Loose Ends

The comedian and podcaster Stevie Martin is currently battling it out in the latest series of Channel 4’s award winning show Taskmaster - you might have enjoyed her "most snooty possession" which was a portrait of her pet tortoise in military uniform. She'll be here to tell us all about getting "the call" and her favourite games...sorry... tasks. Its also tricky-book-titles week on Loose Ends. The award winning novelist and screenwriter Emma Jane Unsworth likes a one word name for her books - the best selling Adults and Animals, which went on to become a feature film starring Holliday Grainger, and scooped Emma a British Independent Film Award - for the script. Her new book is called Slags, Stuart'll be finding out why. And travel writer Ben Aitken went to twelve of the least popular spots in the UK and Ireland for his book - Sh**ty Breaks. He'll be explaining the joys of travelling in the opposite direction to everybody else and still managing to get a great instagram photo. Music will be from the Jess Gillam Trio and former Welsh Music Prize winner Georgia Ruth. Presented by Stuart Maconie Produced by Olive Clancy

Joining Stuart Maconie in the Salford studio are the actress Phina Oruche who began her career modelling in America. She's best known for playing Liberty Baker in Footballers Wives. Phina is currently on stage at the Liverpool Everyman in Nathan Powell's new play 'Takeaway', where she stars as Carol, the matriach behind Hyltons Caribbean takeaway. Kate Mossman is facinated by 'Men of A Certain Age'. so she's written a book to try to get to the bottom of why she's so enthralled by a certain kind of wrinkly rock star. Drag Race star Divina De Campo has been touring her solo show, a mix of comedy, song and storytelling, and Joe Kent-Walters won best newcomer at this year's Edinburgh Comedy Awards for his show in the guise of Frankie Monroe, the owner of Rotherham's finest working men's club 'The Misty Moon'.And there's music from Gruff Rhys, who has just released a remastered version of his 2014 album 'American Interior'Presenter: Stuart Maconie Producer: Jessica Treen

Taskmaster star, comic and sitcom actor Alex Horne joins Clive Anderson to talk about season two of his sitcom, to introduce his comedic band The Horne Section and tell us why he's never running out of taskmaster tasks. The lexicographer and broadcaster Susie Dent is now a mystery thriller writer too, she'll be with us to talk about twisty word clues and her all-encompassing love of the English language. Star of Its A Sin, Callum Scott-Howells is currently appearing on stage in Ibsen's Ghosts - he'll tell Clive why this 19th century play still has plenty to tell us today. The historian Kate Williams is often found on our TV screens telling us what's going on during coronations and royal weddings. But she's here to talk about her less sober side hustle - a podcast dishing the gossip from royal history. With music from Anoushka Shankar's latest album, the concluding part of a trilogy which has been orchestrated and will be part of this years' BBC Proms programme.Presented by Clive Anderson Produced by Olive Clancy

Rachel Joyce’s debut novel The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was a bestseller in 30 languages, became a much-loved film with Jim Broadbent and is about to become a stage musical. She's also got a new novel, a sun-soaked family drama called The Homemade God which has already been hailed by one critic as "the perfect holiday read". Levison Wood has travelled to 150 countries but holiday reading probably isn't top of his priorities as an explorer, documentary maker and photographer. He'll join us to talk about a career that's seen him serve in the army in Afghanistan, walk the full length of the Nile, make documentaries about endangered animals and circumnavigate the Arabian Peninsula. The actor and comedian Kiell Smith Bynoe starred in Ghosts and Stath Lets Flats and presented the Great British Sewing Bee but is about to go on tour with the aim of making improv cool again. Kool Story Bro sees him and a cast of comedians and actors pick up stories from audiences and make them into a show. What can he improv from this week's Loose Ends? Plus music from a contrasting pair of singer-songwriters - indie folk from Matilda Mann and jazz inflected from Maya Delilah.Presented by Stuart Maconie Produced in Salford by Olive Clancy

Clive Anderson will be joined by comedian and star of Two Doors Down Kieran Hodgson ahead of his upcoming show Voice Of America.Chef Julie Lin's cookery book Sama Sama celebrates all parts of her Malaysian, Chinese and Scottish identity and mixes tradition with innovation. Lewis Gribben stars in the new series of Charlie Brooker's multi award-winning dystopian drama Black Mirror. Selali Fiamanya's debut novel Before We Hit the Ground is set between Ghana and Glasgow and explores love, grief, family and belonging. With music from Skerryvore and Mike McKenzie.

Stuart Maconie will be joined by comedian Karen Dunbar, star of sketch comedy show Chewin’ The Fat, ahead of her nationwide tour. Restless Natives: The Musical is the new stage adaptation of the Scottish cult classic. Actor Kirsty MacLaren stars in the show which brings some of Big Country's greatest hits to life. Rosco McClelland celebrates his recent win, having taken home the Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at Glasgow International Comedy Festival. World-record breaking adventurer Mollie Hughes became the youngest woman to climb both sides of Mount Everest, and the youngest woman to ski solo to the South Pole. Her latest book is called Breathe.With music from NATI. and Lewis McLaughlin.Presenter: Stuart Maconie Producer: Caitlin Sneddon

Joining Clive Anderson in the Loose Ends studio are the Emmy award-winning actor Billy Porter, currently hanging out in the Kit-Kat club where he is starring as Emcee. Comedian and 'Guilty Feminist' podcaster Deborah Frances White has just published a new book 'Six Conversations We're Scared to Have', about how to ask difficult questions and change minds - including our own.Anna Chancellor stars in April De Angelis's 'Playhouse Creatures', about the first women of theatre at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond, London.Music from Lapsley, one of the BBC Radio 1 Sound of... artists in 2025, she is about to release her fourth album 'I'm a Hurricane I'm a Woman in Love', the first on her own record label 'Her Own Recordings', and from poet and musician Anthony Joseph's new album 'Rowing Up River To Get Our Names Back' Presenter: Clive Anderson Producer: Jessica Treen

Loose Ends this week is all about finding the light. Poet, performer and broadcaster Michael Rosen is touring a one man show making sense of some of the darker moments of his life. Dylan Jones was the editor of era-defining magazines like i-D, Arena and British GQ in the 1990s and noughties. Now his memoir, These Foolish Things - tells how he left behind a difficult childhood to embrace a career that encompasses hobnobbing with celebrities from Elton John to Tracey Emin, taking phone calls from David Bowie and recommending a tailor to Gordon Brown. There's dark themes too to the Texan comedian Kemah Bob's new show Miss Fortunate which tells the story of a disastrous solo trip to Thailand. It was hailed as "chest-achingly funny" and "charismatic" by the critics and won her a Best Newcomer nomination at Edinburgh Festival Last year. The actress Barbara Flynn knows how to pick her projects, appearing in Cracker, Cranford and now the BBC's hit drama Beyond Paradise where cosy crime meets health concerns, heated relationships and family niggles. With music by the winner of Channel 4's talent show The Piano Brad Kella, who is about to tour with Take That's Gary Barlow and the folk singer and protest song writer Grace Petrie.Presented by Stuart Maconie Produced in Salford by Olive Clancy

Clive Anderson's guests in Salford include Bridget Christie who returns with series two of The Change. Gardener's World expert Adam Frost who is on the road with his 'Lessons from the Garden' tour and up and coming stand up Louise Young. Music is from Richard Dawson who has just released a new album 'End of the Middle' and cellist and singer Abel Selaocoe performs from his new album 'Hymns of Bantu'Presenter: Clive Anderson Producer: Jessica Treen

Stuart Maconie and guests come together with mighty laughs, big stories, and altogether good craic from Lisburn, Northern Ireland. Declan Lawn is a screenwriter of multiple TV series alongside his creative partner Adam Patterson, including the successful Blue Lights as well as the BBC miniseries The Salisbury Poisonings. Series three of Blue Lights is currently being filmed in Belfast, and he is currently writing series four. Comedian John Meagher is currently touring his stand-up show Big Year across the UK and Ireland. He chats about his big years in mixed martial arts prior to kicking off a career on the comedy circuit, as well as his Radio 4 documentary The Divil's Own. Writer Naoise Dolan has travelled the world after success with her bestsellers Exciting Times and The Happy Couple, but is returning back to Dublin as she spends this year as the inaugural IPUT Writer-In-Residence. County Tyrone comedian Emer Maguire is bringing her biggest gig yet - Notions - to the Grand Opera House later this year, exploring her experiences of growing up with autism and finding the funny in the most unexpected of places.After a year of accolades and success within the Irish music industry, Corkonian musician Chubby Cat performs a track from her latest EP THE FINE ART OF DISASSOCIATION accompanied on guitar by Ben Murray. Portaferry born singer-songwriter Ryan McMullan performs a track from his upcoming EP In This Room, before beginning his UK and Ireland tour in April. Presenter: Stuart Maconie Producer: Anthony McKee A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.