Saturday Live

With Aasmah Mir and the Rev Richard Coles Actor and writer David Mitchell talks about playing William Shakespeare in new series Upstart Crow, his comedy partnership with Robert Webb, and being unable to read people, despite getting a lot of practice as team Captain on Would I Lie to You. As the football season comes to an end, listener Angela Hallam talks about the craft of making football mascots...

Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir are joined by Mark Haddon. Best known for writing multi prize winning novel The Curious Incident of the dog in the Nighttime, author and illustrator Mark Haddon will discuss his first book of short stories and getting writers block. Since 2009 a third of our public libraries have closed. Poet and model Greta Bellamacina joins us to talk about a film she's made in suppo...

With Aasmah Mir and the Rev Richard Coles Lenny Henry talks about his new album of Blues music and his hugely successful career in show business. Following the news that he will receive a special BAFTA award at this year's ceremony, Lenny discusses how his career has moved from TV comedian to Shakespearean actor and scriptwriter. Lenny is also one of the founders of the charity Comic Relief which...

With Aasmah Mir and the Rev Richard Coles James Nesbitt talks about going back to his childhood home to play Colin Howell in real life drama The Secret, the return of Cold Feet and his Shakespearean roles. Edward Wilson-Lee has just published the book Shakespeare in Swahililand, he talks about growing up in Kenya and the bard's legacy in parts of Africa. Composer and musician William Lyons will be...

Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles talk to the actress Michelle Collins about her love of markets and clothes, her singing and acting career from EastEnders to Coronation Street, and her latest role in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Wayne Hemingway shares his passion for classic cars, boot sales and his vast collection of vintage vinyl. The 'natural navigator' Tristan Gooley, explains how to read wat...

Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir are joined by DJ and writer Stuart Maconie. Stuart's new paperback 'The Pie at Night', is an exploration of "what the North does for fun" and a defence of northerners who make the effort to get dressed up for a glam night out. Stuart reveals the little-known corners of northern towns and countryside where old or quirky customs still live on. Saba Douglas-Hamilton met h...

Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir are joined by Paul Young. His music was the sound of the 80's, with a multitude of chart topping hits, he won Best British Male at the Brit awards, toured Europe and America, and sang the opening lines of 'Do they know it's Christmas' for Band Aid in 1984. Paul Young talks about his passion for music, performing, 'Tex Mex' and Soul, the theme of the first solo album he...

Presented by Aasmah Mir and Suzy Klein. Dexter Fletcher's big break came as a child actor when he was cast a BabyFace in Bugsby Malone. He talks about his acting career, move into directing and the technical challenges of making his latest film Eddie the Eagle. Shazia Mirza is an award winning stand-up comedian, a writer and columnist. Brought up in a strict Muslim household, she trained as a scie...

With the Rev. Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir Mel Giedroyc is taking on her most serious acting role, playing an American mother dealing with the potentially troubling actions of her son, in the play Luce. Mel also discusses the importance of her name, her relationship with Sue Perkins and The Great British Bake Off. Chinese sportswoman Lijia Xu left her parents to become a full time sailor aged ten...

Anita Dobson's acting career spans more than forty years. She found fame in the 1980s playing pub landlady Angie Watts in EastEnders. She has starred in television, film and theatre productions as diverse as Hamlet, Follies and London Road. She talks about her career and growing up in the East End. Alastair Humphreys is an adventurer who has cycled around the world and walked a lap of the M25. He...

Aasmah Mir and the Reverend Richard Coles are joined by Bafta award winning actor Rebecca Front to talk about being funny, playing dislikeable characters and claustrophobia. Chef and writer Allegra McEvedy has been cooking professionally for over 20 years, in London and the USA. She set up food chain LEON, is a Patron of the Fairtrade foundation, writes food columns and cookery books and last year...

Marian Keyes joins the Rev. Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir. A columnist, blogger and bestselling author of a dozen novels, she has sold more than 33 million copies worldwide. She shares her passion for "the twitters", collecting drawer knobs, browsing in chemists and "beachouse banjo" - chalk painting old furniture. Gilding the recycled lily, mosaic maker Ed Chapman talks about his portraits which h...

The actor Laurence Fox is best known for playing DI James Hathaway in the ITV crime drama Lewis. He's now on the London stage playing a giant of history Charles de Gaulle in 'The Patriotic Traitor'. He is part of Britain's most famous acting dynasty that includes his father James, uncle Edward and cousin Emilia. He is now carving out a career in music and has just released his debut album. He join...

After playing tough guys in Layer Cake, Oliver Twist and Nil by Mouth, the part of thug Derek Branning in Eastenders seemed a natural choice for actor Jamie Foreman. But with comedy parts in Birds of a Feather and Pantomime under his belt he's now pushing his boundaries with an all singing all dancing role in Mrs Henderson Presents in the West End in London. Given his background as an East End gan...

The singer-songwriter and actor Ronan Keating joins Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles. Ronan has sold more than 45 million records worldwide as a solo artist, and alongside Boyzone. After a break to star to critical acclaim in the west end musical Once, and appear as a judge on Australian X-Factor, he has returned with a very personal album. He describes how he was inspired from newfound happi...

Nicky Clarke, hairdresser to the stars, shares his style tips and tales of celebrity clients from Elizabeth Taylor to Princess Diana. In 1966 George Cohen helped England to victory in the World Cup. Now he's back with stories of glory and to highlight how sporting memories can help people with dementia. You will almost certainly have heard the voice of Tessa Niles, but you will probably not know h...

The stand-up comedian, broadcaster and newspaper columnist grew up in Kent with his adopted parents. He's currently touring the country with his new stand up show. 'Who do I think I am?, which deals with his efforts to trace his birth mother. He discusses his experience of tracing his roots, and his endless fascination with British towns. Paula Zuccotti is an ethnographer, industrial designer and...

Reverend Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir are joined by Katy Brand. Comedian Katy Brand graced our screen in her Big Ass Show where we saw her parody pop culture. She danced like Beyonce for Sport Relief, has written her first novel Brenda Monk is Funny and her acting credits include Peep show and Nanny McPhee. Now she's a judge on the Costa book awards. Almost four years ago Clare Owen found a gold w...

The hypnotist and self-help author, Paul McKenna, has sold more than 10 million books worldwide. He describes his career, working with celebrity clients, and reveals his latest work on how to gain influence and charisma. Dr. Irving Finkel began collecting diaries as a hobby, before co-founding The Great Diary Project - a collection of more than 6,000 unpublished diaries. He explains the fascinatio...

Actress and author Pauline McLynn talks about her varied career which includes Mrs Doyle in Father Ted and Nasty Nick Cotton's ex-wife in EastEnders. She also discusses being attracted to playing baddies and explains why she's knitting for chickens. Hollywood trainer Dalton Wong has worked with Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence and got Kit Harington into shape for Game of Thrones. Dalton talks about...

Join Aasmah Mir and Suzy Klein for a live Boxing Day Saturday Live. Russell Grant has been synonymous with astrology ever since he interpreted the stars on breakfast TV in the 1980s. But if you remember his flamboyant outfits and presenting style, it wasn't hard to see where his real love lay. In 2011 he joined the cast of Strictly and it catapulted him back into the world of theatre, a passion wh...

Game show regular and former MP Gyles Brandreth discusses the wonders and curiosities of the English language. Great British Bake Off presenter Sue Perkins reveals how she overcame childhood shyness, how conducting music turned her adult life around, and where she hides smelly cheese. Veteran entertainer Bruce Forsyth shares his Inheritance Tracks and why he feels that Frank Sinatra followed his l...

Michael Morpurgo joins Aasmah Mir and the Reverend Richard Coles. He describes how stories from his mother, and a decorated soldier from WWI, have inspired his latest novel; the importance of daydreaming and his reimagining of the Nativity. Helen Sharman became the first Briton in space in 1991. She recalls how that experience affected the rest of her life as we countdown the days to Tim Peake's l...

It's listener week on Saturday Live with Reverend Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir. We've accepted Philip Farmer's invitation to come to his house in Wolverhampton. Philip, his wife Sarah and daughter Hannah discuss their city. BBC Formula 1 presenter Suzi Perry, recently nominated as one of the Wolverhampton's Famous Daughters, will be talking about her connection to the city, Wolverhampton Wanderers...

Richard Coles and Aasmar Mir are joined by Caroline Quentin. She became a national treasure as the long suffering Dorothy on Men Behaving Badly, followed by lead roles in Jonathan Creek, Blue Murder and Life of Riley. She has presented documentary series on Cornwall and India, and Restoration Home. More recently she's performed at Bristol Old Vic and in the West End. She joins us ahead of a new BB...