Saturday Live

Arabella Weir, star of Two Doors Down, talks to Aasmah Mir and Suzy Klein about what neighbours mean to her, festive celebrations and how she got into comedy.Mark Forsyth explains why he decided to explore the stories behind Christmas traditions- including why we have decorated trees in our house and the real Good King Wenceslas.Writer and musician Rhodri Marsden shared a picture of where he'd be staying when he went home for Christmas and found he wasn't alone in experiencing unusual festive sleeping arrangements. Bruno Tonioli talks to JP Devlin about his festive plans, dealing with tragedy, and what dancing means to him.Comedian Bill Bailey shares his Inheritance Tracks: Magic Moments by Perry Como and Once in a Lifetime by Talking Heads.Joe Wicks, known as The Body Coach, has gone from being a personal trainer to a best-selling author and fitness entrepreneur. He talks about what success means to him, becoming an optimist, and offers his festive health tips.Mark Forsyth's A Christmas Cornucopia is out now. Bruno Tonioli's An Italian Romance album is out now. Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to British Birds is out now. Joe Wicks The Body Coach Workout DVD is out on Boxing Day.Producer: Claire Bartleet Editor: Karen Dalziel.

Raymond Blanc grew up in a self sufficient household in France, and after a few false starts in other professions, became a self taught Michelin star winning chef, and restaurant entrepreneur. Kassia St Clair loves colour. After studying historical dress she wanted to understand the colours referred to. Her interest led to a column in Elle Decoration and finally a book. She joins us to talk about The Secret Lives of Colour.Saturday Live listener Mark Sutton Vane was obsessed with torches as a child. He later developed this into a career in lighting, and his dream came true when he lit the Olympic Park in Stratford in 2012.Kat Francois is a performance poet and playwright who latest work was inspired by finding out on a trip to her parents homeland of Grenada that she had a relative who fought in WWI. She'll join us to talk of Poetry Slams and inspiring stories.JP Devlin meets comedy stalwart Ricky Gervais.We'll have your thank yous and the Inheritance Tracks of Maureen Lipman. She chooses When you wish upon a star performed by Barbara Cook and Frank Mills from the musical Hair.Raymond Blanc's book is Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, The story of a modern classic The Secret Lives of Colour is by Kassia St Clair The next Word4Word run by Kat Francois, will be on 18th December, at 7pm at Theatre Royal Stratford and her play Raising Lazarus will tour in 2017. Ricky Gervais' DVD is David Brent: Life On The Road Maureen Lipman is in Sleeping Beauty at Richmond theatre.

Crime writer Anthony Horowitz joins Richard and Aasmah in the studio to discuss his love of Tin Tin, Victorian fairgrounds and why villages are so well suited to murder mysteries. After his return from the International Space Station Major Tim Peake reflects on what home really means to him and and tells us why it's always good to wiggle your toes on a spacewalk.Comedian Dave Gorman who has flown around the world in the pursuit of comedy, reveals just what led him to get an unusual tattoo on his upper arm. Rhinal Patel explains why she put her trust in the kindness of strangers to help her travel from Hong Kong to her home in Wales for free. And we hear from Britain's biggest roller coaster enthusiast who has ridden on over 1700 rides. Italian chef Antonio Carluccio shares his Inheritance Tracks. He picks Prokofiev's Dance of the Knights and Yesterday by the Beatles. And we hear from the volunteers opening the mail for the Radio 4 Christmas Appeal at St Martin's in the Fields.Producer: Steven Williams Editor: Karen Dalziel.

Star of Birds of a Feather and Strictly Come Dancing, Lesley Joseph, joins Aasmah Mir and Rev Richard Coles live from the Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House to talk about pantomime and her role as The Wicked Queen.Trevor Jones reveals the secrets of The Poison Garden at Alnwick.Paul Harris has been performing in pantomimes for more than 50 years. He recalls how he learnt the gags on the job, and explains what makes a good Dame. The Saturday Live pantomime, written by Alan McHugh, and performed by our listeners, with surprise cameo appearances from Radio 4 presenters.Cast members from Bollywood Jack perform live in the Radio Theatre. And real life Fairy Godmother, Jaime Thurston, describes how she makes wishes come true.Phil Collins shares his Inheritance Tracks. He has chosen All My Loving by The Beatles and The Times They Are A Changin' by Bob Dylan. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs runs at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth from 16 December 2016 - 14 January 2017. Bollywood Jack runs at the Tara Theatre in south west London from 7 December 2016 - 7 January 2017. Not Dead Yet by Phil Collins, is out now.Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Karen Dalziel.

Aled Jones will forever be associated with the song he made a hit - Walking in the Air. Now he's released a seasonal CD where he sings in harmony with his 14 year old self. He'll join Richard and Aasmah in the studio.Tez Ilyas left the civil service for comedy after doing a Saturday course in stand up. He's since appeared in eight competition finals, had a show in Edinburgh and wrote and performed the Tez Talks series about how to be a Muslim on BBC Radio 4. A chance conversation with a friend at university has taken Kate Munro all around the world making snow sculptures. Every year, Kate spends 3 days and 3 nights in sub-zero temperatures, carving a 3 metre block of snow into a beautiful sculpture.Fred Sirieix is Maître d' on First Dates, the Bafta award winning hit Channel 4 dating show, but he's also general manager of a top Michelin starred restaurant, and runs a service training company which helps prisoners train to work in restaurants. JP meets John Richards who went on a mission to play every Cathedral organ in Britain.Alan Davies gives us his Inheritance Tracks, he chooses Topol singing If I were a rich man, and Billy Bragg's St. Swithin's Day and we have your Thank yous.Aled's new album is called One Voice at Christmas Tez Ilyas will be touring in the New Year First Dates, the art of love by Fred Sirieix is out now Alan Davies' DVD Little Victories is released on 28th NovemberProducer: Corinna Jones Editor: Karen Dalziel.

Kate Silverton and the Rev Richard Coles talk to Adrian Chiles about football and a particular match that pitted black players against white players. Phoebe Wainman is the current British Stock Car Champion. She discusses the thrills and dangers of her sport and what it's like to come from a Stock Car racing dynasty. Mark Grist gave up teaching English when his other career as a rapper took off. He explains how a chance encounter at a poetry performance evening ended up with him taking part in battle rapping competitions around the globe. Photographer Richard Weston reveals why taking a picture of his son Sam had a tremendous effect on both their lives.And Everton superfan Dr David France explains how he amassed the biggest collection of Everton memorabilia in the world.Plus guitarist from the Smiths, The The and Electronic Johnny Marr shares his Inheritance Tracks.Producer: Steven WilliamsEditor: Beverley Purcel.

British Bushcraft, survival expert and photographer Ray Mears talks to Aasmah Mir and Rev Richard Coles about what draws him to the outdoors.Charlie McDonnell was the first Video Blogger in the UK to reach one million YouTube subscribers. He explains why he's trying to make science fun.Saturday Live listener Paula Reid explains why she quit her job to become an Adventurer.Reporter JP Devlin meets Zucchero, an Italian singer-songwriter most famous in the UK for the duet "Senza Una Donna (Without a Woman)" with Paul Young.Presenter Matt Baker is currently taking part in the One Show Rickshaw Challenge in aid of BBC Children in Need. He shares his Inheritance Tracks. He has chosen Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by the Sherman brothersCellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason is the winner of BBC Young Musician 2016. He performs live and discusses his musical ambitions, A-Levels and playing football.Out on the Land by Ray Mears and Lars Fält is out now. Fun Science by Charlie McDonnell is out now. Zucchero's new album Black Cat is out now. The BBC 4 documentary Young, Gifted and Classical: The Making of a Maestro, featuring Sheku Kanneh-Mason and his family, will be broadcast 20th November at 8pm.Producer: Claire Bartleet Editor: Karen Dalziel.

Clare Balding and Sir David Tang join Aasmah and RichardClare Balding was a horse mad girl who became a leading amateur flat jockey in her teens. She 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, walking. Now she's mined her own experience, and written a children's book about a horse mad girl. Giles Chapman is a lover of Classic Cars and was Editor of Classic & Sports Car magazine. Recently the Reliant Robin caught his eye and he's written a book about it.Listener Rebecca Peyton experienced the sudden losses of her father when she was aged 6 and her sister when she was 32. She joins us to tell us how she's so keen to talk about death that she wrote a show about it. Sir David Tang grew up in Hong Kong before moving to the UK aged 13. After teaching philosophy for a short time, he went into business, and became an agony uncle for the Financial Times. We have the inheritance tracks of Vogue editor, Alexandra Shulman who chooses Ladies who Lunch by Elaine Stritch and Blowing in the Wind performed by Stevie Wonder. And we'll hear from Diary of a Wimpy Kid author, Jeff Kinney and have your thank yous.The Racehorse who wouldn't Gallop is by Clare Balding The Reliant Robin, Britain's most bizarre car is by Giles Chapman Rules for Modern Life, A connoisseur's Survival Guide is by Sir David Tang and he will also appear at the Royal Geographical Society in conversation with Andrew Marr on 17 November. Inside Vogue, a diary of my hundredth year is by Alexandra Shulman Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down is by Jeff KinneyProducer Corinna Jones Editor Karen Dalziel.

Actor and broadcaster Tony Robinson joins Aasmah Mir and Rev. Richard Coles to talk about his life onstage, the impact of playing Baldrick, and the unusual way his love of history developed.Gemma-Louise Stevenson shares the art of wheelchair dancing.Saturday Live Listener Dr.Ciaran O'Keeffe reveals how Ghostbusters inspired him to become a Parapsychologist.Writer Jonathan Harvey meets up with JP Devlin and explains why he's decided to return to his hometown of Liverpool.Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero shares her Inheritance Tracks. She has chosen The Schumann Fantasie performed by Clifford Curzon and Quintet Opus 18 by Mieczyslaw Weinberg, performed by Borodin QuartetNASA Astronaut Mike Massimino talks about venturing into space, repairing the Hubble Telescope and his intergalactic playlist.Tony Robinson's autobiography No Cunning Plan is out now.Jonathan Harvey's latest novel The History of Us is out now.Mike Massimino's book Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe is out now.Producer: Claire Bartleet Editor: Karen Dalziel.

Alexander Armstrong, quizmaster, actor, classically trained baritone and occasional oboist shares his love of music and llamas. Arlene Phillips left home at 22 to follow a career in dance. She founded the dance troupe Hot Gossip, courting controversy with Mary Whitehouse, and went on to work with a string of artists from Aretha Franklin to Robbie Williams and choreographed Hollywood films and West End shows. Charlie Dark grew up listening to pirate radio in his bedroom and by the time he was a teenager he was sneaking out to attend illegal warehouse parties. He soon became a successful jungle music DJ and travelled the world but he gave it all up to found a group of runners who give back to their community. Plus Paddy Ashdown shares his Inheritance Tracks and remembers how a failing pig farm irrevocably altered the future of his family. Arlene Phillips is featured in the book 'Dogs and Their Faithful Celebrities' by the Dogs Trust Alexander Armstrong's CD 'Upon a Different Shore' is out nowProducer: Steven Williams Editor: Karen Dalziel.