Inheritance Tracks

On her Instagram profile, actor Tanya Moodie describes herself as Buddhist, actor, Willow’s mum, Mini Bull terrier mum. Born in Canada to Jamaican parents Tanya came to England at the age of 17 and got a place at RADA. She’s since worked with the RSC and The National Theatre and on TV is known for her award-winning work on the BBC series Motherland and for the RTE show The Clinic Inherited: Duppy...

You might know Ben Bailey Smith better as Doc Brown, an actor, comedian, rapper and screen writer. Ben was born to a Jamaican mother and English father in Willesden, north west London, his older sister is the celebrated writer Zadie Smith. He started rapping when he was 15, competing in Rap Battles in the early 2000’s, and became a successful stand up comedian. His acting talents have appeared in...

The frontman of one of the biggest music acts of the 90’s, Supergrass, Gaz was born in Oxford to a food scientist father and an English teaching mother. The family moved to San Francisco for a few of Gaz’s formative years, before returning to Oxford and at 13, he met 15-year-old Danny Goffey on the school playing field and that was the beginning of musical history. Supergrass released six studio a...

Sadiq Khan was born in 1970 in Tooting, south London. He became a solicitor in the early 90’s specializing in Human rights issues, and an MP in 2005. He was first elected as London Mayor in 2016, becoming the third mayor of the city and its first Muslim mayor. In his new book 'Breathe: Tackling the Climate Emergency' he describes his reaction to being diagnosed with adult-onset asthma. He reveals...

Alex George was an A & E doctor in London when he entered the nation’s consciousness by appearing on the fourth series of Love Island. Although he initially returned to work on the ward, the media clamour for his talent eventually lured him away. Using his medical expertise, he hosted a podcast, made appearances on many of the nation’s favourite TV shows and then, in 2020, his youngest brother...

Mathew Baynton is an actor, writer, comedian and musician – who shot to fame as part of the troop who brought us the historical and hysterical sketch show Horrible Histories on CBBC. Since then, along with his fellow co-stars, he has gone on to create, write and star in the critically acclaimed BBC series – Ghosts. He describes how he finds inspiration in both the light and shade of Leonard Cohen'...

Douglas Stuart’s debut novel Shuggie Bain won him The Booker Prize in 2020. It centres around an alcoholic single mother and her gay son navigating life on a Glasgow estate and it reflects Douglas’ own troubled upbringing. After near homelessness he earned a place at The Royal College of Art…and went on to land in the epicentre of New York fashion, working for huge brands. In this edition of the p...

Alex Jones, is a broadcaster possibly best known and host of The One Show on BBC One. But her new show Reunion Hotel sees her give people a unique chance to reunite with one person from your past in one-of-a-kind hotel. In this edition of the podcast Alex reunites with the sound of Elton John playing on vinyl in the woodchip walls of her childhood home, and remembers the joy of the birth of her so...

Sir Tony Robinson is a multi-hyphenate; an actor, comedian, broadcaster and author whose career has, so far, spanned 50 years. He’s probably best-known for playing turnip-brained Baldrick (who always had 'a cunning plan) in the iconic TV show Blackadder, and his twenty-year stint fronting Channel 4’s Time Team, a series inspired by own his passion for digging deep into the past, to understand the...

In this edition of Inheritance Tracks Rufus Wainwright reveals the stories behind the music that continues to inspire him; from the highlands of Scotland to a powerful song gifted to his peers and contemporary gay men. Rufus will be performing at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival on April 29th. Music: Inherited: Wild Mountain Thyme - Judy Collins Pass on: Heading for Home by Peggy Seeger

As well as being a consummate journalist, newsreader and broadcaster, Sophie does ‘beyond the limits’ running…the Marathon des Sables for example…for pleasure?! In this edition of Inheritance Tracks she reveals the very personal stories behind the music that continues to inspire her and evoke such fond and beautiful memories; from her Grandfather's peerless piano performances to the raucously fun...

For Elizabeth Day, nothing succeeds like failure as her award-winning podcast How To Fail With Elizabeth Day proves - and getting in the way of defeat once again is her new book Friendaholic: Confessions of a Friendship Addict. In this edition of Inheritance Tracks she reveals how a warm down track in a spin class helped her through a tough time in her life and how the story behind one Abba classi...

Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto and On My Feelings by Ruby Modine

Joan Baez performing There but for fortune, Nina Simone: Feeling Good

I Feel by Teddy Thompson and Any Dream Will Do by Jason Donovan

Eric Bibb, The Cape and Lianne La Havas, Green Papaya

Nothing Shines Unless It Burns by Belladonna and Fratres by Arvo Pärt

Let's Stay Together by Al Green and Move On Up by Curtis Mayfield.

He's Misstra Know-It-All by Stevie Wonder and Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven

If You Don't Know Me By Now by Simply Red and California King Bed by Rihanna

Saving All My Love for You by Whitney Houston and Chicago by Sufjan Stevens

Photo credit: Joseph Sinclair

Mona Lisa by Nat King Cole and Don't Fence Me In by Gene Autry

Good Morning Mr Walker by The Mighty Sparrow and Killer Queen by Queen

Everything I Own by Ken Boothe and Stevie Wonder, Living for the City