Saturday Live

Mo Gilligan, host of his own Bafta winning Friday night TV show, judge on the Masked singer, a comedian with sell out tours behind him, but only 5 years ago he was working the shop floor in retail, he joins us to talk about his journey into primetime.Gavanndra Hodge's childhood was chaotic as both her parents had addiction problems, then tragedy struck and her little sister died. She reflects on loss and trauma. Simon Amstell is a writer, director and stand up comedian who first came to prominence on Popworld then later on Never Mind the Buzzcocks. He’s since directed and written films and done stand up tours.Saturday Live listener Yvonne Hausman wrote to us about her father, a London cabbie who in the 1960s and 70s garnered a reputation in Lincoln, Nebraska for giving his customers a slap up meal on a Friday night! We have the Inheritance Tracks of writer Ann Cleeves, and your thank you.Producer: Corinna Jones

Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles are joined by Bananarama – Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward - who tell us about surviving forty years in the music industry with hits including Venus, Robert De Niro’s Waiting and Cool Summer.James Ketchell has circum-navigated the world by gyrocopter, as well as single-handedly rowing the Atlantic, climbing Everest, and cycling across the world.Listener Mary Monro on retracing her father’s footsteps across China and the route he took after escaping from a Japanese prisoner of war camp in 1941. Shanaze Reade is a five-time world champion cyclist in BMX and the team sprint - and a two time Olympian. She is taking part in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins on Channel 4 in which 12 recruits are tested to the limit on a remote Scottish island.And the Inheritance Tracks of author Lynda La Plante, who chooses The Great Pretender by The Platters and Nessun Dorma sung by Luciano Pavarotti. Producer: Annette Wells

Actress and author Celia Imrie joins Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles to discuss her debut non-fiction novel, set against the backdrop of the sinking of the Titanic. Celia explains her family connections to the legendary ship and talks about her love of travel and career highlights. Listener Nick Wharton got in touch about his adventures in climbing, and being reunited with his estranged father.Tom Chapman is an award-winning barber who experienced a personal tragedy that led him to create The Lions Barber Collective, a charity which aims to support mental health by offering a safe space for people to talk. Tom's also just written his debut children’s book. Singer Frankie Bridge shares her Inheritance Tracks: I Heard it Through the Grapevine sung by Marvin Gaye and Don’t Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin.Restaurant critic, MasterChef guest judge and writer Grace Dent talks about the comfort food that she enjoys when not working, and how it’s inspired her new podcast. Grace also reflects on realising her childhood ambitions and her love of the Lake District.Orphans of the Storm by Celia Imrie is out now. How Hard Can It Be by Nick Wharton is out now. The Mighty Lions & the Big Match by Tom Chapman is out now. GROW: Motherhood, mental health & me by Frankie Bridge is out now. New episodes of Comfort Eating with Grace Dent are released every Tuesday.Producer: Claire Bartleet Editor: Eleanor Garland

Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles are joined by Harry Enfield, who’ll be telling us how he went from part-time milkman to BAFTA award-winning comedian, actor, writer and director, creating characters such as Tim Nice-But-Dim, Smashie and Nicey and Kevin the Teenager and how now he's playing the Prince of Wales. Catriona Rennison, who has just started as a junior doctor despite being discouraged from following a career in medicine after being treated for anorexia as a teenager. James McNicholas, is a writer and performer who’ll be telling the story of his grandfather, Terry Downes aka ‘The Paddington Express’ who held the World Middleweight Boxing title in 1961, and about his own heavyweight story of trying to live up to the champ's legacy. Nina Conti started out as a spear carrier with the RSC but after meeting the actor Ken Campbell, took up ventriloquism, and for the last twenty years she and her dummy Monkey, have played to sell-out crowds in Edinburgh, London, Melbourne, Sydney and New York. We have the Inheritance Tracks of broadcaster Emma Barnett, who chooses Cheek to Cheek by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong and The Time is Now by Moloko. And your Thank you.The Windsors: Endgame is at The Prince of Wales Theatre, London The Champ & the Chump by James McNicholas is published by Headline.Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Eleanor Garland

Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles are joined by Tim Vine, a comedian who eschewes the observational / confessional style, and celebrates joke telling and puns, his latest tour combines his love of music with comedy. Listener Fiona Maher grew up hearing that she had a half-brother that she’d never met.  After 40 years, she finally found him. She joins us to tell us what it’s like to have a new family.  Phil Manzanera has played in some of the biggest stadiums in the world as the guitarist of Roxy Music. His South American heritage is at the root of his latest work. Yazz Ahmed is a trumpeter described as “the high priestess of psychedelic Arabic Jazz”, she joins us. We have the Inheritance Tracks of actor David Thewlis, who chooses Starry Starry Night by Don McLean, and 11.59 by Blondie. And your Thank you.

Ellie Taylor joins Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles. The comedian, writer and The Mash Report newsreader talks about her path to stand-up, real life inspiration, and ruining her life in the best way possible.Listener Tom Edwards has had a successful broadcasting career but he hit rock bottom and ended up homeless. He talks about his road to recovery, and how he was helped by a well-known comedian.Mevan Babakar's family fled Iraq in 1991 and she spent her childhood moving from country to country. She explains why she decided to track down the asylum centre worker who gifted her a bike when she was five.Andy Hamilton shares his Inheritance Tracks: It’s Impossible by Perry Como and It Doesn’t Matter Anymore sung by Buddy Holly.SK Shlomo can produce more noises from his mouth than the average orchestra. As a beatboxer, he’s performed at Glastonbury Festival and has collaborated with musicians including Bjork. But behind the music Shlomo has struggled with mental health issues.My Child and Other Mistakes: How to Ruin Your Life in the Best Way Possible by Ellie Taylor is out now. Longhand by Andy Hamilton is out now. Shlomo's Beatbox Adventure For Kids is touring now until November throughout the UK.Producer: Claire Bartleet Editor: Richard Hooper

Nikki Bedi and Shaun Keaveny are joined by Christian O’Connell, presenter of the Breakfast Show on Gold FM in Melbourne, Australia. He tells us why he left his number one show on Absolute Radio, with three million listeners, to move to the other side of the world and take on the toughest radio market there is.Listener Lisa Jones on the World War Two dog tag she found in her garden and what she discovered when she went in search of the owner. Paula Craig was a detective in the Metropolitan Police, a marathon runner and triathlete when she was knocked off her bike and paralysed. She tells us how she was determined to live life to the full, pushing marathons and how she is about to swim in a Channel Relay. Novelist and screenwriter Deborah Moggach shares her Inheritance Tracks. She's chosen Ella Fitzgerald, Thanks for the Memory and Dory Previn, The Lady with the Braid.Comedian Daliso Chaponda shot to fame on Britain’s Got Talent where he reached final by getting the Golden Buzzer. Since then, he’s performed at the Royal Variety Performance, has his own series on Radio 4, Citizen of Nowhere and is about to embark on a UK tour with Apocalypse Not Now. Producer: Annette Wells

Jack Savoretti joins Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles to talk about his heritage, how his mum inspired him to get into music, and why for his seventh studio album, Europiana, Jack has reached back into his memories of childhood holidays spent on the beaches of north west Italy.Listener and musician Elaine Bryant contacted us to tell us about a very lucky escape she had back in 1984.  She was 17, a harpist from Dublin, on a tour of North America and Canada, when they got caught in a snowstorm in the wilds of North Dakota.On active duty during the first Gulf War in 1991, John Nichol's Tornado bomber was shot down. He was held as a prisoner-of-war and under threat of execution appeared on TV around the world reciting Iraqi propaganda. John explains how a reunion 25 years after the conflict inspired him to tell the stories of the people involved. Journalist and author Caitlin Moran shares her Inheritance Tracks: Sister Suffragette from Mary Poppins and Something Good by Utah Saints.Fifth generation circus performer Emily England was a semi-finalist with her roller-skating brother on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’. The duo became Las Vegas headliners but Emily suffered a terrible knee injury that threatened her career. Emily talks about her life as a performer and making her West End solo debut as a magician.Producer: Claire Bartleet Editor: Eleanor GarlandJack Savoretti's album Europiana is out now, he is performing over the summer and has a 12 date UK tour next spring. Tornado: In the Eye of the Storm by John Nichol is out now. More Than A Woman by Caitlin Moran is out now in paperback. Photo Credit: Alex Lake. Emily England is a guest star Wonderville: Magic & Illusion at the Palace Theatre in London from 28th July - 2nd August.

Matt Haig is an award-winning author of fiction for both adults and children and his memoir of depression and anxiety Reasons to Stay Alive became a runaway bestseller. He joins Richard Coles and Nikki Bedi to discuss the inspiration for his latest non-fiction work The Comfort Book.Bexy Cameron was born into the Children of God cult and moved around the world with the notorious group. She escaped at fifteen but later felt compelled to document religious sects in order to better understand her childhood and her parents’ motivation for remaining in one. Her book Cult Following explores her childhood and her extraordinary journey through US religious cults.Debbie Money recently discovered her mum’s recipe book spanning five decades. From conch fritters to cheese and pineapple hedgehogs, Debbie is recreating her parents’ dinner parties to honour her mum, who died earlier this year, and to time travel through food. Charlie Gilmour was photographed hanging off the Cenotaph in Whitehall in 2010, an act that would see him imprisoned for violent disorder. Charlie was going through emotional turmoil at the time, having been abandoned by his biological father. Years later, Charlie would take an abandoned magpie chick under his wing and the bird flourished under his care, opening his own path to fatherhood. He joins us to talk about what it means to be a father and his book, Featherhood.And we hear the Inheritance Tracks of broadcaster Anita Rani.Producer: Laura Northedge Editor: Richard Hooper

Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles are joined by Craig Revel Horwood, He is the one to impress on the Strictly Judging panel, a critical eye honed by his long history in performance and choreography including West Side Story, Cats, Chess, Sister Act, Annie, Son of A Preacher man and all the Strictly Tours. Jessie Cave played Lavender Brown in the Harry Potter films, is a comedian, doodler, podcaster and now a novelist, she joins us. Will Buckingham has always opened his house to strangers. When his partner died of breast cancer in 2016 he found continuing to do so helped him with his grief.Saturday Live Listener Rita Oakes tells us about her mum, the long distance lorry driver.The Inheritance Tracks of writer Michael Rosen who chooses Tom Lerher’s song Wernher von Braun and Young Hearts Run Free, Candi Staton.And your Thank You.Producer: Corinna Jones