Saturday Live

Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles are joined by Gerald Scarfe, one of our best known artists, caricaturing those in power, and also a production designer for theatre, ballet and opera and designer of animation sequences for Disney's Hercules and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Liam Charles was the people’s champion of Bake Off 2017, and the youngest contestant in that series. He went from cake sales at sixth fo...

Aasmah Mir and Rev Richard Coles talk to former SAS soldier Andy McNab. He was captured in Iraq while leading the Bravo Two Zero mission in 1991. His book on his ordeal became a bestseller - his first of many. His latest book "Get Me Out Of Here" is aimed at young readers. Children's book illustrator Axel Scheffler has given visual form to Julia Donaldson's characters The Gruffalo, Stick Man, Room...

Richard Ayoade became famous for playing Moss in the IT Crowd and went on to present Gadget Man, Travel Man and The Crystal Maze. He was nominated for a BAFTA for directing his first feature film Submarine and has directed music videos for Artic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend and Radiohead. Despite that, he describes himself primarily as a writer and his third book Ayoade on Top has just been published....

Richard Coles and Suzy Klein are joined by the actor Timothy Spall whose latest role is as LS Lowry. He describes his own passion for painting, the relationship between Lowry and his mother, and that with his own mother - who supported his acting ambitions. Footballer, Eniola Aluko won more than 100 caps for England. She explains how she started playing football on an estate in Birmingham as the o...

Kate Silverton and Luke Jones meet singer P.P. Arnold; artist Mackenzie Thorpe; poet Charly Cox and the Reverend Peter Allen. With Inheritance Tracks from conductor John Eliot Gardiner. Soul singer P.P. - Pat - Arnold found her voice as a young girl singing gospel songs in church. Her career took off when she joined the Ikettes - backing singers and dancers for the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Whe...

Skin from Skunk Anansie made headlines this summer when it was pointed out that she was the first black British artist to headline the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, not Stormzy. That was in 1999 and Skunk Anansie were five years into an incredible run of chart hits such as “Weak”, “Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)” and “Charity”. Skin discusses her childhood, her career and what it was like b...

Joe McFadden joins Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles. He started out in the detective series Taggart and went on to star in Take The High Road, The Crow Road, Heartbeat and Holby City. In 2017 he won Strictly, and he describes why he is donning sparkles again - to appear as Tick/Mitzi in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Gelong Thubten grew up in London and found himself in New York making a car...

Aasmah Mir and the Reverend Richard Coles are joined by the concert pianist and composer Stephen Hough. As an international performer he spends much of his life at airports, on planes and in hotel rooms and he talks about the thoughts and observations he has made during his travels which form his new book Rough Ideas. Cartoonist Michael Leunig explains how, after an unpromising start, he discovere...

Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles are joined by the actor, writer and director Simon Callow. He discusses his stage and screen career and how he’ll be performing at the WAWA Weekender to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Wac Arts, a charity which empowers young people to change the world through the arts. Classical musician Hannah Rankin explains how the discipline of being a professional bass...

Ainsley Harriott found fame as a chef on Ready Steady Cook, which he went on to present for ten years. He has since presented cookery programmes both here and in America and has sold over two million recipe books worldwide. In his latest book, Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen, he explores the way that the different historical and cultural influences on the Caribbean islands have created a diverse and v...

Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles are joined by the former England cricketer and legendary spin bowler Graeme Swann. He discusses his sporting career, waltzing on Strictly and his upcoming tour with Henry Blofeld - Dancing Down the Wicket. Libby Liburd explains how her shows Muvahood and Fighter were inspired by her own personal life experience as a single mother and a female boxer. Christine...

Fresh from a neuroscience degree, she burst into our consciousness almost ten years ago with her club anthem track Heaven, and then Read all About it with Professor Green. She was the only artist to perform at the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics. Writing for other artists as well as a successful solo career, she is back with a new single and tour and album to follow. Em...

Tony Blackburn talks to Aasmah Mir and Rev. Richard Coles about spending over 50 years as a DJ. He is still working for 4 radio stations, plus touring his Sounds Of The 60s show. Starting at Radio Caroline, the presenter opened Radio 1 and other career highlights include winning I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. Listener Red Szell shares his story of getting back into rock climbing after he lost...

The filmmaker Gurinder Chadha – of Bend it Like Beckham fame - joins Rev. Richard Coles and Luke Jones. She continues her exploration of Britain and India’s intertwined story, this time in late 18th Century Delhi. She also shares her love for Bruce Springsteen songs and the joys of hot tubs. Morris dancer cum morris milliner, Carole Jeffery, talks to us enroute to the National Morris Weekend in Ev...

Benjamin Zephaniah talks to Aasmah Mir and Rev. Richard Coles about the origins of his passion for rhyme, music and country living. Marian Newman went from being a forensic scientist to a nail expert whose career highlights include the supermodel nails for the Olympics 2012 Closing Ceremony. A clip of Daniel Alston and his sisters appeared on the Radio 4 programme Rewinder - they recall their memo...

Richard and Aasmah are joined by: Jo Brand, in comedy for over 30 years, trailblazing the way with her edgy humour at a time when there were very few women in standup. She came to comedy from psychiatric nursing and a strict upbringing. Listener and retired accountant Peter Barratt grew up hearing stories about his Great Grandmother Alice Hawkins who was a suffragette. 15 years ago he researched h...

Guest presenters Shaun Keaveny and Kate Silverton are joined by Anneka Rice. She reveals the story of Clemmie Hart, her fictional agent. Matthew Barley, the internationally renowned cellist, describes how a skiing accident transformed the way he plays. On the 50th anniversary of the John Lennon and Yoko’s Bed-In For Peace in Montreal, Saturday Live listener Gail Renard recalls her front row seat a...

Arlene Phillips talks to presenters Aasmah Mir and Luke Jones about her life and career, which includes choreographing Elton John and founding dance troupe Hot Gossip. Björn Again's founder and Agnetha talk about their life on and off stage. Johnboy Smith explains how an unexpected injury led to him becoming a successful wheelchair racer. Greg James shares his Inheritance Tracks: This is The Sea b...

Richard and Aasmah are joined by Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE, who began pursuing a pop career but drama took over with TV and theatre roles. As a writer, his first play won an award and his second transferred to the West End, he’s curated a World Festival of Black Arts and had an artistic directorship in Baltimore. Now he has been appointed Artistic Director of the Young Vic theatre in London. Caroline C...

David Harewood – actor, snowboarder, Brummie, goalie – joins Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles. Best known for roles in Homeland, Blood Diamond, The Night Manager and currently Supergirl, he reveals why he has now made a documentary called ‘Psychosis and Me’. Saturday Live listener Sarah Wyndham Lewis explains why she became a honey sommelier. A calling all the more remarkable because she is a...

Gok Wan talks to Aasmah Mir and Rev. Richard Coles about his latest show Say Yes to the Dress Lancashire, DJ’ing, cooking and his lifelong passion for fashion. Listener Hilary Wynter talks about her experience playing doubles with the Empress of Japan, the wife of the Emperor who has just abdicated. As it's the 4th May - Star Wars Day - we have Star Wars superfan Michael Absalom. Singer-songwriter...

Richard and Aasmah are joined by Dame Stephanie Shirley who arrived in the UK aged 5 as a refugee on the Kindertransport. She became a ground breaking IT entrepreneur who has since become a philanthropist and given over £60 million away. Her son inspired her to set up a school for children with Autism, and fund vital research. We also have Duff McKagan who joined Guns N' Roses as bass player aged...

Patti Boulaye is a British-Nigerian singer, actress and artist. She recalls coming to London aged 16, and appearing on the west end stage in shows from HAIR to Carmen Jones, and talks about her new one woman show Aretha and Me. Creative movement director and choreographer Yami ‘Rowdy’ Lofvenberg won the UK Hip Hop Championships in 2010, and worked on the London 2012 opening ceremony. She was adopt...

Photographer, publisher and film director Rankin joins Rev. Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir. He talks about swapping accountancy for photography, his career which includes photographing the Queen in 5 minutes, and the impact of having a child. Celebrating Record Store Day – we have Ashli Todd - owner of world’s oldest record store, Spillers in Cardiff. Journalist Babita Sharma recalls her experiences...

Ben Elton is co-writer of The Young Ones and Blackadder, a bestselling novelist, playwright, director and writer of Upstart Crow. He talks about his new and timely novel about identity, politics, middle age and murder; his life as a semi-Australian empty-nester, and why he’s about to embark on his first UK stand up tour in 15 years. The shortest shepherd in England, Sally Urwin, reveals why she ga...