Saturday Live

John Robins is a critically-acclaimed comic with awards a-plenty, and now a blistering memoir "Thirst; worked around Twelve Drinks That Changed My Life. Arit Anderson of Gardeners’ World is on her way to the centre of the gardening world, the Chelsea Flower Show, where she’s creating a special space for those with Parkinson's. Starting with a distressed raccoon she found in a bloke’s garage, Lindsey McKenna’s spent the last 15 years saving two hundred exotic animals. We'll be thanking six burly men who, 27 years ago, lifted up and carried a car containing a heavily pregnant listener of ours, off the hard shoulder of the M25. Two brothers are pleased as punch to be reunited, after forty years, with their late father’s Austin 35 racing green, racing car. And we’ll get the Inheritance Tracks of the actor turned director James McAvoy. Presenter: Adrian Chiles Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Colin Patterson

Dom Joly joins Adrian for extraordinary stories from remarkable people.

Bear Grylls discusses his relationship with religion, Chris "Flamebaster" Roberts champions Welsh food with fire, Liz Lane explains her love of musical composition.

Radio 4's Saturday morning show brings you extraordinary stories and remarkable people.

Adrian spends the hour in the company of renowned TV producer John Lloyd, the modest genius mind behind such national institutions as Spitting Image, QI and Blackadder. Also on the porgramme, Kala Subbuswamy who saw no reason why a middle-aged woman couldn't start a punk band, so did just that. And Jazz Turner didn't let her disability stop her sailing solo around the British Isles, and now she plans to take on the world. And the Inheritance Tracks of former presenter of BBC Breakfast and Saturday Live, now a consulting psychologist, and still broadcasting, most notably with the Radio 4 series Life Changing, Dr Sian Williams. Presenter: Adrian Chiles Producer: Lowri Morgan Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell & Alice McKee Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Nigel Kennedy joins Adrian for extraordinary stories from remarkable people.

Steve Rosenberg joins Adrian for extraordinary stories from remarkable people.

On Saturday Live this week we’ll be looking up, down and all over the place. Dame Maggie Aderin, space scientist, will have us looking to the skies in wonder before David Mearns, shipwreck hunter, takes us down into the ocean deep as we marvel at his life’s work - and a man never short of a sense of wonder is writer, actor, comedian, sailor and lover of alpacas...Griff Rhys Jones. Also today, we’ll rise from the depths to the surface for some sea shantying. And we’ll be getting the Inheritance Tracks of Andy Zaltzman. Presenter: Adrian Chiles Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producers: Lowri Morgan and Alice McKee Researcher: Angharad Butler Editor: Glyn Tansley

Today we’re in the company of a billionaire, a hostage negotiator and the most sought after screenwriter in the business. The screenwriter in question is Jack Thorne who’s now turned his considerable talent to a brilliant TV adaptation of Lord of the Flies. Nicky Perfect says hostage negotiation is all about empathy, and less about talking than listening. And we’ll be all ears as she tells us what we can all learn from the techniques police negotiators use. And we’ll certainly be paying close attention to what Welsh born billionaire Michael Moritz has to say to us, about his own story, and his telling of the story of his family which is fascinating, harrowing and inspiring in equal measure. Also today the firefighter who spends his spare time being a Viking - and the Inheritance Tracks of Marian Keyes. Presenter: Adrian Chiles Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producers: Catherine Powell, Ribika Moktan, Imy Harper Researchers: Angharad Butler, Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Today we have a comedian, a nun and an undertaker’s beautician. Mark Steel says that when there’s a crisis afoot, while everyone else is panicking the comedians in the room are busy finding the funny side. This Mark’s done, with a book about what he calls his adventures in cancerland. The remarkable Sister Libby Osgood, worked for NASA before she became a nun. Quite the career path that. And Jayne Lownds - who brought her expertise as a high-street beautician into the family funeral business. Also today the annual pancake race still being run more than 550 years after it started - and the Inheritance Tracks of Radio 1 DJ and boardgame designer Matt Edmondson. Presenter: Adrian Chiles Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Alexander Armstrong on life as a writer, Professor Patricia Wiltshire explains the role of a forensic botanist, Mackenzie Crook unveils the secrets behind his latest show.

The Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen, Dr Joseph Jebelli on the power of doing nothing, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time author Mark Haddon.

Today's programme features a couple of very nice movers. There’s Anton de Beke, fresh from the first night of the Strictly Tour to recount a life of dance and showbiz. Lizzy Yarnold is used to moving at a rather more ferocious speed as our most successful winter Olympian. Picking up on the sweet smell of success, Michael O’Shaugnassey is an expert in scents and uses them to access prisoners memories. Also today, a man considered so dull that he’s won an award for it, and the Inheritance Tracks of Claire Foy. Presenter: Adrian Chiles Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Keith Brymer Jones on pottery and restoring a Welsh chapel, Sean Ronayne has recorded the sounds of nearly all of Ireland's birds, Jennie Regan has begun stonemasonry for The King.

Jake Humphrey is a High Performance broadcaster - he's spoken openly about his mental health and what drives him, and in his podcast and new book he uncovers what makes the likes of Sir Chris Hoy and Sarina Wiegman tick. Madelaine Thomas has excelled in not one but two fields. Firstly as a dominatrix and then as a tech entrepreneur helping others protect their privacy. Dr Uy Huang, also has two strings to his bow. As an eminent epidemiologist, he maps the path of diseases. As an enthusiast for waterways, he’s single-handedly photographing thousands of miles of towpaths for Google. Never mind streetview... this is canalview. Also today, the surfer waiting to hear if she’s bagged the world record for riding a bigger wave than any other woman ever - and the Inheritance Tracks of the catsuit wearing, falsetto singing, rock star Justin Hawkins. Presenter: Adrian Charles Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Powell

Radio 4's Saturday morning show brings you extraordinary stories and remarkable people.

On this Christmas special edition of Saturday Live, we take a deep-dive into the world of board games. Marcia Lewis’s has board games in her blood - her father was the creator of Cluedo. Neil Scanllan holds not one, not two, but four world records for his remarkable collection of Monopoly sets. Dr Harshan Lamabadusuriya, doctor by day, scrabble assassin by night, has had the best season of his life becoming the UK champion for the second time. Also today, BBC Inside Science presenter Tom Whipple, shares with us the tips and tricks for winning some of Christmas’s classic family games - and the Mammoth star Mike Bubbins adds a sprinkling of 70’s Christmas nostalgia to proceedings. Presenter: Adrian Chiles Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

The actor and art lover Russell Tovey - who’s not only on a mission to spread his love of art far and wide… but is humanity's best hope in the War between Land and Sea. There’s no hint of CGI in the warzones Sally Becker’s been to - the recipient of a Lifetime achievement award at this year’s Pride of Britain, she’s made it her life’s work to help children in some of the most unimaginable situations. And Vanessa Ruck - who spent seven years recovering from a life-changing car accident… only to then learn to ride a motorbike and race it in extreme endurance events. All that plus, a man who makes a living with his hand, head, and indeed his entire body inside some of the most iconic puppets on stage - and the Inheritance Tracks of the actor Paul Bettany. Presenter: Adrian Chiles Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

Chris McCausland, funny, clever, excellent dancer, widely loved. The list goes on. His new autobiography "Keeping Laughing" charts his life and career across a twenty-five-year journey where he lost his sight but found moments of happiness and laughter along the way. Douglas Roberston, survived being cast adrift in the pacific ocean for 38 days after a killer whale. Just a teenager at the time, he reveals the extremes he had to go to extremes to survive. Another tackler of apparently insurmountable obstacles is Mila Stanzani a record-holding obstacle course racer hear to give us an insight into one of the newest sports at the next Olympics. All that plus, an award-winning pigeon fancier and the Inheritance Tracks of New Zealand’s former Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern. Presenter: Adrian Chiles Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley

We’re in the company of Ben Miller, comedian, actor, writer and some time student of physics...here to tell us how Father Christmas can in fact deliver a gift to every child in just one night with his new book "The Night I Met Father Christmas". Someone who has had an early Christmas present already is Lucy Steeds, who this week was crowned the winner of the Waterstones Book of the Year. She reveals the process of how her debut book, "The Artist", has become so successful - and how he channels her synaesthesia. Grace Vella spent her childhood dreaming of becoming a professional footballer, she almost made it playing for Liverpool and Man City, but didn’t quite make the grade, so made football her business instead and has founded the women's sports brand Miss Kick. All that, plus Hollie McRae, daughter of iconic rally driver Colin McCrae, tells us how she has become determined to keep rally driving in the family - and we have the shared Inheritance Tracks of Chris and Xand van Tulleken. Presenter: Adrian Chiles Producer: Ben Mitchell Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn Tansley