In the summer of 1962 the Beatles auditioned for producer George Martin at Parlophone Records.
Having been rejected by every other record company, it was their last chance to get a recording contract.
As the world soon found out, they passed the audition.
But what if they'd been turned down?
Seen through the eyes of Freda, their teenage Liverpool fan club secretary, this is Ray Connolly's affectionate comedy drama about what might have happened to the Beatles if George Martin had said, 'No'.
Freda ...... Sara Bahadori John ...... Andrew Knott Paul ...... Stephen Fletcher George ...... Luke Broughton Ringo ..... Daniel Crossley Brian Epstein ...... Jonathan Keeble George Martin ...... Jonathan Keeble Stepmother ...... Ruth Alexander-Rubin Mrs Harrison ...... Ruth Alexander-Rubin Cynthia ...... Hope Brownhill
Director: Gary Brown
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2013.
*** Broadcast on 4 Extra to mark the 60th anniversary of the Beatles first universal chart number 1, From Me To You, in May 1963.
Brian Epstein, 29 year old manager of the Beatles talks about his life to Bill Grundy.
He was a quiet, well-spoken public schoolboy, RADA student, from a very comfortably-off Liverpool family.
But knowing nothing of the world of pop - how did Epstein find himself in the world of agents and impresarios?
As well as the Beatles, he represented other artistes including Cilla Black.
Brian Epstein tragically died in 1967 aged 32 - the result of an alcohol and barbiturate overdose.
Launched in 1952, Frankly Speaking was a completely novel and ground breaking BBC series. Initially there were three interviewers and the series was both unrehearsed and unscripted.
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in May 1964.
*** Broadcast as part of 4 Extra's Fab 4 season marking the 60th anniversary of the Beatles first universal chart number 1, From Me To You, in May 1963.
"There is something eerie, fated, cosmic about the Beatles" writes Adam Gopnik, writer for The New York Times. "They appear in public as a unit on August 22nd 1962 and disappear as a unit, Mary Poppins like, exactly seven years later".
In this talk, he ponders exactly what it is that makes their music endure.
Why is it, he asks, that one of the things people never say is "I don't like the Beatles".
For his children, he says, "the Beatles are as uncontroversial as the moon. Just there, shining on".
To underline how strange this is, he points out that had the same thing been true for his generation, then the pop music of his childhood would have dated from before the First World War. And that, he says "would have been more than bizarre".
Gopnik concludes that the reason their music lasts is that it was a perfect collaboration of opposites.
Journalist John Harris, author of influential books on music, politics and popular culture, was born just as the Beatles were splitting up, and was only 11 when John Lennon died. Yet Lennon's mischievous anti-establishment position - and the richness of his lyrics and music - makes him Harris's nomination for a Great Life.
Matthew Parris tries to define what it is that makes this enigmatic, often difficult figure an inspiring subject for reflection.
The expert witness is Barry Miles, in whose London gallery John first met Yoko in the mid 1960s.
Produced by Christine Hall.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2010.
*** Broadcast as part of 4 Extra's Fab 4 season marking the 60th anniversary of the Beatles first universal chart number 1, From Me To You, in May 1963.
James Naughtie examines the lives and impact of the men and women who have given the second Elizabethan age its character.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney were two young men from Liverpool whose dazzling talent created first a band, then a cultural phenomenon and finally became a short hand for vast social change.
The New Elizabethans have been chosen by a panel of leading historians, chaired by Lord (Tony) Hall, Chief Executive of London's Royal Opera House. The panellists were Dominic Sandbrook, Bamber Gascoigne, Sally Alexander, Jonathan Agar, Maria Misra and Sir Max Hastings.
They were asked to choose: "Men and women whose actions during the reign of Elizabeth II have had a significant impact on lives in these islands and/or given the age its character, for better or worse."
Producer: James Cook.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2012.
*** Broadcast on 4 Extra to mark the 60th anniversary of the Beatles first universal chart number 1, From Me To You, in May 1963.
A two hour mix of ambient music curated by Dr Alex Paterson - under the alias of the iconic ambient giant The Orb as part of the Glastonbury Sunrise takeover - to help you focus your mind and get into the zone. Featuring music by Brian Eno, Teebs and Oval.
Produced by Alexa Kruger A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 6 Music
The Orb - Wireless Mk2 [Kompakt] Gas - Tal 90 [Kompakt] Ryuichi Sakamoto - Dawn [WEA Japan] Laraaji - Meditation #2 [Editions EG] Harold Budd & Brian Eno - The Plateaux Of Mirror [Editions EG] Carl Craig - Intro [Deutsche Grammophon] Leandro Fresco - Sonido Español [Kompakt] Aphex Twin & Alarm Will Sound - Blue Calx Max Würden - 186.000 Miles Per Second [Kompakt] Michael Brook - Distant Village [Editions EG] Brian Eno - Always Returning [UMC (Universal Music Catalogue)] Thomas Fehlmann - Treatment [Kompakt] Scanner & Yui Onodera - Locus Solus [Kompakt] Teebs - Piano Days [Brainfeeder] The Orb - 4am Exhale (Chill Out World!) [Kompakt] Cluster - Sowiesoso [Sky] Oval - Do While [Mille Plateaux] The Orb - H.O.M.E (high orbs mini earth) [Cooking Vinyl] Piero Piccioni - Temptation [CAM] Roger Eno - A Place In The Wilderness [Editions EG] Harold Budd - The Gunfighter [Editions EG]
New age and ambient music pioneer Laraaji handpicks beautiful ethereal tracks to boost your mindfulness, including Brian Eno and Robert Fripp, Grand River, Scanner and Nala Sinephro.
Born Edward Larry Gordon in Philadelphia in 1943, Laraaji primarily grew up in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, where music was a constant presence. He studied composition and piano on scholarship at Howard University where he collaborated with Larry Mizell and Marvin Gaye. By the mid-1960s, Laraaji was hosting shows at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, and he was a fixture in the coffeehouse folk scene in the West Village. His first album, Celestial Vibrations, was released in 1978 and soon discovered by Brian Eno, who became one of the musician’s life-long collaborators.
Laraaji & Jonathan Goldman - Quiet Space Pt. 2 [All Saints] Kutiman - Offshore Scanner - Winged Piper I Laraaji - Introspection [All Saints] Ulla Straus - Billow [Quiet Time Tapes] Will August Park - Dead City Nala Sinephro - Space 1 [Warp] Mary Lattimore - Wawa By The Ocean [Ghostly International] Robert Fripp & Brian Eno - Wind On Water [Editions EG] Laraaji - Essence [Audion] Laraaji - Ocean Flow (Seahawks Deep Drift Mix) loscil - Dust Circles [Frond] Autechre - VLetrmx [Warp] Laraaji - Trance Celestial - Movement 2 [Leaving] Grand River - Canopies [Editions Mego] Laraaji - I Am Ocean [Celestial Vibration] Jonny Nash - Shell [Music From Memory] Laraaji - Deep Chimes Meditation [Leaving]
BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend comes to Dundee in 2023.
Sub Focus & Metrik - Trip Sub Focus - Rock It Dimension - DJ Turn It Up Sub Focus & Wilkinson - Illuminate Sub Focus - Alarm Fragma - Toca's Miracle (Sub Focus Remix) Sub Focus & Dimension - Solar System vs. Devotion Switch Disco - REACT Sub Focus - It's Time MK & Dom Dolla - Rhyme Dust Sub Focus - Fine Day Sub Focus - Tidal Wave Metrik - Gravity Sub Focus - Off The Ground Calvin Harris - Miracle (Wilkinson Remix) Sub Focus - Desire Sub Focus - Ready To Fly Prodigy - Voodoo People Sota Fujimori - Wait For Me Sub Focus - Stomp southstar - Miss You Imogen Heap - Hide & Seek Sub Focus (feat. Hayla & Hayla) - I Found You Luude - Down Under CamelPhat (feat. LOWES & Lowes) - Easier (Sub Focus Remix) Sub Focus (feat. LOWES) - Don't Want To Come Down Sub Focus - Waiting BURNS - Talamanca Wilkinson & Bicep - After Glow vs. Glue Sigma - Nobody To Love High Contrast - Remind Me Sub Focus (feat. AR/CO & AR/CO) - Vibration
Annie celebrates Big Weekend with Sub Focus' Quest Mix.
Culture Shock & Sub Focus - Recombine Sub Focus - Rock It (Wilkinson Remix) Tantrum Desire - In the Dance Watch The Ride & Nia Archives - Mash Up The Dance Sub Focus & Wilkinson - Illuminate Subsonic & Flowidus - Come Around Sub Focus - Solar System Dimension - Devotion Jammez & 4K - Fall Down (Phibes Remix) Sub Focus - It's Time (feat. Gene Farris) Serum - Unknown Sub Focus - Airplane (Culture Shock Remix) ACRAZE - Do It To It (Sub Focus Remix) Sub Focus - Tidal Wave Metrik - Gravity Empara Mi - Freedom (Sub Focus, Wilkinson & High Contrast Remix) AIRGLO - Desert Heart Da Hool - Meet Her at the Love Parade (Bredren Remix) Sub Focus - Off The Ground Unknown - Unknown High Contrast - Music Is Everything (Pola & Bryson Remix) Sub Focus - X-Ray (Metrik Remix) Friction & Jonny L - Back To Your Roots 2021 Sub Focus & Dimension - Desire K Motionz & Subsonic - ID BURNS - Talamanca (Remix) Wilkinson & Becky Hill - Afterglow Delta Heavy - Hydra CamelPhat & LOWES - Easier (Sub Focus Remix) Matrix & Futurebound - Skyscraper Wilkinson & Shells - Feel So High Sub Focus - Stomp (Ripple Remix) High Contrast - Return Of Forever (Camo & Krooked & Mefjus Remix) Dossa & Locuzzed - Prism Sub Focus - Siren Bou - Unknown Sub Focus & Wilkinson - Just Hold On (Sub Focus & Wilkinson vs Pola & Bryson Remix) Joy Orbison - Hyph Mngo (Friction Edit) Culture Shock - Deconstruct Marcus Intalex & ST Files - Outerspace Rizzle - Mirage Pola & Bryson - Unknown Shouse - Love Tonight (Sub Focus & Netsky Remix)
Another chance to hear Marcia Griffiths look at Bob Marley's creative period of exile in London, when he recorded the unforgettable Exodus album.
Having made her name with the international 1970 hit Young Gifted and Black, Marcia went on to join the I-Threes, backing the Wailers on tour and on countless classic records. She brings a unique insight to the reggae star's relationship with the UK, which started with Marley's early 1970s visits to record and perform with the Wailers.
The documentary then focuses on 1977, when Marley responded to the shock of an attempt on his life by leaving Jamaica and making London his home for the whole of that memorable year.
In this richly creative, culturally crucial period for Marley, he lived at various London addresses, hanging out with fellow musicians and kindred spirits. He played his beloved football in Hyde Park and other green spaces across the capital; stood as a healing shaman in a city reeling from the 1976 Notting Hill Carnival riots; helped forge the lifelong bond between reggae and punk; and recorded the unforgettable Exodus album, predominantly at Island Records' Basing Street Studios in west London.
The programme features all-new interviews with the musicians, DJs, print and photo journalists and label people who knew, worked and played with Bob during those days; soundtracked by the great music he made and performed as an honorary Brit.
Contributors include reggae DJ David Rodigan; filmmaker, musician and 6 Music presenter Don Letts; former Island staffer John Knowles and music journalist John Shearlaw who share vivid memories of playing 5-a-side football with Bob.
Levi Roots speaks of the Bob he knew in London. And Vivien Goldman - Bob's press officer and confidante - explains why he came to the UK and how his stay influenced the sound of Exodus.
The documentary also examines why Marley eventually quit London to return to Jamaica, the legacy he left behind and what happened on subsequent visits to the UK, as his global status grew to that of a prophet.
Originally broadcast to mark the anniversary of Bob Marley's death, five of his closest friends and colleagues share their personal experiences of the man they knew.
Knowing Bob Marley features intimate and revealing interviews that provide a revealing insight into the experiences that shaped the man who became the third world's first superstar.
Recorded exclusively for this programme Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, former girlfriend Esther Anderson, lawyer Diane Jobson, backing singer Marcia Griffith and Wailers guitarist Junior Marvin - all tell their story of the Bob Marley they knew best.
The programme reveals how the Jamaica he grew up in, with high unemployment, plus race and class divides, shaped him. We chart his musical rise from follower of trends such as the Rude Boy movement, to a reluctant leader of fellow musicians as he spread his reggae rhythm and message across the world.
Those close to Bob also reveal the circumstances of his death, which started with a toe injury during a game of football and resulted in his passing at the age of 36, just four years later.
Bob Marley was born in 1945 to a white father and black mother, at a time of racial division in Jamaica. Bob lacked parental guidance as he grew up in Nine Mile, a rural part of St Ann's before moving to the Trench Town suburb of Kingston in his early teens. In the 60s, he found music during a decade where opportunities were limited. With his friends Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston, Bob created hype around Jamaica as The Wailers, and in 1973 were signed to Island Records as Bob Marley & The Wailers. Over the next eight years Bob became an international superstar before his untimely death on 11th May 1981.
The newly independent island develops its own sound called SKA - standby for tracks from the likes of Millie Small, Prince Buster and Harry J All Stars.
Derrick Morgan - Forward March Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - Jamaica Ska The Ethiopians - Train To Skaville Millie - My Boy Lollipop Bob Marley & The Wailers - Simmer Down Justin Hinds & The Dominoes - Carry Go Bring Come Prince Buster - Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think) Derrick Morgan - Tougher Than Tough Prince Buster - Al Capone The Baba Brooks Band - Guns Fever Harry J Allstars - Liquidator
As Ska moved into Rock Steady, some local names made a big impression - with music from Alton Ellis, The Uniques, John Holt and The Upsetters.
Alton Ellis & The Flames - Rock Steady The Uniques - My Conversation Keith & Tex - Stop That Train John Holt - The Tide Is High Lee "Scratch" Perry - I Am The Upsetter The Upsetters - Return Of Django The Techniques - You Don't Care Phyllis Dillon - Perfidia Toots & The Maytals - 54-46 Was My Number Bobby Dobson - Loving Pauper
Moving from Rock Steady into the internationally recognisable sound of Reggae. With music from Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Marcia Griffiths and Barrington Levy.
Bob Marley & The Wailers - Is This Love Junior Murvin - Police & Thieves Marcia Griffiths - Feel Like Jumping Marcia Griffiths - Melody Life Ken Boothe - Everything I Own Dennis Brown - Have You Ever John Holt - Help Me Make It Through The Night Gregory Isaacs - Night Nurse Barrington Levy - Here I Come
The late seventies and early 80's saw a growth in popularity of roots reggae, fuelled by the growth of Rastafari. Get ready for music from Dennis Brown, Fabian, Augustus Pablo and Burning Spear.
Culture - See Them Come Burning Spear - Marcus Garvey Burning Spear - Columbus Augustus Pablo - King Tubby's Meets Rockers Uptown Fabian - Prophecy The Abyssinians - Satta Amassa Gana Dennis Brown - Promised Land Aswad - Warrior Charge Junior Reid - One Blood
As the beats got faster and more electronic, the dancehalls played host to a new style of entertainment. Features music from Yellowman, Sister Nancy, Shabba Ranks and Beenie Man.
Wayne Smith - Under Me Sleng Teng Yellowman - Zungguzungguguzungguzeng Sister Nancy - Bam Bam Shabba Ranks - Ting-A-Ling Beenie Man - Romie Lady Saw - No Long Talking Shaggy - It Wasn't Me Sean Paul - Gimme The Light Koffee - Toast Ding Dong & Dunw3ll - Bounce
The new century saw a rise in the new roots movement. With music from Damian Marley, Kabaka Pyramid, Chronixx, Protoje and Jah9.
Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley - Welcome To Jamrock Chronixx - Skankin' Sweet Jesse Royal - Modern Day Judas Lila Iké - Where I'm Coming From Jah9 - Avocado Protoje & Chronixx - Who Knows Kabaka Pyramid & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley - Red Gold And Green
Caribou - Sun The Phil & Friends Band - This Man Unknown - Unknown Moodyman - Dem Young Sconies Caribou - Odessa Caribou - Sun Thomas Mapfumo & The Blacks Unlimited - Shumba Caribou - Leave House Justin And The Woah Woah Band - This Is Justin Billy Stewart - Cross My Heart
The final show of Caribou's residency, featuring brand new music from Logic 1000, Shanti Celeste and his own previously unheard productions via his Daphni alias.
ssaliva - Backfire [Jj funhouse] Peter Kardas - Other Playgrounds [Yoga] Lxury - Dimly Lit Daphni - Karplus Terry Riley - Crucifixion Voices [Sri Moonshine Music] Logic1000 - Blossom [Logic1000] Arpanet - Software Version Daphni - Last Candle RüF Dug - Addicted (Shanti Celeste Remix) [Rüf Kutz] Daphni - Ruffy Dara Rolins - Slowly (Matlok Remix) [Prolific] Underground Solution - Tonight (The Only One) [Sound Of Underground/London] Open Spaces - Sunrise Paradise Garage [City Limits] Zaza - Nduzangou [Secousse] Teddy Pendergrass - The More I Get, The More I Want (Ron Hardy Edit/Daphni Edit) Milton Wright - Brothers And Sisters [T.K. Disco]
An eclectic, soulful mix of forward-thinking electronic music, with tracks from El-B, Traxman, Space Afrika, Dexplicit and more.
Space Afrika - Oh Baby Patten - Rorschach [555-5555] Kareem Ali - Night Echoes Caribou - Never Come Back (Floating Points Remix) [City Slang/Merge] Chop Suey Peepshow - Phong [Steel City] Analepse - Lokowat Norman Connors - Dance Of Magic (Daphni Edit) Traxman - 1990 [Factory Music Chicago] L e o K a r L o - Killer Croc The 4th Wave - Touched [Planet E] Daphni - July 2020 Da Sampla - G.J [Wild Oats] DJ Shorty - Listen [Road] El-B - Amazon [Tempa] Dexplicit - Might Be [DXP Music] Albert Marcœur - Veloute D'Asperges [Le Chant Du Monde] João do Pife - Garoto Do Pife [Tropicana] Bullion - O Vermona [PIAS]
Caribou dedicates a show to the people fighting racism around the world, with music from Kerri Chandler, Seven Davis Jr., The Kuumba Singers and more.
The Kuumba Singers - Blessed Are Those Who Struggle J-Rocc - Listen 2 (The Music) Ellipsis - People Kassian - Ask Yourself Seven Davis Jr. - Silver Surfer Thomas Mapfumo & The Blacks Unlimited - Shumba Champion & Mina - XYLA Karl 'Tuff Enuff' Brown & Dub Jamz - I Don't Know (Re-Jammed Cut) Lucy Pearl - Don't Mess With My Man (Mood II Swing Hard Dub) Jeff Mills - Changes of Life Club Artists United - Sweet Chariot (Kerri's Dramatic Dub) Bobby Wright - Blood of an American Rhythm For Reasons - The Smokers Rhythm Ruff Sqwad - Pied Piper Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up
Dan Snaith aka Caribou shares unreleased music from Overmono, Four Tet, Upsammy and more.
Joy Orbison - GR Etiquette ('09 mix) [Self Released] Rosalia - A Pal‚ (Overmono Edit) [Breakbeat] Thundercat - Fair Chance (Floating Points Mix) Caribou - Never Come Back (Four Tet Remix) [Self Released] Lorenzo Senni - Canone Infinito [Warp] Jessy Lanza - Face [Hyperdub] Elkka - Community [Femme Culture] Upsammy - It Drips [Self Released] MF Doom - Rhymes Like Dimes [Fondle 'Em] Alogte Oho And His Sounds Of Joy - Mam Yinne Wa [Philophon] The Invitations - We Don't Allow (No Sitting Down In Here) (Daphni Edit) guerrer@ - Girls N Boys Loved Her Carl Stone - Au Jus [Unseen Worlds] Prince - If I Was Your Girlfriend [Paisley Park]
The biggest names in dance music from the underground to the arena.
Lotte Kaersa & Graesroddorne - Prøv Og Gør Ligesom Jeg Caribou - New Jade Neba Solo - Can 2002 Melja - Synesthesia (Pariah Remix) [Kalahari Oyster Cult] Nicolas - Silvering Four Tet - School Landlord - I Like It (The Maghreban Revenge Remix) Jo Tongo - Those Flowers (Daphni Edit) Kamazu - Indaba Kabani (Daphni Edit) Logic1000 - Perfume Pearson Sound - Alien Mode Pangaea - Like This Andrés - Illuminate Thelma Houston - Don't Know Why I Love You (Daphni Edit)
For his first show, Dan Snaith aka Caribou has brand new music from Four Tet, DJ Plead, India Jordan, Pearson Sound and more.
Koreless - Joy Squad DJ Plead - Mercy Danny Mashinini - Somebody Took My Love (Daphi Edit) Prince - Chelsea Rogers (Daphni Edit) Lootpack - Verbal Experiments Caribou - Ravi MJ Cole - Dizzy New Heights (Shanti Celeste Remix) Mall Grab - Untitled Four Tet - Insect Near Piha Beach Jessy Lanza - Lick In Heaven Pearson Sound - Feeling Frantic India Jordan - For You Jackson Sisters - I Believe In Miracles
Society has slowly handed over significant control to computers but how much should we rely on them over our own instincts?
Mathematician Hannah Fry uncovers the hidden algorithms which can be found behind almost every aspect of our modern lives. She lifts the lid on their inner workings, demonstrating their power and exposing their limitations.
Along the way she asks if our personal data ever be safe online and reveals what humans and computers can do when they work together in fields such as medicine, transport and even chess.
THE FROST TAPES: THE ENTERTAINERS (320kbs-m4a/1gb/7hrs18mins) BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 1st August to 26th September 2022
David Frost was the 20th century's most prolific interviewer, a master of conversation with a remarkable talent for getting people to open up and spill their souls. Many of his conversations, however, have been lost - until now. Presented by his son, broadcaster Wilfred Frost, The Frost Tapes joins David as he interviews the greatest entertainers of the 20th and 21st centuries.
A Paradine and Chalk & Blade production for BBC Radio 4
In The Frost Tapes: The Entertainers, Wilfred Frost rediscovers his father's interviews with an A-list line up of musicians (Elton John, The Beatles, and Andrew Lloyd Webber), entertainers and political activists (Sammy Davis Jr., Muhammad Ali, and Jane Fonda) - plus Hollywood stars (Michael Caine, Elizabeth Taylor, and Lauren Bacall). Many of these conversations have not been heard for decades.
Spanning more than four decades, David Frost’s interviews with Elton range from his darkest hours - including the depths of his drug addiction - to the happiest days of his life. Here's the complete story of how a timid kid named Reginald Dwight became a rock 'n' roll legend.
With the piano at his fingertips, Andrew Lloyd Webber would sit down with David Frost nine times between 1969 to 2007. Along the way, the composer got deep - explaining how "Cats" nearly ruined him, plus the scandalous inspiration behind "Phantom of the Opera".
Hollywood's first million-dollar star, Elizabeth Taylor was the definition of the word "icon". In her conversations with David Frost, she discussed the abusive control of movie studios, her eight marriages, and the difficulties of transitioning from child actress to bombshell starlet.
David Frost did thousands of interviews during his lifetime. But his favourite person to talk to was the singer, dancer, actor, comedian, and impressionist Sammy Davis Jr.. These interviews - many of which have been lost for more than 50 years - show exactly why Sammy was simply known as Mister Show Business.
David Frost would interview prime ministers and presidents, sultans and singers. But his first interview ever, at the age of 21, was with Jane Fonda. She'd always have a special place in his life. As their stars rose during the 1970s, he'd discuss her controversial political activism, her acting career, and her philosophy on what made somebody truly successful.
One of the most prolific actors of our time, Michael Caine survived the Blitz of London during the Second World War as a child, fought in the Korean War himself and then spent years struggling to make it as an actor. Here's the story of how a plain-spoken cockney boy became one of the world's greatest headliners.
The dame of Hollywood's golden age, Lauren Bacall was known for much more than just her so-called "look". David Frost talks to Bacall about her big break, the eternal problems facing Hollywood, and what she learned from her famous marriage with Humphrey Bogart.
Ten rounds. That's how many times David Frost would go toe-to-toe with Muhammad Ali. From his days as a young heavyweight champion, to his political activism, to his days as an entertainer, these intimate interviews trace how a simple Kentucky kid became The Greatest.
Paul McCartney's working class roots, the story of George Harrison's first guitar, John Lennon's love of Hamburg, and Ringo Starr's big break (as well as Pete Best's not-so-big break). This is the story of the world's greatest band, told to the world's greatest interviewer.
Sir Ian McKellen shares his castaway choices with Sue Lawley.
The
actor grew up in Lancashire attending Wigan Grammar school and then
Bolton School where he was Head Boy. His first trip to the theatre was
as a three year old when he went to see Peter Pan at Manchester Opera
House. At seven, a treasured Christmas present was a fold-away Victorian
theatre from Pollocks Toy Theatres. Ian's older sister Jean introduced
him to Shakespeare - taking him to see Twelfth Night at Wigan's Little
Theatre. His first Shakespeare performance was playing Malvolio from the
same play at the amateur Hopefield Miniature theatre when he was 13
years old.
Ian won a scholarship to read English at St
Catharine's College, Cambridge and was soon appearing in regular
productions, including appearing alongside now famous alumni such as
Derek Jacobi, David Frost, Trevor Nunn and Margaret Drabble.
By
the time Ian graduated in 1961 he had decided to become an actor, and
got his first job in a production of A Man for All Seasons at the
Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. He has not been out of work since,
appearing at the National Theatre and the RSC, and he has also forged a
successful film career.
He's played an acclaimed Richard III for
which he also wrote the screenplay, and had parts in X-Men, Gods and
Monsters, for which his performance was Oscar-nominated, and playing
Gandalf in Lord of the Rings.
Ian was made a Knight of the British Empire for services to the performing arts in the Queen's New Year Honours of 1990.
BOOK CHOICE: A dictionary of flora and fauna LUXURY CHOICE: Grand piano CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Stormy Weather - Lena Horne
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2003.
Vladimir Horowitz - Stars And Stripes Forever Philharmonia Orchestra, conductor: Geoffrey Simon - Samuel Barber's Adagio For Strings Lindsay String Quartet - Beethoven's String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130 (2nd Movement) Ethel Merman - Rose's Turn Lena Horne - Stormy Weather Nina Simone - Mississippi Goddam Joanna MacGregor - Harrison's Clocks ABBA - Dancing Queen
Ronnie O’Sullivan OBE is currently ranked the number one snooker player in the world, and is widely regarded as one of the finest players in the history of the sport.
He has won the Masters a record seven times and he jointly holds the record for winning the World Snooker Championship seven times. Since 1997 he has held the world record for the fastest 147 break, leading to his nickname 'the Rocket'.
Ronnie grew up in Essex and his father gave him his first snooker cue when he was seven. He took to the game immediately: he was playing on a full size snooker table when he was just eight, and two years later he was beating adult players. By the age of 12, he was winning cash prizes in local tournaments, and was soon earning more than his teachers.
Ronnie turned professional when he was 16, and quickly established himself as a star player and a fans' favourite - but he has also made headlines away from the snooker table, with accounts of his depression and struggles with alcohol and drugs. For many years he has kept his physical and mental health in check through his passion for running.
He received an OBE in 2016 for services to snooker.
Presenter Lauren Laverne Producer Sarah Taylor
Eminem - Lose Yourself [BMG] Wham! - Careless Whisper [Sony Music UK] Whitney Houston - Step By Step [Arista] Deacon Blue - Real Gone Kid [Sony Music UK] Carly Simon - You're So Vain [Rhino/Elektra] Stereophonics - Maybe Tomorrow [UMC (Universal Music Catalogue)] Train - Drops Of Jupiter (Tell Me) [Columbia/Legacy] Genesis - That's All [Atlantic]
Nick Cave, the Australian born singer-songwriter and author, reveals the formative influences and experiences that have inspired his own creativity. With his band The Bad Seeds, Cave is renowned for the darkness and drama of his narrative based work. His lyrics are often populated by flawed people doing bad things, but seeking redemption in love or God, or both. His musical output is diverse, ranging from rock'n'roll, to piano-based love songs. The tragic death of his 15 year old son Arthur in 2015 has informed recent work, with songs about devastating loss, grief and love explored throughout the albums Ghosteen and Carnage. Nick Cave has also written novels, poetry, a screenplay, and has recently published Faith, Hope and Carnage - a book exploring his ideas about creativity and belief.
Nick Cave talks to John Wilson about the influences of his father, an English teacher, and his mother, a school librarian, in encouraging his love of literature from a young age. He recalls seeing The Johnny Cash Show on television at the age of 10 and being spellbound by the country music star, with whom he later worked. He also remembers the life-changing effect of hearing Leonard Cohen's Songs Of Life and Death album for the first time, and the profound influence the Canadian poet and songwriter had own his own lyrics. He reveals that fellow Australian Barry Humphries was another artist who inspired his own work, having seen a Dame Edna Everage show in Melbourne in the early 1970s. Nick Cave also discusses the impact that the death of his son had on his life, work and marriage.
In a rare interview, the iconic film director David Lynch talks to Matthew Sweet about one of the most celebrated collaborations in cinema history: between Lynch and the film composer Angelo Badalamenti who died at the end of last year.
Angelo Badalamenti - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) - The Pink Room [Warner] Angelo Badalamenti - Cousins (1989) - Overture [Rhino/Warner] Angelo Badalamenti - I Hold No Grudge [Verve Reissues] Angelo Badalamenti - Gordon's War (1973) - Just Plain Luther [SMCMG] Angelo Badalamenti - Blue Velvet (1986) - Blue Velvet / Blue Heart [Varèse Sarabande] Angelo Badalamenti - Blue Velvet (1986) - Mysteries Of Love [Varèse Sarabande] Angelo Badalamenti - Blue Velvet (1986) - Main Title [Varèse Sarabande] Angelo Badalamenti - Twin Peaks (1990) - Theme [Warner] Angelo Badalamenti - Twin Peaks (1990) - Laura Palmer's Theme [Warner] Angelo Badalamenti - Wild At Heart (1990) - Dark Spanish Symphony [Varèse Sarabande] Angelo Badalamenti - Lost Highway (1997) - Red Bats With Teeth [Nothing] Angelo Badalamenti - Lost Highway (1997) - Haunting & Heartbreaking [Nothing] Angelo Badalamenti - Mulholland Drive (2001) - Mulholland Drive [Milan] Angelo Badalamenti - Mulholland Drive (2001) - Jitterbug [Milan] David Lynch - Inland Empire (2006) - Ghost Of Love [David Lynch Music Company] Angelo Badalamenti - Blue Velvet (1986) - Night Streets / Sandy & Jeffrey [Varèse Sarabande] Angelo Badalamenti - Mulholland Drive (2001) - Love Theme [Milan]
Marvel and DC, the two titans of America superhero comics, have been locked in cosmic battle for over six decades - raging across publishing, radio, TV, movies, gaming and animation.
It’s one of the greatest rivalries in the history of pop culture, ferociously debated by generations of readers, fans and industry creatives alike.
While both companies are now worth billions, this wasn't always the case.
This feature goes back to their early comic book roots, where DC comics and young upstart Marvel both had offices in 1960s Manhattan - and yet differed widely in their approach to the genre, posing very distinct ideas of what our superheroes should be – and as a result, what it means to be human. Do we want to look up to the skies or do we really want to see a reflection of ourselves? Are our heroes other, outsiders like gods – or are they basically people like us, who gain strange powers but keep their flaws? Readers had a choice.
The creative rivalry between Marvel and DC comics has always been more than a question of sales or market share. It is a fascinating culture clash of ideals, morals and even politics. It has constituted one of the greatest post-war, pop-culture wars of our times.
For years DC Comics dominated the super-hero genre with its pulp tales of super-powered crime fighting, bright costumes and capes, shiny headquarters, secret identities and primary colours. Their heroes - Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, the Flash, the Green Lantern – have a kind of mythic grandeur. But dig deeper, and there's another story. DC's creative department had its own secret identity, driven mostly by writers and artists who felt themselves to be at the margins of mainstream American society.
Marvel Comics in its modern form arrived later, in the early 1960s, a totally different cultural era. In every way the precocious new kid on the block, Marvel offered a widely different set of ideas about what superheroes ought to be - they would be like us. The tone was less authoritarian than the opposition, politically liberal under the stewardship of Stan Lee, tapping into the emerging counter-culture and creating a web of integrated characters (the ‘Marvel Universe’). Marvel heroes - Spider-Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four - lived in our world and suffered as we do. They had financial difficulties, dead-end jobs, romantic heartache, teenage angst, even drug addiction, suffered blindness, breakdown and divorce. They encountered street protest and the counter-culture, gang violence and organised racism.
Each company watched the other. Each company tried to outdo the other, either on their own terms or – sometimes brilliantly - their opponents'. This is the comic-book bedrock upon which the blockbuster superhero movie franchises are currently fighting tooth and nail.
Talking to industry legends from both companies, artists, writers, experts and diehard fans, this Archive on 4, presented by documentary maker and lifelong Marvel and DC comics fan Simon Hollis, tells the story of the Greatest Battle on Earth.
David Holmes shares the pivotal moments that have made him the multi-talented DJ, musician, and composer he is today. Talking to Nemone, who combines her roles of DJ and qualified psychotherapist, David dives deep to share his extraordinary journey, from his childhood in Northern Ireland to tackling his mental health in more recent years.
David began DJing in Belfast at the age of 15 and by the mid-90s was releasing his own mercurial tracks such as 'Rodney Yates', 'My Friend Paul' and '69 Police'. From his 1995 debut album 'This Film's Crap Let's Slash the Seats' onwards, David has created sublime cinematic worlds in the ear of the listener. He is intimately associated with film music, having scored Steven Soderburgh’s 'Out of Sight'. He won an Ivor Novello Award for his score for the film '71' and an IFTA at the Irish Film Awards for his score to Steve McQueen's award-winning film 'Hunger'. David also scored all three series of 'The Fall', starring Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan, and won a Bafta with Keefus Green for their work on BBC One's hit drama 'Killing Eve'.
David's 1997 Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1, a mix of northern soul, psychedelic funk and hip hop, is legendary, and his single 'I Heard Wonders' formed the musical backbone to Danny Boyle’s vision for the London Olympics in 2012. His band output includes The Free Association and most recently The Unloved. He’s produced Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, is currently working with both Sinead O’Connor and Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie on their solo work, and we will be treated to another David Holmes release before the end of the year.
During this intimate conversation, David shares the songs that have sound-tracked the ups and downs of his life, as well as his ultimate 'Self Care' track.
David Holmes - I Heard Wonders [Mercury] David Holmes - Hey Maggy [Late Night Tales] Terry Riley - Rainbow In Curved Air [Columbia Masterworks] Dexys Midnight Runners - Geno [Mercury] Sex Pistols - Holidays In The Sun [Virgin] The Beatles - She Loves You (Live At The Hollywood Bowl) [UMC (Universal Music Catalogue)] David Holmes - 71 (Original Soundtrack) David Holmes - The Trunk Scene (Out Of Sight Soundtrack) [Geffen] The O'Jays - For The Love Of Money [Philadelphia International] Harry Nilsson - Everybody's Talkin' [EMI (USA)] The Who - The Real Me [Polydor] Lee Dorsey - Ride Your Pony [Gulf Coast / Prime / Vector] Phuture - Acid Tracks The Clash - Hateful [Columbia] David Holmes - Rodney Yates [Polydor] The Sabres Of Paradise - Smokebelch II [Renaissance Dance] David Holmes (feat. Raven) - Hope Is The Last Thing To Die [Heavenly] Harpers Bizarre - Witchi Tai To [Warner] David Holmes (feat. Raven Violet) - It's Over, If We Run Out Of Love [Heavenly] Primal Scream - Invisible City [First International] Roy Montgomery - Along The Main Divide Charlie Megira - Tomorrow's Gone
Mike D of the Beastie Boys takes you to his own personal Desert Island Disco, as he curates the new boxset Brazil 45 Vol. 4 on Mr Bongo Label.
He'll be picking some tunes from the release, as well as his favourite tunes to kick back on the desert island.
Beastie Boys - Sure Shot [Grand Royal] Hareton Salvanini - KM 110 [Hareton Azevedo Salvanini, Ayrton Salvanini & Yelris de Azevedo Salvanin] Erasmus Carlos - É Preciso Dar Um Jeito, Meu Amigo Public Enemy - Rebel Without A Pause [Global Television] De La Soul - Eye Know [Big Life] Aretha Franklin - Precious Lord, Take My Hand/You've Got A Friend ESG - Dance [Fire] Le Tigre - Deceptacon [Wiiija]
BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend comes to Dundee in 2023.
Jamie xx - Good Times Jook & Blumey & Logan_olm - Shade Jamie xx - All Under One Roof Raving Jamie xx - Kill Dem DJ Tuco & Allmostt - The One Unknown - Unknown Unknown - Unknown Jamie xx - Idontknow Michael Ange - Memory Lane Minor Science - Workahol Unknown - Unknown The xx - On Hold (Jamie xx Remix) Jamie xx - Let's Do It Again Kiwi - Condor (Rex The Dog Remix) Jamie xx - Gosh
Let loose for the weekend with joyful music hosted by AFRODEUTSCHE. Munich-based DJ and producer Skee Mask delivers a Phones Down Finale mix to end the show.
Bandshell - Perc [Liberation Technologies] Andrea - Silent Now [Ilian Tape] The Timewriter - Room Of A Million Rainbows [Plastic City] Substructure 75 - Und Der Name Sei Erde [Hörspielmusik] The Prince Of Dance Music - Bad Dreams [LaRhon] Skee Mask - Wether Andrew Chalk - Patience And Heartsease [Faraway Press]