Podcast Episodes

Ursula Jones

Ursula Jones is “nothing short of a musical icon” – at least according to the Royal Philharmonic Society, who made her an honorary member last year at the age of 92. She has devoted her life to music…

Published on 7 months ago

Professor Anthony Kessel

Professor Anthony Kessel has a double life – or at least two very different roles. As the National Deputy Medical Director of NHS England, he’s one of the senior leaders responsible for improving the…

Published on 7 months, 1 week ago

Raymond Blanc

Raymond Blanc is one of the finest chefs in the world and he is completely self-taught. He grew up in post-war France in Besancon in the Comte region of eastern France between Burgundy and the Jura M…

Published on 7 months, 2 weeks ago

Sir Paul Collier

The economist Sir Paul Collier has spent much of his career thinking about some of the biggest challenges we face around the world – and then trying to find solutions for them. He’s focused on low-in…

Published on 8 months ago

Miranda Hart

Miranda Hart burst into our living rooms in 2009 with her semi-autobiographical, multi-award winning TV sit-com Miranda. Her irrepressible physical comedy and willingness to make fun of herself quick…

Published on 8 months, 1 week ago

Sister Mary Joy Langdon

In the hot, dry summer of 1976, Mary Joy Langdon made a very bold decision: she joined the fire service. She was the first woman in the UK to work as a professional operational fire-fighter. Then, af…

Published on 8 months, 2 weeks ago

Christmas Collection

Michael Berkeley shares festive music choices from Private Passions over the years. We’ll hear how Handel can evoke memories of roast potatoes in the oven on Christmas day; we’ll spend time by the fi…

Published on 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Nick Mohammed

The actor, comedian and writer Nick Mohammed hasn’t followed an obvious career path. His youthful obsessions included performing magic and playing the violin, followed by a first-class degree in geop…

Published on 9 months ago

Lola Young, Baroness Young of Hornsey

Lola Young, Baroness Young of Hornsey, grew up in care, and when she left school, she worked first for the gas board, then as a social worker and as an actor on stage and television. The idea that sh…

Published on 9 months, 3 weeks ago

Rupert Everett

Rupert Everett left school at 16 to train as an actor and first shot to wider fame in 1984 as a dashing public schoolboy in the film Another Country.

Since then his career has been defiantly unpredict…

Published on 9 months, 4 weeks ago