Vix B Riverside Radio Replay

This week we celebrate the glorious Wimbledon fortnight! Vix B’s special guest is Tim Phillips, former Chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club and a former Wimbledon player. From stepping onto the grass courts himself to overseeing the Championships, Tim has seen Wimbledon from every angle and joins Vix to share the stories, traditions and behind-the-scenes secrets of tennis’s m...

This week we celebrate exit strategies across SW London! Vix is joined by special guest, Poppy Mardall of Poppy's Funerals. That's right - a local funeral director who's completely changing the conversation around life, loss and celebration. We chat community, compassion, and why a little planning ahead can be one of the kindest gifts you leave behind. The ‘Local Lowdown’ features a Talking Tour o...

This week we celebrate football as a force for good! Vix B’s guest is David Dein MBE - former vice-chair of Arsenal F.C. and one of the most influential figures in the club’s modern history. David helped shape the Arsenal fans know and love today, working alongside Arsène Wenger during the legendary Invincibles era - and what a day to speak to him, just after Arsenal’s Premier League title win! Da...

This week we celebrate community volunteering across SW London! Vix B’s guest this week is Imogen, a dedicated volunteer with Regenerate RISE (Reaching the Isolated Elderly) who work across Wandsworth. Living with physical disabilities, Imogen shares how she channels her remarkable positivity and natural gift for conversation into building warm connections with others. She’s a passionate advocate...

This week Vix is joined by Gyles Brandreth! Local Icon Gyles Brandreth is a broadcaster, podcaster, Gogglebox favourite, raconteur, writer, speaker… the list goes on! He is the ultimate multi hyphenate! We chat about his life in Barnes, all he continues to contribute to his community and his love of SW London.  Plus, Vix B loves returns with the inside scoop on the best local activities, arts...

This week we celebrate parenting across SW London! Vix B’s guest this week is Dolly Jones, journalist and author of 'Leaving The Ladder Down', a book exploring how parents navigate - and THRIVE - while juggling family and work.  The ‘Local Lowdown’ features a Talking Tour of brilliant places in our boroughs allowing parents to combine work and childcare effectively. Regular show features ‘Vix...

This week we celebrate the ringing of church bells across SW London! Vix B’s special guest, Jackie Harrison, is Tower Captain of the bell-ringing team at St Mary Magdalene Church in Richmond. You can see the team in action most Sundays and on special occasions - and enjoy the beautiful sound of their bells ringing out across our boroughs. The ‘Local Lowdown’ features a Talking Tour of the church b...

This week we celebrate football across SW London! Rachel Pavlou, Women’s Football Development Manager at the The Football Association, joins us from Wembley Stadium to talk all things football - and how you can get involved right here in South West London. From the early days of the women’s game to today’s explosion of opportunity, she shares her journey - and why the future of football has never...

This week we celebrate Shakespeare across SW London! Vix B’s special guest this week is Jude Kelly CBE – award-winning theatre director, founder of Battersea Arts Centre, former creative director of the South Bank Centre and founder of the WOW (Women of the World) Foundation. She’s bringing ‘Shakespeare’s Women’ to Twickenham in aid of Refuge - what a way to mark Women’s History Month! T...

This week we celebrate all things International Women’s Day! Vix B’s Local Heroes this week are CEO Carmen and volunteer Brigitta from the WONDER Foundation aka 'Women’s Network for Development & Educational Resources’. Built on a simple belief - that women and girls facing poverty aren’t just beneficiaries, but leaders and change-makers - this Brixton-based organisation is helping a...

This week we celebrate the musicality of SW London! Vix B’s special guest this week the renowned composer and local resident Roxanna Panufnik. We chat about the upcoming Barnes Music Festival and the Phenomenal Females Festival AND that time when she composed a piece of music for the King’s coronation and attended the ceremony! The ‘Local Lowdown’ features a Talking Tour of music festivals across...

This week we celebrate good health across SW London! Vix’s guest is Dr Susie Stanway, the wonderful oncologist who helped set up London Global Cancer Week, and who today is helping us mark World Cancer Day with a hopeful look at what we can do to support ourselves and each other as we come together to beat cancer. The ‘Local Lowdown’ features a Talking Tour of ways to find February cheer...

This week we celebrate exciting new opportunities in Wimbledon! Vix B’s guests are Ash, Natalie and Alex of the new Wimbledon Citizen Hub. They want to design it for locals with locals. This will mean job and volunteering opportunities and, above all, finding and building community. So get in touch and see what this could mean for you! The ‘Local Lowdown’ features a Talking Tour of the history of...

This week we celebrate the music & bands of SW London! Vix B’s Local Hero & Expert is Kev Westbury, previously the founder and managing director of the brilliant Basement Door charity which builds confidence and skills in young people through live music events. He’s now launched his own music label, KS Music, and we’re along for the ride! The ‘Local Lowdown’ features a Talking Tour of the...

This week we celebrate the joy of singing together across SW London!   Vix B’s guest this week is Richard Knight, a proud member of the London Gay Men’s Chorus. Richard shares his passion for this brilliant charity choir, reflecting on the joy of singing together, the power of collective voices and the community he’s found both on and off the stage.   The ‘Local Lowdown’ features a Talki...

Local Icon this week is the wonderful Aled Jones MBE, our special festive guest as we celebrate 40 years of  The Snowman . Four decades on from recording the iconic song  We’re Walking in the Air -  which catapulted him to household-name status as a young boy - Aled remains as much a part of British Christmas culture as mince pies and crackers! The ‘Local Lowdown’ has...

This week we celebrate Italy across SW London!   Our Local Expert, Italian cook Vittoria, hails from Calabria in the toe of Italy and now lives in Putney. She talks us through how to find the taste of Italy across SW London and gives us excellent foodie advice for how to inject a bit of southern Italian taste and style into our Christmas!   The ‘Local Lowdown’ features a T...

This week we celebrate natural autumnal beauty across SW London! Our  Local Expert  is  Anna Wardrop  - the garden designer extraordinaire behind some of South West London’s most beautiful green spaces. Anna shares her top tips on making the most of autumn’s beauty across our local parks and gardens, and how to prepare your own green patch for the winter months and the spring b...

This week we celebrate wellbeing through gardening work in SW London! Vix B's local heroes are Claudia and Ben of Thrive Charity, who bring positive change to the lives of people with disabilities and ill health through gardening. They chat to us about their newly opened Sanctuary Garden in Battersea Park, especially designed for those with dementia to work in - and for everyone to enjoy!   T...

This week we celebrate inclusivity across SW London! Vix B’s Local Hero is actor Aurelie Burton, who chats to us about the new play in which she stars. Her experiences of living with autism have been the inspiration behind this production and her aim is to educate the world to be a more kind, understanding and inclusive place. ‘Monster’d’ is on soon at the Bread & Roses Theatre in Cl...

This week we celebrate the musical heritage of SW London! Vix B’s Local Hero is Kev Westbury, founder and managing director of the Richmond based charity, The Basement Door. This brilliant organisation builds confidence and skills in young people by providing training and experience through live music events.  The ‘Local Lowdown’ features a Talking Tour of the musical heritage of the borough...

This week we celebrate the gardens and trees of SW London! Vix B’s Local Expert is Emma House, curator of the Garden Museum in Lambeth. We also hear from artist Nancy Cadogan whose exhibition, 'The Lost Trees', is on at the Garden Museum right now.  The ‘Local Lowdown’ features a Talking Tour of amazing trees across SW London. Regular show features ‘Vix B Style’ and ‘Vix B Loves…’ have the in...

This week we celebrate superstar actor Stockard Channing and her directorial debut! Vix B is joined by Local Icon, Stockard Channing, and David Westhead — the star of the play she’s directing, Krapp’s Last Tape — to talk about their upcoming production at the Exchange Theatre in Twickenham.  The ‘Local Lowdown’ celebrates all that is wonderful about SW London. Regular show features ‘Vix B Sty...

This week we celebrate the WI in SW London! Vix B’s Local Hero is Becky Warburton, founder and president of the Tooting WI. Inspired by the 110-year legacy of the Women’s Institute, Becky saw an opportunity to bring that tradition to life in a modern, inclusive way in her own community. She founded the Tooting WI to create a welcoming space that’s supportive, creative, and intergenerational—w...

This week we celebrate the positive power of music-making in SW London! Vix B’s Local Hero is Tara Maysey, music teacher, leader of Age UK Richmond’s Patch Ukulele Band and founder of the London Ukulele Project - now a country wide initiative - who uses the ukulele to combat loneliness and create communities across SW London.  The ‘Local Lowdown’ features a Talking Tour of out...