Podcasts about bill sykes

Earlier this week Mickey-Jo had the enormous privilege of attending the opening night performance of OLIVER! which has made a triumphant return to the West End with a new production at the Gielgud Theatre. This staging of the show, produced by Sir Cameron Mackintosh and directed by Sir Matthew Bourne, was first seen in 2024 at Chichester Festival Theatre and features Simon Lipkin as Fagin with Shanay Holmes as Nancy and Aaron Sidwell as Bill Sykes alongside a hugely talented cast of young performers. Check out this full review for Mickey-Jo's thought's on the dark new production of the show and why he thinks it's aiming to be in the West End for the long haul... • 00:00 | introduction 02:40 | synopsis / material 10:56 | production 20:34 | performances • About Mickey-Jo: As one of the leading voices in theatre criticism on a social platform, Mickey-Jo is pioneering a new medium for a dwindling field. His YouTube channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MickeyJoTheatre⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is the largest worldwide in terms of dedicated theatre criticism, where he also share features, news and interviews as well as lifestyle content for over 60,000 subscribers. Since establishing himself as a theatre critic he has been able to work internationally. With a viewership that is largely split between the US and the UK he has been fortunate enough to be able to work with PR, Marketing, and Social Media representatives for shows in New York, London, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Toronto, Sao Pãolo, and Paris. He has also twice received accreditation from the world renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe. His reviews and features have also been published by WhatsOnStage, for whom he was a panelist to help curate nominees for their 2023 and 2024 Awards as well as BroadwayWorldUK, Musicals Magazine and LondonTheatre.co.uk. He has been invited to speak to private tour groups, at the BEAM 2023 new musical theatre conference at Oxford Playhouse, and on a panel of critics at an event for young people considering a career in the arts courtesy of Go Live Theatre Projects. Instagram/TikTok/X: @MickeyJoTheatre

This week Keegan Hirst (Happy Healthy Homo Podcast) shows gay versatility that will shock and AWE. Sure, he was the first professional rugby league player to come out as gay, but more importantly...he played Bill Sykes in his high school production of OLIVER! A theater queen! We also discuss:- water park dads- hosting a gay podcast with your gay boyfriend- giving Ian McKellen a ride home- why abs are heinously overrated- being accosted at NYC piano bar Marie's CrisisPlus! We welcome yummy writer Jackson Rickun (@jacksonrickun) for THREE GAY TIPS on Gays With Sciatica™️. **********************************************************************Gay Ass Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gayasspodcastGay Ass Merch: https://gayasspodcast.com/Follow Keegan on Instagram (@keeganhirst), Twitter (@keeganhirst), and tune into HAPPY HEALTHY HOMO on YouTube and everywhere else you get your podcasts!Follow Eric and Gay Ass Podcast and tag us if you liked!:https://www.instagram.com/ericwillz/https://www.instagram.com/gayasspodcast/That's A Gay Ass Podcast is Executive Produced by Eric Williams Produced by Nathanael McClureConsulting Producing by Alamin YohannesMusic by Nathanael McClureSports!!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thats-a-gay-ass-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Medway is definitely Dickens country - we're proud of the fact he grew up in Chatham as a boy, used the money from his novels to buy his house Gad's Hill over in Higham, and drew huge inspiration from the people, the buildings and the stories of Rochester in particular, as well as the other Medway towns.In this episode we find out all about his love of acting, and why he went on the road in later life performing extracts from his most famous works, including A Christmas Carol and the murder of Nancy by Bill Sykes - usually fortified by a cocktail of booze and raw eggs we really don't recommend. And we explore the truth behind his relationship with Rochester-born actress Nelly Ternan.We recorded the session live in the delightfully idiosyncratic Deaf Cat café down on Rochester High Street (it's named after one of Dickens' pets) with three incredibly informed and passionate experts. This is a bumper edition - 50 minutes of auditory pleasure!Emma Harper is Curator at the Charles Dickens Museum in London https://dickensmuseum.com/ You can hear more from her on their podcast Inimitable: Uncovering Charles Dickens Dr Jeremy Clarke is Education Office at the Guildhall Museum Rochester Visiting times and more information at https://www.medway.gov.uk/directory_record/671/the_guildhall_museumJohn O'Connor performs regularly as Charles Dickens. Find his next performance at http://europeanarts.co.uk/With thanks to the City of Rochester Society for supporting this podcast. Find out more about their work at city-of-rochester.org.ukWe Did it Medway is presented by Rob Flood and Philip Dodd. It is produced and edited by Suze Cooper of Big Tent Media, with assistance from Emily Crosby Media.The We Did It Medway music is written and performed by Chris Weller (Staggered Ray), Rob Shepherd (Singing Loins) and Vicky Price (Ashen Keys) with lyrics by Philip Dodd. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon Lipkin is currently starring in the West End production of Unbelievable. Unbelievable is a brand new magic show written and directed by Derren Brown, Andrew O'Connor and Andy Nyman. The production opened at the Criterion Theatre in September and is set to complete its run next month.  Having starred as Buddy in Elf The Musical last Christmas, Simon's other West End credits include Ratty in The Wind In The Willows, Jason Robert Brown's Honeymoon In Las Vegas, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Barlow in I Can't Sing, Lonny in Rock Of Ages, Nicky and Trekkie Monster in Avenue Q, A Christmas Carol and Pharaoh in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. His further theatre credits include: Brian in Brian & Roger (Menier Chocolate Factory), Mr Poppy in Nativity! (Eventim Apollo), Whisper House (Other Palace), Bill Sykes in Oliver! (Grange Park Opera), Lou Lubowitz in Miss Atomic Bomb (St James Theatre), The Lorax in The Lorax (Old Vic), The Proprietor in Assassins (Menier Chocolate Factory), Martin in All In A Row (Southwark Playhouse), Touchstone in As You Like It (Southwark Playhouse), Galahad in Spamalot (Original UK Tour), I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change (Upstairs at the Arts Theatre), The Wedding Singer (Original UK Cast), Willard in Footloose (UK Tour), Alice In Wonderland (Nuffield Theatre), Austentatious (Landor), News Revue (Canal Café) and Leopold in Never The Sinner  (the Kenneth Moore Theatre).  On screen Simon has been seen in Casualty (BBC), The Beaker Girls (CBBC), Unforgotten (ITV), Christmas on Mistletoe Farm (Mirrorball Films), Silent Witness (BBC), Almost Never (CBBC), Nativity Rocks! (MirrorBall & Eone), Show Dogs (Eone), Muppets Most Wanted (Disney), The Harry Hill Movie; That Puppet Game Show (BBC); Nativity III (MirrorBall & Eone), Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule (Channel 4), Doctor Who (BBC), Harry Hill's Tea Time (Sky), The Bill; Casualty; The Royal Variety Performance and Children in Need.  Simon also voices characters on the Cartoon Network's show The Amazing World Of Gumballand Ricky Zoom on Nick Jnr. Unbelievable runs at the Criterion Theatre until 7th January 2024. Visit www.unbelievablelive.com for info and tickets. Hosted by Andrew Tomlins  @AndrewTomlins32  Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.  

It's the world's oldest profession.  Sex workers, prostitutes, and the pimps who live off them have been around since the dawn of time. There are mentions of them in the Code of Hammurabi. The dusty case files of medieval Europe talk about them constantly.  There are references to them in Victorian literature from Charles Dickens' Nancy and Bill Sykes in Oliver Twist to the drunken orgies of the Russian military officers and gypsy girls in Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov.However, in the 21st century there is, of course, a high tech spin to a very old issue.OnlyFans is spoken of as the 'Uber of sex work'. A disruptive social media platform that purportedly allows sex workers to communicate and make money from their customers without the dangerous control of their pimps.Unlikely female allies have hailed the site as 'self-esteem conferring'.  An Australian model raised $1 million to help fight forest fires by posting nude photos of herself. And then the Disney star Bella Thorne made over $1 million in one day by promising to do the same thing. However, there's a dark side to this new phenomenon.  Critics are claiming that far from saving people from exploitation, human trafficking and underage harm sites  like OnlyFans are doing the exact opposite.

Neil McDermott (Pretty Woman / Shrek) is currently starring as Johnny in the touring production of Home, I'm Darling by Laura Wade.  Directed by Tamara Harvey and Hannah Noon,  Home I'm Darling received its world premiere at Theatr Clwyd in 2018, before playing at the National Theatre and then transferring to the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End, winning the 2019 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. Neil recently completed his run as Philip Stuckley in the West End production of Pretty Woman at the Savoy Theatre, having been with the show since its London premiere at the Piccadilly Theatre. Just a few of Neil's extensive theatre credits include: Justin in Bad Girls (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Rolf in The Sound of Music (Palladium), Ordulf in Henry IV (Donmar), Young Buddy in Follies (Palladium), Jean-Michel in La Cage Aux Folles (Menier Chocolate Factory), Lord Farquaad in Shrek (Drury Lane), Bill Sykes in Oliver! (Grange Park Opera), Chief Weasel in The Wind in the Willows (Palladium), Evil Lord Hector in Eugenius (Other Palace) and Major Mario Carita in Glory Ride (Other Palace).Neil is also known for playing Ryan Malloy in BBC1's EastEnders and recently returned to Albert Square to reprise his role for a limited time. Home, I'm Darling tours until 13th May 2023. Visit www.kenwright.com for info, tour dates and tickets. Hosted by Andrew Tomlins. @AndrewTomlins32  Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.  

Later in his career Dickens toured the country doing hugely popular dramatic readings of his works. For his last tour he added in the scene where Bill Sykes murders Nancy but had concerns about how harrowing the passage was. As an exhibition opens at the Charles Dickens Museum we speak to the curator about how the reading affected both the audience and the author himself. Technology has transformed the way we consume art and culture – from films to music to art, we use our tech in ways we couldn't have imagined a few decades ago. After a pandemic year which has seen the work of many terribly impacted, today more than a hundred artists have signed a public letter calling for a Smart Fund which would support artists and creatives for their work through an additional fee on the sale of technology and gadgets. Kirsty is joined by Gilane Tawadross, Chief Executive of the Design and Artists Copyright Society who have proposed and championed this idea. Randall Goosby is a 24-year-old American violin virtuoso, and his first album was released last week on Decca records. He tells Kirsty about growing up with a violin on his arm, and why he's chosen the music of African-American composers for his first CD.

De acuerdo con patriarcas del cine como Eisenstein y Griffith, la literatura de Charles Dickens tiene mucho de cinematográfica, se pueden transponer al medio fílmico sus personajes enfáticos, sus arquetipos, las situaciones dramáticas, las narraciones paralelas de sus novelas, sus minuciosas descripciones, y su denuncia del poder de las instituciones ha funcionado como inspiración en numerosas ocasiones para el cine. David Lean supo despojar de hojarasca dos de sus obras capitales, Grandes Esperanzas (“Cadenas Rotas” se llamó el film por estos lares), y Oliver Twist. El film narra las azarosas experiencias y desventuras de un niño huérfano en la Inglaterra del Siglo XIX. Un inicio gótico y brillante, una mujer encinta busca refugio para dar a luz bajo la tormenta en plena noche, el juego de luces y sombras, los relámpagos, y los primeros planos sobre el rostro de la actriz Josephine Stuart sobrecogen, a continuación, la madre recién parida y enferma da el primer y último beso al bebé. Un fabuloso arranque que no aparece en la novela de Dickens, idea de otra actriz, Kay Walsh (Nancy en el reparto y esposa del director), sugerida al equipo de guionistas formado por Stanley Haynes y el propio David Lean. La fuerza y la elegancia de las imágenes en blanco y negro de Oliver Twist fluye plano tras plano, en ocasiones sin apenas diálogos, la persecución del crío por las calles de Londres con puñetazo final dirigido a la cámara, el juicio infame al que es sometido, la oscuridad y suciedad del submundo habitado por los villanos Fagin y Bill Sykes frente a la luz circundante de la casa en el barrio rico del benefactor, el señor Brownlow. En cuanto a los actores y actrices, destaca el judío de enorme nariz, lo interpretó Alec Guinness, su caracterización de miserable dio lugar a una ola de protestas entre la comunidad judía, el canallesco ladrón Bill es representado con tino por Robert Newton, y su compañera Nancy es Kay Walsh, personaje clave en el desarrollo de la trama, tampoco podemos olvidar al perro de Bill, feo e inteligente, y bastante más decente que su dueño. El niño protagonista fue John Howard Davies, confiere un toque tierno, sin caer en la lágrima facil ni en sentimentalismos exagerados. No desmerece el conjunto la dirección artística y los decorados, la excelente recreación de los ambientes de la época victoriana, la pobreza en el orfanato y en los barrios bajos, y al fondo la Catedral de San Pablo, imponente, parece observar la miseria de los pobres con altivez y desgana. Raúl Gallego Esta noche acompañamos a Oliver para pedir un segundo plato de gachas... Zacarías Cotán, Salvador Limón y Raúl Gallego

Supporting Simply Red at the Manchester Apollo? I never knew that! Find out more! Sit Down, Listen To This! which is also the title of his book. :)

GB2RS NEWS Sunday the 5th of April 2020   The news headlines: G2HCG becomes centenarian this week Remember to vote in RSGB elections Foundation exams online during the pandemic A good news story to start this week’s news. The RSGB would like to wish Bill Sykes, G2HCG a happy 100th birthday for Wednesday, the 8th of April. Bill is well-known for his involvement with JBeam aerials and for his in-depth knowledge of aerials in general. He is still active, mostly on 80m slow-scan television. Don’t forget that voting for the RSGB elections is still open. If you’ve struggled to find your Membership number, the Society has made it easier for you by adding it to the righthand sidebar of your Members’ page when you log into the website. This is your opportunity to choose who you want to be part of the RSGB Board and help lead the Society over the next few years. The special web pages at www.rsgb.org/agm have details of the Calling Notice, Resolutions, candidate statements and information about how to vote. Internet voting closes at 9am on Thursday the 23rd of April. On the 20th of March, the RSGB stopped accepting new exam bookings as part of its response to the government’s guidance concerning Coronavirus. Since then, it has been exploring ways in which it can use the online exams platform to enable new people to access amateur radio and obtain their licence. Following rigorous tests, the RSGB is now able to offer remote invigilation for online Foundation examinations. The Exams Department will be ready to receive online bookings from Monday the 6th of April. Further information, including an update on practical assessments, is at www.rsgb.org/syllabus-updates. The RSGB has also published a FAQ about the new process for candidates and tutors, which is at www.rsgb.org/exam-faq. To help and support radio amateurs who are isolated at home and would appreciate contact with other people, the RSGB Contest Committees are launching a new six-week initiative: the Hope QSO Party. Starting on the 6th of April and open to every radio amateur, not just RSGB Members, this contest will also welcome international participation. Scoring is on an Anyone works Anyone basis. The format is a series of 90-minute weekday events for single operators. It commences on Mondays at 0830UTC, starting 90 minutes later each day to begin on Fridays at 1430UTC. A single-mode will be used each day, repeating over a 6-day cycle. The series will use defined frequency ranges; QSOs are encouraged before and after the contest periods. The series rules are at tinyurl.com/rsgb-hope. During the COVID-19 pandemic, with European national societies working remotely, several have said that their outgoing and in-coming QSL bureau can no longer provide services. Amongst those countries that have requested no QSLs be sent are Italy, Spain and Greece. The RSGB has released to its YouTube channel three more presentations from its 2019 Annual Convention. Board Director Kamal Singh, M0IOV explores The future and growth of Amateur Radio; Derek Kozel, MW0LNA talks about Digital Homebrewing and the Schematics of SDR; whilst Roger Balister, G3KMA and Igor, UA9KDF report on the Arctic Legends expedition by RI0B to the Russian Polar Arctic. Each of these presentations are not only interesting to watch on your own but could also form the basis for lively on-air club night chats during this time of virtual club meetings. The RSGB has a Coronavirus Updates page that brings together some great ideas as well as its important announcements. Take a look at www.rsgb.org/coronavirus-updates. Now the contest news Due to social distancing and movement precautions around the world, most contest organisers are not accepting entries from multi-operator groups or from portable stations. Check the rules before taking part. The First 70MHz contest runs from 0900 to 1200UTC today, the 5th. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The UK Microwave Group second contest runs today, the 5th, from 1000 to 1600UTC. Using 1.3 to 3.4GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also today, the 5th, the first RoLo, Rolling Locator, contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using SSB, the exchange is signal report and the locator received. The SP DX contest ends its 24-hour run at 1500UTC today, the 5th. Using CW and SSB on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number, with SP stations sending their Province code. On Monday the 80m Club Championship CW contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. The exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. It is followed by the all-mode 144MHz UK Activity Contest from 1900 to 2130UTC. The exchange is the same for both, comprising signal report, serial number and locator. Thursday sees the 50MHz UK Activity Contest running from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Next Sunday, the 12th, the First 50MHz contest takes place from 0900 to 1200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and postcode. The Worked All Britain Data contest takes place from 1000 to 1400 and 1700 to 2100UTC on Sunday the 12th of April. All data modes except machine-generated CW may be used, but it is expected that most contacts will be by RTTY, PSK or FT8. The exchange is signal report, serial number and WAB square. Entries need to be with the contest manager by the 22nd of April. See www.worked-all-britain.org.uk. And finally, don’t forget the RSGB Hope QSO Party on weekdays, as mentioned earlier in this bulletin. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 3rd of March. The high-speed stream of solar particles from a coronal hole on the Sun last week wasn’t moving as fast as we initially thought. As a result, its impact on Earth, and the subsequent rise in the Kp index to four, happened in the early hours of Tuesday morning and not the weekend as we predicted. The impact though was relatively short-lived and by late Tuesday the Kp index was back down to two. The bands were affected though, with the critical frequency as measured at Chilton struggling to reach 5MHz until midday Tuesday. The predicted MUF over a 3,000km path, according to Propquest.co.uk, looked like a roller coaster ride, often exceeding 18MHz, but then crashing down to below 14MHz. A smaller coronal hole is now facing Earth, which could mean a higher Kp index over the weekend, although NOAA isn’t indicating this. There is some good news though. A small sunspot group numbered 2759, appeared on the Sun’s surface, pushing the sunspot number to 12. This represents two sunspots, which accounts for the 2, in one group, which accounts for the 10. The spot’s high latitude suggests it is from the upcoming Solar Cycle 25. But on Thursday the SFI was still at a modest 69. NOAA predicts that next week the solar flux index will remain at about 68-70 and geomagnetically the Kp index will remain at about two. The good news is there are signs that the higher HF bands are remaining open longer. As the season progresses this should improve, with 30m and even 20m eventually remaining open until very late. We are also heading towards the 2020 Sporadic-E season, which should bring strong short-skip signals on 10m, but more of that in the VHF section. And now the VHF propagation news. The weather produced some half-hearted attempts at Tropo in the past week and even some weak Sporadic-E opportunities appeared on 10m and 6m. This week looks to be rather mixed in a weather sense. The high will weaken and drift east allowing low pressure to move towards northwest Britain from the Atlantic with a series of fronts crossing the country next week. This will offer the chance of April shower rain scatter at times and then, by next weekend, there may be a rebuilding of high pressure to the east with a hint of Tropo and warmth to end the week. The month of April is traditionally the start of early Sporadic-E on 10m and 6m via traditional modes like CW and SSB. For example, a weak jet stream over the Pyrenees mid-week could favour paths to IS0, EA6, EA5 etc. Remember that springtime is also a good chance to get some auroral activity, so check those Kp values: anything above four or five is interesting. Moon declination is positive until Tuesday, as is the perigee, so losses will be at their lowest. Moon windows will shorten as the week goes on. 144MHz sky noise is low, so in all, it’s a good week for EME. We are still in the annual low activity period for shower meteors until the Lyrids, which should start on the 16th of this month. Keep checking around dawn for the best random meteor contacts. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

This week Tom & Ellen take a trip down memory lane and look back on drama in schools. However due to recent government cuts now 9 in 10 schools have made cuts to arts programmes, 3 in 10 schools don't even have drama as an option. Also they discuss audition fees, Ellen as Dorothy, Tom as Bill Sykes and their favourite drama memories. Alongside this we start the episode in a peculiar way & a themed audition/ industry stories of the week. Enjoy!

A spectacular Dickensian musical that traumatised multiple generations of children, Carol Reed's Oliver! is a bona fide classic... but somehow in fifty years, it's never been granted a direct sequel.  Far be it from us to claim we can top Charles Dickens for creativity, but with the great man long dead, we're sure he won't mind us stepping into his shoes for a while. Aussie Nerd Daniel Tickner joins us to share his love of (the first half of) this movie, and to discuss important matters such as the uncomfortable sexiness of Bill Sykes, The Artful Dodger's excellent colour co-ordination and why this movie's title character kind of sucks... ----- Every week on Beyond The Box Set, we take a classic movie from the past and boldly attempt to pitch sequels, prequels and spin-offs to bring them back to the big screen. From Titanic to The Shawshank Redemption, Mars Attacks to Maximum Overdrive, there's nothing we won't risk spoiling forever with our creative ramblings... If you enjoy the show, please hit subscribe for a new episode every Friday morning, and don't forget to leave us a rating or a review on your preferred podcasting app - it really helps us to connect with new listeners and keep the show on the air.  beyondtheboxset.com patreon.com/beyondtheboxset twitter.com/beyondtheboxset facebook.com/beyondtheboxset instagram.com/beyondtheboxset 00.00: Bill Skyes would 100% get it  24.40: Oliver! Drinking Games 33.10: Oliver! Adventures of a Master Criminal  40.20: Oliver meets Hamilton!  44.50: Oliver's Orphanage of Opportunity! 53.50: Episode 135 Preview & Listener Submissions

Nash and Elah host you through the seventh episode. The guys discuss the Doc Brown, Outkast, Beer Review, Mysdiggi, Billy Brimstone, Misfit, Dupa Styles, Funky Notes, Pierre the Camel, Buying fans, Pro P, Vegetables, Scruffbag, Yungun aka Essa, Shirefunk, Lowlife, King Louie, The Bluntskins, Harry Love, Verb T, Cheech, G21 Saddle Inn, Bill Sykes, Jman, Hip Hop History, RLD, Big Boi, Andre 3000, Babylon Dead, Blizzard, Live Rap and much more... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hip-hop-shedsessions-podcast/message

Mostly Musicals

Meet The Crooked: Bill "Sykes" Depth. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/arnold-blohme/support

Peter Cushing died in 1994 yet curiously he reprises his famous role of Grand Moff Tarkin in the new recently-released Star Wars film Rogue One. A lawyer, an actor and a film critic consider Hollywood's increasing use of CGI in giving film actors a screen life well beyond the grave, from the early days of Peter Sellers in Trail of the Pink Panther and Oliver Reed in Gladiator. The hero of Taboo, the new Saturday night BBC1 block buster, is an arresting amalgam of Bill Sykes, Sherlock Holmes, Hannibal Lecter and Heathcliff! Screen writer Steven Knight describes how he worked with star Tom Hardy and his dad Chips to work their initial idea into a gripping eight part historical drama.Today scientists announced a breakthrough in the medical use of spider silk. But it's clear from A Midsummer Night's Dream that Shakespeare already knew about the healing properties of cobwebs. Historian of Medicine Anna Maerker looks at other examples of the Bard's surprising medical knowledge.Alice Oswald's latest collection of poems, Falling Awake, has won this year's Costa Poetry Award. With its classical themes and exploration of the natural world, she discusses why carving rather than writing might be a better verb for describing her approach to creating new work.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Rebecca Armstrong.

Join Thos for a marvellous conversation with Paul Haley about his amazing play, Black Slap, an authentic exploration of the politics surrounding the Black and White Minstrel Show, and learn about his work with British Music Hall legends, the Crazy Gang, his involvement in the most successful variety show of the 1960s as well as being cast as the youngest ever Bill Sykes in Oliver.