Saturday Live

Dawn French has been one of Britain’s best-loved comedians since the mid-1980’s when her double act with Jennifer Saunders became a prime time television hit. She became even more famous as the star of The Vicar of Dibley and has gone on to write books, tour solo and write, produce and perform in television comedy and drama.William Sitwell is a restaurant critic and food writer whose appearances on MasterChef and controversial comments about veganism have propelled him into the spotlight. His new book The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out allows us to dine out vicariously whilst the chefs’ kitchens remain closed.Isobel Midnight was working in a care home when her sister booked her onto a beginners fire eating course. A few years later Isobel became a professional performer and last year she won two Guinness World Records for fire eating.Saturday Live listener Jolene Jessiman shares the story of her great-grandmother Carrie Baliol who played for the first ever Scottish women’s football team in 1881.And playwright and director Alan Ayckbourn shares his Inheritance Tracks.Producer: Laura Northedge Editor: Eleanor Garland

Richard Coles and Kate Silverton are joined by Gabby Logan who has covered most of the major sporting events in football, rugby and athletics and been a trailblazer for women in sport. Her own sporting credentials are impeccable : she’s the daughter of professional footballer and manager Terry Yorath, married to rugby international Kenny Logan and was also an international competitor in rhythmic gymnastics. Carl Austin-Behan left a promising career in the RAF in the late 90s after his military superiors discovered he was gay. Since then he started his own business, won the Mr Gay UK contest and became the youngest person to ever hold the office of Lord Mayor of Manchester. Comedian and actress Natasha Demetriou is well known for her role as a Nadja, an ancient vampire trying to cope with life in modern day New York in the comedy What We Do In The Shadows. However her latest project lets her out into the daylight, as she presents the Big Flower Fight, a surreal competition for avant-garde florists who make huge sculptures from flowers. Ross Edgley is a man who likes a challenge, the more extreme the better. He discusses why he chose to be the first person to swim around the coastline of Britain and how mental resilience is a quality that can be learnt. And writer Dame Marina Warner shares her Inheritance Tracks: Si mi chiamo Mimi from La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini and Sonata No. 3 in A major, op. 69 by Ludwig van Beethoven. Producer: Steven Williams Editor: Eleanor Garland

This week Richard Coles and Kate Silverton are joined by Ricky Wilson, the lead singer of Kaiser Chiefs. The band’s hits include I Predict A Riot and Ruby and last year they released their seventh album, Duck. Ricky was a judge on The Voice and now presents the Pop Detectives podcast with Tony Blackburn.Jack Monroe was an unemployed single parent living in poverty when she started a blog called A Girl Called Jack which described cooking nutritious meals for her family on a tiny budget. She is now a well-known cookery writer and campaigner, whose ability to knock up delicious food with limited ingredients has come into its own during the lockdown.Sandra Palmer dreamed of being a fashion designer as a child. Her father Fritz had been a tailor in Jamaica before moving to Birmingham where he worked as a lorry driver. He would sew the dancing costumes Sandra designed as child and after Fritz died in 1999, Sandra decided to keep his legacy alive.Richard Keenan was told that he was adopted when he was nine. After training as both a priest and a police offer, he waited until he was 40 to find his birth parents. Using his police skills to track them down, Richard discovered his birth family and the surprising story of his biological parents’ relationship. And Inheritance Tracks this week from playwright Mark Ravenhill.Producer: Laura Northedge Editor: Eleanor Garland

Richard Coles and Shaun Keaveny are joined by Kirstie Allsopp - she has been in our living rooms, stepping into other people’s living rooms, and generally exploring their houses, for 20 years via TV's Location, Location, Location. She’s also embraced the nation’s obsession with crafts with programmes such as Kirstie's Homemade Home, Kirstie's Homemade Christmas, and most recently Keep Crafting and Carry on. She joins us. We also have Paul O’Grady, first known to us as Lily Savage, comedian from Birkenhead, dog lover, small holding owner, national treasure. And Esther Safran Foer, the daughter of a holocaust survivor who returned to Ukraine to meet the family who saved her father's life. And Kelly Smith, MBE, who holds the record for being the top scorer for England women with 46 goals in 117 appearances. She fought against prejudice but went on to play for England, Arsenal and in the US and since her retirement in 2017, has been a commentator and pundit on both the women’s and men’s games. There are the Inheritance tracks of Radio 4 favourite John Humphrys - he chooses Mary's Boy Child performed by Harry Belafonte and Take the A Train performed by Duke Ellington, and your "thank you"!Producer: Corinna Jones Editor: Eleanor Garland

Richard Coles and Shaun Keaveny are joined by Kathy Burke who became a household name in the 1990’s for her comedy roles in Harry Enfield and Chums, Absolutely Fabulous and Gimme Gimme Gimme. She won best actress at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 for her performance in Nil By Mouth and is now a theatre director and writer. Dan Jones is an author of bestselling books on English history including The Plantagenets, The Wars of the Roses, and now the 20th Century. His historical sweep is broad, as is his career, which has included writing about men’s health and exercise, interviewing A-list celebrities and a regular sports column in the Evening Standard. Jessie Knight is currently juggling being a primary school teacher with training as a champion 400m runner. In the past it was a combination that Jessie found impossible, retiring early from her sport only to change her mind, resume training and go on to win the 400metres at the British Indoor Championships in February. Listener Sharon Yamamoto White tells the story of parents, who met in a US Japanese internment camp during the Second World War And film director Carol Morley shares her Inheritance Tracks.Producer: Laura Northedge Editor: Eleanor Garland

Richard Coles and Suzy Klein are joined by Sarah Millican, one of the most successful women working in comedy in the UK, Sarah Dodd, a medic in the NHS who in her freetime has completed over 1675 escape rooms and who now competes in an international team of escape room enthusiasts and writer Helen Moat discusses her bicycle journey from Rotterdam to Istanbul and the healing benefits of slow travel. Plus actor Joe Tracini who has become a hit on social media after creating hilarious dance videos for those wishing to limber up during the lock down. We have the Inheritance Tracks of Police drummer Stewart Copeland who chooses Aaron Copland's Hoe Down from Rodeo and Spanish Castle Magic by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, plus your thank yous. Producer: Steven Williams Editor: Eleanor Garland

Richard Coles and Suzy Klein are joined by writer Marian Keyes, who has just published her 14th novel and has over 30 million of her books sold to date in 36 languages. Also with us is Tori Amos, the Grammy nominated singer-songwriter who has made 15 studio albums, sold 15 million records and also branched off into the worlds of classical music and musical theatre. John Partridge is known for his contribution to EastEnders and Celebrity MasterChef - which he won - he'll be talking about how cooking helped him through difficult stages of his life. And Flavian Obiero, the Sussex pig farmer who arrived in the UK from Kenya aged 15 and, as a keen sportsman, entered Britain's Fittest Farmer competition. We have the Inheritance Tracks of DJ and presenter Janice Long who chooses Happiness performed by Ken Dodd and Love Song by The Cure, and your thank yous. Producer: Corinna Jones Editor: Eleanor Garland

Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir are joined by Clare Balding who found success as a racing correspondent and since then has presented the Olympics 6 times as well as numerous other chat shows, documentaries and programmes about biking and walking. She has now added dogs to her list of interests and has launched her own “Dogcast”.The actor Daniel Mays has won widespread critical acclaim for roles in a diverse range of films, television and theatre productions, from Mike Leigh’s Palme d’Or nominated All or Nothing and Vera Drake to the hit police drama Line of Duty, Mother’s Day in which he portrayed Colin Parry, whose son Tim was murdered by the IRA in Warrington. His latest role is in the new Sky buddy-cop comedy Code 404, with Stephen Graham. Laura Dockrill is an author, illustrator and performance poet whose first adult book What Have I Done? is a memoir of her experience of postnatal psychosis.And Bernard Bibby who has recently earned the extraordinary achievement of passing his Grade 1 ballet exam at the age of 75. We have the Inheritance Tracks of Jules Buckley who chooses Sweet Soul Music by Arthur Conley and Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich.Producer: Laura Northedge Editor: Eleanor Garland

Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir are joined by Alexandra Shulman, former editor of Vogue, who produced the magazine for 25 years and has now published a book about her life at the top, the pressures she faced and her love of clothes. Comedian Joe Lycett explains why he legally changed his name to Hugo Boss and back again. Commercial pilot Kate Burrows shares her story of surviving a crash landing in the Irish Sea and how she went on to become a member of the Goldfish Club. Natural history TV director Benedict MacDonald reveals the lengths he goes to bring nature programmes to our screens and also his mission to re-wild the British Isles. Plus the Inheritance Tracks of jazz saxophonist Soweto Kinch who chooses Snake Hip Swing by Ken Snake Hips Johnson and Pf Fat by Steve Williamson Feat. Black Thought (the Roots). Producer: Steven Williams Editor: Eleanor Garland

Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir are joined by Claudia Winkleman, one of our best known TV and radio presenters, known for her sharp wit and self deprecating humour not to say her thick black fringe, presenter of Strictly, Radio 2, podcast with Tanya Byron amongst many other things, she joins us on Saturday Live. We also have Comic actor/ writer Robert Webb, from Peep show, Back, Mitchell and Webb, Confetti, dancing Flashdance to win Let's Dance for Comic relief, memoirist and now with his first novel.and accountant Zahrah Mahmood was dismayed when her friends from her accountancy course took her hillwalking as a birthday present to take her mind off a difficult exam four years ago. But despite huffing and puffing to the top of Ben Lomond in a heavy scarf that first August day, hillwalking would become the hobby she turned to when things were tough. and Andy McMillan is a listener who is one of only 3 professional model train makers in the UK. He's been 40 years in the business.We have the Inheritance Tracks of Christian Louboutin who chooses Tina Turner’s Proud Mary and The Fugees’ Killing me Softly.Producer: Corinna Jones Editor: Eleanor Garland