James Dyson on Frank Whittle
Frank Whittle’s fascination with aeroplanes started as a nine-year-old boy when he was nearly decapitated by one that was taking off from a local common in Coventry where he grew up. From that moment ...
29 Apr 202427min
Katherine Rundell on E Nesbit
Bestselling children's author Katherine Rundell discusses the extraordinary life of E Nesbit who wrote The Railway Children and Five Children And It.Katherine praises her “bold unwillingness to speak ...
22 Apr 202427min
Antoni Gaudi
Baroness Ros Altmann, a Conservative peer and former pensions minister, was “blown away” by the architecture of Antoni Gaudi on a trip to Barcelona in the 1990s. She’s been back several times and her...
15 Apr 202427min
Sir Bruce Forsyth
The political writer and broadcaster Steve Richards remembers the 1970s as a “dark decade.” But one shining light for the teenage Steve was Saturday evening telly, especially the Generation Game on BB...
8 Apr 202427min
Harry Enfield on Gerard Hoffnung
Gerard Hoffnung’s life was short. He died in 1959 at the age of 34, but this cartoonist, musician, broadcaster and raconteur achieved a lot in that time. Born in Berlin, he lived most of his life in...
1 Apr 202427min
Alan Freeman picked by Simon Mayo
In 1961 Alan 'Fluff' Freeman took over as the host of the BBC Radio's 'Pick of the Pops' and changed music broadcasting forever. From the opening "Greetings pop pickers" Alan would count down the hot...
23 Jan 202427min
Actor Niamh Cusack on the life of poet Mary Oliver
The Pulitzer Prize winning poet Mary Oliver died in 2019. She was best known for her poetry that reflected her love of the natural world and her famous poem 'Wild Geese' is said to have literally sav...
16 Jan 202428min
Mr Motivator picks Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte became the King of Calypso with hits like 'Day-O' and 'Jump in the Line' but he would later describe himself as an activist who became a musician and an actor. Fitness guru Derrick Ev...
9 Jan 202428min
