Loose Ends

Actress and singer Su Pollard’s new tour Still Fully Charged celebrates her 50 years in showbiz – she catches up with Michelle McManus about what keeps her hooked, and being beaten by a dog in a talent competition. Clive Anderson chats to comedian and actor Chris Grace. He’s returned to Edinburgh after his sold-out 2023 run, this time with a packed out performance schedule including his new show Sardines (A Comedy About Death). Award-winning non-fiction writer Sinéad Gleeson’s debut novel Hagstone sees an artist discover a commune of women on a remote island – she discusses the inspirations behind it. With music from comedian and actor Catherine Cohen, and Irish singer and musician Camille O’ Sullivan. Presented by Clive Anderson Co-host: Michelle McManus Produced by Caitlin Sneddon

Clive Anderson is joined by comedian Jason Byrne who returns to Edinburgh for his 28th consecutive Fringe with No Show, a performance that will be totally new each night. Playwright and actor David Ireland’s award-winning plays Cyprus Avenue and Ulster American have had success across the world. His latest play The Fifth Step stars Jack Lowden and Sean Gilder as they navigate the road to recovery. Shetland comedian Marjolein Robertson’s show titled O is full to the brim with blood as she explores her fascination with her own funeral and her near death experience. My English Persian Kitchen is the true story of losing a homeland, and building a new life and community around the tastes and aromas of an Iranian kitchen. Isabella Nefar chats about starring in the play, and cooking on stage. With music from Scottish violinist and composer Catriona Price and Two Hearts, AKA New Zealand's hottest comedy pop-music duo Laura Daniel and Joseph Moore. Presented by Clive Anderson Produced by Caitlin Sneddon

From the Edinburgh Festivals, Clive Anderson and Michelle McManus talk to actor, comedian and family favourite Bobby Davro about his beginnings in TV entertainment, his acting journey and finding comedy through tough times – something he explores in his show Everything is Funny...If You Can Laugh at It. Lara Ricote, a former winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer prize, chats about her Fringe run of Little Tiny Wet Show (Baptism) which looks at the complexities of relationships. Plus Australian actor, writer, and director Virginia Gay – she's a familiar face on the small screen down under, and makes a return to Edinburgh with her gender-flipped version of Cyrano. With music from critically-acclaimed Scottish singer-songwriter Hamish Hawk, and a performance from gig-theatre production A Giant on the Bridge – featuring Jo Mango and Louis Abbott (of Admiral Fallow), alongside fellow Scottish musicians Raveloe, Solareye and Goodnight Louisa. Presented by Clive Anderson Produced by Caitlin Snedd

This week Stuart is joined by Jon Holmes who's producing a new play at the Edinburgh Festival - which explores what happens when the camera moves on from a relationship forged on a Love Island-style reality show.And there are definitely some strained relationships in the second series of House of the Dragon - but they're more the kind that result in being run through with a sword. Breakout star Ewan Mitchell tells us about working on the blockbusting Game of Thrones spin-off. Julia Fordham joins to perform for us and share some of her insights into the relationships that are meant to last - and Kym Marsh talks about bringing a classic Disney villain to the stage in a touring production of 101 Dalmations. Presented by Stuart Maconie Produced by Kev Core

Clive Anderson and Emma Freud present Loose Ends from Latitude Festival in Suffolk. They'll talk to the actor-turned-musician Damian Lewis who will discuss his latest album Mission Creep and why he's chosen to go back to his musical roots when he could have rested on his Hollywood laurels as the star of Homeland and Billions. The UK's favourite choirmaster Gareth Malone on a new tour of Sing-Along-A-Gareth and his special connection to Latitude. The director Rachel Ramsay on her Grierson award shortlisted documentary - The Lost Lionesses - about the 1971 unofficial Women's World Cup which was watched by record audiences but subsequently largely erased from sporting history. And the comic Elf Lyons who studied at a Parisian clown school where she learnt the fine art of "bouffon" - a performance style based around mockery - that she works into stand up shows that have been hailed as "unhinged brilliance". Plus, as we're recording at the BBC Introducing stage, we have fresh new music from Indie pop sibling duo

Clive will talk monkeys, masks and improvisation with comic Nina Conti who is honing a brand new show Whose Face is it Anyway? and about to release her directing debut a feature film called Sunlight; Chef Tom Kerridge's been on a culinary tour of the UK for a new cookbook and TV show and has plenty to say about our food, farming and how to pronounce "scone"; Actress Samantha Spiro stars in an acclaimed new RSC production of "Shakespeare's sitcom" - The Merry Wives of Windsor - where the women get the last laugh; Best selling crime writer Donna Leon on her much-loved detective hero Commissario Brunetti and why she's been moved to become an "eco-detective" herself. With music by Braimah Kanneh-Mason and Plínio Fernandes ahead of their appearance at the BBC Proms and from That Woman, aka Josie from Oh Wonder who is realeasing a solo album. Presented by Clive Anderson Produced by Olive Clancy

The actor, producer and now memoirist Griffin Dunne on growing up in Hollywood in a family of literary stars including his aunt Joan Didion, on his own screen success opposite Madonna in Who's That Girl and in After Hours and the real-life tragedy that changed his life forever. Soft Cell front man Marc Almond on his early days as a subversive performance artist, mellowing into music that showcases his voice and his trip to the palace to get his OBE. In the decade since publishing her first psychological thriller, Ruth Ware's become an international best-seller, with her stories optioned for Hollywood movies and published in 40 languages. Now she's curated Harrogate Crime Writing Festival and has plenty to say about new trends, the enduring popularity of the genre and the forthcoming Netflix movie of her book The Woman in Cabin 10 starring Kiera Knightley. The comedian, Taskmaster champion and Celebrity Mastermind Sophie Duker advocates self delusion in her new show - But Daddy I Love Her - arguing that we sho

Stuart is joined in the Salford Loose Ends studio by the Welsh Sprinter Iwan Thomas, who held the UK 400m record for 25 years. His new memoir 'Brutal', tells his story - one of speed, the drive to succeed and an extremely high tolerance for pain. . Comedian Chloe Petts is gearing up for the Edinburgh Fringe, and in perhaps the ultimate highbrow/lowbrow combination; she's just presented a series on Radio 4 on the history of the toilet. Raghu Dixit is an independent Indian artist, soundtrack composer and former Microbiologist. His new album 'Shakkar' has been inspired by his personal struggles, but spreads a message of joy and kindness. Kiiōtō is the new project by singer songwriter (and former Lamb vocalist) Lou Rhodes and musician and songwriter Rohan Heath, formerly of the Urban Cookie Collective. They are just about to release their debut album 'As Dust We Rise'. Anna Ptaszynski joins us for some sport fact ephemera and Lottie Gross talks about where to take your dog on holiday. Presenter: Stuart Maconie P

An eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy

Joining Stuart in our Salford studio are Charlie Higson. After writing several books in the bestselling 'Young Bond' series, Charlie has written his first Bond for Adults. Stand up Bilal Zafar's new show 'Imposter' is about a once harmonious house-share that goes very wrong and Pravesh Kumar has written 'Frankie Goes to Bollywood', a new musical about an everyday girl from Milton Keynes plucked from obscurity to live the life of a bollywood star.Music this week comes from English Teacher, dubbed 2024's hottest new guitar band, and tik-tok sensation, classical guitarist Alexandra Whittingham.Presenter: Stuart Maconie Producer: Jessica TreenCHARLIE HIGSON Charlie Higson is an author, actor, comedian and writer for radio and television. He is the author of five beloved Young Bond books, starting with Silverfin in 2005. He’s also the author of the ‘Enemy’ series of Young adult Zombie adventures and the crime thriller ‘Whatever Gets You Through The Night’. He’s also one of the brains behind one of the best comedy

The comedian Paul Sinha is a man of many careers - from working GP to sucessful stand up to his role as "The Sinnerman" in ITV's quiz show The Chase. He joins Clive to talk about his new autobiogaphy - Once Sinha Lifetime - charting his extraordinary Bengali family background through the peaks and troughs of his own working life to his recent medical diagnosis. Tara Fitzgerald is an actor with a career that encompasses both film classics like Brassed Off and I Capture the Castle as well as new hits like Game of Thrones and Waking the Dead. Now, to celebrate 125 years since the birth of Noel Coward, she stars in a triple bill of his less performed plays – Suite in Three Keys. We'll ask what Coward has to offer today's audiences. And forget about five a day, the TV Chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall says we should be eating thirty a week and what's more its really not that hard to do. Plus music from singer songwriter Bess Atwell's third album Light Sleeper, produced by The National's Aaron Dresser who also wor

After a series of best-selling books focussing on girls and women Caitlin Moran turns her attention to the lads in ‘What About Men?’. Find out if comedian Laura Smyth is indeed living her best life on the ‘Living My Best Life’ tour and Alex Lowe tells us what makes his Clinton Baptise character so popular. John Hopkins on playing Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady at the Leeds Playhouse and we have music from Dexys - formely Dexy's Midnight Runners. Presenter: Stuart Maconie Producer: Jessica Treen

Stephen Merchant - the BAFTA, Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor, comedian and writer behind hits like The Office and Extras - joins Clive Anderson and Athena Kugblenu to talk about a new series of The Outlaws, a hugely popular crime caper set on a Bristol community service project; the Vogue journalist and author Plum Sykes will discuss her new novel, Wives Like Us, billed as "desperate housewives in the Cotswalds"; Award-winning actor Adeel Akhtar of Sherwood, Fool Me Once and Four Lions fame on returning to the stage for the first time in almost a decade in Chekov's The Cherry Orchard and the writer and broadcaster Kate Bradbury on taking a stand against climate change in our own back gardens. Plus music by jazz singer songwriter Madeleine Peyroux and Irish pop sensation LYRA - who managed to knock Beyonce off the number one slot in the Irish album charts.Presented by Clive Anderson Produced by Olive Clancy

Clive is joined by impressionist Jan Ravens (who brings along Liz Truss and Theresa May) chatting about the challenge of developing an impersonation and what happens when the politician who forms part of your act gets the boot... Award-winning novelist Tiffany Murray describes her unusually starry childhood at the residential recording studio Rockfield. It includes a childhood visit from David Bowie and being woken by Freddie Mercury singing "Galileo" - as revealed in her new book My Family and Other Rock Stars. Viv Groskop chats about her One Ukrainian Summer a memoir about falling in love and coming of age in the former USSR. The Will Barnes Quartet and Aleighcia Scott provide the music. Presented by Clive Anderson Produced by Kevin Core

Joining Stuart Maconie in our Salford studio are the comedians Frank Skinner and Rachael Fairburn. In Frank's latest stand up show '30 years of Dirt' he has his comedic eye firmly on the dirty joke, while Rachel Fairburn's showgirl finds her moving away from boozing and towards crystals - will it last?Maxine Peake stars in Robin/Red/Breast at Manchester's Factory International. Based on John Bowen's cult TV play Robin Redbreast, Maxine plays Norah, a woman who has escaped the city for village life. But it is not exactly the idyll she dreamed off... The movement director is Imogen Knight, the writer is Daisy Johnson, and it is directed by Sarah Frankcom and features music from Gazelle Twin. In her latest book the biographer and historian Kathryn Hughes tells the story of how we fell in love with cats, and illuminates the life of the man who did so much to change their image, the artist Louis Wain.Music is from Willy Vlautin, novelist, songwriter and musician who was the lead singer in Richmond Fontaine. Willy

Stuart Maconie is joined by Sacha Lord who offers some Tales from the Dancefloor, Julie Hesmondhalgh talks about the impact of a single punch which is considered in a new play by James Graham at the Nottingham Playhouse. Dr Benji Waterhouse, a frontline NHS psychiatrist, discusses his new book You Don't Have to be Mad to Work Here and there's music and chat from Fairground Attraction and Kathryn Williams & Withered Hand.

The comedian Rhod Gilbert gave up touring and TV appearances last year when he got cancer. Now he's back - a newly focussed man - with a show called 'Rhod Gilbert & The Giant Grapefruit', all about the big bitter diagnosis he had to swallow; the best-selling novelist Kathy Lette's latest book is called The Revenge Club and is based on a real life career setback - we want to hear all; Poet and stand up comic Luke Wright on managing to combine humour and pathos on the page and on the stage and 25 years on from her breakout role in Queer as Folk, the actor Carla Henry tells Stuart about her latest role in the gritty and prescient drama Sweat. Plus music from The Zutons and Bryony Jarman Pinto.

Stuart is joined by multi instrumentalist and singer of hits like Electric Avenue, Eddy Grant; comic-turned-author Natalie Haynes on putting the feminisim into Greek mythology; actress Adelayo Adedayo on her upcoming second series playing the rookie cop in the hit BBC police drama The Responder and Comedian Richard Herring on finding the humour in his testicular cancer diagnosis. Plus performance from the only band fronted by the poet laureate Simon Armitage - LYR and the soul singer Nectar Woode.Presenter: Stuart Maconie Producer: Olive Clancy

The astronaut Tim Peake joins Clive to talk about life on and off Earth, and he's joined by the acclaimed guitarist Phil Manzanera who tells us about the astonishing life he led en route to joining Roxy Music.Helen Lederer discusses her new memoir and recalls formative days in The Comedy Store and Jess Fostekew talks footie in her new podcast.We've music from Michele Stodart and Geejay.Presented by Clive Anderson Produced by Kevin Core

Stand up comic Al Murray on 30 years of his outspoken stage persona The Pub Landlord and his more recent side-hustle as a history podcaster; Actor Lesley Sharp on playing a spy in her high octane thriller set on a London to Beijing flight and called Red Eye; Historian Bettany Hughes on her new series of Treasures of the World, this time heading along the Silk Route to Estonia, Bulgaria, Georgia and beyond; Restauranteur Nisha Katona on giving up being a barrister only to end up being a judge - on the Great British Menu and Guy Chambers on co-writing some of pop's greatest hits like Angels and Milennium with Robbie Williams and getting back together to record with his band The Lemon Trees. Plus performance from rising stars of British Country The Wandering Hearts.Presented by Clive Anderson Produced by Olive Clancy