Saturday Live

The wildlife cameraman and presenter, Gordon Buchanan, joins Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles. He's spent his life getting close to wild animals - following black bears in Minnesota, travelling to the remote Canadian Arctic to film wolves and coming face to face with a 1000 lb polar bear! Saturday Live listener, Chrissi Kelly, talks about Anosmia: the impact losing her smell has had on her life, the s...

With Red Nose day fast approaching Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir are joined by tv presenter and property expert Kirstie Allsopp to talk taking part in the Comic Relief Danceathon, our enduring affection for tv property programmes and her problem dog Dandy. Just as well canine behaviourist Rob Alleyne is on hand. As well as being a dog trainer, Rob worked as an animal welfare officer for a local aut...

Radio DJ Scott Mills joins Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles to talk about being a DJ and how he was the uncoolest kid in the playground. Recently Scott took part in Strictly Come Dancing where he was famously not very good. Mike Farley tried his hand at acting and stand-up comedy before a friend spotted that he looked a bit like Henry VIII and got him involved in re-enactments - and the rest is histor...

Ruby Wax joins Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir to talk about how she brings her knowledge of neuroscience, spiked with comedy, to her one woman show. David Reynolds explains how his grandfather's letters, and enthralling childhood stories of the Wild West, inspired him to embark on a road trip along Highway 83 from Canada to the Mexican border. He describes some of the local characters he met, the th...

TV presenter Rachel Khoo and bestselling author of The Little Paris Kitchen joins Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles to talk about her new personal cookbook. Kitchen Notebook sees Rachel move on from French cooking to give us a collection of recipes from her around the world travels. Alan Radbourne was about to graduate from University when he found a pound coin on the floor. He had a thought- could he...

The actress, script-writer and producer Ruth Jones joins Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles. Known for her role as 'Nessa Jenkins' in the BBC's award-winning sitcom Gavin and Stacey, she's now back on our screens in the comedy drama series Stella. Trend forecaster James Wallman describes why we have more stuff than we could ever need. It's cluttering up our homes and making us feel 'stuffocated'. He exp...

Omid Djalili, the British-Iranian stand-up comedian and actor, joins Richard Coles and Suzy Klein to talk his relationship with Iran, comic sensitivities and that dive off the 10m board in Splash!. Also on the programme, a former international hostage and police negotiator Richard Mullender who now works advising business in 'engagement'. He tells us what makes him the Lewis Hamilton of expert lis...

"Restoration Man" and Amazing Spaces presenter George Clarke joins Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles to talk about leaving school at sixteen without any qualifications and his passion for bringing buildings back to life. Find out how a present from his Granddad set him on the road to becoming an architect. Sherika Sherard quit University to get a job. But it took her almost a year to get work and in th...

Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles are joined by Olympic Gold medallist Sally Gunnell. Now an ambassador for Sport England, she discusses how she keeps fit, her role in her local community in Sussex and how her sons now outrun her! Saturday Live listener Alice Munro contacted the programme to tell us about the community in Wirksworth, Derbyshire and why it's a special place to live. Matt Barlow accepted...

Artistic Director and acclaimed comedian, Viv Groskop joins Aasmah Mir and Suzy Klein to talk about the 'caw' of stand-up comedy and what it's like making tea for famous authors at the Bath Literature Festival. Ten years ago Paul Sinton-Hewitt was fired and then had a bad fall when training for a half marathon which ruptured his stomach. Not knowing what to do with himself and determined not to gi...

Chef, restaurateur and Masterchef judge Marcus Wareing joins Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles. Actor, presenter and reality TV star Alison Hammond talks celebrity, 'Strictly' and allotments. We hear the extraordinary story of the woman who fell in love with her sperm donor. Aminah Hart's daughter was born two years ago following IVF using an anonymous donor, but she tracked down the donor and is now e...

Anton du Beke of Strictly Come Dancing joins Aasmah Mir and Suzy Klein. Anton has been with Strictly from the beginning, having famously partnered Ann Widdecombe, Nancy Dell'Olio, and most recently Judy Murray. As he is about to go on tour with his dance partner, Erin Boag, he explains how he became involved in ballroom dancing and why his favourite dance is the Foxtrot. The poet Mr. Gee shares se...

Journalist Jon Snow joins Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles to discuss 25 years of being the face of Channel 4 News. Also on the programme, Luke Simon was living in Thailand when the 2004 Tsunami struck. He lost his brother when the low lying island of Ko Phi Phi was subsumed by sea water. He tells us how life has moved on, about the power of sibling relationships and the charity he set up in his broth...

The BBC's Formula 1 presenter, Suzi Perry, joins Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir to discuss life on the road, her passion for speed, her rock and roll childhood and time spent working backstage at her local theatre. Ben Collins, ex-"The Stig" from the BBC's Top Gear, takes Richard on a circuit of Rockingham Racetrack. With more than 30 years' experience Mark Thompson shares his passion for "amateur a...

The choreographer Matthew Bourne and X Factor 2013 winner Sam Bailey join Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles. We meet the friends of Malala Yousafzai who were shot by the Taliban in Pakistan two years ago and are now studying in rural Wales. They will be reunited with Malala this week as she receives the Nobel Peace Prize. Tim Wootton was told he wouldn't live long enough to finish school because of a g...

In a special programme for Saturday Live's Listener Week, wildlife presenter Steve Backshall joins Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles to talk intricate animal communities, how he earned his nickname 'manure boy' and whether his sequined onesie is to be retired forever. Also with us are listener Simon Digby who got in touch about a series of stories about things he got up to when he was young that he nev...

Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles are joined by vocal coach, singer and television presenter, Carrie Grant. Best known for her role as the vocal coach on the hit talent show, Fame Academy, she has also worked on Pop Idol and The One Show, where she conducted 500 viewers in the life-affirming "virtual choir". Rebecca Root explains how she helps transsexual and transgendered people, like herself, to disc...

Ade Adepitan - the Paralympian, actor and TV presenter - joins Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles. As does magician Megan Knowles-Bacon, the first ever female secretary of the Magic Circle, and ghost-writer of resignation letters Matt Potter. JP Devlin wants your stories of resignations, sackings and grand exits (email saturdaylive@bbc.co.uk ). BBC Radio 1 presenter Gemma Cairney goes chess boxing. And...

Mezzo-Soprano Katherine Jenkins joined Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir. Saturday Live hosted a special auction, offering listeners the chance to bid for some amazing prize packages to raise money for BBC Children in Need. LINES ARE NOW CLOSED - PLEASE DO NOT CALL OR TRY TO BID. Jonathan Agnew described the Test Match Special package; Felicity Finch aka Ruth Archer talked about the VIP Archers experie...

The comedian Shappi Khorsandi joins Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles to talk new shows, shyness and single motherhood. Emmanuel Jal shares his story and some of his music. At just six years old he was recruited to fight in Sudan's civil war and lost more than five years to the conflict. Now the self-described 'peace soldier' says his only weapon is music. Lutz Pfannenstiel is the only person to have p...

Actor Tom Hollander joins Suzy Klein and Jay Rayner to talk Rev, Dylan Thomas and his attempts at DIY. JP Devlin raises a pint to Dylan Thomas on the centenary of his birth at one of Thomas's old London drinking haunts. Carole Stone has been described as Britain's most connected woman. She reveals her networking secrets and tells us why she doesn't make her connections through social media. He may...

Presented by Suzy Klein and Richard Coles. International rock star Bryan Adams talks about his career as a photographer with the likes of his musical hero Ray Charles and his latest project with wounded soldiers. Change and transformation, too, for Lee Spencer. An Afghanistan and Iraq veteran, he describes how he lost a leg - not on the battlefield but while being a good Samaritan on a British mot...

Alison Lapper joins Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles. For two years a 12 foot statue of her naked and pregnant body was on display in Trafalgar Square in London and since 2000 - the year her son was born - she has been followed by the BBC TV series 'Child of Our Time'. Despite being born with no arms she is a professional artist. Martha Collison, the Great British Bake Off's youngest ever contestant,...

Presented by Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir. Kanya King MBE is the founder and CEO of the MOBO Awards, Europe's leading urban music brand, which has played a major role in bringing black music and culture to the mainstream. Now in its 19th year, it reaches in excess of 400 million viewers. Kanya reveals how she started it from a makeshift office in her bedroom, and by re-mortgaging her home. George...

Actor and songwriter Gary Kemp joins Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles to talk about 'Soul Boys of the Western World', a film documenting the rise, fall and return of 80's band Spandau Ballet. Hilary Bradt is the founder of the Bradt travel guides. To mark 40 years in the business she shares some of her more irresponsible travel stories. Jimmy G is one of Russia's biggest pop stars but unheard of anywh...