Saturday Live

Alesha Dixon tells us about her career as singer, songwriter, author and Britain's Got Talent judge.Christian Donlan describes living with multiple sclerosis.Rev Andrew Rawding served as a British soldier in Coalisland, County Tyrone and has since returned there as rector.Hannah Wright recalls her childhood behind prison walls.Inheritance Tracks - John Gordon Sinclair chooses I Love You Because by Jim Reeves and the title track from Aladdin Sane by David Bowie.Lightning Girl by Alesha Dixon is published by Scholastic. The Unmapped Mind by Christian Donlan is published by Viking. Outside Time: A Personal History of Prison Farming by Dr Hannah Wright is published by Placewise.

Aasmah Mir and Suzy Klein talk to stand-up comedian Arthur Smith about his new act examining his father Syd's experiences in World War Two and as a police constable. Syd fought in north Africa, was in an Italian POW camp, was forced to work in mines in Germany and ended up in Colditz, where he was liberated by the US army.Nell Gifford rejected an academic career to run away to the circus. She loved it so much she founded her own. As Giffords Circus gears up for the summer season, Nell takes us behind the scenes and into the ring.Opera star Brindley Sherratt was born into a Salvation Army family in Lancashire. He originally wanted to be a trumpet player, but his bass voice was too good to ignore. He wants the rest of the world to appreciate how good singing can be for your physical and mental health.Shepherds Holly & Hannah Jackson don't come from an agricultural family, but their love of nature led them to start a sheep farm in Cumbria. They had to strap on their skies to rescue sheep stranded in the recent heavy snow. We join the sisters as lambing season gets underway - their most exciting time of the year.Presenters: Aasmah Mir & Suzy Klein Producer: Paul Waters.

Alexandra Burke reveals the life events that have inspired the songs on her new album. Raynor Winn was made bankrupt and lost her home, just as her husband was diagnosed with a terminal illness. They embarked on the journey of their lifetime - to walk the South West Coast Path, the 630-mile. sea-swept trail from Somerset to Dorset, via Devon and Cornwall. She discusses the impact of this on their outlook on life and ideas of home.The archaeologist and historian, Jules Hudson, describes his fascination with walled gardens. Saturday Live listener Darren Townsend-Handscomb grew up as the child of a Deaf parent. He went on to become a sign language interpreter, which has taken him to some rather unusual situations, including signing at an exorcism for a Deaf poltergeist. He's about to travel to the Gambia to train sign language interpreters.David Morrissey shares his Inheritance Tracks: She's Leaving Home by The Beatles and Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) by Baz Luhrmann.The Truth Is by Alexandra Burke is out now. And she starts a UK tour on 1 September. The Salt Path by Raynor Winn is out now. Walled Gardens by Jules Hudson is out now. David Morrissey is appearing in Julius Caesar at The Bridge Theatre in London until 15 April, 2018.Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Eleanor Garland.

Kim Wilde joins presenters Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles. She sold ten million albums, and after retiring, having a family and then a successful gardening career, has returned to the stage. She has a new album out and is about to embark on her first UK tour for 30 years. We also have Helen Tse who is a lawyer, writer and restaurateur whose book about her family story, Sweet Mandarin - also the name of her restaurant - has been turned into a play about to open at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. Lutalo Muhammad is a British taekwondo athlete who represented Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal, and the 2016 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal. He won the Gold medal in the -87 kg class at the 2012 European Taekwondo Championships.John Connell is a writer and a farmer. Farming has been in his family for generations but he never intended to follow in his father's footsteps. He followed the academic route, going to study in Australia, becoming a documentary maker and then to Canada, but he ended up finding his way back to the family farm in County Longford, Ireland and began to learn the ways of the farmer and the way of the cow.We have the inheritance tracks of cricket commentator Henry Blofeld who chooses Tit Willow from the Mikado and Bring in the Clowns by Barbra Streisand.And we'll speak to Dr Nic Rowley, one of four sports doctors are taking part in a Sport Relief challenge. They are attempting to cycle the height of Everest (29,400 feet).Kim Wilde's album Here Come the Aliens is out now, and her tour of the same name starts 30 March.Mountains: The Dreams Of Lily Kwok is on at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. The first night is 22nd March in Manchester and then it goes on tour from 18th April to 2nd June. The Cow Book by John Connell is out now.Over and Out by Henry Blofeld is out now and he is touring theatres with a brand new show, 78 Retired.

Richard Coles and Suzy Klein are joined by presenter and author Katie Piper. In 2008, she survived a horrific acid attack that left her blind in one eye and required more than 200 operations. Putting the attack behind her, she launched the Katie Piper Foundation in 2009 to aid people who'd suffered similar burns and scarring. She is set to travel the country with a new Tour: What's In My Head. British ski champion turned Olympic commentator and Ski Sunday presenter Chemmy Alcott joins us to talk Olympics, injury and motherhood.Listener Clive England always knew he was adopted, but until last October he wasn't sure who his birth family were. After some careful research, he tracked down them down and spent two weeks travelling across America to meet with them. Cross stitch traditionally conjures up images of neat samplers, pretty cottages and cute puppy dogs until you look on social media and see the diverse range of attitudes, taste and subversion going on in the genre. Unofficial cross stitch spokesperson, Mr X stitch aka Jamie Chalmers, joins us to tell us about this online revolution.Cleo Laine and her daughter Jacqui Dankworth talk to reporter Anna Bailey about their singing careers.We have the inheritance tracks of broadcaster Jeremy Vine who chooses Old Comrades, The Band of HM Royal Marines and Elvis Costello's Lipstick Vogue.Katie Piper is touring the UK with What's In My Head. From Mother to Daughter: The Things I'd Tell My Child by Katie Piper with her mum Dianne out now. Jacqui Dankworth is on tour now.Producer: Corinna Jones Editor: Eleanor Garland.

The conductor, Charles Hazlewood, believes in making music inclusive, from projects fusing five Grime MC's with the BBC Concert Orchestra to founding the world's first paraorchestra, inspired by his daughter Eliza. He presents a two-part series on BBC Four - Tones, Drones and Arpeggios: The Magic of Minimalism.Lulah Ellender has written Elisabeth's Lists. Part memoir, part family history, part exploration of a life through lists, inspired by Elisabeth, the grandmother she never knew. Cassidy Little is a former ballet dancer and Royal Marine Commando, who lost his lower right leg in an explosion in Afghanistan in 2011. He has since won 'The People's Strictly' in 2015; and is about to star in the play Soldier On which opens at the Playground Theatre in London on 13 March. Today is the seventh annual World Pasty Championships. Vanessa Farr from Bristol, won the Cornish Pasty Amateur section last year. She explains what makes a winning pasty.The novelist and broadcaster Fern Britton talks about her recent health scare, her latest novel Coming Home and forthcoming acting role in Calendar Girls the Musical. And classical crossover artist, Russell Watson, shares his Inheritance Tracks: Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo and You are So Beautiful, sung by Joe Cocker.Tones, Drones and Arpeggios: The Magic of Minimalism is on BBC Four on Friday 9 March at 9pm. Russell Watson and his Orchestra are currently on tour around the country with the show Canzoni d'Amore.

Debbie McGee tells us about her time on Strictly, how she needs to keep busy and life two years after the death of her husband, Paul Daniels. Joe Cushnan's father walked out on his family, never to return or make any contact. Joe is now trying to find out about the life his father subsequently embarked on. Rosamund Thorpe is sure she has Scottish blood and knows where it came from. Peter Lovatt aka Dr Dance tells us how dance helped him learn to read and go on to have a career as a dance academic. Composer Debbie Wiseman chooses her Inheritance Tracks - I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing by The New Seekers and Chopin's Nocturne in E Flat Major, Opus 9 No 2.Debbie McGee will be appearing on The Pilgrimage on BBC 2 over Easter. Peter Lovatt's Boogie on the Brain Tour takes place in April, June and July. Debbie Wiseman's new album, The Glorious Garden, a collaboration with gardener and writer Alan Titchmarsh, is out on 2 March.

The actor and producer Greg Wise is brother of Clare Wise, who died of cancer in 2016. Greg has co-written a book about how he and Clare dealt with her illness - the appointments, the hair loss, the chemo, the showers... and the cat, Grably. Jess French is a zoologist, naturalist and entomologist and presents CBeebies Minibeast Adventure with Jess. Her passion for scorpions and tarantulas began while helping her dad with his exotic invertebrate-breeding business and often acted as animal handler when he supplied them for TV shows. Jess Robinson came from a musical family and trained as a classical singer. She explains how she got waylaid by impressions and vocal gymnastics, and ran away to join the circus. She has since performed at the Edinburgh Festival and reached the semi-final of Britain's Got Talent. Spencer Conway, English teacher, decided at forty-two to abandon The Canterbury Tales and make his own epic pilgrimage to Africa, which he circumnavigated on a motorbike. He has done the same in South America, a journey from which he's just returned. He talks about crashing in the salt flats in Bolivia and being stung by a killer wasp. Joanna Trollope chooses her Inheritance Tracks La Mer by Charles Trenet and Mythical Kings and Iguanas by Dory Previn.Not That Kind of Love, by Clare & Greg Wise is published on 22 February. Minibeasts with Jess French is published on 8 March. Jess Robinson's tour Here Come The Girls starts in Glasgow on 1 March and culminates on 29 April in Birmingham. Joanna Trollope's latest novel An Unsuitable Match is published on 22 February.

Dame Evelyn Glennie tells presenters Aasmah Mir and Rev Richard Coles about her mission to find new ways to help people really listen. She blazed a trail as the world's first professional solo percussionist, having become profoundly deaf at the age of 12. When she's not touring internationally, there's little she likes better than getting out her trusty metal detector and going searching for buried treasure.Max Beesley was no stranger to showbiz glamour even before he became a TV star, having played drums onstage with Robbie Williams, Stevie Wonder and The Jam. But he was inspired by Robert De Niro to make the switch to acting. He's starred in series like Suits and Hotel Babylon, and is back on screen playing the rugged Harry Sharrow in the second series of Jamestown - which has been described as a Jacobean western.Jordanian-Irish singer songwriter Keeva explains how she copes with anxiety and depression while putting her life into song and performing on stage. She also pulls pints in a bar, and draws artistic inspiration from her customers' personal dramas. Have a listen to see if you recognise yourself. Storyteller Matt Hopwood shares love stories he gathered while walking from Lindisfarne in Northumberland to Callanish on the Isle of Lewis. During his 500 mile journey across Scotland, Matt relied on the kindness of strangers for food and shelter. His mission was to listen, and the tales he heard of love for partner, friend, family and place are collected in his book, A Human Love Story - Journeys to the Heart.We also hear Martin McCutcheon's Inheritance Tracks, and take a icy dip with some chilly open water swimmers at Bardowie.Presenters: Aasmah Mir & Rev Richard Coles Producer: Paul Waters.

Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles are joined by the actress Jenny Agutter who plays Sister Julienne in Call the Midwife. She recalls her time living in Hollywood and reveals her passion for rap. Before being called to the bar, Tony Kent was a heavyweight amateur boxer. As a criminal defence lawyer he's defended high profile clients including Anthony Joshua. He has now written his first novel - Killer Intent. JP Devlin meets Madeleine Neave to discover why she set up the Antique Breadboard Museum at her home in Putney, London. Adam Golightly, best known for his column The Widower of the Parish, describes how he's sewed ribbons on to ballet slippers, taken up stained glass window making and his introduction to internet dating. Mehreen Baig is a former teacher and now a blogger and reporter who appeared in the reality show Muslims Like Us. And Suzi Quatro chooses her Inheritance Tracks: God Bless the Child by Billie Holliday and Try and Little Tenderness by Otis Reading.Call the Midwife is on BBC One on Sundays at 8pm. Killer Intent by Tony Kent is out now. Being Adam Golightly - One Man's bumpy voyage to the other side of grief, is published on 8 February. Mehreen Baig: Islam, Women and Me is on BBC1 on Tuesday at 10.45.