Saturday Live

Gok Wan talks to Aasmah Mir and Rev. Richard Coles about his latest show Say Yes to the Dress Lancashire, DJ’ing, cooking and his lifelong passion for fashion. Listener Hilary Wynter talks about her experience playing doubles with the Empress of Japan, the wife of the Emperor who has just abdicated. As it's the 4th May - Star Wars Day - we have Star Wars superfan Michael Absalom. Singer-songwriter Nick Lowe shares his Inheritance Tracks. He has chosen Fatback Louisiana USA, by Tennessee Ernie Ford and Harlan County by Jim Ford. Pet Detective Colin Butcher – has just written a book about his working relationship with his rescue dog Molly – the UK (and Europe’s) only cat detection dog.Producer: Claire Bartleet Editor: Beverley Purcell

Richard and Aasmah are joined by Dame Stephanie Shirley who arrived in the UK aged 5 as a refugee on the Kindertransport. She became a ground breaking IT entrepreneur who has since become a philanthropist and given over £60 million away. Her son inspired her to set up a school for children with Autism, and fund vital research. We also have Duff McKagan who joined Guns N' Roses as bass player aged 19 but only just survived the rock 'n' roll lifestyle. He battled addiction by taking up martial arts and studied accountancy, writing books and his own music as well as touring again with the band. and Libby Page, who enjoyed water as a child but had become fearful of donning a swimsuit in her teens. She finally faced her fears and learnt to swim in her 20s and has discovered the meditative and therapeutic benefits of swimming, in particular, outdoors and it helped her get a publishing deal. and Paul Jacobs, a listener whose wife got in touch with us. A PE teacher in the same school for 29 years, he was voted Melton Mowbray’s sports personality of year 2016, and uses sport to inspire young people. We heard how he would “run a marathon, drive home and do the ironing”, so we had to meet him. TV presenter June Sarpong gives us her inheritance tracks which are Superwoman by Stevie Wonder and Love Train performed by The O'Jays. Producer: Corinna Jones Editor: Beverley Purcell

Patti Boulaye is a British-Nigerian singer, actress and artist. She recalls coming to London aged 16, and appearing on the west end stage in shows from HAIR to Carmen Jones, and talks about her new one woman show Aretha and Me.Creative movement director and choreographer Yami ‘Rowdy’ Lofvenberg won the UK Hip Hop Championships in 2010, and worked on the London 2012 opening ceremony. She was adopted from Colombia and grew up in Sweden, and she describes the difficulties growing up and returning to her birthplace.Landscape designer Adam Frost started his career with an apprenticeship with North Devon Parks Department. He has won seven Gold Medals at the Chelsea Flower Show and he explains how to build a garden from scratch. Christopher Somerville has written about his favourite cathedrals. He describes how his fascination with these great structures started while visiting Wells Cathedral at the age of six.Presented by Aasmah Mir and Luke Jones.Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Beverley Purcell

Photographer, publisher and film director Rankin joins Rev. Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir. He talks about swapping accountancy for photography, his career which includes photographing the Queen in 5 minutes, and the impact of having a child. Celebrating Record Store Day – we have Ashli Todd - owner of world’s oldest record store, Spillers in Cardiff. Journalist Babita Sharma recalls her experiences growing up in a corner shop. Alistair McGowan shares his Inheritance Tracks: Poem by Fibich performed by Alistair McGowan and Narcissus by Joyce Grenfell and Norman Wisdom. Writer and presenter Danny Wallace discusses family life, why he’s proud of ‘Join Me’ and random acts of kindness.Producer: Claire Bartleet Editor: Beverley Purcell

Ben Elton is co-writer of The Young Ones and Blackadder, a bestselling novelist, playwright, director and writer of Upstart Crow. He talks about his new and timely novel about identity, politics, middle age and murder; his life as a semi-Australian empty-nester, and why he’s about to embark on his first UK stand up tour in 15 years.The shortest shepherd in England, Sally Urwin, reveals why she gave up her city life as a marketing manager to work on a sheep farm in Northumberland and the joys and challenges of the lambing season.Listener Chris Lockwood recalls playing football the unofficial England women’s team at the 1971 World Cup in Mexico – at the age of 16.Matt Bateman is playing in the British Quidditch Cup this weekend. He explains the game, his position as “beater”, and the difference between The Quaffle, Bludgers and The Snitch.Andy Bell, best known as frontman for the electropop duo Erasure, describes his life growing up in Peterborough with darts playing parents, how he likes to challenge his voice, and his alter-ego Torsten.Singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti shares his Inheritance Tracks - Forever Young sung by Joan Baez, and Kathy’s Song by Simon and Garfunkel.Presented by the Rev. Richard Coles and Suzy Klein.Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Beverley Purcell.

Singer-songwriter and Great British Menu guest judge Keisha Buchanan talks to Rev. Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir about finding success as a teenager in Sugababes, a band which had six number one singles and two number one albums in the UK. Lamin Deen talks about his duel career as a Grenadier Guard and GB bobsleigh Olympian.We launch My Sound, a new feature where we ask you to tell us about a sound that means something to you. Tim Eagling explains why the sound of his car is significant.Forager John Wright reveals what we should be looking out for in April and how you can find wild food in cities as well as the country.Line of Duty actor Adrian Dunbar shares his Inheritance Tracks. He has chosen Hear My Song Violetta, performed by Josef Locke and A Hard Day’s Night by The Beatles.Alice Plunkett is a former jockey and three-day eventer who is now an ITV Racing presenter. Alice is the only woman to have ridden at both Badminton Horse Trials and the Grand National course at Aintree. She talks about the risks and rewards of racing.Producer: Claire Bartleet Editor: Eleanor Garland

Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir are joined by the milliner Stephen Jones whose passion for hats has led him from the catwalks of Dior to the Brighton Pavillion, the adventurer and extreme sleeper Phoebe Smith who sends people to sleep with her travel stories, historian David Olusoga whose TV programme explores the lives of all the people who lived in one house in Newcastle and Saturday Live listener, the crochetdermist Shauna Richardson whose creations include animal versions of Boris Johnson and Prince Harry and whose worked graced the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. We also have the Inheritance Tracks of comedian Gina Yashere who chooses Dancing Queen by Abba and Back to Life by Soul II Soul And listener Rosie Humphreys tells us about her mother's dress.Producer: Corinna Jones Editor: Eleanor Garland

Choirmaster Gareth Malone describes working with pupils from Kensington Aldridge Academy to help them create a concert to mark the return to their school building next to Grenfell Tower. Listener Rev'd Alan Dodds recalls his life before ordination - playing guitar in a band with David Bowie. Mya-Rose Craig, aka 'birdgirl', has seen 5,000 species of bird and explains how she spends her weekends bird ringing. Jane Hasell-McCosh reveals some of the strange varieties of marmalade at the Marmalade Awards and Festival in Cumbria. Saxophonist and MOBO winner YolanDa Brown on racing driving and her search for emerging young musical talent. And the Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick shares his Inheritance Tracks - Stairway to Heaven performed by Led Zeppelin and One by U2.Presented by Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles.Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Eleanor Garland

Best-selling singer-songwriter Dido on her new album Still On My Mind, fame, life growing up and working with her brother. Wendy Gould and John Sandford talk about being reunited after many years – Wendy was taken from her parents’ front garden and dumped on the side of the road 20 miles from her home and John was the man who found her. Jerick Hoffer talks about creating alter ego Jinkx Monsoon – and becoming the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, season 5. Comedian Al Murray shares his Inheritance Tracks. He has chosen Come Together by The Beatles and Follow You Follow Me by Genesis. The actor, writer and director Noel Clarke (Dr Who, Brotherhood, Bulletproof) is starring in new film Fisherman’s Friends, about the Cornish fisherman’s choir who got a record deal. He discusses the impact of being an only child and wanting to act from a young age.Presented by Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles. Producer: Claire Bartleet Editor: Eleanor Garland

Richard and Aasmah are joined by Jo Malone CBE, who left school aged 15 with no qualifications and became a scent supremo and one of the UKs best known entrepreneurs. We also have comedian aka 'Badman' Humza Arshad who made his success online, took it mainstream and has written his first children's book: Little Badman and the Killer Aunties. There is Ishbel Holmes whose difficult upbringing prompted her, aged 21, to cycle the world rescuing street dogs and Saturday Live listener Catherine Spencer who, as a holidaymaker, got caught up in a coup in Kenya and Robin Moffitt talks about how to rescue bats. Plus: the Inheritance Tracks of Shakin' Stevens who chooses Brother Can You Spare A Dime performed by Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance and We’ll Meet Again performed by Johnny Cash. Producer: Corinna Jones Editor: Eleanor Garland