Podcasts about producer paula mcginley

Lauren Laverne launches Radio 4's invitation for you to tell us about one piece of music that you have turned to in the recent weeks of lockdown, and the story behind your choice. For more information about how to share your story, please visit the Desert Island Discs website. Producer Paula McGinley

The novel Miss Marjoribanks (1866) brought to life a large comic heroine who bucked 19th-century conventions. New Generation Thinker Clare Walker Gore outlines the prolific writing career of Margaret Oliphant and laments the way she was used by fellow novelist Virginia Woolf as a symbol of the dangers of needing to write for money to keep yourself and your family afloat. Producer: Paula McGinley

The German joker Tyll Ulenspiegel. Anne McElvoy with best selling novelist Daniel Kehlmann plus Prof Karen Leeder who has been looking at changing versions of the Dresden bombing. Daniel Kehlmann's new book is called Tyll, translated by Ross Benjamin. A Netflix TV series has been commissioned. His book Measuring The World about mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss and German geographer Alexander von Humboldt became the world's second best-selling novel in 2006. Professor Karen Leeder teaches at the University of Oxford. She has translated Porzellan: Poem vom Untergang meiner Stadt by Durs Grünbein, coming out as Durs Grünbein, Porcelain: Poem on the Downfall of my City and has been reading a new history of Dresden by Sinclair Mackay called Dresden: The Fire and the Darkness. You can hear her contributing to a discussion on Radio 3's The Verb about German poetry after the Fall of the Berlin Wall https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000b7x0 You can find Anne McElvoy talking to Susan Neimann about tolerance, censorship and free speech and lessons from German history https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0008hvz to novelists Florian Huber and Sophie Hardach about New angles on post war German history https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0006sjx to Neil McGregor about Germany https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b079mcgf Dr Tom Smith lectures in German at the University of St Andrews. Dr Dina Rezk lectures on Middle East History at the University of Reading. They are both New Generation Thinkers on the scheme run by the BBC in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council to work with academics to share their research on radio. You can find more examples of their work on the Free Thinking programme website. Producer: Paula McGinley

Julian Worricker on: The journalist, Andrew Graham-Yooll OBE, who risked his life to tell the story of the so-called 'disappeared' in Argentina in the 1970s. The writer Andrea Newman, best known for 'Bouquet of Barbed Wire', the sexually charged family drama that pushed the boundaries of television. Ornithologist and conservationist, Peter Davis, who dedicated much of his working life to saving the red kite. And Olly Croft OBE who founded the British Darts Organisation, and is credited with making the sport more popular and more professional. Producer: Paula McGinley

From Sean the Sheep & Damien Hirst to a knitted bikini. Shahidha Bari with a woolly episode talks to writer and knitter Esther Rutter, shepherd Axel Linden, medievalist John Lee and cultural historian Alexandra Harris. Esther Rutter is the author of This Golden Fleece: A Journey Through Britain's Knitted History. Shepherd Axel Linden farms in Ostergotland county in the south east of Sweden and has written On Sheep - Diary of a Swedish Shepherd. Professor Alexandra Harris considers sheep in art and literature including works by Andy Goldsworthy, Damien Hirst and Holman Hunt. John Lee is the author of a book about cloth making in the late Middle Ages called The Medieval Clothier. Producer: Paula McGinley

The industrial designer Marek Reichman meets the graphic artist and designer Peter Saville. Marek Reichman has designed cars for some of the world's best-known marques and is currently chief creative officer at Aston Martin. Born in Sheffield, he graduated from Teesside University with a degree in industrial design and continued his studies in vehicle design at the Royal College of Art. Peter Saville was in his mid-20s when he created renowned album covers for Factory Records' bands including Joy Division and New Order. Since then he has worked with leading fashion designers and musicians and was appointed creative director of the city of Manchester. Producer: Paula McGinley

Clive Anderson and Nikki Bedi are joined by Bryn Terfel, Brian Bilston and Marina Sirtis for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Jesca Hoop. Producer: Paula McGinley

Radio 1 Breakfast Show host Greg James digs into the BBC's archives, taking some of the week's news stories as a starting point for a trip into the past. Greg, who describes himself as a "proud radio nerd", is let loose in the vast BBC vaults, home to a treasure trove of radio and television programmes as well as some revealing documents. He says "As someone who spends too much time searching for oddities online, the opportunity to gain access to one of the greatest media resources on the planet was too good to miss." This audio journey uncovers some surprising moments. As the UK prepares for the state visit of President Trump, Greg discovers some of his first encounters with British broadcasters - and also finds that searching for 'trump' in the archives delivers an unexpected series from the early 1980s. The Elton John biopic Rocketman arrives in our cinemas this week and the BBC archives reveal that Elton's journey to global success had a very bumpy start. And following the announcement that Yorkshire-born Simon Armitage will be the next Poet Laureate, we hear from a long-overlooked Yorkshire writer who wrote hundreds of royal poems. And there's an art review format which Greg describes as 'astonishing': two Beryls consider paintings by an artist called Beryl. Producer Paula McGinley

Aasmah Mir and the Reverend Richard Coles are joined by the writer Dame Jacqueline Wilson. She discusses her heroine Tracy Beaker who is now grown up with a daughter of her own and why she prefers writing for children to adults. Steve Bland talks about his late wife Rachael, the journalist and broadcaster who co-presented You, Me and the Big C, an inspiring podcast about living with cancer. The podcast tackled her illness with courage and humour and changed our thinking about the disease. Before her death last year Rachael wrote a moving memoir for her young son Freddie. Born in Beirut, comedian Nemr Abour Nassar grew up in San Diego before returning to Lebanon. His stand-up routine addresses the differences between US and Lebanese culture and, closer to home, he pokes fun at his Arab family and their traditions. Julia Lee is the first female rugby league referee. She fell in love with the game when she was a child and when she was 17 she applied to become an official. She talks about being a woman in a man's world and the new play Ref! - a fictionalised account of her life. With Inheritance Tracks from former designer and sculptor Nicole Farhi. She chooses Kol Nidrei sung by Cantor Yitz Meir Helfgot and Casta Diva sung by Maria Callas from the opera Norma by Bellini. Producer: Paula McGinley. Editor: Beverley Purcell

Clive Anderson and Emma Freud are joined by Rich Hall, Tamara Harvey, Layton Williams and Michelle Collins for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Adrianne Lenker and Tiny Ruins. Producer: Paula McGinley

Clive Anderson and Arthur Smith are joined by Natalie Ibu, Ade Adepitan, Jonathan Bailey and Kieran Hodgson for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Eddi Reader and Ché Lingo. Producer: Paula McGinley

Clive Anderson and Emma Freud are joined by Sheila Ravenscroft, Dave Gorman, Anna Jordan and Angela Barnes for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Fatima and Lisa O' Neill. Producer: Paula McGinley

Pictured: Sister Wendy Beckett Julian Worricker on: The nun, Sister Wendy Beckett, who became an unlikely television star when she brought her knowledge of the history of art to the small screen... Nicolas Roeg, the film director behind such classics as Don't Look Now and The Man Who Fell to Earth... The German soprano, Inge Borkh, described as one of the most exciting operatic performers of her era... The Nobel prize winning scientist, Professor Sir Aaron Klug, credited with ground-breaking work on the structure of viruses... And Geoff Emerick, a recording engineer regarded as the technical genius behind the sound of the Beatles... Producer: Paula McGinley

Nikki Bedi and YolanDa Brown are joined by Sue Johnston, Dan Schreiber and Lauren Child for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from The Kingdom Choir and The Burning Hell. Producer: Paula McGinley

Clive Anderson and Sara Cox are joined by Jim Broadbent, Meera and Jackie Hagan for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Jon Hopkins and Tarantina. Producer: Paula McGinley

Clive Anderson and YolanDa Brown are joined by Mark Knopfler, Nina Wadia, Kate Humble and Liam Charles for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Mark Knopfler. Producer: Paula McGinley

Clive Anderson and Scottee are joined by Ross Noble, Daniel Mays and Beverley Knight for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Camille O'Sullivan and Beverley Knight. Producer: Paula McGinley

Clive Anderson and Arthur Smith are joined by Andrea Riseborough, Michael Connelly, Colin Morgan and Ariane Sherine for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Baxter Dury and Kojey Radical. Producer: Paula McGinley

Clive Anderson and Emma Freud are joined by Sue Perkins, Ian Rankin, Nina Sosanya and Schalk Bezuidenhout for with an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Delgres and The Breath. Producer: Paula McGinley

Clive Anderson and Arthur Smith are joined by Jessica Hynes, John Simpson, Edward Carey and Atiha Sen Gupta for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Lake Street Dive and Tawiah. Producer: Paula McGinley

Clive Anderson and Sara Cox are joined by Jeff Goldblum, Graham Norton, Adrian Lester and Rosemary Shrager for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra. Producer: Paula McGinley

Clive Anderson and Emma Freud are joined by Joan Armatrading, Professor Michael Scott, Dr Phil Hammond and Arinze Kene for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Joan Armatrading. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Clive Anderson and Phil Gayle are joined by Stephen Mangan, Juliet Stevenson, Arabella Weir and Luke Wright for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from GoGo Penguin and Poppy Ackroyd. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Clive Anderson and Nikki Bedi pick their Loose Ends highlights from 2017. Conversation, comedy and music comes courtesy of an eclectic line up: Gina Yashere, Jason Isaacs, Stephen Fry, Sir Trevor McDonald, Stormzy, Dave Johns, Frank Gardner, Meera Syal, Rupert Everett, Margaret Cho, Noel Clarke, Jayde Adams, Frank Skinner, Ibibio Sound Machine, Mica Paris, Sampha, Brandy Clark and Rick Wakeman. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Aasmah Mir and Suzy Klein meet astronaut Tim Peake; writer and actor Sanjeev Kohli and cake maker Cynthia Stroud. Tim Peake is a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut. He finished his 186-day Principia mission on the International Space Station for Expedition 46/47 when he landed back on earth on June 18th 2016. His new book Ask an Astronaut is published by Century. Sanjeev Kohli is a writer, actor and comedian who stars in the BBC Radio Four series Fags, Mags and Bags and the Scottish sitcom Still Game. Cynthia Stroud is a cake maker who is one of the four modern confectioners in BBC Two's The Sweet Makers at Christmas. They'll recreate the treats of Christmas past, and discover how their predecessors helped create many of the culinary festive traditions we enjoy today - from Queen Victoria's favoured Boar's Head cake to sugar mice and chocolate apples and oranges. The Sweet Makers at Christmas is broadcast on BBC Two on December 15th. Also on the programme the actor David Jason shares his inheritance tracks - the Darktown Poker Club by Phil Harris and Holding Back the Years by Simply Red. Producer: Paula McGinley. Editor: Eleanor Garland.

Goldie, producer, DJ and artist; actor Tim Bentinck and model and campaigner Mary Russell join Aasmah Mir and the Reverend Richard Coles.. Born in Walsall and brought up in a series of children's homes, Goldie made his name as a graffiti artist before becoming a sought after producer and DJ. As an actor he appeared in the James Bond film the World is Not Enough and learned how to conduct an orchestra in the BBC series Maestro. His new book, All Things Remembered, written with Ben Thompson, looks back at his eventful life and reveals how hot yoga has helped him come to terms with his past. All Things Remembered is published by Faber and Faber. Mary Russell is a model, disability rights campaigner and a television personality. Born with achondroplasia - a common cause of dwarfism - she also works for a range of charities which aim to educate people about disability. Mary has appeared in the television series the Undateables and more recently in the BBC series Without Limits in which a group of people with disabilities travelled to Vietnam. Actor Tim Bentinck has played the role of David Archer in BBC Radio 4's soap opera The Archers for the past 35 years. In his memoir, Being David Archer, he recounts his varied life from being born in Tasmania to being the Earl of Portland (a title he inherited from a distant cousin) the voice of Mind the Gap on the Piccadilly Line, an HGV truck driver, an inventor and the voice of James Bond in the computer game The World is Not Enough. Being David Archer is published by Constable and Robinson. Also on the programme is Eloise Sentito who left her job as an academic to drive around the country in a campervan which is now her home and where she weaves blankets and shawls inspired by the landscape around her. JP Devlin visits Rosamund Young who runs a farm in the Cotswolds where she observes the mannerisms and relationships developed by her cattle - all the better to learn from their behaviour. The Secret Life of Cows is published by Faber and Faber. And comedian Shazia Mirza reveals her inheritance tracks - Verdi's The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from the opera Nabucco and Heroes by David Bowie. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Sir Tim Smit, co-founder of the Eden Project; actor and writer John Gordon Sinclair; performer Sophie Willan and confectioner Andy Baxendale join Aasmah Mir and the Reverend Richard Coles. Sir Tim Smit co-founded the Eden Project in Cornwall in 2001. The Dutch born businessman is also known for restoring the Lost Gardens of Heligan with John Nelson. It's 25 years since these gardens were restored to their former glory. This week the Eden Project launched a new company Eden Project International Ltd (EPIL) to establish Eden projects with international partners around the world. Eden Project International is currently working on three projects in China and others in Australia and New Zealand. John Gordon Sinclair is an author and actor, best known for playing Gregory in Bill Forsyth's film Gregory's Girl. In 2012 he turned his attention to writing crime novels and his current book, Walk In Silence, is the story of lawyer Keira Lynch who is caught up in the murky Albanian underworld. As an actor Gordon was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Newcomer for Gregory's Girl and his first outing in London's West End in She Loves Me won him a Best Actor Olivier award. Walk in Silence is published by Faber and Faber. Gordon features in the television drama Diana and I which will be broadcast on BBC Two later this year. Comedian Sophie Willan's new show Branded explores why she feels like a well-travelled alien - fitting in with no particular class or culture but still constantly being put into boxes by others. Branded by her working class background, her gender, her ambition, and her unapologetic 'Northerness', she explains the misunderstandings she's experienced in different environments. Her previous show On Record tackled the story of her childhood in care and the impact of getting access to her case files at 23. Branded is at the Pleasance Courtyard: Bunker 2, Edinburgh. Andy Baxendale is a sweet consultant who features in the BBC Two series the Sweetmakers which explores the life of confectioners in late 19th and early 20th century England. This was a time when cheap sugar meant sweets for every class in society and the modern brands that we still know and love today were created. Using period equipment, original recipes and authentic ingredients, Andy and his fellow confectioners recreate sweets of the past and discover the adulterants and toxic colours used in sweets, the Quaker families who dominated confectionery, and the poignant letters sent back from the First World War trenches. The Sweetmakers is broadcast on BBC Two. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Presenter and barrister Robert 'Judge' Rinder; actor Daragh O'Malley; Clare Brant, professor of 18th century literature and culture and ship's captain Amelia Dalton join Aasmah Mir and the Revd Richard Coles. Robert 'Judge' Rinder is a criminal law barrister and television court judge who is best known for his role on the reality courtroom series Judge Rinder - the British version of the American show Judge Judy. He came to widespread attention performing on Strictly come Dancing in 2016. He presents Judge Rinder's Crime Stories on ITV. Daragh O'Malley is an actor who stars in Maxim Gorky's the Last Ones at the Jermyn Street Theatre. He is best known for his role as Patrick Harper opposite Sean Bean in the television series Sharpe from 1992 to 2008. His film and television roles range from Withnail and I to The Long Good Friday and Waking The Dead to Silent Witness while his theatre work includes Dancing at Lughnasa and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The Last Ones is at the Jermyn Street Theatre, London. Clare Brant is professor of 18th century literature and culture at King's College London. She has curated Dear Diary: A Celebration of Diaries and their Digital Descendants. The exhibition explores what motivates diarists and charts the ways in which paper diaries have been joined by phones and tablets as our means of keeping track of daily life. Dear Diary is at King's College London in Somerset House. After the death of her son, Amelia Dalton took a step that would change her life forever. She transformed a neglected Arctic fishing boat into a chic expedition ship to run cruises to the Western Isles. Along the way, she had to navigate bloody-minded fisherman, red tape, bank loans and shareholders - and gained the respect of the tough, hard-working island community. She's written about her adventure in her book, Mistress and Commander, published by Sandstone Press. Also in the programme, writer Anthony Horowitz shares his Inheritance Tracks. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Clive Anderson and Scottee are joined by Meera Syal, Anthony Head, Alistair McGowan and Rhyannon Styles. With music from Ron Sexsmith and Mykki Blanco. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Comedian and actor Omid Djalili; playwright Jack Thorne; fitness expert Diana Moran and singer and presenter Dashni Morad join Libby Purves. Diana Moran is well known as The Green Goddess who, back in the 1980s and clad in emerald green lycra, encouraged television viewers to shape up. Her new book Sod Sitting, Get Moving! urges people in their 60s, 70s and 80s to exercise and eat healthily to help with fitness, strength and suppleness in their later years. The former catwalk model discovered the joy of keeping fit in her 30s as she convalesced from a major operation, devising her own exercise regime to help her recovery. Sod Sitting, Get Moving! By Diana Moran and Muir Gray is published by Green Tree. Dashni Morad is a television presenter and singer. She is a former Kurdish refugee whose family fled from Iraq and Saddam Hussein's persecution when she was five. The family finally settled in the Netherlands where her broadcasting career blossomed. Dashni set up a charity, Green Kids, which helps children affected by conflict and has established two libraries at refugee camps across Iraqi Kurdistan. She is donating the proceeds of her new single, Love Wins, to Green Kids. Jack Thorne is an award-winning writer whose work spans theatre, film, television and radio. His new musical Junkyard is inspired by the true story of the Lockleaze playground in Bristol - known as 'The Vench' - which was established over 30 years ago and is still operating today. Jack's father built the Vench as part of an outreach scheme to encourage creativity and inventiveness and to give children a taste of manual labour. Jack's theatre credits include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hope and Let the Right One In and his television work includes National Treasure and This is England. Junkyard is at the Bristol Old Vic and then on tour. Omid Djalili is an award-winning comedian and actor born in London to Iranian parents. He's currently on a UK tour with Schmuck for a Night in which he tries to make sense of the world around him. He will make his Chichester Festival Theatre debut playing Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof in July. His stage credits include Oliver! and What the Butler Saw in the West End and films include The Infidel, Shaun the Sheep and Gladiator. Schmuck for a Night is currently on tour. Fiddler on the Roof is at Chichester Festival Theatre. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Singer and songwriter Loudon Wainwright III; reggae DJ David Rodigan; former detective Jackie Malton and writer Hisham Matar join Libby Purves. David 'RamJam' Rodigan MBE is a DJ, famed for his selections of reggae and dancehall music. He has played on stations from Capital 95.8 and Kiss to BBC 1Xtra and Radio 2 and is a regular on the club and festival circuit. A 65-year-old white man from Oxford who speaks in RP, he seems the very antithesis of the music that he loves and represents. In 2012 he won the highest reggae sound system honour by winning the World Clash Re-Set contest in New York. His autobiography, Rodigan: My Life in Reggae is published by Constable. Hisham Matar is a Libyan writer and the son of Jaballa Matar, a prominent political activist who opposed Colonel Gaddafi's regime. When Hisham was 19 his father was kidnapped while the family were living in exile in Cairo. Hisham would never see his father again. After the fall of Gaddafi in 2011 Hisham was finally able to return to Libya to try to discover what happened to his father. In his memoir, The Return, he recounts his physical and psychological journey to find his father and rediscover his country. The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land In Between, is published by Penguin. Jackie Malton is a former detective chief inspector in the Metropolitan Police, best known for being the inspiration for the character of DCI Jane Tennison in the Prime Suspect drama written by Lynda La Plante. Her police career started in Leicestershire and in the Met she went on to work in the Flying Squad of the 1980s. As an openly gay women in the police force during that time she found herself at odds in a male world but went on to forge a successful career before retiring to become a script consultant and addiction counsellor. Loudon Wainwright III is a Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter. In his one man show, Surviving Twin, he connects some of his best songs with the writings of his late father Loudon Wainwright Jr, the highly regarded Life Magazine columnist. The show, which has never been performed in the UK, explores issues such as birth, loss, parenthood, pet ownership and mortality and Loudon intersperses a selection of his father's compositions with songs from his own catalogue. Surviving Twin is at the Leicester Square Theatre. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Singer Patti Boulaye; dancer David Toole; actor Charlie Condou and costume designer Tracy Tynan join Libby Purves. David Toole is an actor and dancer who played a starring role in the 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony. Born without the use of his legs, he turned his back on a job with the post office to study at the Laban Centre of Movement and Dance and follow his dream of becoming a dancer. He is performing with Stopgap Dance Company in The Enormous Room, a new touring piece about grief and the relationship between a father and daughter. The Enormous Room is at Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler's Wells before heading off on tour. Patti Boulaye OBE is a singer and actor. Her autobiography, The Faith of a Child, charts her life growing up in Nigeria during the Biafran War to her West End debut in the musical Hair. In her new show, Billie and Me, she considers the parallels between Billie Holiday's troubled life and her own - at times difficult - experiences. The production starts its UK tour at the Pheasantry in London. The Faith of a Child - The Autobiography is published by Bipada Academy Ltd. Tracy Tynan is a costume designer and writer. The daughter of theatre critic Kenneth Tynan and actor and writer Elaine Dundy, she recounts her story of growing up amid the wreckage of her parents' disintegrating marriage. The couple were at the epicentre of a glamorous show business world - their social circle included Laurence Olivier, Orson Wells and Tennessee Williams. But the bohemian, hard drinking environment came at a cost and Tracy - who describes her life then as being "in a movie with lots of crazy people" - writes candidly about a childhood where the drama happened offstage. Wear and Tear: The Threads of My Life by Tracy Tynan is published by Duckworth. Charlie Condou is an actor best known for his role as midwife Marcus Dent in the British soap opera Coronation Street. He stars in a touring production of The Crucible playing the witch hunter Reverend Hale. In recent years Charlie has written extensively about his experiences co-parenting - he and his partner care for their children with a friend who is also the children's mother. The Crucible starts its tour at the Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Actor Sir Patrick Stewart; comedian and writer Shappi Khorsandi; medic Oscar Duke and charity worker Mischa Pearson join Libby Purves. Mischa Pearson set up the Teapot Project in Ipswich, Suffolk. The charity collects good food from restaurants and supermarkets that would otherwise go to waste and distributes it to the local homeless through charities, youth hostels and churches. As a teenager Mischa was homeless for two years and spent time living in hostels before finding employment in the catering business. Around 4,000 people a month benefit from meals provided by the Teapot Project and there are plans to open a new café with an adjacent food boutique offering ''pay as you feel' produce in the heart of the town. Sir Patrick Stewart is an actor. He plays Professor Charles Xavier in Logan, the latest in the American superhero series of X-Men films. Patrick has appeared on Broadway and West End stages in productions ranging from A Life in the Theatre, The Master Builder, and The Tempest. He recently joined forces with his X-Men co-star Sir Ian McKellen in Harold Pinter's No Man's Land. Perhaps best known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation, his screen appearances include Dune, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, ConspiracyTheory, Extras I, Claudius, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Logan is on general release from March 1st. Dr Oscar Duke is currently training to be a GP. He presents Born Too White on BBC Two which explores the discrimination and persecution of people with albinism in East Africa. Born with the genetic condition of Albinism himself, Oscar discovers that there have been 170 attacks on people with albinism in Tanzania in the last 10 years and 70 of these attacks were fatal. Many are killed for their body parts which are believed to have magical powers. Born Too White is broadcast on BBC Two. Shappi Khorsandi is a comedian and writer. She is currently touring her show, Oh My Country! From Morris Dancing to Morrissey in which she celebrates the 40th anniversary of her arrival in Britain from Iran. She describes the show as reclaiming her patriotism by sending a love letter to her adopted land. She also appears on television in Live At The Apollo, Have I Got News for You and Q.I. Her latest novel, Nina Is Not OK, is out in paperback. Oh My Country! From Morris Dancing to Morrissey tours the UK until June. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Broadcaster Michael Mosley; singer and actor Camille O'Sullivan; Baptist minister and writer Peter Laws and artist Pradyumna Kumar join Libby Purves. Peter Laws is an ordained Baptist minister who has written his debut crime novel, Purged. The protagonist is Matt Hunter, a sociology professor who also assists the police tackle religiously-motivated crimes. Peter also hosts a podcast and YouTube show, The Flicks That Church Forgot, which reviews horror films from a theological perspective. Purged by Peter Laws is published by Allison and Busby. Pradyumna Kumar, known as PK, was born in a remote part of Orissa in eastern India. His childhood as an untouchable was one of hardship and prejudice. Yet during these years, he kept a palm leaf bearing an astrologer's prophecy: 'You will marry a girl who is not from the village, not even from the country; she will be musical, own a jungle and be born under the sign of the ox'. It was a prophecy that would come true, but only after a 7,000 mile journey that would take him across continents, on a second-hand bicycle, to be with the woman he loved. The Amazing Story of the Man Who Cycled from India to Europe for Love by Per J Andersson is published by One World. Camille O'Sullivan is a French-Irish singer and actor who is known for her dramatic interpretations of the narrative songs of Jacques Brel, Nick Cave, David Bowie and Radiohead. As an actor she appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company's Rape of Lucrece, for which she also created original music with Feargal Murray. She also starred in Mrs Henderson Presents alongside Judi Dench and Will Young. She is touring the UK with her new show The Carny Dream, starting in Oxford on 3 March. Michael Mosley is a journalist and presenter. In his new series The Secrets of Your Food he joins James Wong to celebrate the physics, chemistry and biology at work inside the food we eat. Born in India, Michael worked as a banker in the City of London before studying psychiatry. He then joined the BBC, producing a range of science programmes and later moving in front of the camera. He begins his new series in the laboratory where he deconstructs breast milk and travels to Mexico to study the intake of a professional Lucha Libra wrestler - it involves 50 eggs a week. The Secrets of Your Food is broadcast on BBC Two. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Explorer and writer Levison Wood; author Kimberley Chambers; journalist and writer John de St Jorre and performer and playwright Annie Siddons join Libby Purves. Kimberley Chambers is a former market trader, DJ and minicab driver who is now a best-selling author. She came to fiction late in life, writing during her down time as a cabbie. Inspired by her 'colourful life', the books are gritty crime novels with a twist of dark humour set in and around London's East End and featuring a cast of spirited characters. Her latest release, Backstabber is published by Harper Collins. John de St Jorre is a journalist and writer. In his memoir, Darling Baby Mine, he writes about the search for his mother who was erased from the family history. Unable to find so much as a photo of her, the distant memory of a woman laughing while smoking is the only image of her he has. He grew up in wartime Britain under the care of his father and stepmother and it wasn't until he reached adulthood that he began to piece together his mother's tragic story. Darling Baby Mine is published by Quartet. Annie Siddons is a playwright, performer and musician. Her new show How (Not) to live in Suburbia is based on her own experiences of loneliness when she felt adrift as a single mother living in what she calls one of London's 'most married' suburbs. Annie takes a poignant and humorous look at what it is like to live in a community where you don't fit in, the compromises people make for the sake of their children, how chronic loneliness manifests itself and her own personal quest to cure it. How (Not) to live in Suburbia is at the Soho Theatre and later on tour. Levison Wood is an explorer, photographer and author. He spent ten years in the British Army and led expeditions on five continents. He has travelled in over 80 countries and spent a number of years living in the wilds of Africa and Asia. For his most recent expedition, he set out to trek 1800 miles from Mexico to Columbia which was filmed for the Channel 4 series, Walking the Americas. Beginning in the north-eastern tip of Mexico, he tackles the entire length of Central America, through eight countries before attempting to cross the treacherous Darien Gap into Colombia and South America. His book Walking the Americas is published by Hodder and Stoughton. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the rugby union referee Nigel Owens.His steely authority and quick wit on the field have won him worldwide praise - he's widely regarded as one of the best referees in the business for the impact he makes on the flow and coherence of a game. In 2015 he became the second Welsh official since 1991 to referee a World Cup Final - in a memorable match between New Zealand and Australia.Born and raised in a small village in Carmarthenshire, he first picked up the whistle aged 16, when it became clear to both his teacher and himself that he wouldn't make much impact as a player.A former school technician and farm worker, he broke through onto the international refereeing circuit in 2005 and took charge of his first Test when Japan hosted Ireland in Osaka that summer.In 2007 he became one of the first high-profile sports professionals to come out as gay - a courageous move in a sport which often defines the word macho. He has spoken about this decision as being the biggest challenge he has ever faced - even more so than officiating an international match under intense scrutiny in front of 95,000 spectators and a global TV audience. The severe depression he experienced coming to terms with his sexuality culminated in an attempt to take his own life in his twenties.He now says the unwavering support he has received from the rugby authorities, the players and the fans has enabled him to be true to himself and carry on working in the game he loves.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the rugby union referee Nigel Owens. His steely authority and quick wit on the field have won him worldwide praise - he's widely regarded as one of the best referees in the business for the impact he makes on the flow and coherence of a game. In 2015 he became the second Welsh official since 1991 to referee a World Cup Final - in a memorable match between New Zealand and Australia. Born and raised in a small village in Carmarthenshire, he first picked up the whistle aged 16, when it became clear to both his teacher and himself that he wouldn't make much impact as a player. A former school technician and farm worker, he broke through onto the international refereeing circuit in 2005 and took charge of his first Test when Japan hosted Ireland in Osaka that summer. In 2007 he became one of the first high-profile sports professionals to come out as gay - a courageous move in a sport which often defines the word macho. He has spoken about this decision as being the biggest challenge he has ever faced - even more so than officiating an international match under intense scrutiny in front of 95,000 spectators and a global TV audience. The severe depression he experienced coming to terms with his sexuality culminated in an attempt to take his own life in his twenties. He now says the unwavering support he has received from the rugby authorities, the players and the fans has enabled him to be true to himself and carry on working in the game he loves. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Actor Stephen Boxer; writer Sheila Kohler; psychiatrist and poet Professor Femi Oyebode and composer Heloise Tunstall-Behrens join Libby Purves. Heloise Tunstall-Behrens is a composer and bee-keeper. Her new work The Swarm, a 60-minute opera performed by the Quorum, follows a swarm of bees in their search for a new home as they encounter a deadly extractor fan, a thunder storm and a fierce debate over two potential sites on which to build a hive. Inspiration for the piece came after Heloise inserted a recording device into her hives during a particularly dynamic phase of swarming. The Swarm is at the Vault Festival, The Vaults, London SE1 . Professor Femi Oyebode is professor of psychiatry and head of department at the University of Birmingham. Winner of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Lifetime Achievement Award, he has also written six volumes of poetry. Professor Oyebode believes medicine is increasingly technology-based, meaning the patient can easily get lost, and he regards medicine as an art rather than a science, a profession in which you apply skills to people. "Every person is different," he says. "As psychiatrists, we are trained to understand human beings and this includes understanding ourselves." Sheila Kohler is a writer. In her memoir, Once We Were Sisters, she tells the story of growing up in the suffocating gentility of 1950s South Africa with her sister Maxine. Her sister's death in a car accident in 1976 galvanised Sheila to start writing as a way of dealing with her grief. The author of 14 works of fiction, her new book addresses her relationship with her sister and, more broadly, the violence underpinning much of her homeland. Once We Were Sisters is published by Canongate. Stephen Boxer is an actor best known for his roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company including Titus Andronicus and King Lear and portraying CS Lewis in Shadowlands. He is currently in Raising Martha, a new dark comedy by award-winning writer David Spicer. The play tackles terrorism, animal rights, and six-foot frogs! Raising Martha is at the Park Theatre, Finsbury Park, London N4. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie; comedian Milton Jones; writer and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo and novelist Arno Geiger meet Libby Purves. Evelyn Glennie is an award-winning percussionist. She played the first percussion concerto in the history of The Proms at the Albert Hall in 1992, which paved the way for orchestras around the world to feature percussion concerti. She also played a leading role role in the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Profoundly deaf since childhood, she set out to use her body as a resonating chamber, 'hearing' partly through her bare feet on the floor. As part of the Celtic Connections Festival she is playing a new piece marking the 70th anniversary of the partition of India alongside fellow percussionist Trilok Gurtu. The Rhythm in Me premieres at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Xiaolu Guo is a Chinese born writer and film-maker. In her memoir, Once Upon a Time in the East, she recounts her tumultuous life from meeting her parents for the first time at six and living in grinding poverty with her illiterate grandparents in a fishing village on the East China Sea. Her story takes her from a run-down shack to film school in a rapidly changing Beijing, navigating the complexities of modern China - censorship, underground art and Western boyfriends. Once Upon a Time in the East: A story of Growing Up is published by Chatto & Windus. Arno Geiger is an Austrian novelist. In The Old King in his Exile he tells the story of his late father August's struggle with Alzheimer's disease. The book is a deeply moving account of his father's illness but also stresses how it brought the two closer together. A remote figure, August didn't talk to his family much about his past - a frugal childhood and wartime experiences as a child soldier - but as his dementia took hold his son discovered more about the man and his character. The Old King in his Exile is published by And Other Stories. Milton Jones is a stand-up comedian, known by many as the king of the one-liners. He's a regular panellist on BBC Two's Mock the Week and Live at the Apollo and , Thanks a Lot Milton Jones! on Radio 4. Later this year he embarks on a new tour, Milton Jones is Out There, taking a philosophical look at his life so far with his 'manifesto of nonsense'. Milton Jones is Out There 2017 tour begins in September at the Richmond Theatre. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Writer Lady Antonia Fraser; comic and actor Stephen K Amos; travel writer Christopher Somerville and poet Inua Ellams join Libby Purves. Stephen K Amos is a comedian and actor. His Radio 4 series What Does the K Stand For? tells the story of his teenage years in 1980s South London. Stephen's parents came from the same town in south-west Nigeria, but met as adults in Lagos and emigrated to the UK in the late 1960s. Stephen is currently performing his new stand-up show. He has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe every year since 2003, after making his début in 2001. During the 2006 Fringe, he performed the revealing solo show All of Me, in which he publicly acknowledged his own homosexuality to his audience for the first time. What Does the K Stand For? is broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Antonia Fraser is a writer and award-winning biographer. In 1978 she made a trip to Israel with her late husband, the playwright Harold Pinter. In her book, Our Israeli Diary, she recalls their experiences visiting the country during the 30th year of its founding - the first time either of them had travelled to Israel. She writes about the underlying tensions facing the country and their experiences spending time at some of its historically significant sites, revealing insights into the couple's relationship along the way. Our Israeli Diary - Of That Time, Of That Place is published by Oneworld. Christopher Somerville is a travel writer and the walking correspondent for The Times. In his latest book, The January Man, he retraces the paths he first walked along with his late father, John. His father was a senior civil servant at GCHQ in Cheltenham who never spoke about his work or his wartime experiences, but was a great walker. It was through their shared love of walking that father and son developed a bond that lasted until John's death. The January Man - A Year of Walking Britain is published by Doubleday. Inua Ellams is a poet and playwright who won the Edinburgh Fringe First Award in 2009 with his play The 14th Tale. Born in Nigeria to a Muslim father and a Christian mother, his latest one-man show, An Evening with an Immigrant, tells his story - of leaving Nigeria to performing solo shows at the National Theatre, all the while without a country to belong to or place to call home. An Evening with an Immigrant is touring the UK beginning at Brighton Dome. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Presenter and producer Richard Osman; campaigner Peter Willcox; playwright and actor Rikki Beadle-Blair and conservationist Sacha Dench join Libby Purves. Sacha Dench is a conservationist. She's the first woman to cross the English Channel in a motorised paraglider during a 4,500-mile journey following migrating birds from the Russian tundra to Britain. She made her trip to highlight the problems facing the endangered Bewick's swan population. Illegal hunting, newly erected power lines and loss of wetlands all play a part in the swan's dramatic decline in numbers which have almost halved over the last 20 years. Rikki Beadle-Blair MBE is a playwright, actor, producer and choreographer. The artistic director of multi-media production company Team Angelica, he is directing Hashtag Lighty which opens at the Arcola Theatre. Other projects include writing and directing Legendary Children in the House of Fierce and Summer in London which features an entire cast of transgender actors. Born in Bermondsey, he wrote the screenplay for the award-winning film Stonewall and he wrote, directed and performed in the Channel 4 series Metrosexuality. Hashtag Lighty is at the Arcola Theatre, London; Legendary Children in the House of Fierce is at the Old Vic Workrooms, London and Summer in London is at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, London. Peter Willcox has been a Captain with Greenpeace for over 30 years, making him the most experienced captain in the organization. An activist for most of his life, at 12 he marched from Selma to Montgomery behind Martin Luther King Jr. Captain Willcox estimates he's sailed over 300,000 miles in virtually every corner of the globe. In his new book he writes about his adventures confronting naval ships, being bombed by the French secret service and serving time in a Russian jail for protesting against Russian oil drilling in Antarctica. Greenpeace Captain: Bizarre Wanderings on the Rainbow Warrior by Peter Willcox is published by Sandstone Press. Richard Osman is a presenter and producer. Alongside Alexander Armstrong he co-hosts the quiz show Pointless which celebrates its 1000th episode this year. He is team captain on the series Insert Name Here - each episode is about people who share the same first name, and two teams compete to decide the greatest ever bearer of that week's chosen name. During his 20-year career in production Richard worked on shows from Total Wipeout and Deal Or No Deal to Whose Line is it Anyway? Insert Name Here is broadcast on BBC2. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Singer-songwriter Katie Melua, chef Tom Kerridge, writer Alex Wheatle and actor Nigel Havers join Libby Purves and the audience in the BBC Radio Theatre. Katie Melua, the singer and songwriter, was born in Georgia, when it was part of the Soviet Union, and moved to Belfast when she was nine. She returned to her homeland to make her new album, In Winter, working with the Gori Women's Choir. Katie recalls her early years in Georgia, and the very different life she found in Belfast, and she and the 24 members of the Choir perform two songs. Writer Alex Wheatle won this year's Guardian children's fiction prize for his young adult novel Crongton Knights, set around an inner-city estate. Born in 1963 to Jamaican parents living in Brixton, Alex spent much of his childhood in care, and says that a short stint in prison after the 1981 Brixton riots led to a passionate interest in literature, thanks to the advice of a fellow prisoner. Actor Nigel Havers rose to fame as Lord Lindsay in the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire, and is renowned for playing charmers, cads and conmen. He's currently playing the Lord Chamberlain in panto at the London Palladium, and his varied career includes roles in Coronation Street, Downton Abbey and a high-profile cameo earlier this year in The Archers. Tom Kerridge is chef and co-owner of The Hand and Flowers pub in Buckinghamshire - the first pub in the world to receive two Michelin stars. He is about to publish Tom Kerridge's Dopamine Diet, which draws on his own experience: he found himself very overweight, a result of the late-night lifestyle of the professional kitchen, and lost more than eleven stones after he devised a diet which remained true to the ideas which underpin his cooking. Producer Paula McGinley.

Actor Sophie Thompson; writer Jonathan Franklin; musician Leon Bosch and actor Brian Wheeler join Libby Purves. As a boy Jonathan Franklin rescued two orphaned tawny owlets and kept them with him at boarding school. His book, Two Owls at Eton, was first published when he was 16 and tells the story of Dee and Dum who lived with him during the summer of 1959. They trashed his room, made him late for many classes and caused mayhem at every turn yet Dum and Dee charmed the entire faculty. The school cat, famous for his mouse-catching prowess, became an unlikely ally and meal provider. Two Owls at Eton is published by John Blake Publishing. Brian Wheeler is an actor who plays 'Brian' in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Born with achondroplasia, he has appeared in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and four Harry Potter films as a banker in Gringotts Bank. His acting career started when he saw an advert for men under four feet six to take part in a film. He applied and ended up getting a part in Star Wars - Return of The Jedi playing an ewok and a jawa. He also spent several years as a clown as part of Gandeys Circus. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is produced by Evolution Pantomimes and is at the Alban Arena. Sophie Thompson is an Olivier Award-winning actress. Her films include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Emma and Four Weddings and a Funeral. Her theatre credits include Guys and Dolls, Clybourne Park and Stephen Sondheim's Into The Woods. The daughter of actors Phyllida Law and Eric Thompson and younger sister of actor and screenwriter Emma, Sophie recently turned her hand to writing children's books. Illustrated by Rebecca Ashdown, her new book Zoo Boy and the Jewel Thieves is the story of eight-year-old Vince who can talk to animals and lives next door to a zoo. Zoo Boy and the Jewel Thieves is published by Faber and Faber. Leon Bosch is a double bassist who is performing a trio of concerts with his chamber ensemble, I Musicanti featuring world premieres from South Africa and chamber works by Mozart and Schubert. South African born, Leon arrived in the UK in 1982 after time spent as a political prisoner under South Africa's apartheid regime. He was granted refugee status in the UK. Leon Bosch performs at St John's Smith Square, London. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Novelist Ken Follett; scientist Dr Joseph Cook; musician Hannah Peel and Roman Catholic Priest and singer Fr David Delargy join Libby Purves. Fr David Delargy is a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the classical singing trio, the Priests. The group recently released a new album, Alleluia, and manage to balance the responsibilities of parish life in Northern Ireland with a global music career. Friends from an early age, the three later studied in Rome as seminarians and have sung together for 40 years. They grew up during the Troubles and speak of music as a unifying force that brings together people of all faiths. Alleluia by the Priests is released on Sony Red Essential. Dr Joseph Cook is research associate at the University of Sheffield who studies glacial microbiology. He is one of the winners of the Young Laureate award - a category of Rolex's Global Awards for Enterprise 2016. Through his Ice Alive mission, Joseph is exploring polar ice microbes in the vast 'frozen rainforest' of the Greenland ice sheet and communicating how these microbes influence, nutrient and carbon cycles and other aspects of the world and its systems. Ken Follett is an author of thrillers and historical novels whose titles include Eye of the Needle, Edge of Eternity and Fall of Giants. In Granta Magazine he remembers his upbringing and his parents who were members of the Plymouth Brethren church. As a small boy he was barred from watching television and listening to music which led him to reject all forms of faith in later life. After writing his book The Pillars of the Earth, about the building of a fictional medieval cathedral, he returned to his own version of spirituality. Bad Faith by Ken Follet is published in Granta Magazine. Musician Hannah Peel's new album, Awake But Always Dreaming, was inspired by her grandmother who suffered from dementia. The album is about memory - the formation of memories and the devastating loss or slow, insidious damage caused by dementia. This Christmas, Hannah's music also accompanies Alzheimer's Research UK's charity appeal, animated by Aardman and narrated by Stephen Fry. She has also launched Memory Playlist, a project inviting participants to make playlists of their lives. Awake But Always Dreaming is released on My Own Please Label. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Television reporter and writer Tom Mangold; death row survivor Nick Yarris; rally car driver Catie Munnings and Professor Vanessa Toulmin of the National Fairground Archive join Libby Purves. Catie Munnings is an 18-year-old rally car driver. She won the FIA European Rally Championships Ladies' trophy 2016 after only her first season in the sport. At 13 she could execute a perfect handbrake turn and then followed her father Chris, a former rally driver who ran the London Rally School at Brands Hatch, into the sport. When she isn't training in the gym or on the track, Catie has been campaigning to encourage more girls to get into motorsport. Tom Mangold is a television reporter and author who worked as an investigative journalist on the BBC's current affairs series Panorama for 26 years - its longest serving reporter. In his memoir, Splashed!, he recounts his years in the 1950s and 60s on some of Fleet Street's most ruthless newspapers - a time when chequebook journalism ruled. During his career he covered stories from the Profumo Affair to conflicts around the world including Vietnam and Northern Ireland. Splashed! - A Life from Print to Panorama is published by Biteback. Nick Yarris spent 23 years in prison, 22 of them on death row, before DNA evidence finally cleared him in 2003. In 1982 Yarris, a 21-year-old car thief and drug addict from Philadelphia, was sentenced to death for the abduction, rape and murder of a young woman. He spent the next 22 years - much of it in solitary confinement - enduring the casual brutality routinely dished out by guards and inmates. During his time in prison he read up to three books a day and studied the details of his own legal case. Later, as the technology developed, he pressed for post-conviction DNA testing which eventually led to his acquittal. The Fear of 13 Countdown to Execution: My Fight for Survival on Death Row by Nick Yarris is published by Cornerstone. Professor Vanessa Toulmin is director of City and Cultural Engagement at the University of Sheffield. She is also research director of the National Fairground Archive and her collection of circus and fairground material features in a new exhibition at the university. Born into a fairground family herself, her archive also includes material relating to early cinema, world's fairs, magic, wild west shows, menageries, variety, seaside entertainment, and amusement parks. The Spectacle and Wonder exhibition is at the University of Sheffield Library. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Actor Bradley Walsh; novelist Salley Vickers; literary agent Ed Victor and Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers join Libby Purves. Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers is community educator at the Movement for Reform Judaism. Formerly a rabbi at the West London Synagogue of British Jews, she is performing stand-up comedy for the first time at the JW3 Jewish Comedy Festival. She is a regular contributor for Radio 2's Pause for Thought, and has appeared on 4ThoughtTV. The JW3 Jewish Comedy Festival, West Hampstead, London NW6. Salley Vickers is the author of seven novels including Miss Garnet's Angel and The Cleaner of Chartres. She was born in Liverpool where her parents were active members of the Communist Party. She has worked as a university teacher of literature and as a psychoanalyst which triggered her interest in the effects of trans-generational trauma. Her new novel, Cousins, is about the secrets that emerge after a so-called 'night climber' at Cambridge University falls to his death. The story is told through the eyes of three women who were close to him. Cousins is published by Viking. Bradley Walsh is an actor, presenter and comedian. A familiar face on television, he presents the Chase, Keep it in the Family and Live at the London Palladium. His work as an actor includes Coronation Street and Law and Order UK in which he played the lead role of detective sergeant Ronnie Brookes. He has now turned to music, recording a collection of his favourite crooning songs including one he co-wrote - Chasing Dreams. Chasing Dreams is released on Sony Music. Ed Victor is a literary agent who represents a client list including Nigella Lawson, Alastair Campbell, Keith Richards and Rupert Everett. His agency celebrates its 40th birthday this year and he is generally acknowledged to be a game changer in the world of book publishing - elevating agents to key players in the publication process. During his career he nurtured the talents of Douglas Adams and Iris Murdoch who would go years without contacting him and then would call him up every couple of years to say "Ed, I've written a novel." Producer: Paula McGinley.

Singer and songwriter Melanie C; actor and director Douglas Hodge; Ironman competitor John McAvoy and football referee Howard Webb join Libby Purves. Melanie Chisholm, otherwise known as Melanie C, is a singer and songwriter. Formerly one of the Spice Girls, she went solo in 1999 and has enjoyed two number one singles and released four albums. In 2004 she launched her own label, Red Girl Records. She has also starred in musical theatre including Jesus Christ Superstar and Blood Brothers, for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award. Melanie C is touring the UK in 2017 and her new album, Version of Me, is released on Red Girl Records. John McAvoy is a former prisoner who is now a long-distance triathlete. Born into a family which was no stranger to crime, his uncle was a member of the Brink's-Mat robbery gang, John served two prison sentences for armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery before he was 30. In prison he discovered the indoor rowing machine and turned his back on his criminal past. After his release he competed in Ironman competitions, reaching times close to the world record of 7 hr 45 minutes, and is hoping to turn professional. Redemption - From Iron Bars to Ironman by John McAvoy with Mark Turley is published by Pitch Publishing. Howard Webb MBE followed his referee father into football at the age of 18, becoming a Premier League referee in 2003. He went on to take charge of some of the biggest matches in the footballing calender including the FA Cup final, the Champions League final and the 2010 World Cup Final in South Africa. In his memoir, Man in the Middle, he reveals what it is like to be at the heart of the action in the modern-day game and how he dealt with the most challenging situations from receiving death threats to dealings with elite managers and players. Man in the Middle is published by Simon and Schuster. Douglas Hodge is an award-winning actor as well as a director, singer and composer. He is performing in New Songs 4 New Shows - a gala night taster for the musicals of tomorrow. The event features four individual shows and Douglas appears in Wigmaker for which he wrote the music and lyrics. He started out at the National Youth Theatre and recently played Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Other work includes Albin in La Cage aux Folles which won him a Tony Award for Best Actor and for ten years he worked almost exclusively with Harold Pinter as both actor and director. New Songs 4 New Shows is at the Lyric Theatre, London. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Kirsty Young's castaway is the journalist and broadcaster Christiane Amanpour. Her career as a reporter was forged in some of the world's most hostile environments from Bosnia to Rwanda and Iraq to Israel. From the early '90s onwards she was so ubiquitous on screen that her peers in the press pack coined the darkly comic phrase "where there's a war, there's Amanpour."Born to an Iranian father and a British mother, she initially wanted to be a doctor, but the Revolution in Iran in 1979 galvanised her political consciousness and she turned to journalism. Her first major assignment was in Saudi Arabia where she covered the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. She describes her time in Bosnia as a life-changing experience which made her determined to tell the stories of ordinary people caught up in the chaos of conflict.During her career she has interviewed some of the biggest names on the world stage from Bill Clinton and Tony Blair to Robert Mugabe and Colonel Gaddafi. The winner of 11 Emmy Awards, she now anchors her own nightly television show on CNN although she can be whisked away at a moment's notice to cover major disasters around the globe. She has borne witness to some of history's worst atrocities but what gets her through is her eternal optimism and the courage and dignity of humanity.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Kirsty Young's castaway is the engineer and nuclear scientist Dr Dame Sue Ion.The first woman to be awarded the highly prestigious President's Medal by the Royal Academy of Engineering, she has worked her way to the heart of an industry that remains very contentious.Her passion for understanding how and why the world works the way it does first began as she tinkered for hours at her parents' kitchen table with a little chemistry set.Today she goes into schools to encourage more girls to take up engineering and her enthusiasm for the subject has galvanised many to take up the discipline.Producer: Paula McGinley.

Kirsty Young's castaway is the philanthropist and publisher Sigrid Rausing.Founder of one of the UK's largest philanthropic foundations, her trust has given away around £230m to human rights causes since it began.Brought up in Sweden, she is currently the publisher of Granta Books and the editor of Granta Magazine and her work spotting and developing new writers stems from her lifelong love of literature.As the granddaughter of Ruben Rausing, who founded food packaging company Tetra Pak, she is a member of one of Britain's richest families. Her interest in human rights was sparked as a child by a love of animals and hearing her parents talk about the Holocaust.Producer: Paula McGinley.