Saturday Live

Arabella Weir, star of Two Doors Down, talks to Aasmah Mir and Suzy Klein about what neighbours mean to her, festive celebrations and how she got into comedy.Mark Forsyth explains why he decided to explore the stories behind Christmas traditions- including why we have decorated trees in our house and the real Good King Wenceslas.Writer and musician Rhodri Marsden shared a picture of where he'd be staying when he went home for Christmas and found he wasn't alone in experiencing unusual festive sleeping arrangements. Bruno Tonioli talks to JP Devlin about his festive plans, dealing with tragedy, and what dancing means to him.Comedian Bill Bailey shares his Inheritance Tracks: Magic Moments by Perry Como and Once in a Lifetime by Talking Heads.Joe Wicks, known as The Body Coach, has gone from being a personal trainer to a best-selling author and fitness entrepreneur. He talks about what success means to him, becoming an optimist, and offers his festive health tips.Mark Forsyth's A Christmas Cornucopia is out now

Raymond Blanc grew up in a self sufficient household in France, and after a few false starts in other professions, became a self taught Michelin star winning chef, and restaurant entrepreneur. Kassia St Clair loves colour. After studying historical dress she wanted to understand the colours referred to. Her interest led to a column in Elle Decoration and finally a book. She joins us to talk about The Secret Lives of Colour.Saturday Live listener Mark Sutton Vane was obsessed with torches as a child. He later developed this into a career in lighting, and his dream came true when he lit the Olympic Park in Stratford in 2012.Kat Francois is a performance poet and playwright who latest work was inspired by finding out on a trip to her parents homeland of Grenada that she had a relative who fought in WWI. She'll join us to talk of Poetry Slams and inspiring stories.JP Devlin meets comedy stalwart Ricky Gervais.We'll have your thank yous and the Inheritance Tracks of Maureen Lipman. She chooses When you wish upon a

Crime writer Anthony Horowitz joins Richard and Aasmah in the studio to discuss his love of Tin Tin, Victorian fairgrounds and why villages are so well suited to murder mysteries. After his return from the International Space Station Major Tim Peake reflects on what home really means to him and and tells us why it's always good to wiggle your toes on a spacewalk.Comedian Dave Gorman who has flown around the world in the pursuit of comedy, reveals just what led him to get an unusual tattoo on his upper arm. Rhinal Patel explains why she put her trust in the kindness of strangers to help her travel from Hong Kong to her home in Wales for free. And we hear from Britain's biggest roller coaster enthusiast who has ridden on over 1700 rides. Italian chef Antonio Carluccio shares his Inheritance Tracks. He picks Prokofiev's Dance of the Knights and Yesterday by the Beatles. And we hear from the volunteers opening the mail for the Radio 4 Christmas Appeal at St Martin's in the Fields.Producer: Steven Williams Editor:

Star of Birds of a Feather and Strictly Come Dancing, Lesley Joseph, joins Aasmah Mir and Rev Richard Coles live from the Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House to talk about pantomime and her role as The Wicked Queen.Trevor Jones reveals the secrets of The Poison Garden at Alnwick.Paul Harris has been performing in pantomimes for more than 50 years. He recalls how he learnt the gags on the job, and explains what makes a good Dame. The Saturday Live pantomime, written by Alan McHugh, and performed by our listeners, with surprise cameo appearances from Radio 4 presenters.Cast members from Bollywood Jack perform live in the Radio Theatre. And real life Fairy Godmother, Jaime Thurston, describes how she makes wishes come true.Phil Collins shares his Inheritance Tracks. He has chosen All My Loving by The Beatles and The Times They Are A Changin' by Bob Dylan. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs runs at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth from 16 December 2016 - 14 January 2017. Bollywood Jack runs at the Tara Theatre in south w

Aled Jones will forever be associated with the song he made a hit - Walking in the Air. Now he's released a seasonal CD where he sings in harmony with his 14 year old self. He'll join Richard and Aasmah in the studio.Tez Ilyas left the civil service for comedy after doing a Saturday course in stand up. He's since appeared in eight competition finals, had a show in Edinburgh and wrote and performed the Tez Talks series about how to be a Muslim on BBC Radio 4. A chance conversation with a friend at university has taken Kate Munro all around the world making snow sculptures. Every year, Kate spends 3 days and 3 nights in sub-zero temperatures, carving a 3 metre block of snow into a beautiful sculpture.Fred Sirieix is Maître d' on First Dates, the Bafta award winning hit Channel 4 dating show, but he's also general manager of a top Michelin starred restaurant, and runs a service training company which helps prisoners train to work in restaurants. JP meets John Richards who went on a mission to play every Cathedra

Kate Silverton and the Rev Richard Coles talk to Adrian Chiles about football and a particular match that pitted black players against white players. Phoebe Wainman is the current British Stock Car Champion. She discusses the thrills and dangers of her sport and what it's like to come from a Stock Car racing dynasty. Mark Grist gave up teaching English when his other career as a rapper took off. He explains how a chance encounter at a poetry performance evening ended up with him taking part in battle rapping competitions around the globe. Photographer Richard Weston reveals why taking a picture of his son Sam had a tremendous effect on both their lives.And Everton superfan Dr David France explains how he amassed the biggest collection of Everton memorabilia in the world.Plus guitarist from the Smiths, The The and Electronic Johnny Marr shares his Inheritance Tracks.Producer: Steven WilliamsEditor: Beverley Purcel.

British Bushcraft, survival expert and photographer Ray Mears talks to Aasmah Mir and Rev Richard Coles about what draws him to the outdoors.Charlie McDonnell was the first Video Blogger in the UK to reach one million YouTube subscribers. He explains why he's trying to make science fun.Saturday Live listener Paula Reid explains why she quit her job to become an Adventurer.Reporter JP Devlin meets Zucchero, an Italian singer-songwriter most famous in the UK for the duet "Senza Una Donna (Without a Woman)" with Paul Young.Presenter Matt Baker is currently taking part in the One Show Rickshaw Challenge in aid of BBC Children in Need. He shares his Inheritance Tracks. He has chosen Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by the Sherman brothersCellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason is the winner of BBC Young Musician 2016. He performs live and discusses his musical ambitions, A-Levels and playing football.Out on the Land by Ray Mears and Lars Fält is out now. Fun Science by Charlie McDonnell is out now.

Clare Balding and Sir David Tang join Aasmah and RichardClare Balding was a horse mad girl who became a leading amateur flat jockey in her teens. She found success as a racing correspondent and since then has presented the Olympics 6 times, as well as numerous other chat shows, documentaries, and programmes about biking, walking. Now she's mined her own experience, and written a children's book about a horse mad girl. Giles Chapman is a lover of Classic Cars and was Editor of Classic & Sports Car magazine. Recently the Reliant Robin caught his eye and he's written a book about it.Listener Rebecca Peyton experienced the sudden losses of her father when she was aged 6 and her sister when she was 32. She joins us to tell us how she's so keen to talk about death that she wrote a show about it. Sir David Tang grew up in Hong Kong before moving to the UK aged 13. After teaching philosophy for a short time, he went into business, and became an agony uncle for the Financial Times. We have the inheritance tracks o

Actor and broadcaster Tony Robinson joins Aasmah Mir and Rev. Richard Coles to talk about his life onstage, the impact of playing Baldrick, and the unusual way his love of history developed.Gemma-Louise Stevenson shares the art of wheelchair dancing.Saturday Live Listener Dr.Ciaran O'Keeffe reveals how Ghostbusters inspired him to become a Parapsychologist.Writer Jonathan Harvey meets up with JP Devlin and explains why he's decided to return to his hometown of Liverpool.Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero shares her Inheritance Tracks. She has chosen The Schumann Fantasie performed by Clifford Curzon and Quintet Opus 18 by Mieczyslaw Weinberg, performed by Borodin QuartetNASA Astronaut Mike Massimino talks about venturing into space, repairing the Hubble Telescope and his intergalactic playlist.Tony Robinson's autobiography No Cunning Plan is out now.Jonathan Harvey's latest novel The History of Us is out now.Mike Massimino's book Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe

Alexander Armstrong, quizmaster, actor, classically trained baritone and occasional oboist shares his love of music and llamas. Arlene Phillips left home at 22 to follow a career in dance. She founded the dance troupe Hot Gossip, courting controversy with Mary Whitehouse, and went on to work with a string of artists from Aretha Franklin to Robbie Williams and choreographed Hollywood films and West End shows. Charlie Dark grew up listening to pirate radio in his bedroom and by the time he was a teenager he was sneaking out to attend illegal warehouse parties. He soon became a successful jungle music DJ and travelled the world but he gave it all up to found a group of runners who give back to their community. Plus Paddy Ashdown shares his Inheritance Tracks and remembers how a failing pig farm irrevocably altered the future of his family. Arlene Phillips is featured in the book 'Dogs and Their Faithful Celebrities' by the Dogs Trust Alexander Armstrong's CD 'Upon a Different Shore' is out nowProducer: Steven Wi

Michael Ball joins Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles to discuss his musical collaboration with the Tenor Alfie Boe; his family's association with the Mini car, and how he deals with his superstitions. The inventor and designer, Max McMurdo, shares his passion for upcycling and explains how he made 25 items from an old Beetle, and converted a shipping container into his home. Adele Jackson describes her five months working at the post office in Port Lockroy, Antarctica, sending out 70,000 postcards, and monitoring 2,000 Gentoo penguins. David Bramwell provides quirky stories celebrating curiosity and adventure. JP Devlin visits the memorial garden in Aberfan, to hear a moving account from David Davies, a survivor of the Aberfan disaster. And Ben Fogle shares his Inheritance Tracks: Flash Bang Wallop sung by Tommy Steele, and It's Tricky, Run DMC.Michael Ball and Alfie Boe 'Together' - with a new album and nationwide tour. Upcycling by Max McMurdo. The Odditorium by David Bramwell and Jo Keeling is publi

Tom Fletcher of McFly, Silent Film pianist Neil Brand, Bookshop frequenter Erica Jones and extreme engineer Jimmy de Ville join Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir.Tom Fletcher is best known as singer and songwriter of McFly, he's also written for Busted and One Direction, clocking up ten UK number one singles. He's also a children's author, having written The Dinosaur that Pooped series with his band mate Dougie Poynter, he's now written The Christmasaurus, his first solo kids' novel. Saturday Live listener Erica Jones is a bookshop champion - she likes them so much that she has devoted her weekends for the last 3 years travelling all over the country visiting bookshops, reviewing them for her blog.Neil Brand is a silent film pianist, which means he is both player and composer, improviser and emotional interpreter. He sees his role as raising the dead, bringing silent films back to life, the latest being Robin Hood from 1922. Engineer and Adventurer Jimmy de Ville went from designing toys to creating special effect

Ian Wright joins Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles to discuss his football career, proudest achievements and life after retiring from the game aged 36.Reporter JP Devlin talks to Saturday Live listener Maria Prowse who talks about the special relationship with her dog- which nearly ended when Maria gave her dog away after her husband died.Writer India Knight shares her love of dogs and reveals why she decided to choose her own name as a teenager.Nicola White talks about collecting messages in a bottle: the types of things she's found and meeting up with some of the people whose messages she's discovered.Enya shares her Inheritance Tracks. She has chosen Claude Debussy, Nocturnes: Nuages and Orinoco Flow.Award winning comedian David O'Doherty will perform a song and explain why he's written a children's book about avoiding danger.Ian Wright A Life In Football is out now. The Goodness of Dogs by India Knight is out now Nicola White is exhibiting her work at the Royal Naval College in London on the 21st Dece

The illusionist Derren Brown joins Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles to discuss why he's spent three years researching what makes us happy. The ex-footballer and manager of the England Women's Team, Hope Powell, received 66 caps for England and became the first women to obtain the UEFA pro licence. After managing the England Women's team for 15 years she has recently been appointed as the first female coach educator at the Professional Footballer's Association. Heavy metal marine biologist "The Blowfish" explains how he "reads" fish, why he has a passion for sharks, and the thrill of diving under ice in Norway. JP meets Saturday Live listener Rosemary who reminisces about her times spent hop picking in Kent in her youth. The comedian Abi Roberts describes her experience of doing stand up in Russia - in Russian - and why she brings Opera into her act. And the designer, Wayne Hemingway, shares his Inheritance Tracks. He chooses You've Got a Friend by Carole King, and Black Man by Stevie Wonder.Happy: Why

Comedian and writer David Baddiel on writing for children and whether death and dementia make good subjects for comedy. Olympic diver Chris Mears won gold in Rio in spectacular style. He reveals how a brush with death inspired his success and his sideline as a music producer. On the centenary of Roald Dahl's birth, Dr Tom Solomon discusses how the writer's fascination with medicine inspired many of his characters such as the BFG. As a junior doctor, Tom shared many late night conversations with the writer and gained a unique perspective on the celebrated author. Palaeobiologist Dr Tori Herridge tells us about mysterious asteroid craters in Britain and her search for fossil dwarf elephants. Plus the Inheritance Tracks of former Chelsea manager and Dutch international Rudd Gullit. Producer: Steven Williams Editor: Karen Dalziel.

Cerys Matthews, Damon Hill, Meik Wiking and Benny Lewis join Aasmah and Richard for Saturday Live. He became Formula One World Champion in 1996, following in the footsteps of his father, the legendary F1 champion Graham Hill who tragically died in a plane crash when Damon was 15 years old. Now a SKYF1 racing commentator, Damon will be telling us how he ended up behind the wheel himself. Cerys Mathew came to our attention singing about Road Rage and Mulder and Scully with her band Catatonia, she's sung with legends like Tom Jones, the Pet Shop Boys and the Manic Street Preachers, now she presents a show on BBC 6Music and has started her very own Festival. Benny Lewis spoke only English until the age of 21, now he speaks 11 languages and runs the largest language learning blog in the world. He joins us to tell his story.Denmark is often ranks the happiest country in the world. Could their passion for hygge be behind it? We talk to happiness and hygge expert, Meik Wiking.We have your thank you's and the inherita

Stand-up comedian and actor John Bishop joins Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles. John Bishop found fame after discovering his talent for stand-up comedy in his thirties. He talks about his willingness to try new things, which includes a new TV interview series, his Liverpudlian identity and creating comedy.Listener Rachel Gadsden is an artist who is involved in creating artworks and an animation for the lighting of the Paralympic Heritage Torch Lighting Ceremony.Pianist Antimo Magnotta talks to JP Devlin about his experience on board the Costa Concordia cruise ship on the night the vessel collided into a rock.Comedian and writer Deborah Frances-White was adopted at ten days old in Australia. She has tracked down her birth mother and family, and continues to search for her birth father.American singer PP Arnold shares her Inheritance Tracks: River Deep Mountain High by Ike and Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin's Natural Woman, written by Carole KingSimon Cowell MBE, not the X-Factor music mogul but a former

Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles are joined by Ralf Little. He first came to our attention as Antony in The Royle Family and has now produced the 'mockumentary' series Borderline. He reveals why he swapped medical school for acting and what it was like to play football with Zinedine Zidane. JP Devlin meets Fergus Anckorn, a former British soldier, he was the youngest member of the Magic Circle and now, at the age of 97, he is its oldest member. Joanna Cannon advises people to 'dare to fail'. Having left school with one O Level, she worked in various jobs from cleaning kennels to pizza delivery, but ended up studying medicine, becoming a psychiatrist and writing her first book 'The Trouble With Goats and Sheep'. Jonathan Scott grew up in Berkshire, but has spent the past 40 years living in Kenya. He started out as a novice safari guide in the Maasai Mara Reserve and went on to become a wildlife artist, photographer and author. He describes his fascination for leopards and filming for the popular BBC series 'Big C

Miles Jupp joins the Rev Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir and shares his love of cricket, rollercoasters and why he is possibly the poshest stand-up comedian on the circuit.Lance Corporal Richard Jones from the Household Cavalry reveals how he combines being a magician alongside his military career.Plus a trio of extreme sports enthusiasts: Blake Aldridge on why he left the world of Olympic diving to become a cliff diver, Emily Guilding explains the appeal of wing walking and why she performs headstands strapped to the wings of a plane and Saturday Live listener Romy Shovelton who races camels in her spare time. Plus the Inheritance Tracks of the former head of the army Lord Richard Dannatt, High on a Hill by the Band and Bugles Of The Light Division and Highland Cathedral by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guard.Miles Jupp's stand-up tour Songs Of Freedom starts on September 7th at the Stables in Milton Keynes, and continues around the UK finishing in February 2017. Richard Jones is starring in the Impossible magic sho

Craig Charles and David Emanuel join Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir.For a while Craig Charles was best known for playing Dave Lister in sci fi comedy Red Dwarf, but he has probably usurped that with his love for Funk and Soul, dj-ing on BBC 6 music and gigging around the country. With acting, poetry, performance, dj-ing and writing under his belt, now he's championing BBC Get Playing. Fashion Designer and Royal Couturier David Emanuel has dressed Elizabeth Taylor, Madonna, Joan Collins and Princess Diana, done the Jungle and now he's on Saturday Live!Claire Garabedian contacted Saturday Live about her unusual job - working in the therapeutic arts as a professional cellist. She joins Richard and Aasmah.Earlier this year Lizzie Carr became the first person to paddle board the length of England via its connected waterways, using entirely human powered means. She'll tell us about her adventure, and why she did it.We'll have a thank you from one of our listeners. And we'll have the Inheritance Tracks of geneticist S