, who worked closely with the late Dr Dian Fossey, JP Devlin meets singer Barry Manilow and singer and activist Mavis Staples shares her inheritance tracks - Will the Circle Be Unbroken by the Staple Singers and What's Going On by Marvin Gaye.Producer: Paula McGinley Editor: Eleanor Garland.

Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles are joined by the lyricist and musician Chris Difford who, along with Glenn Tilbrook, co-founded Squeeze - with hits such as 'Cool For Cats' and 'Up The Junction'. He talks about his life from early years in south London to playing Madison Square Garden, battling addiction and receiving two Ivor Novello Awards. Dr. Rachel Clarke describes the atmosphere on the hospital ward during the festive season, and the humanity shown by patients and staff alike. Anna Bailey meets Brendan O'Carroll aka Mrs Brown, one of the most popular sitcom characters on our screens today, to find out about the man behind the cardigan and the curlers. Gwenda Gofton recalls her varied Christmases as an evacuee during the war, working as nurse where she turned the ward into a jungle/rainforest, to life as a vicar's wife and opening her doors to strangers. John Lloyd is the creator and founding producer of The News Quiz, Spitting Image, Not the Nine O'Clock News, Blackadder & QI - billed as "the

Hit singer songwriter James Blunt joins Aasmah Mir and Shaun Keaveny to talk hits, the army and acerbic tweets.Actor Abubakar Salim is the new lead in Assassin's Creed, a video game. We ask him why he wanted to act in a game, how it compares to other roles and how his martial arts study helped the role.We have explosive ordinance disposal expert turned reality TV Love Islander Camilla Thurlow. Listener Clare Rixon has run a marathon every month in 2017, set up a virtual running challenge and runs for her psychological well being.And ahead of the Strictly final we have the Inheritance Tracks of last year's winner, Ore Oduba who chooses Pride by U2 and One Last Time by Ariana Grande.James Blunt's lastest album is The Afterlove Producer: Corinna Jones Editor: Eleanor Garland.

Aasmah Mir and Suzy Klein meet astronaut Tim Peake; writer and actor Sanjeev Kohli and cake maker Cynthia Stroud.Tim Peake is a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut. He finished his 186-day Principia mission on the International Space Station for Expedition 46/47 when he landed back on earth on June 18th 2016. His new book Ask an Astronaut is published by Century.Sanjeev Kohli is a writer, actor and comedian who stars in the BBC Radio Four series Fags, Mags and Bags and the Scottish sitcom Still Game. Cynthia Stroud is a cake maker who is one of the four modern confectioners in BBC Two's The Sweet Makers at Christmas. They'll recreate the treats of Christmas past, and discover how their predecessors helped create many of the culinary festive traditions we enjoy today - from Queen Victoria's favoured Boar's Head cake to sugar mice and chocolate apples and oranges. The Sweet Makers at Christmas is broadcast on BBC Two on December 15th.Also on the programme the actor David Jason shares his inheritance tracks -

The actress and Radio 2 DJ, Liza Tarbuck, joins Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles to discuss annuals, puzzles and why she's distracted by everything.Michael Smith became the first person to fly solo around the world in an amphibious plane, retracing the 1938 Qantas, Imperial Flying Boat Routes between Sydney, Southampton and New York. He explains why he visited 70 cinemas along the way. JP Devlin meets Saturday Live listener Jill Conibere, who got in touch to tell us about her invention: It was very simple, it was very practical and... it was very personal.Animal handler Henrietta Fiddian-Green describes the challenges of looking after sheep, a lamb, horses and Chester the Donkey for the Wintershall Nativity Play, Meanwhile, Graeme "The Dogfather" Hall explains how to deal with dogs behaving badly, and why he likes to Tango in his spare time.And the singer Seal shares his Inheritance Tracks. He chooses - Smile by Nat King Cole and God Give Me Strength, by Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach.Liza Tarbuck's

Bruce Dickinson is best known as lead singer one of the most successful heavy metal bands in history, Iron Maiden. But he's also a airline captain, international fencer, radio presenter, and writer, who has now written his autobiography. The man once billed a "Human air raid siren" joins Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir in the studio.Alby Shale's father, Christopher Shale, died of a heart attack aged 56 in 2011 when Alby was 20. Not long before he died, he'd taken Alby to Rwanda to show him the volunteering work he'd been doing there, which had resulted in a plan to open the country's first national Cricket stadium. After his father's sudden death, Alby decided to help complete the project and joins us after having just returned from Rwanda where he watched the stadium's opening ceremony and inaugural match.We also meet Shobna Gulati, actress, writer and dancer known for her roles in Dinnerladies and Coronation Street, about to star in Daisy Pulls it off.And listener Clorinda Goodman is a solicitor turned stone m

Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher thrillers, talks to Aasmah Mir and Shaun Keaveny about his latest book The Midnight Line.Actress Alison Steadman discusses Hold the Sunset, her upcoming sitcom with John Cleese, and her children's book - Spider!Space engineer Abbie Hutty reveals what it takes to design the new Mars Rover due for the red planet in 2020.And TV archaeologist Alex Langlands explains why he thinks we need to do more things for ourselves, and stop relying on machines and gadgets. It's in his new book, Craeft - How Traditional Crafts Are About More Than Just Making. (And yes, that's 'craeft' with an e.)Presenters: Aasmah Mir and Shaun Keaveny Producer: Paul Waters.

Katie Melua joins Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir. She talks about her childhood from Georgia to Belfast and London, her music, and she describes how the late Sir Terry Wogan championed her career and how she has released this year's official BBC Children in Need single in his honour. Saturday Live hosts Radio 4's BBC Children in Need auction, offering listeners the chance to bid for some amazing prize packages to raise money for BBC Children in Need. Auctioneer, Will Farmer is on hand to update the bids. Jonathan Agnew describes The Test Match Special VIP Experience at Lord's; Corrie Corfield reveals life Behind the Scenes at BBC Radio News, and Barry Cryer, talks about I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue Experience, including the legendary Mornington Crescent. LINES ARE NOW CLOSED - DO NOT CALL OR TRY TO BID.We hear from children who have been helped by projects supported by Children in Need. Anna Bailey visits an equine therapy project, Taking the Reins. Poppy tells Aasmah how her visits to the Shakespeare Hospice ha

Aasmah Mir and the Rev Richard Coles are joined by broadcaster and actor Reggie Yates. From Desmonds to Top of the Pops, he's been on camera nearly all of his life, but it's as a documentary filmmaker that he's now familiar, investigating everything from religion in South Africa, race and homophobia in Russia to gun crime in Chicago. John Virgo has spent the last forty years playing snooker as a player and commentator. Famous for his impersonations of fellow players from Ray Reardon to Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins and and his jazzy waistcoats, he'll be telling us how he went from a childhood in Salford, through smoky snooker dens, to winning the UK Snooker Championship. Mandy Hickson is a former Royal Air Force fast jet pilot - only the second woman to fly a Tornado GR4 aircraft - who served on the front line defending the no fly zone in the Gulf. Julia Newth is a Bewick swan specialist at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, who is awaiting the arrival of the Bewick swans to the UK this weekend from their summer bi

Goldie, producer, DJ and artist; actor Tim Bentinck and model and campaigner Mary Russell join Aasmah Mir and the Reverend Richard Coles..Born in Walsall and brought up in a series of children's homes, Goldie made his name as a graffiti artist before becoming a sought after producer and DJ. As an actor he appeared in the James Bond film the World is Not Enough and learned how to conduct an orchestra in the BBC series Maestro. His new book, All Things Remembered, written with Ben Thompson, looks back at his eventful life and reveals how hot yoga has helped him come to terms with his past. All Things Remembered is published by Faber and Faber.Mary Russell is a model, disability rights campaigner and a television personality. Born with achondroplasia - a common cause of dwarfism - she also works for a range of charities which aim to educate people about disability. Mary has appeared in the television series the Undateables and more recently in the BBC series Without Limits in which a group of people with disabil

Aasmah Mir and the Rev Richard Coles are joined by chef, restaurateur and TV presenter Rick Stein whose latest culinary journey has taken him to California and Mexico. Showjumper Nick Skelton went on to win Olympic Gold after breaking his neck in a fall.After 60 years, Lin Sunderland has fulfilled her ambition to become a lighthouse keeper.Mary-Ann Ochota has been travelling the waterways of Britain, discovering how boats have shaped our lives.Plus, Inheritance Tracks from musician Nitin Sawhney. Nitin chooses So What by Miles Davis and Mustt Mustt by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (Massive Attack remix).The Road to Mexico by Rick Stein is published by BBC Books. Gold by Nick Skelton is published by Orion. Britain Afloat presented by Mary-Ann Ochota is currently on BBC 2 , Saturdays at 8.00pm. Nitin Sawhney's latest project is the score for the film Breathe which is released on the 27th October.

Aasmah Mir and the Rev Richard Coles are joined by the Queen of Baking, Mary Berry who has been teaching the nation to cook for over four decades. She's now turning her attention to home maintenance and tells us how to air our beds and clean our loos in a new book. Harry Judd is best known as the drummer for pop band McFly and a winner of Strictly Come Dancing. Now a fitness fanatic, he explains how exercise has helped him get over his anxiety, OCD and panic attacks Father and daughter performers Victoria and Mike Melody tell the story of how after a fatal diagnosis Mike planned his own funeral with Victoria. After a reprieve, they decided to go ahead with the funeral away - and put on a show about it. Dentist and mum of four, Ursula Goode, recently won a gold medal in gymnastics at the British Adult Gymnastics championship at the age of 44. The broadcaster and theatre critic, Libby Purves reveals her Inheritance Tracks - Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and Noel Coward's There are B

Aasmah Mir and Shaun Keaveny are joined by the broadcaster Gloria Hunniford - who started out as a singer at the age of seven and went on to become the first woman to have a daily radio programme on BBC Radio 2. She describes how she has interviewed everyone from Salman Rushdie to Doris Day and even managed to stay on air during a bombing. Arctic explorer Erling Kagge discusses the enemy of all radio broadcasters - SILENCE. Head Concierge, Nigel Bowen, explains how he keeps guests happy at one of London's 5 star hotels. From having to arrange for frozen breast milk to be flown across the Atlantic to tracking down an obscure perfume with no name. The comedian, writer and agony aunt, Viv Groskop, shares life lessons gleaned from Russian literature and explains why she is such a Strictly superfan, and The Rev. Richard Coles updates us on his preparations for Strictly Come Dancing. Johnny Ball reveals his Inheritance Tracks - Sing Sing Sing (With a Swing) performed by Benny Goodman and the title track of Guys