

Saturday Live
BBC Radio 4
Join Adrian Chiles for a Saturday morning full of remarkable people with extraordinary stories.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 23, 2019 • 1h 25min
Stephen Jones and the Inheritance Tracks of Gina Yashere
Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir are joined by the milliner Stephen Jones whose passion for hats has led him from the catwalks of Dior to the Brighton Pavillion, the adventurer and extreme sleeper Phoebe Smith who sends people to sleep with her travel stories, historian David Olusoga whose TV programme explores the lives of all the people who lived in one house in Newcastle and Saturday Live listener, the crochetdermist Shauna Richardson whose creations include animal versions of Boris Johnson and Prince Harry and whose worked graced the 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
We also have the Inheritance Tracks of comedian Gina Yashere who chooses Dancing Queen by Abba and Back to Life by Soul II Soul
And listener Rosie Humphreys tells us about her mother's dress.Producer: Corinna Jones
Editor: Eleanor Garland

Mar 16, 2019 • 1h 24min
Gareth Malone, YolanDa Brown
Choirmaster Gareth Malone describes working with pupils from Kensington Aldridge Academy to help them create a concert to mark the return to their school building next to Grenfell Tower.
Listener Rev'd Alan Dodds recalls his life before ordination - playing guitar in a band with David Bowie.
Mya-Rose Craig, aka 'birdgirl', has seen 5,000 species of bird and explains how she spends her weekends bird ringing.
Jane Hasell-McCosh reveals some of the strange varieties of marmalade at the Marmalade Awards and Festival in Cumbria.
Saxophonist and MOBO winner YolanDa Brown on racing driving and her search for emerging young musical talent.
And the Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick shares his Inheritance Tracks - Stairway to Heaven performed by Led Zeppelin and One by U2.Presented by Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles.Producer: Louise Corley
Editor: Eleanor Garland

Mar 9, 2019 • 1h 24min
Dido, Noel Clarke
Best-selling singer-songwriter Dido on her new album Still On My Mind, fame, life growing up and working with her brother. Wendy Gould and John Sandford talk about being reunited after many years – Wendy was taken from her parents’ front garden and dumped on the side of the road 20 miles from her home and John was the man who found her. Jerick Hoffer talks about creating alter ego Jinkx Monsoon – and becoming the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, season 5. Comedian Al Murray shares his Inheritance Tracks. He has chosen Come Together by The Beatles and Follow You Follow Me by Genesis. The actor, writer and director Noel Clarke (Dr Who, Brotherhood, Bulletproof) is starring in new film Fisherman’s Friends, about the Cornish fisherman’s choir who got a record deal. He discusses the impact of being an only child and wanting to act from a young age.Presented by Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles.
Producer: Claire Bartleet
Editor: Eleanor Garland

Mar 2, 2019 • 1h 25min
Jo Malone and the Inheritance Tracks of Shakin' Stevens
Richard and Aasmah are joined by Jo Malone CBE, who left school aged 15 with no qualifications and became a scent supremo and one of the UKs best known entrepreneurs. We also have comedian aka 'Badman' Humza Arshad who made his success online, took it mainstream and has written his first children's book: Little Badman and the Killer Aunties. There is Ishbel Holmes whose difficult upbringing prompted her, aged 21, to cycle the world rescuing street dogs and Saturday Live listener Catherine Spencer who, as a holidaymaker, got caught up in a coup in Kenya and Robin Moffitt talks about how to rescue bats. Plus: the Inheritance Tracks of Shakin' Stevens who chooses Brother Can You Spare A Dime performed by Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance and We’ll Meet Again performed by Johnny Cash. Producer: Corinna Jones
Editor: Eleanor Garland

Feb 23, 2019 • 1h 25min
Dame Jacqueline Wilson, Nicole Farhi
Aasmah Mir and the Reverend Richard Coles are joined by the writer Dame Jacqueline Wilson. She discusses her heroine Tracy Beaker who is now grown up with a daughter of her own and why she prefers writing for children to adults.Steve Bland talks about his late wife Rachael, the journalist and broadcaster who co-presented You, Me and the Big C, an inspiring podcast about living with cancer. The podcast tackled her illness with courage and humour and changed our thinking about the disease. Before her death last year Rachael wrote a moving memoir for her young son Freddie.Born in Beirut, comedian Nemr Abour Nassar grew up in San Diego before returning to Lebanon. His stand-up routine addresses the differences between US and Lebanese culture and, closer to home, he pokes fun at his Arab family and their traditions.Julia Lee is the first female rugby league referee. She fell in love with the game when she was a child and when she was 17 she applied to become an official. She talks about being a woman in a man's world and the new play Ref! - a fictionalised account of her life.With Inheritance Tracks from former designer and sculptor Nicole Farhi. She chooses Kol Nidrei sung by Cantor Yitz Meir Helfgot and Casta Diva sung by Maria Callas from the opera Norma by Bellini.Producer: Paula McGinley.
Editor: Beverley Purcell

Feb 16, 2019 • 1h 24min
Shane Richie, Dave Gorman
The actor Shane Richie, star of East Enders talks about his latest role, in the West End show ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’.
Chelcee Grimes describes how she combines her two careers, playing for Fulham Ladies and writing songs for the Grammy Award winner Dua Lipa and Kylie amongst others.
Bethan Roberts grew up in the House of Elvis – not Graceland – but with a mum who loved The King so much that she had memorabilia and posters all over the house.
Dr Jon Copley is a marine biologist and scientific advisor for the BBC series, Blue Planet. He explains his fascination with our oceans, what it feels like to explore them.
And Dave Gorman shares his Inheritance Tracks. He chooses: When You’re In Love With A Beautiful Woman performed by Dr Hook; and Reasons to be Cheerful by Ian Dury and The Blockheads. Presented by Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles.Producer: Louise Corley
Editor: John Goudie.

Feb 9, 2019 • 1h 25min
Patrick Grant and Mark Anthony Turnage
Aasmah and Richard are joined by: Patrick Grant - he bought and revived a failing tailors in Savile Row in 2005, since then he’s been awarded Menswear designer at the British Fashion Awards, become a judge on The Great British Sewing Bee and promotes sustainable fashion. Adam Kay used to be a junior doctor, and left to become a writer and comedian. His book This is Going to Hurt was based on diaries written as a junior doctor, exposed the highs and lows of the job and became a bestseller. Nichola McAvoy lost her hair age 11 and will tell us how finding a friend who also had alopecia was invaluable to her. Jess Herbert left her job as a trilingual assistant and retrained as an aborist - she's since won tree climbing competitions. We'll have your thank you and the Inheritance tracks of composer Mark Anthony Turnage who chooses Stravinsky's ‘The Fairy’s kiss’ conducted by Oliver Knussen with the Cleveland orchestra, and Miles Davis' ‘Blue in Green’.Producer: Corinna Jones
Editor: Eleanor Garland

Feb 2, 2019 • 1h 24min
Jim Al-Khalili
Scientist and broadcaster Jim Al-Khalili shares his experience of growing up in Iraq, his passion for music and his first novel, which will be published in April. Eboni Beckford-Chambers talks about combining a career in law with being an England netball player. As the new Biggin Hill Memorial Museum opens today, Geoff Greensmith recalls his childhood growing in the area during WW II. Listener Stephen 'Abs' Wisdom explains how Robin Hood inspired his career; and playwright and actress Natasha Gordon shares her Inheritance Tracks. She has chosen Midnight Train to Georgia sung by Gladys Knight & the Pips and Oblivion by Astor Piazzolla. Author Kimberley Chambers reveals how she became a bestselling author after deciding that life as a mini-cab driver wasn't for her.Producer: Claire Bartleet
Editor: Eleanor Garland

Jan 26, 2019 • 1h 24min
Brenda Blethyn, Mo Gawdat and James Haskell's Inheritance Tracks
The actress, Brenda Blethyn, star of Vera; Monisha Rajesh recounts travelling around the world by train; Mo Gawdat on his happiness algorithm,
and rugby international James Haskell shares his Inheritance Tracks. Brenda Blethyn, star of Vera, recalls working for British Rail, before launching her acting career.
Mo Gawdat, Former Chief Business Officer, Google (X), explains his algorithm for happiness and how it helped him after the death of his son Ali.
Saturday Live listener, Deborah Gould, shares her love of skydiving.
Monisha Rajesh describes her 45,000 mile journey around the globe on 80 trains. And Harry Bibring recalls his escape from Vienna on the Kindertransport.
And rugby international James Haskell shares his Inheritance Tracks. He chooses Billie Jean performed by Michael Jackson and Wagon Wheel performed by Darius Rucker.Presented by Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles.Producer: Louise Corley
Editor: Eleanor Garland.

Jan 19, 2019 • 1h 25min
Trevor Nelson
Trevor Nelson talks about how he became one of the country's leading R&B DJs; pigeon fancier Ian Evans sets the scene from The British Homing World Show of the Year in Blackpoool. Man Like Mobeen star and creator Guz Khan, who until recently was a Humanities teacher in the Midlands. Sharon D. Clarke shares her Inheritance Tracks. She has chosen Sweet Jamaica by Clancy Eccles and What’s Goin’ On by Marvin Gaye. Anatomist, author and broadcaster Professor Alice Roberts discusses her career and how she digs the UK with a spade and a campervan.Presented by Aasmah Mir and Suzy Klein.Producer: Corinna Jones
Editor: Eleanor Garland


