Podcast appearances and mentions of Martin Sixsmith

Martin Sixsmith is many things; he's an academic, an investigative journalist, a documentarian and he spent years as a foreign correspondent for the BBC working in Russia, Washington and Poland. He's an author of both fiction and non-fiction, a radio and television presenter and he was an adviser to the Labour Government. Of the 8 books he has written to date, probably his most well known is “The Lost Child of Philomena Lee” which was turned into a multi Oscar and BAFTA nominated film “Philomena” starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan. In this conversation Martin talks about his experiences in Russia, The Cold War and Putin and how he came to write about The Lost Child of Philomena Lee. Fascinating, frank, informative and funny, I really enjoyed talking to Martin.

We're back and it's a special episode we have for you. It's our first live podcast panel event. Which was in collaboration with Short Circuit. We are over the moon with this collab as it's allowed us the bring you The Women In Film: Braking Barriers and Changing Narratives panel discussion with three incredible women. Nikki Parrott, Raisah Ahmed and Sarah Grant. Statement on the future of Short Circuit shortcircuit.scot/delivery-statement Nikki Parrott Tigerlily Productions is a multi-award-winning independent production company with a reputation for tackling powerful subject matter with sensitivity and artistry. Their output covers scripted and non- scripted documentaries, arts and music, history and current affairs across a range of media. In 2018, Tigerlily Two in Scotland was formed with the purpose of exploring new talent and stories outside London, and to be a prominent co-producer for international projects and teams. It is run out of Glasgow and headed by Nikki as Managing Director. In their first three years, they co-produced two feature documentaries POLY STYRENE I AM A CLICHÉ, which won two BIFAs including best documentary, IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE? which premiered at Sundance, and produced HONG KONG MIX TAPE, which premiered at Glasgow Film Festival this year and Hot Docs Toronto. WBSITE RAISAH AHMED Raisah Ahmed is a Screenwriter and Director who works across film and television. She has been working with Producer Zorana Piggott and Film4 on a feature project called Half-Moon Camp which looks at the journey of Indian Muslim Soldiers in WW1 as well as developing Safar a cross generational female road trip film with Zorana. Other credits include directing on CBBC's Sparks, Princess Mirror-Belle and Molly & Mack, BBC3's The Break and writing on BBC The Social's phone drama Control, CBBC's Molly & Mack and the recently announced WB Discovery animated series 'Toad and Friends'. She has been part of the writers room for Season 1 and 2 of Ch4 Series ‘We Are Lady Parts' and often consults on tv and film projects with a focus on Muslim and South Asian characters. She is currently developing the adaptation of Martin Sixsmith's ‘Ayesha's Gift' for television with Freedom Scripted, on which she's also an EP. She is also developing 'Nur' a 6 part original romcom for television with Channel X Hopscotch. As well as writing and directing, Raisah also sits on the BAFTA Scotland Committee, the board of the Scottish Youth Film Foundation and Bijli Productions, and chairs the Glasgow Film Festival Industry Advisory Group. WEBSITE:www.raisahahmed.com SARAH GRANT Sarah is a writer, director and performer based in Glasgow. She has a number of BAFTA qualifying shorts under her belt, and has created short-form work for BBC The Social and BBC Short Stuff, gaining tens of millions of views across digital and social media. She is moving towards writing and directing long form for film and television, shadowing Jack Clough as part of the BBC Comedy Bursary, and other programmes such as Young Films Residency, BAFTA Flare, the EIFF Talent Lab, and UKTV Comedy 50:50 pilot initiative. She also has work in development with BBC Studios, Candle and Bell, and Northbridge Media. Sarah is committed to creating body positive, sex positive and inclusive female-led stories that are honest, feminist and fearless. WEBSITE: www.sarahgrantcreative.com OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership

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Did history ever go away? For the former BBC Russia correspondent, Martin Sixsmith, there was a few euphoric years, in the early 1990's, when history promised to end. That time, of course, was the post-Soviet Russia of Boris Yeltsin and the promise that “they” could become like “us” and embrace both democracy and a Chicago school market capitalism. In his new book, PUTIN AND THE RETURN OF HISTORY, Sixsmith tells the story of the transition from this euphoria about the end of history into the Ukraine fueled pessimism of today. But Sixsmith doesn't blame everything on Putin, who he describes as a Russian Zelig, a Machiavellian opportunist who simultaneously was made by and has made history. Yes, he argues, the Kremlin has rekindled the Cold War. But we in the West also have some responsibility for not understanding the historic Russian paranoia about being invaded by western powers. Martin Sixsmith is a bestselling author, television and radio presenter and journalist. He began working at the BBC in 1980 as a foreign correspondent, reporting from Moscow during the end of the Cold War, the era of Perestroika, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 1997, he went to work for the government of Tony Blair as Director of Communications and Press Secretary to Harriet Harman and then to Alistair Darling. He then served as Director of Communication at the Department for Transport, Local Government, and the Regions. Sixsmith is the author of two political novels, Spin and I Heard Lenin Laugh. He has also published an account of the Litvinenko murder, The Litvinenko File, and made a documentary film in 2008 exploring the legacy of the KGB in today's Russia and the FSB. His book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee was turned into a hugely successful film in 2013, starring Judi Dench.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of The Directors' Take podcast, your hosts Oz Arshad and Marcus Anthony Thomas are joined by Writer/Director Raisah Ahmed. Raisah talks us through her journey into filmmaking, discussing her work as a writer in Sundance Writers' Lab, gaining her first TV directing credits, navigating the tricky world of development and her work on the hit Channel 4 TV show We are Lady Parts. This chat covers:   -Why did she get into films and TV? -What made her begin writing? -The journey toward directing her first short. -Her work within childrens TV and directing children. -Her work in development and development hell! -Navigating the industry as a woman of colour. -What the future holds.   Raisah Ahmed is a Writer & Director based in Glasgow Scotland. Her first funded short ‘Meet me by the water' was commissioned by the Scottish Film Talent Network and premiered at Edinburgh International Film Festival, with a feature based on the same short further developed under the mentorship of Olivia Stewart and was also shortlisted for Sundance Writers Lab. Raisah has since gone on to gain several TV directing credits as a part of BBC's The Break, Sparks and also with childrens TV shows Princess Mirror-Belle and Molly and Mack. She hasn't stopped writing though… Oh no.  She wrote on the hit Channel 4 Show We Are Lady Parts created by Nida Manzoor and currently has several feature films in active development which have been done in partnership with the BFI and Film4 and her producer Zorana Piggott. And it has just been announced that you are adapting Martin Sixsmith's follow up to Philomena, a family drama, detective story and thriller titled Ayesha's Gift into a 6 part TV series.    Nuggets of the week Oz: Cadrage App Marcus: Ponysmasher - Communicating Your Vision as a Directo Raisah: Get out of the house and experience something outside of your own art form.   Credits Music by Oliver Wegmüller   Socials Instagram: @TheDirectorsTakePodcast Twitter: @DirectorsTake Raisah's socials: Twitter & Instagram   If you have any questions relating to the episode or have topics you would like covering in future releases, reach out to us at TheDirectorsTake@Outlook.com.

Imagine a state apparatus of terror; they monitor citizens, they kidnap people in the middle of the night, they torture people to extract false confessions. Now imagine that same state apparatus of terror is run by a murderous pedophile. That was the Soviet people's reality with appointment of Lavrenti Beria to the dreaded People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs or the NKVD, the Soviet secret police. Please leave us a rating, or a review if you're feeling really generous. Follow Secret Police! Twitter @hush_popo Instagram @secretpolicepodcast Sources Beria - The NKVD & Death of Stalin Documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0bnt7hYmDY&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hwiZixdKcerUzA777jS27Ml&index=3&t=1927s  Lavrenti Beria Biography https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSberia.htm Richard Sorge. https://spartacus-educational.com/GERsorge.htm On Stalin's Secret Service - Richard Sorge - WW2 Biography Special. World War Two. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn9NyRfbSOo&ab_channel=WorldWarTwo  Stalin and Trotsky rivalry https://www.rbth.com/history/333272-how-stalin-and-trotsky-fought Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore. Russia: The Wild East by Martin Sixsmith and the BBC.  Flowers in Russia: What You Need to Know by Matt Shannon. 2021. https://expatriant.com/flowers-in-russia/   The Finnish Language. LangFocus. 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-uWYvlyeBc&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hwiZixdKcerUzA777jS27Ml&index=5&t=316s  Winter War - Soviet Finnish 1939-1940 War - FULL 3d DOCUMENTARY. Kings and Generals. 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Uk5bY22RSE&t=2448s  US Census. Quick Facts. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045221 The investigation of the dead or lost Finnish stages of Stalin's persecution will continue – SKS also finds out what traces of persecution left on the victims' descendants. Pekka Torvinen. https://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/art-2000007766248.html China and International Law -- The Boundary Disputes by Byron N. Tzou. 1990. The end of "Millionka": the liquidation of Chinatown in Vladivostok (1936). Russia and the Pacific (in Russian). Vladivostok: Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Peoples of the Far East of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (4): 24–31. A Historical Investigation of the Soviet Union's Handling of the Chinese Issue in the Far East (1937-1938)]. Modern Chinese History Studies (in Simplified Chinese). Beijing: Institute of Modern History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (2): 41. Khisamutdinov, Amir Aleksandrovich (2018). "Millionka": a culture that grew up in the backyard. The Origins of Soviet Ethnic Cleansing by Martin Terry. 1998. Journal of Modern History.  L'Affaire Lyushkov: Anatomy of a Defector by Alvin D Coox. 1968. Why didn't the Allies declare war on the USSR when they invaded Poland? Knowledgia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBd60UsL9u0&ab_channel=Knowledgia The NKVD: from Pen-Pushers to Communist Hit Squads - WW2 Special. World War Two. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HwKl8VUZHA&t=507s&ab_channel=WorldWarTwo  State Committee of Defence Decree. Concerning the security measures in rear areas and communications of the Red Army in East Prussia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Romania. December 1944. https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2015/12/10/soviet-nkvd-iv/  Sonja Schmid. Producing Power: The Pre-Chernobyl History of the Soviet Nuclear Industry. 2015.  The Atomic Bomb, Russia and Spies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nOrMZCThNg&t=136s&ab_channel=JohnKerruish    Harry S Truman Library Bombing of Hiroshima Newsreel from the AP Music Scorching Action by Jon Presstone Tension in the Dark by Jon Presstone Gnosienne by Eric Satie performed by Neil Cross and Raighes Factory It's Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas by Perry Como (a parody) Mozart K.488 Piano Concerto #23 in A 2nd mov. Adagio Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP Electra to the Baltic Sea by Giuseppe Rizzo Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone Sad Smooth Piano Jazz Background Music by Volodymyr Piddubnyk Eye Of The Storm (Feat. Cicely Parnas) - Instrumental Version Humans Win Kalahari Wind by Humans Win Sneaky Snitch by Kevin MacLeod Giant Wyrm by Kevin MacLeod Selected clips from The Death of Stalin (2017)

Sign up for Intelligence Squared Premium here: https://iq2premium.supercast.com/ for ad-free listening, bonus content, early access and much more. See below for details. Mikhail Khodorkovsky has experienced first hand the wrath of Vladimir Putin. Once an oil tycoon and the richest man in Russia, Khodorkovsky was arrested at gunpoint before parliamentary elections in 2003, stripped of his oil wealth and jailed on politically motivated charges of fraud and tax evasion after funding opposition parties. Khodorkovsky spent nearly ten years in prison. In September 2022 he came to Intelligence Squared to share his unparalleled insight into the inner workings of Putin's regime. Drawing from his new book, The Russia Conundrum, Khodorkovsky reveals how Russia really works and how the West can truly begin to blunt the Kremlin's imperial ambitions. Joining Khodorkovsky in conversation is journalist, co-author of The Russia Conundrum, and former BBC Moscow correspondent Martin Sixsmith. Our host for this discussion is journalist and presenter of BBC Radio 4's World Tonight, Ritula Shah. … We are incredibly grateful for your support. To become an Intelligence Squared Premium subscriber, follow the link: https://iq2premium.supercast.com/  Here's a reminder of the benefits you'll receive as a subscriber: Ad-free listening, because we know some of you would prefer to listen without interruption  One early episode per week Two bonus episodes per month A 25% discount on IQ2+, our exciting streaming service, where you can watch and take part in events live at home and enjoy watching past events on demand and without ads  A 15% discount and priority access to live, in-person events in London, so you won't miss out on tickets Our premium monthly newsletter  Intelligence Squared Merch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once the richest man in Russia, had his life turned upside down when he made the bold move to speak out against the corruption of the Russian regime – Exposing the truth about Putin's misconduct resulted in him being stripped of his entire wealth and jailed for over ten years. Now freed, Khodorkovsky has written about his experience of standing up to the notorious dictator with some help from best selling Sunday Times Author, Martin Sixsmith in, The Russia Conundrum. Martin joined Sean on the show...

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once the richest man in Russia, had his life turned upside down when he made the bold move to speak out against the corruption of the Russian regime – Exposing the truth about Putin's misconduct resulted in him being stripped of his entire wealth and jailed for over ten years. Now freed, Khodorkovsky has written about his experience of standing up to the notorious dictator with some help from best selling Sunday Times Author, Martin Sixsmith in, The Russia Conundrum. Martin joined Sean on the show...

Martin Sixsmith speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about his book The War of Nerves, which explores the role of psychology in the Cold War, from propaganda and paranoia to a divided mindset and unpredictable decisions made by unstable leaders. (Ad) Martin Sixsmith is the author of The War of Nerves: Inside the Cold War Mind (Profile Books, 2021). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-war-of-nerves%2Fmartin-sixsmith%2F9781781259122 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this week's episode of Pages n' Pages, we have reached the official end of our Spooktober Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark re-read! Has Sophia finally watched the movie adaptation? No. Will Morgan eventually make her? Yes. Stay tuned until the end of the episode to find out Sophia's new rap name. Books we mention: The Lost Child of Philomena Lee: A Mother, Her Son and a 50 Year Search/Philomena by Martin Sixsmith, Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur, The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas, Anxious People by Frederik Backman, Know My Name by Chanel Miller, Forbidden by Tabitha Sazuma, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff, Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling, Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune, Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones by Alvin Schwartz. Check out Pages n' Pages on Instagram. These opinions of the books are entirely our own. Image by Kapona via Vector Stock.

It's episode two of our Spooktober read-along! We are reading More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. We talk about our favorite and least favorite stories, the nostalgia of reading them as adults and all the fun stuff in between. Books we mention: More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Scary Stories #2) by Alvin Schwartz, She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Emperor #1) by Shelley Parker-Chan, Malibu RIsing by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur, The Lost Child of Philomena Lee: A Mother, Her Son and a 50 Year Search/Philomena by Martin Sixsmith, Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, Kill Creek by Scott Thomas. Check out Pages n' Pages on Instagram. These opinions of the books are entirely our own. Image by Kapona via Vector Stock.

Rowan Williams celebrates The Book of Taliesin – legendary Welsh poems of enchantment and warfare. The former Archbishop of Canterbury tells Andrew Marr how the collection of poems speak of a lost world of folklore and mythology, and the figure of Taliesin is an elusive and exuberant creative poetic fiction. Martin Sixsmith tells the extraordinary story of the Russian poet Sergei Yesenin at the turn of the 20th century. Yesenin lived through the most turbulent times in Russian history, and during an age when poets were stars, and millions could recite his works by heart. The poet Jay Bernard has found inspiration in exploring the black British archive, and the enquiry into the New Cross Fire in 1981 which killed thirteen young people. The poems shine a light on an unacknowledged chapter in British history, and find resonance with the horror of the Grenfell tower fire two years ago. The poet, writer and teacher, Kate Clanchy has seen first-hand poetry’s unique ability to unleash young voices. At the multicultural school in Oxford where she teaches, students speak 30 languages and poetry has become a vital part of bringing pupils together, giving them pride in their work and allowing them to express the reality of their lives. Producer: Katy Hickman Image of Jay Bernard, taken by Joshua Virasami

Early one morning in July 1918, the Russian Imperial Family was led into a basement and murdered. Nicholas the Second was only 26 when he became Tsar of All the Russians. He was ill equipped for the job and faced challenges which would have tested a more gifted man. But Nicolas was deeply religious and had a profound sense of his duty to God to uphold autocracy and defend the Church. Joining Ernie Rea to discuss the last of the Romanovs is Andrew Phillips, Archpriest of the Russian Orthodox Church; the historian Janet Ashton, and authors Helen Rappaport and Martin Sixsmith. Producer: Amanda Hancox.

Early one morning in July 1918, the Russian Imperial Family was led into a basement and murdered. Nicholas the Second was only 26 when he became Tsar of All the Russians. He was ill equipped for the job and faced challenges which would have tested a more gifted man. But Nicolas was deeply religious and had a profound sense of his duty to God to uphold autocracy and defend the Church. Joining Ernie Rea to discuss the last of the Romanovs is Andrew Phillips, Archpriest of the Russian Orthodox Church; the historian Janet Ashton, and authors Helen Rappaport and Martin Sixsmith. Producer: Amanda Hancox.

Voices of Revolution: Russia 1917 Series Advisor Martin Sixsmith speaks to musicologist Marina Frolova-Walker about the different ways Soviet era composers navigated an increasingly volatile system, one that could be unpredictable, especially when it came to evaluating music.  Profiling composers featured in the Philharmonia Orchestra's Royal Festival Hall concert on 22 March 2018, Sixsmith and Frolova-Walker explore how Sergei Prokofiev was lured back to Russia with flattery; how Alexander Mosolov ended up in the Gulag; and how Reinhold Glière managed to work the system to his advantage by producing beautiful, accessible music.  Works discussed:  Mosolov: Iron Foundry Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 Glière: Concerto for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra, The Red Poppy Recorded live at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London. Philharmonia Orchestra's 'Voices of Revolution' series continues in March 2018. https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/concerts/series/68/voices_of_revolution_russia_1917 

Ten contemporary cultural specialists look back at the impact of the Russian Revolution of 1917 on artists of the time - in film, theatre, poetry, dance and beyond. Journalist and writer Martin Sixsmith opens the series with a consideration of the choices, good and bad, open to artists during and after the Revolution.Part of Breaking Free: A Century of Russian CultureProducer Alison Hindell BBC Cymru Wales.

Series Advisor Martin Sixsmith leads a discussion about Battleship Potemkin with Russian and Soviet Film Studies professor, Philip Cavendish. Cavendish discusses Battleship Potemkin's iconic role in world cinema, it's powerful cinematography and director Sergei Eisenstein's aim to capture the tragedy, the pathos and brutality of events that took part in Odessa. Recorded live at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London. Philharmonia Orchestra's 'Voices of Revolution' series continues in March 2018.   

Andrew Marr talks to the best-selling author Martin Sixsmith about his latest book which tells the story of a daughter's search for the truth about her beloved father. Secrets, corruption and political intrigue are uncovered as they travel from Britain to Pakistan. There's more political scandal and family drama from the Nigerian author Chibundu Onuzo in her latest novel, Welcome to Lagos, and the playwright Oladipo Agboluaje imagines a political revolution in 21st century Nigeria and the moral compromises made in the pursuit of power and political change. Laurence Cockcroft is the co-founder of Transparency International in the UK and in his latest work turns his attention to the flavour of corruption in the West. Producer: Katy Hickman.

Journalist Martin Sixsmith presents a programme of Russian music. Having studied both Russian and Psychology extensively Martin explores how music might help us understand Russia's sense of self, and the extent to which it's been shaped by traumatic events and competing world views throughout its tumultuous history.

Ruth Levitt describes how London's cemeteries couldn't cope with the rising number of dead in the 19th century and reveals the solutions the Victorians devised for this problem. Meanwhile, we speak to Martin Sixsmith, presenter of the Radio 4 series In Search of Ourselves, about the history of psychology. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Just in time for the Academy Awards, Ken and Todd look at one of the nominees: Stephen Frears's Philomena. How does the film depict its protagonist's Roman Catholicism, and what can those outside that denomination learn from her example? SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Intro and plot summary: SPOILER WARNINGS. 4:57 - Being interested in other people. 10:40 - Philomena as a "good" Catholic and the power of habit. 22:50 - Institutions and the individuals who populate them. 30:00 - The acting, and a minor reservation. DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

With Mark Lawson. Dame Judi Dench discusses her role in the new film Philomena, in which she plays a 70-year-old Irish woman who is looking to trace her son, taken away from her when she was a teenager. She discusses portraying and meeting the real Philomena Lee, and working with Steve Coogan, who co-scripted and co-stars in the film as Martin Sixsmith, the man who helped Philomena find her child. Honoré Daumier was a French printmaker, sculptor and painter whose work offered a social commentary on 19th Century French life. A new exhibition, Visions of Paris, explores his legacy. Booker Prize-winning novelist Julian Barnes reviews the show. Henrik Ibsen's play Ghosts is enjoying two very different new productions at the moment. In English Touring Theatre's staging, the sets take inspiration from designs originally made for the play by Edvard Munch in 1906. In Richard Eyre's new version, at the Almeida Theatre, London, the transparent walls of the set provide a stark contrast to the secrets hidden by the characters. Tim Hatley who designed the Almeida's production and Sue Prideaux, Munch's biographer, discuss the different approaches to representing the text. Peep Show stars David Mitchell and Robert Webb reunite in Ambassadors, a TV comedy-drama series about the inner-workings of an embassy in the fictional country of Tazbekistan. Briony Hanson of the British Council delivers her verdict. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

The recent jailing of three young women for staging a political protest in a cathedral in Moscow has highlighted the relationship between the Government and the Russian Orthodox Church. Ernie Rea's guests today are Canon Michael Bordeaux from the Keston Institute for the Study of Religion and Communism, Father Andrew Phillips,a Russian Orthodox priest, and the BBC's former Moscow correspondent, Martin Sixsmith.

The recent jailing of three young women for staging a political protest in a cathedral in Moscow has highlighted the relationship between the Government and the Russian Orthodox Church. Ernie Rea's guests today are Canon Michael Bordeaux from the Keston Institute for the Study of Religion and Communism, Father Andrew Phillips,a Russian Orthodox priest, and the BBC's former Moscow correspondent, Martin Sixsmith.

Sandi Toksvig discusses the 'Wild East' - Russia - with the BBC's former Moscow correspondent, Martin Sixsmith. Actor Michael Simkins relates his adventures on a rail journey from London to Kiev and on to Crimea to visit the former site of the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaklava in 1854 - and author and linguist Anna Shevchenko explains why she believes Ukraine, where she was born, is a 'hidden' country with much to offer the traveller. Producer: Harry Parker.

With Kirsty Lang. Emma Donoghue is the bestselling author of Room, the Booker-nominated novel inspired by the real life Josef Fritzl case. Her latest book is The Sealed Letter, a historical romp that deals with a scandalous 19th Century divorce case. She talks to Kirsty about why she always avoids taking sides among her characters. Music critic Caspar Llewellyn Smith reviews a selection of new albums - including Coldplay's recent Mylo Xyloto; Tom Waits' long-awaited Bad As Me; and Parisienne singer Camille's bilingual Ilo Veyou. Johnny Hallyday has announced he will play his first British concert at the Royal Albert Hall next year. French journalist Agnes Poirier explains the enduring appeal of the Gallic rocker. Martin Sixsmith reviews a new exhibition of Soviet art and architecture at the Royal Academy in London, which explores how the Russian avant-garde aesthetic reflected the energy and optimism of the new Soviet Socialist State Plus: America's most famous cellist, Yo-Yo Ma, is renowned for performing works which range far beyond the standard classical repertoire. His latest CD, The Goat Rodeo Sessions, is a collaboration with three string virtuosos: a bluegrass fiddler, a mandolin wizard, and a bassist. Ma talks about his attitude to improvisation - and explains what a goat rodeo is. Producer Ellie Bury.

Tom Sutcliffe talks to Anne Dudley about the new opera, The Doctor's Tale, which with a Monty Python-esque absurdity tells the story of a devoted doctor, who just happens to be a dog. The writer Elif Batuman follows the footsteps of her Russian literary heroes, to see whether their lives and work can influence her own. While the BBC's former Moscow correspondent, Martin Sixsmith takes in a thousand years of Russian history. And David Runciman asks 'Can Democracy Cope?' with what is happening around the world, and looks back to the works of Tocqueville and Nietzsche to help make sense of the state of democracy today. Producer: Katy Hickman.

Martin Sixsmith gets under the skin of the fastest growing and arguably most politically influential secret service in the world the "new KGB".

Martin Sixsmith looks at Russia's fast growing and politically influential secret service.