My friend Glenn Close brought Rian Johnson to the River Cafe when they were filming Wake Up Dead Man, the third Knives Out movie. For the rest of the summer, he was what we call a regular. Yesterday, sending me photos of her new grandson, these were Glenn’s words: ‘Working with Rian is the highlight of my career. He wrote a great script, cast an amazing stable of actors and set us on a sublime adventure together. Rian is a master storyteller who makes work both serious and wildly fun. I am honoured to call him a friend’. In today’s episode, Rian and I are here at the River Cafe to talk about family and friends, movies and food, his father's influence on his career, and his earliest film memory: being put in the car to see Star Wars, aged five. It's going to be serious and, hopefully, wildly fun. Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this bonus episode, record-setting ocean rower Angus Collins talks about salsa verde, the emotional toll after completing a crossing, and the food he looks forward to most when stepping back on dry land. Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Angus Collins has been hailed as the greatest ocean rower of our time, setting records for the fastest and youngest four man crossing of any ocean. He's rowed across the Atlantic not once, but twice, and faster than anyone before him. And he's not finished yet. In a few months, Angus is aiming to be the first to row solo and unsupported around Great Britain. But today he isn't going anywhere. He's here at the River Cafe to talk about endurance, motivation, mental health, his love for the sea, and the food which sustains him there. He's my friend. I'm excited. Let's explore. Find out more about Angus' charity work at www.gbodyssey.com Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this bonus episode of Ruthie's Table 4, BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated director Luca Guadagnino discusses pasta and the diversity of Italian food from different regions. Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 What I know about Luca Guadagnino is, of course, the films he's made. But what I know from Luca is how passionate he is about food. Friends tell me Luca has three kitchens at his home in Piemonte, including one elaborately equipped for pastries, and a special room for keeping vinegar and dried herbs from his garden.  Food not only plays a strong role in his home life, but an important role in his films, conveying sensuous desire and transformation. We're here today, in the one kitchen I have in my home, to talk about food, memories, film and family. A beginning to a new friendship, one cook to another. Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whenever I'm with Bella Freud, which isn't often enough, I always wish I could see more of her. Bella and I share the same social values and beliefs, and we pursued careers which are both fleeting but lasting: She is in fashion, and I'm in food. A meal is a moment, and an outfit changes daily.  In our early years, Bella's father, Lucian Freud, came almost every day to The River Cafe. When with Bella, we were told never to interrupt, as this was their precious time. Now when Bella comes with her friends, I always wish I could whisk her away and have her all to myself.  Today, on Table 4, I finally do. Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People often say they'd be too nervous to cook a meal for me, so imagine how I feel interviewing Alastair Campbell, co-host of The Rest Is Politics, one of the UK's top podcasts.  Alistair is a journalist, author, broadcaster, and defining political figure of our time. I've known him since the early days of New Labour, where he was Director of Communications and Strategy at the heart of it all. He's also been a prominent mental health activist and joins me today in The River Cafe to talk about food, family, values, and even busking in the south of France with his bagpipes. How do I really feel about hosting him today? I'm not nervous at all, just honoured and excited. Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Oscars are only a few days away and Ruthie’s Table 4 is excited. Ralph Fiennes, Zoe Saldaña and Elton John - three Ruthie’s Table 4 guests - are nominated for Academy Awards, and we’re revisiting their interviews in this episode. Ralph is nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his brilliant performance in Conclave. Elton for Best Original Song for ‘Never Too Late’ from the documentary about his life of the same name. Zoe Saldaña is nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her magnetic performance in the musical Emilia Pérez. Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Erling Kagge  is one of the world's great explorers - a man whose life embraces solitude. That is, when he‘s not being attacked by a polar bear… thankfully, he lived to tell the tale. He is the first person to reach, by foot, the North Pole, South Pole, and Mount Everest. Erling and my life might be dissimilar, but we share a love for the unknown. For him, it might be a new horizon. For me, a discovery of a little-known Sicilian recipe. Today, we're here on our own adventure, not on the top of a mountain or in the icy North Pole, but safe and warm in the River Cafe. Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Francis Ford Coppola (Part 2), we discuss the origins of pizza, his experience eating lambs’ brain as a child, and how a loophole during America’s prohibition led to Francis buying the Inglenook winery with his earnings from The Godfather. We both bought in bottles of his wine to taste - a lovely way to begin and to continue a conversation. Ruthie's Table 4, made in partnership with Moncler.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.