Radio Times
type: channel
link: https://www.radiotimes.com
date: 2025-12-13T18:39:48.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: Emma Willis to host new BBC Radio 2 programme as Zoe Ball steps down
items: David Suchet reveals why Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol remains so prescient – and what he'd say to Agatha Christie
items: The BRITs 2026 confirm British comedy favourite turned Hollywood actor as host
items: Mishal Husain talks her new chapter, pressing Nigel Farage on Russia and the recent BBC troubles
items: When is Spotify Wrapped 2025? Latest information on annual music streaming report
items: How does Audible work? How much it costs, how to get free books and how to cancel
items: Rum Punch's Travis Jay: "I've got a right to grab the attention of someone who's like me"
items: Bob Geldof talks always being bored of Band Aid, the end of rock 'n' roll and Taylor Swift
items: Edith Bowman opens up about replacing Sound of Cinema legend Matthew Sweet: "I hope that it does bring people to Radio 3"
items: BBC Radio Christmas 2025 line-up confirmed – with Hollywood legend set as guest editor for the Today programme
items: The Beatles star on this week's Radio Times cover as Anthology returns to screens
items: The Beatles Anthology exclusive behind the scenes with Jools Holland as remastered series with new episode arrives
items: Rick Edwards reveals why fatherhood has changed his presenting work for ever - and talks his modelling past
items: Harry Potter movies actor returns in new role for new adaptation with epic cast
items: The Radio Times Podcast
items: Caroline Wyatt gets candid about life with MS - and why she thinks the BBC will endure
items: Taylor Swift albums in order – Taylor's Versions and first albums
items: Emma Thompson stars in Sense and Sensibility sequel – listen now to exclusive clip
items: BBC Radio 2 host Sara Cox details key differences between her radio and podcasting work
items: Lola Young issues health update after collapsing on stage during New York gig
items: Back to Black's Marisa Abela reveals iconic figures she wants to play after Amy Winehouse performance
items: James Bond hopeful's "sensitive" new take on Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice adaptation teased by co-star
items: Melvyn Bragg reveals his exciting new project as he explains 'retirement' decision and whether he's had doubts
items: BBC launches three new radio stations: "It's all about the audience"
items: 'Lust is a great creative force': David Bowie reveals what drove him in exclusive interview
items: New Harry Potter adaptation adds Game of Thrones legends to huge A-list cast
items: Pride and Prejudice's latest adaptation has 'stubborn, vulnerable' Elizabeth Bennet, reveals BAFTA winner
items: Jeremy Dyson shares "pure joy" of reuniting The League of Gentlemen stars for brand new project
items: Silent Witness star Emilia Fox on new true crime series: 'It's left up to the listener to decide'
items: BBC Radio 1 confirms Love Island: Aftersun favourite and more fresh faces to join presenting line-up

Emma Willis to host new BBC Radio 2 programme as Zoe Ball steps down
type: item
date: 2025-12-13T18:39:48.000Z
creator: Katelyn Mensah
subject: audio
subject: Radio
subject: BBC Radio 2
subject: News
description: Bigs news for BBC Radio 2 listeners.
encoded: Emma Willis will replace Zoe Ball's BBC Radio 2 Saturday lunchtime programme, as the presenter today announced she will step down later this month. Willis will be on the airwaves from January 2026 each Saturday lunchtime between 1pm and 3pm. The BBC has teased her programme will be jam-packed with special guests. Emma said of the announcement: "I'm a huge fan of Radio 2, so I'm absolutely chuffed to be joining the family - and it's a real honour to follow in the huge footsteps Zoe leaves behind, who's someone I admire and adore. I'm very much looking forward to spending my Saturday lunchtimes with the Radio 2 audience and I’ll happily be the filling to a Romesh and Rylan sandwich!" Willis has spent six years co-presenting Sunday mornings on Heart Radio alongside Stephen Mulhern. And since 2019, she has been a regular voice on Radio 2, often deputising for Sara Cox, and Claudia Winkleman and Romesh Ranganathan. Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2, commented: "Emma is one of the UK’s most popular broadcasters, so I’m thrilled that she’s joining the all-star Radio 2 family of presenters. I’m certain that our loyal listeners will welcome her with open arms. "I can’t wait to hear Emma’s new show as a part of our Superstar Saturday weekend schedule, which features Tony Blackburn, Dermot O’Leary, Romesh Ranganathan, Rylan, Liza Tarbuck, Gary Davies and Fearne Cotton." Read more: Rum Punch's Travis Jay: "I've got a right to grab the attention of someone who's like me" BBC Radio Christmas 2025 line-up confirmed – with Hollywood legend set as guest editor for the Today programme Zoe Ball will present her last programme on Saturday 20th December, though she will continue to host specials on the station, which she has done throughout the year. Zoe said: "Spending Saturday lunchtimes with the Radio 2 gang has been an absolute hoot, the listeners, the stories, and of course my weekly giggles with Romesh and Rylan. I’m over the moon for the fabulous Emma to take the reins, she’s pure su…

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David Suchet reveals why Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol remains so prescient – and what he'd say to Agatha Christie
type: item
date: 2025-12-09T17:01:19.000Z
creator: Anna Jones
subject: audio
subject: Christmas
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: As he voices a new Dickens podcast, David Suchet reflects on timeless storytelling and the hope Christmas brings.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Nothing brings us together like a festive ghost story and, since its publication in 1843, Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol has never been out of print. It is the seasonal chiller. Sir David Suchet is delighted to be narrating it, alongside some of the author’s lesser-known tales, for a new podcast series. “These aren’t merely creepy stories — they’re ghostly reflections of the human soul.” We know about your devotion to Agatha Christie, but how well do you know Dickens? I don’t claim to be a Dickens expert, but he has always held up for me as the master of the English language. Reading these ghost stories has just been one of the most enjoyable and exciting pieces of audio work I’ve done. I’ve been blown away by how he writes. He’s very theatrical. Why do you think Dickens remains so prescient? I would say the same thing about Shakespeare and, if I’m allowed to, Agatha Christie. They all write about the human condition: love, jealousy, greed, hate, envy, crimes. They talk about poverty and society. They have managed to write about various aspects of our lives as human beings and make them into dramatic tales. That’s why they will never date. Why do you think that we enjoy being scared at Christmas? Well, if you go back to when you were a little child and somebody scared you, what was the first thing you did? You screamed and giggled. We love mystery, we love being scared. I mean, look at Doctor Who! We love to be taken outside of ourselves into realms that we don’t quite understand, and being a little bit frightened can be very enjoyable. Is A Christmas Carol the ultimate seasonal ghost story? A Christmas Carol is a work of genius. It’s just got everything. Not only the most extraordinary characters, but Scrooge himself going through that redemption... It’s what Christmas is all about, which is generosity, kindness, family if you have one, friends if you haven’t. Being social, being warm to each other. Ultimate…

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The BRITs 2026 confirm British comedy favourite turned Hollywood actor as host
type: item
date: 2025-12-09T10:28:46.000Z
creator: Molly Moss
subject: audio
subject: BRIT Awards
subject: News
description: The show is moving north for the first time in its nearly 50-year history.
encoded: Jack Whitehall has been announced as host of the BRIT Awards 2026. The comedian and actor, who has appeared in the likes of Jungle Cruise, Clifford the Big Red Dog and the recent Prime Video thriller Malice, will return to present the ceremony for the sixth time. He shared the news in an “Ode to Manchester”, where the show is taking place next year, on his Instagram account. The sketch sees Whitehall moving in front of a green scene that displays many of the city’s landmarks, from the set of Coronation Street to the Curry Mile, while various things associated with Manchester, including barm cakes and rain, are also mentioned. Whitehall said in a statement: “I am so excited to be coming back for this very special BRIT Awards in Manchester, a place that is so important to me. “The city I started my comedy career in, it feels like a real full circle moment returning to host this historic night at the Co-op Live, a venue that is only a stone’s throw away from the comedy club I did my first 10-minute set in all those years ago. Hopefully I get a few more laughs than I did that night. I cannot wait.” Whitehall returned to host the BRITs 2025 earlier this year, having previously presented in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Mo Gilligan took on presenting duties in 2022 and 2023, while Maya Jama, Clara Amfo and Roman Kemp co-hosted in 2024. Stacey Tang, chair of the 2026 BRIT Awards Committee and co-president of RCA Records at Sony Music UK, said: "Jack is absolutely brilliant at his craft so we are thrilled to welcome him back and excited for the fun and mischief he’s bound to bring to the show again this year. "His legacy hosting the awards speaks for itself and as the BRITs enters a new era, in a city familiar to him, there’s nobody better placed to take the helm of the biggest night in music.” The BRIT Awards 2026 will take place on Saturday 28th February 2026. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For mo…

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Mishal Husain talks her new chapter, pressing Nigel Farage on Russia and the recent BBC troubles
type: item
date: 2025-12-08T17:01:36.000Z
creator: Simon Hattenstone
subject: audio
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: Leaving the BBC has been a challenge for Mishal Husain, but at least she now gets to express her opinions – and have a Christmas lie-in!
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. After 26 years at the BBC, Mishal Husain left in 2025 to join Bloomberg. It’s been the greatest challenge of her career. “I have had to reinvent myself and that’s scary because you wonder, ‘Am I going to make a success of it?’” Husain presented the Today programme on Radio 4 for her final 11 years at the Beeb and was my favourite presenter on the show. While others tried to shout down interviewees, she researched meticulously, listened intensely, probed forensically and got results. Husain exposed inconsistencies, hypocrisies and plain old lies, fairly and without fanfare. But now she’s swapped short-form interviews for a weekly 40-minute podcast called The Mishal Husain Show, which started in October. Husain insists they’re worlds apart. “I’m discovering that doing one deep, really thoughtful interview a week is completely different and harder than being in daily news and getting up at 3am.” Harder? “It really is. But I’m loving it.” Off air, she still speaks with that limpid, head-girl voice, but her tone is a bit more sing-song; a bit more fun. What scared her most? “Starting from scratch. Starting from zero viewers and listeners.” The change in job has also meant a change in lifestyle. Workwise, Husain and her husband Meekal Hashmi (who have three sons born 18 months apart – the youngest two are twins – at university) are now in sync. “My husband’s finding it quite curious that for the first time in our married life I have normal office hours and we both have to share the bathroom in the morning. Suddenly we have parallel routines, which we’ve never had.” Does he like that? “I think he’s probably… we’re probably, adjusting to it.” Husain is a ridiculously youthful 52, and petite. With the familiar big bob, and a slight, strong frame, she’s got something of the superhero about her. Today, she’s racing up and down the extremely challenging stairs at Bloomberg, introducing me to the top floor with its magnificent…

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When is Spotify Wrapped 2025? Latest information on annual music streaming report
type: item
date: 2025-12-03T11:27:49.000Z
creator: Molly Moss
subject: audio
description: It's Spotify users' favourite time of the year.
encoded: It's that time of year again, where we share our deepest and darkest listening habits and Spotify Wrapped is released. Wrapped provides users with a personalised summary of their music tastes – from most-listened to artists to top podcasts – and shows them how their listening habits have evolved throughout the year. The feature launched in 2015 with the introduction of Year in Music, before being rebranded as Spotify Wrapped in 2016, and has since become a huge annual tradition and cultural phenomenon, with political figures and celebrities even joining the bandwagon. Last year, Miley Cyrus shared that Britney Spears was her top-streamed artist of 2024, which was fitting, as Cyrus shouted Spears out in her 2009 hit Party in the USA, in which she sang: “That’s when the DJ dropped my favourite tune/ And a Britney song was on.” Cyrus referenced the lyrics when sharing her Spotify Wrapped results, writing on her Instagram Stories: “A Britney song was literally on…. all year!” Ready to brag about your most-listened to songs from this year on social media? Here’s everything you need to know about Wrapped. When is Spotify Wrapped 2025 coming out? Spotify Wrapped 2025 launched on Wednesday 3rd December. This is in line with previous years, with the feature typically being released on the platform towards the end of November or in early December. Last year, it came out on Wednesday 4th December, while in 2023 and 2022, it was released on Wednesday 30th November. Where can I find my Spotify Wrapped? Anyone with a Spotify account can access the recap directly from the Spotify app when signed in. The feature should be waiting for you when you open the app. The company has advised users to update their app to the most recent version in advance. Alternatively, users can head to Spotify’s website and the feature should be there. Spotify Wrapped 2025 new features As is the case every year, Spotify Wrapped 2025 has introduced new features for users to analyse their listening habits …

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How does Audible work? How much it costs, how to get free books and how to cancel
type: item
date: 2025-12-01T11:00:21.000Z
creator: Bethan Rose Jenkins
subject: audio
subject: Audiobooks
subject: Technology
subject: Audible
subject: Books
description: Audible is an Amazon subscription service offering audiobooks, podcasts and more. Here's how it works.
encoded: Listen up all bookworms, podcast listeners and audio fans – if you're looking for somewhere to source your favourite auditory entertainment, Audible is the perfect platform for you. Audible is an Amazon service offering a huge variety and number of titles, all wrapped up in an affordable subscription package. It's great for those who are struggling to find time to read, or for those on the lookout for a new podcast to get stuck into. Books are either read out to you by a narrator, the title’s author or a well-known celebrity, while podcasts often have famous hosts. The book fanatics at RadioTimes.com have rounded up some of the best audiobooks and best non-fiction audiobooks that you'll find on Audible. If you’ve got little ones looking for a bedtime story, we’ve got a list of the best kids' audiobooks, too. If you’re tempted to sign-up for Audible, we’ve outlined the answers to all the main questions you might have about the service and how it works below. The good news is that, at the very least, the first month will either be free or very cheap, since there's always a promotional offer around to entice potential new subscribers. Head to our piece on how to get an Audible free trial in the UK for the latest information. In our best Audible offers article, we share the top deals each month to help you bag the subscription service for free or for less, and we tell you how to get free audiobooks. And you can also head to our Audible Gift Card piece if you want to treat a loved one to the subscription service this Christmas. Start your 30-day free Audible trial undefined Quality audiobooks deserve quality audio – and if you're looking for something to play your audiobooks through at home, don't miss our best DAB radio recommendations and best Amazon Echo deals. Jump to: What is Audible? How much does Audible cost in the UK? How does Audible work? What are Audible credits? What do you need to use Audible? How to buy books on Audible How to get free books on Audible How…

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Rum Punch's Travis Jay: "I've got a right to grab the attention of someone who's like me"
type: item
date: 2025-11-27T09:00:02.000Z
creator: Morgan Cormack
subject: audio
subject: Radio
subject: BBC Radio 4
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
subject: Pass the Mic
description: Having cut his teeth in the world of comedy, Travis Jay chats to Pass the Mic about returning to BBC Radio 4 for a full season of award-winning sitcom Rum Punch.
encoded: After the success of his pilot episode of Rum Punch last year, comedian Travis Jay is back for a fully fledged series of his radio sitcom – and it's only set to be the start of something greater, should the stars align for Jay who also has dreams for Rum Punch beyond the airwaves. As we speak before the release of the BBC Radio 4 series and even ahead of the live recording of his second batch of episodes, Jay is admittedly "super excited" for the release of the full season. "I think the response to the pilot was definitely eye opening. It was a real surprise because it's an audience I'm not familiar with, on a platform I'm also not familiar with. While I listen to podcasts, the idea of being on Radio 4 was just like, 'Okay, everybody speaks so positively about this'. It's just something I still didn't know. So, the response has been far bigger than I imagined," he says. And a positive reaction was definitely recieved around Rum Punch's initial episode, with the pilot going on to scoop up the award for Best Comedy Sitcom at BBC's 2025 Audio Drama Awards. Winning that was "something else", Jay beams, with it proving that the positive feedback "is not in my head and it really did connect". "I genuinely didn't know that we'd be in the running for something like that. When you start writing, it's the furthest thing from my mind. Then it's like – bam, nominations are in," he laughs. He continues: "It's my first comedy award, and I've been doing this for 16 years. I'm just grateful the people are enjoying the project. I think it's a powerful story to tell and I think the feeling it leaves is the thing I really aim for. "I'm one of these stand up comics – I do touch on serious things. Previous specials I've done, I've touched on grief, losing my grandfather. It would seem like, how did you make that funny? But I know that there's value in real life and authentic stories. "The comedy will come, I trust my bones to find comedy. But dealing with real subjects is also quite a p…

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Bob Geldof talks always being bored of Band Aid, the end of rock 'n' roll and Taylor Swift
type: item
date: 2025-11-24T17:01:57.000Z
creator: Ed Grenby
subject: audio
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: "I don’t think there's any more we can do with Band Aid."
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Not many people change the world, but Bob Geldof did. So why is he so ambivalent about his achievements with Live Aid? Geldof and writer Paul Vallely discuss their new book Live Aid: The Definitive 40-Year Story. Let’s start with you, Bob. Or should we call you Bobsy, or Brother Teresa, as the new Live Aid book reveals you’re sometimes known? BOB GELDOF No, Bobsy is just something Freddie Mercury used to call me. He’d get on the phone and go, “Well, Bobsy darling…” And Brother Teresa is a joke I made up for the foreword of this book. Normally I’m just called things like “irritating”. Did you think in 1985 that we’d all still be sitting here talking about Live Aid 40 years later? BG: No. I mean, after seven years I got these silver models of the Band Aid logo made up and inscribed to say thank you to the guys who’d helped, because I thought, “That’s it, there’s no need for us to exist. We’re not going to be Save the Children and go on for ever.” So we had a dinner – everyone was overwhelmed that I was buying dinner, for a start – and I handed them out, and I gave one to myself, which is in the cupboard somewhere. And that was 33 years ago. But the need for us to press on became apparent. People kept supporting us. PAUL VALLELY: £2 million still comes in every year [through the Band Aid Trust]. BG: But I get bored so easily. In this case that’s mitigated by the effect Band Aid’s still having – it’s keeping millions of people going – and by the rage I feel when I see injustice. But, being very honest, often this s**t bores me. You’re bored of Band Aid? BG: It always bored me. So does making records, so does rehearsing. It bores the arse off me. I only did one day’s rehearsal for the current Boomtown Rats tour. Can’t stand it. If I forget the words, I’ll make them up on the hoof. That’s the way I am. PV: Let me contradict you, Bob. You are one of the most sustained, resilient, persistent, driven people that I’ve ever …

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Edith Bowman opens up about replacing Sound of Cinema legend Matthew Sweet: "I hope that it does bring people to Radio 3"
type: item
date: 2025-11-24T17:00:49.000Z
creator: Michael Hodges
subject: audio
subject: TV
subject: BBC Radio 3
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: Edith Bowman is now the voice of Radio 3's Sound of Cinema – and insists it's not dumbing down.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Sound of Cinema has a new voice. After 12 years, presenter Matthew Sweet, who devised the show and established it as a bastion of quirky enquiry, has left to be replaced by Edith Bowman. On the evidence of her first few shows, Bowman is less likely to wander down alleyways than Sweet. New features like Harmonising Hollywood and a playlist that, so far, prioritises music like the pulsing electro-scapes of Oppenheimer’s Ludwig Göransson, feel like a turn to the mainstream. “No, I don’t think that’s the case at all,” she objects vigorously. “It’s not a case of dumbing down something, if that’s what you’re implying. It’s about really showing the breadth of what’s out there. And that’s not always necessarily something classical. It can be much more contemporary.” Bowman has fronted Cinematic Sound-tracks at Radio 3 Unwind since 2024 and presents Soundtracking, a film and music podcast that attracts big names, like Steven Spielberg. After talking to him, Bowman says, “I burst into tears and went, ‘I’ve just spoken to Steven Spielberg!’” Now 50, Bowman was brought up in Anstruther on the Fife coast, where her parents had a hotel and, like many people, she discovered scored orchestral music through film. “My dad bought a projector and he ran this little film club on a Saturday morning,” she says. “I would sit with him, be his little assistant and make membership cards for people. He showed things like Bugsy Malone, but the John Williams suites for Star Wars, ET and Raiders of the Lost Ark are the ones that I really remember.” She went on to work at MTV, C4, Virgin Radio, Radio 1, Radio 2, 5Live and Radio 6 Music, her resilience overcoming several setbacks. “We can’t put someone with an accent like yours on the radio,” someone told her during work experience at Radio Forth. “I was swallowing back tears,” she says. “But then with each of these things you build a thicker skin.” Later, Bowman would be disappointed again when …

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BBC Radio Christmas 2025 line-up confirmed – with Hollywood legend set as guest editor for the Today programme
type: item
date: 2025-11-24T12:17:22.000Z
creator: Molly Moss
subject: audio
subject: Radio
subject: BBC Radio 1
subject: BBC Radio 2
subject: BBC Radio 3
subject: BBC Radio 4
subject: BBC Radio 5 Live
subject: BBC Radio 6 Music
subject: News
description: Six festive guest editors for BBC Radio 4's Today programme have been announced.
encoded: The BBC has unveiled its Christmas 2025 radio line-up, with Cate Blanchett, Baroness Theresa May and acclaimed historian Tom Holland among the celebrities set to guest edit BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this festive season. They will be joined by broadcaster Melvyn Bragg, inventor Sir James Dyson and AI entrepreneur Mustafa Suleyman, and each be curating an episode between 24th December and 31st December. The festive takeover kicks off on Christmas Eve, with a special guest edit from Bragg, where he will be exploring the origins of the nativity story. Dyson will use his episode on Boxing Day to explore how Britain can get its inventive streak back, while Blanchett’s guest edit, which will broadcast on 27th December, will examine a range of topics including the impact of AI technology on women in the film industry and beyond. Suleyman’s guest edit on 29th December will ask how we can navigate the realities of a post-superintelligence world. Holland will edit the programme on 30th December, hosting an early celebration for England’s 1100th birthday and examining the impact of AI on academic research. Finally, May will explore the themes of domestic violence, trust in politics and modern slavery in her guest edit on 31st December. Owenna Griffiths, Editor of the Today programme, said: "Every Christmas on Today, a new set of guest editors take up residence and bring with them a wonderful range of new stories, fresh ideas and, hopefully, a sprinkling of joy." She continued: "This year is no exception. In a rapidly changing world, this year's guest editors will help bring illumination and understanding and I'm enormously grateful to all of them for giving up the time to take part." Elsewhere on the BBC radio Christmas line-up, TV presenter Lorraine Kelly is set to make her Radio 2 debut. Kelly is set to take over Jeremy Vine’s slot during the festive period, while the station will also host a Jane McDonald special and a celebration of the music of Stevie Wonder presented …

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The Beatles star on this week's Radio Times cover as Anthology returns to screens
type: item
date: 2025-11-18T09:30:27.000Z
creator: Shem Law
subject: audio
description: RT's exclusive look behind the scenes of their 1995 reunion - but which Beatle said, 'At times each of us went mad, but the other three would bring us back'?
encoded: Many years ago, I was working at a now-defunct music magazine and I still remember the buzz in the office when news broke that the Beatles were releasing Anthology. It wasn't just a greatest hits album, it was a full-blown media event: the three remaining Beatles had reunited to reminisce about their time as the world's biggest band and the result was a documentary, a book and three double CDs of unreleased tracks. That was 1995. Fast-forward three decades and our fascination with the four lads from Liverpool is undimmed. To mark the 30th anniversary of Anthology, the two surviving Beatles are releasing a digitally refreshed version of the original documentary as well as previously unseen footage from the time the band spent together 30 years ago. Radio Times' very own Beatles expert, David Hepworth, was invited to Apple Corps' headquarters in London to find out exactly what's in store this time. To see what he discovered, pick up this week's issue. On a more serious note, in light of recent events at the BBC, we asked media expert Mark Lawson for his take on the future of the corporation. It doesn't fill me with a great deal of hope as we are in the midst of what could be the most turbulent year in the BBC's history. Fleet Street editors who seem hellbent on the destruction of our national broadcaster should, I think, be ashamed of themselves. The BBC is by no means perfect but the alternative is too dreadful to contemplate. The BBC belongs to everyone, so we want to hear your opinions, too. Inside this week's issue you can read Mark Lawson's piece and see how you can make your voice heard. We will publish a selection of your views in a future issue of the magazine. The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Also in this week's Radio Times: King of the Traitors Alan Carr reflects on his dark deeds and victory. A new drama, Prisoner 951, tells the story of how Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe spent six years in an Iranian prison. Stranger Things, the dram…

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The Beatles Anthology exclusive behind the scenes with Jools Holland as remastered series with new episode arrives
type: item
date: 2025-11-18T00:01:08.000Z
creator: David Hepworth
subject: audio
subject: Magazine
description: Three decades after the Fab Four’s history was chronicled in Anthology, there’s now an extra chapter. Theirs is a long and winding road – but an endlessly compelling one.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Because nothing with the Beatles is ever entirely over, 30 years after the three remaining members, Paul, George and Ringo, brought forth their long-threatened Beatles Anthology – an eightpart series of TV documentaries, accompanied by three double CDs of previously unreleased versions of some of their best-known tunes plus, if you were a completist, an enormous book – they are releasing a remastered version. It comes with an additional part nine, made up of footage shot in and around the launch of that Anthology project and featuring the Fab Three, known at the time as “the Threetles”. While it doesn’t offer much in the way of revelation, this film of their reunion provides even more of the one thing Beatles watchers most crave, which is to watch them in the room with each other, just behaving. This will never not be fascinating. Here are three middle-aged men, all at the time over 50, Englishly keen to demonstrate their ordinariness, drinking tea from workmen’s mugs and playing with any toy at hand, while also strongly hinting that decades before, they were bonded for all time by an experience the rest of us cannot possibly understand. “I was 17 in Hamburg,” says George. “By the time I was 23 we had done Sgt Pepper.” Take that, pop stars of today. Like most gentlemen of their generation, born during the Second World War when lips were stiff, they are not natural practitioners of the newly voguish male hug, but they do it. You didn’t catch them collapsing into each other’s arms at the end of marathon performances the way bands do today. “This was partly because they were rarely on for more than half an hour, and partly because Brian Epstein had instructed them in the importance of announcing the show’s end by forming up and executing a smart bow from the waist. A montage shows them performing this same signature move at the end of shows in front of everyone from stiff royals to demented teens. As a three-piece th…

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Rick Edwards reveals why fatherhood has changed his presenting work for ever - and talks his modelling past
type: item
date: 2025-10-28T00:01:44.000Z
creator: Gareth McLean
subject: audio
subject: Radio
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: The 5 Live DJ on the joys of fatherhood, the downside of modelling — and crying on air.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. What’s the view from your sofa? It’s a fireplace that I think I like, but I’m not completely sure about. It’s very ornate, with a wooden surround that incorporates a mirror above it. It probably dates from, and hasn’t been changed since, the 1920s. Then there’s the TV, which is small and probably temporary, and keeps tilting backwards because I mounted the little feet on it badly. Sounds like you need a TV upgrade! We left the TV that we loved in our old house because it was wall-mounted, was perfect in the space and it felt like a nice thing to do, to leave it for the next people. My wife Emer [Kenny, Karen Pirie writer and actor] and I really regret that now. You began your career as a model — when did you realise you’re handsome? I was a cute kid, I think, and then, from 10 to 16, which is the worst age for this to be the case, I was not a good-looking boy. At all. I wonder if, in those formative years, it was character-building. Then, around 17 or 18, the proportions of my face sort of settled down, and from that point, it’s been fine. It’s weird to go from being not-good-looking to, a couple of years later, getting scouted for modelling work. I did it when I was at university and just after. That was odd. I didn’t like it one bit. Aside from the models, who seemed fine, it’s an industry of a lot of not very nice people. I found it a bit grubby. What’s the best TV programme you’ve watched recently? Your Friends & Neighbours on Apple TV starring Jon Hamm. He’s great – the whole cast is good – and it has some quite interesting things to say about family. As a fairly new father, with anything that says anything at all about family and fatherhood, I am quite likely to cry. How do you juggle family life and, among other things, 5 Live Breakfast? It’s tricky, because both Emer and I work and I’m very conscious of ensuring that she still has all the time she needs to work. Trying to dovetail it all together is a comp…

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Harry Potter movies actor returns in new role for new adaptation with epic cast
type: item
date: 2025-10-22T15:07:57.000Z
creator: Molly Moss
subject: audio
subject: Audiobooks
subject: Audible
subject: News
description: JK Rowling's seven novels are being brought to life in new audio adaptations.
encoded: The full cast for Audible’s adaptation of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books has been revealed, with Bill Nighy among the latest additions to the line-up. Nighy played Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, in the Warner Bros. Harry Potter films but will take on a different role in Harry Potter: The Full Cast Audio Editions, providing the voice of Professor Slughorn. Other new additions to the cast include Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù (Black Rabbit) as Sirius Black, Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland) as Rita Skeeter, Saoirse-Monica Jackson (Derry Girls) as Professor Trelawney, Mackenzie Crook (The Office) as Kreacher, Stephen Mangan (The Split) as Nearly Headless Nick and Tracy-Ann Oberman (EastEnders) as Madam Hooch. David Holmes, who was Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double on the Harry Potter movies, will voice Stan Shunpike, the Knight Bus conductor. Meanwhile, Jude Farrant will voice the young Draco Malfoy in the first three audiobooks, with Maximus Evans continuing the part in audiobooks four through seven. Jake Sigsworth will portray Neville Longbottom in the first three audiobooks, while Archie Mountain will voice the character in audiobooks four through seven. “I was pleased to be asked to play the Professor after having already played a Minister for Magic,” said Nighy in a statement. “Is it possible that I’m the only actor who can claim that achievement? It means that my career continues to have meaning for the next couple of generations. "I’m always grateful when asked to play academics having not been further educated myself. I’m hoping to be a significant part of something that will keep children entertained in the car on those long journeys overseas or just on the way to school.” Holmes added: “I’m beyond thrilled and honoured to be voicing Stan Shunpike in the forthcoming Pottermore and Audible Harry Potter full-cast audiobook. Being a part of this is very much full circle for me, considering I was the Harry stunt double inside the Knight Bus as it was whizzing through the stre…

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The Radio Times Podcast
type: item
date: 2025-10-22T11:22:30.000Z
subject: audio
subject: Podcasts
subject: Radio Times podcast
description: Join our editors Shem Law and Caroline Frost every Friday, for a lively chat about all the latest hits and misses.
encoded: The great TV show hunt – we’ve all been there… Endless scrolling, channel hopping, and still nothing to watch? Behold The Radio Times Podcast – your weekly dose of TV wisdom, streaming gold and unfiltered opinions – all packed into one bitesize episode and delivered fresh every Friday. Hosted by entertainment journalist Caroline Frost and Radio Times Editor Shem Law, this is a podcast made by TV enthusiasts, for TV enthusiasts. Think the latest must-see series, wild plot twists, surprise gems and glorious flops – all debated, dissected and served with a side of wit. Whether you’re craving your next costume drama, investigating the latest true crime documentary or in need of a new nail-biting thriller – we’ve taken the guesswork out of what’s worth watching. Bite-sized and binge-worthy New episodes drop every Friday, so you can stay in the know about the latest releases across TV and streaming. Short enough to squeeze into your work commute or lunch time walk, every episode is packed with enough entertainment insight to instantly upgrade your evening viewing. Where to listen Listen to the latest episode every Friday or catch up on previous episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and Acast. Make sure to follow our Radio Times Podcast channel so you never miss an episode! Browse our available episodes here! New Alan Partridge and Suranne Jones is everywhere - Friday 3 October Caroline and Shem are back with their weekly rundown of the best TV on the box - kicking off with the anticipated Celebrity Traitors which starts this Wednesday on BBC1. Caroline’s first recommendation How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge) on BBC1 – is it a comedic hit? Shem’s pick is new drama Frauds on ITV1 starring Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker, a Thelma and Louise style tale of two con artists. Next on the watch list is the new romcom Film Club on BBC3, created by and starring Aimee Lou Wood. In this week’s Frostbite Caroline discusses ‘Worlds Apart’ bringing contestants of differen…

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Caroline Wyatt gets candid about life with MS - and why she thinks the BBC will endure
type: item
date: 2025-10-06T23:01:18.000Z
creator: Terry Payne
subject: audio
subject: Radio
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: A diagnosis of multiple sclerosis disrupted BBC correspondent Caroline Wyatt’s career. But 10 years on she’s unbeaten and still broadcasting.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Caroline Wyatt uses the word “luck” a lot. Lucky to have started out in journalism at a time when the world seemed to be changing for the better. Lucky to still be broadcasting, even though it leaves her exhausted and bed-bound. And, yes, lucky to have only been struck down by what she describes as a “gentler” version of the chronic illness multiple sclerosis. “Some people get it very aggressively from the beginning, so yes, I have been so lucky with the way that my MS has developed.” She’s sunny and speaks with no hint of self-pity, even though she acknowledges, with almost a newsreader’s detachment, that her condition is deteriorating. “I am slowly getting worse and I have got to the stage where I’ve had all the drugs I’m eligible for with the NHS. The thing that I really notice now is the way my brain is changing. I can’t focus and concentrate as much… it’s like accelerated ageing.” She also has to contend with crushing fatigue. “You wake up in the morning feeling as if you haven’t been to bed. And the older I get [she’s 58], the worse it gets.” We last met 10 years ago in her central London flat, where she spoke for the first time about the hospital results confirming she had MS. Today, as that diagnostic anniversary approaches, we’re at the BBC’s HQ, from where she broadcasts a 30-minute version of Radio 4’s PM programme every Saturday. She laughs – as she does frequently – about the support she needs from colleagues in getting the programme on air. “My eyesight is really quite unreliable now, so if I’m nervous or have a lot of adrenaline in my system I find it really hard to read words on a screen. I ask the team to print out a script in big letters, which these days is the equivalent of saying I’m a dinosaur, but it just makes it a lot easier.” Today is also the day that Donald Trump is in town and the world’s broadcast media are in tow. Considering she was the BBC’s woman in Berlin not long after the reuni…

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Taylor Swift albums in order – Taylor's Versions and first albums
type: item
date: 2025-10-04T18:24:30.000Z
creator: Lidia Molina-Whyte
subject: audio
subject: Music
description: Take a deep dive into every era that turned Taylor Swift into a megastar.
encoded: The Life of a Showgirl is finally here! The highly-anticipated 12th studio album has arrived, with Swifties worldwide sharing their thoughts. The album, which features 12 tracks and a collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter, has been described by Swift as her "secret passion project". "This album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner-life during this tour, which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant," she said. "I’m so proud of it. And it comes from the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I was in in my life, so that effervescence has come through on this record. So as you said, bangers." Over the years, Taylor Swift has pivoted from a bright-eyed country singer to a global pop music superstar, breaking countless records and winning numerous awards, including 14 Grammys. Looking to revisit her previous albums? Read on for the singer's full discography in chronological order. Get Disney Plus from £4.99 per month Taylor Swift's full album list – including Taylor's Versions re-releases To date, Taylor Swift's albums are: Taylor Swift/Debut (2006) Fearless (2008) - Taylor's Version released in 2021 Speak Now (2010) - Taylor's Version released in 2023 Red (2012) - Taylor's Version released in 2021 1989 (2014) - Taylor's Version released in 2023 Reputation (2017) Lover (2019) Folklore (2020) Evermore (2020) Midnights (2022) The Tortured Poets Department (2024) The Life of a Showgirl (2025) Swift also released the following official live albums: Speak Now World Tour – Live (2011) Live from Clear Channel Stripped 2008 (2020) Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, from the Disney+ Special (2020) Lover (Live from Paris) (2023) What are 'Taylor's Versions' of albums and why were they released? To date, Taylor Swift has created 11 studio albums – but has re-recorded and re-released four of them. These releases, known as "Taylor's Versions", were a direct response to a fight for creative rights and control of her songs from her old record label, …

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Emma Thompson stars in Sense and Sensibility sequel – listen now to exclusive clip
type: item
date: 2025-10-03T13:31:24.000Z
creator: James Hibbs
subject: audio
subject: Audiobooks
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
subject: Video
description: Thompson stars opposite Erin Doherty in audio drama Becoming Meg Dashwood.
encoded: Emma Thompson leads the cast of new Audible audio drama Becoming Meg Dashwood, a sequel to Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, written by Rebecca Humphries. Having previously played Elinor Dashwood in Ang Lee's 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, Thompson will here take on the role of the youngest Dashwood sister, Margaret, who the new story centres around. Meanwhile, Adolescence star Erin Doherty will also play the character, appearing as the younger version of Margaret, known as Meg. Now, RadioTimes.com has got an exclusive clip from the audio drama, which is available to pre-order and will launch on Monday 6th October, which you can listen to now at the top of this article. The Thursday Murder Club's Naomi Ackie will also star in the drama, playing Meg's lover Nelly, while the cast will be filled out by Liz Carr as Mrs Dashwood, Jessica Gunning as Hester, Paterson Joseph as Colonel Brandon, Greg Wise as Dr Keats, Golda Rosheuvel as older Nelly and Imelda Staunton as Mrs Jennings. The synopsis for Becoming Meg Dashwood says: "Marriage is not for Margaret Dashwood. Where others see duty, Margaret sees entrapment and rage. But when an invitation from family friend Mrs Jennings hurls her into the chaotic heart of Covent Garden and Soho, Margaret discovers an intoxicating world beyond afternoon tea and polite society. "Here she meets three women who live unapologetically: Nelly, an impulsive actress; Hester, a witch who works in the textile factory; and Inge, a sex worker who loves money and knows exactly how to get it. Here, Margaret’s rage is celebrated, along with her musical talents, and in their fierce company she is reborn as Meg: artist, and woman of hidden fires. "All four women dare to imagine a life dictated by pleasure, politics, and possibility. But such a life demands sacrifice. Especially when Meg’s feelings for Nelly – tender, electric, terrifying – begin to deepen. How does one fall in love, when that love has no name?" When the audio drama was …

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BBC Radio 2 host Sara Cox details key differences between her radio and podcasting work
type: item
date: 2025-10-03T09:42:10.000Z
creator: Katelyn Mensah
subject: audio
subject: Radio
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: Sarah Cox spoke exclusively to RadioTimes.com about her podcast and radio career.
encoded: Sara Cox has been a mainstay on the audio waves for years, having hosted BBC Radio 2's drivetime show since 2019, and she's showing no signs of slowing down! Alongside her radio show, she also hosts The Teen Commandments, a podcast in which she and best friend Clare Hamilton reminisce and commiserate as they attempt to write the 'commandments' of modern teenagedom. Because after all, the best teen advice comes from those who have already been through it. While the outputs of her radio show and podcast are different, there is so much more that differs between the shows that listeners may not realise. Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com at the British Podcast Awards 2025, Cox said: "The difference is that on the radio I've got everyone at the table, so I've got four year olds and teenagers and everything from sort of seven hours old to 107 listen to Radio 2, and I love that about it that you're just speaking to everybody at the table. "But I feel like with podcasting you do have that little bit more freedom to be a little bit wild. And it's exactly like how me and Clare speak to each other in real life, and to have that freedom is really refreshing and quite exciting." Hamilton and Cox launched the podcast back in February and have been having a blast ever since. "Getting to work together with your best mate is the dream," Hamilton told RadioTimes.com. "It's not like work, we forget the microphones are there and we just have a real giggle!" Cox added: "I've got loads of lovely jobs and I've been doing this for nearly 30 years now but without doubt this, creatively, and the heart of it is really the most satisfying thing I've done for a while. "It's just so different to have so much control. And podcasting is so different from radio or any kind of broadcasting that I've done before so I feel like it's really special. "You feel like your listeners are a community that comes together." Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Gu…

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Lola Young issues health update after collapsing on stage during New York gig
type: item
date: 2025-09-28T10:14:03.000Z
creator: Minnie Wright
subject: audio
subject: News
description: Lola Young has spoken out on Instagram after being carried off stage at a festival on Saturday (27th September) night.
encoded: Messy and One Thing singer Lola Young was carried off stage at All Things Go festival in New York on Saturday night after collapsing during her performance. The incident occurred while the English pop star was singing Conceited, which is from her second studio album This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway. She later posted on her Instagram story, updating fans on her condition. "For anyone who saw my set at all things go today , i am doing okay now [sic]," she wrote. "Thank you for all your support." Prior to her collapse on stage, Young told the crowd she had "had a tricky couple of days". In a video shared on TikTok, she can be seeing saying: "Before I start this next song, I want to say I’ve had a tricky couple of days. Sometimes life can really make you feel like you can’t continue. But you know what? Today I woke up and I made the decision to come here… And sometimes life can throw you lemons, and you just gotta f***ing make lemonade." One night earlier, Young pulled out of performing at Audacy's We Can Survive concert due to a "sensitive matter", according to Billboard. Radio Times has contacted Young's representatives for comment. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

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Back to Black's Marisa Abela reveals iconic figures she wants to play after Amy Winehouse performance
type: item
date: 2025-09-18T13:00:32.000Z
creator: James Hibbs
subject: audio
subject: Movies
subject: News
description: Abela has said she wants to play "an artist or a writer" in future.
encoded: As well as playing Yasmin Kara-Hanani in Industry, Marisa Abela is best-known for taking on the role of Amy Winehouse in 2024 biopic Back to Black. Now, speaking with Radio Times magazine for View From My Sofa, Abela confirmed she would "definitely" play a real-life figure again – albeit with a caveat. "I might not be interested in playing someone that's quite as high profile as Amy, because there's a level of intensity of getting it right that comes with that," she said. Abela continued: "But I love history, and I love historical fiction as well as non-fiction, so I would be more interested in playing either a historical figure or someone who is known for their work, rather than for who they are. So, an artist or a writer. I would love to play Sylvia Plath. Helen of Troy or Sylvia Plath." Abela can currently be heard as Elizabeth Bennett in Audible's new full-cast adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, which also stars Harris Dickinson as Mr Darcy. Also in the cast are Will Poulter as Mr Wickham, Jessie Buckley as Caroline Bingley, Toheeb Jimoh as Mr Bingley and Glenn Close as Lady Catherine de Bourgh, amongst many others. She will also be seen reprising her role as Yasmin in Industry season 4, which has recently finished filming, and which is expected to be released next year. Abela won Leading Actress for her role in the show earlier this year, and teased of season 4: "Season 3 felt like a massive step up for the show and I feel like that is continuing and continuing. "So I am excited to see the response season four gets, which we are filming right now." Pride and Prejudice is available to purchase and listen to now at <a title="https://url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/re0zCK69NS99BkOi3iWF5aHXT?domain=audible.co.uk" href="https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Pride-and-Prejudice-Audiobook/B0FBS55SLD?eac_link=lDqaGgU4lP3Z&ref=web_search_eac_asin_2&eac_selected_type=asin&eac_selected=B0FBS55SLD&qid=woaNrg56MZ&eac_id=258-6868121-2582923_woaNrg56MZ&sr=1-3" target="_blank" rel="noop…

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James Bond hopeful's "sensitive" new take on Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice adaptation teased by co-star
type: item
date: 2025-09-16T07:00:39.000Z
creator: James Hibbs
subject: audio
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: Marisa Abela is breathing fresh life into Jane Austen – and would love to be Helen of Troy.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. What’s the view from your sofa? My telly is in a bookshelf. I usually have my legs stretched out on an ottoman, and there’s a fireplace. What have you been watching? I’m in training for a film right now and I’m also planning my wedding [to actor and writer Jamie Bogyo], so I haven’t really been watching that much, but I just finished Love Island and KPop Demon Hunters – it’s crazy, but I really enjoyed it. I get into a bit of a cooking and reality TV-show hole while I’m filming, because otherwise it can feel like work. Who controls the remote in your household? Probably me. If I’m not enjoying something within the first ten minutes, I’ll be like, “Turn it off”. I can be a bit of a tyrant with my attention span. What was your first reaction when you were asked to play Elizabeth Bennet in Audible’s new adaptation of Pride and Prejudice? I was so excited. Pride and Prejudice was the first book that I couldn’t put down, so this genuinely does feel like a full-circle moment. Of all the iconic characters in literature, Elizabeth has been a part that I’ve always been drawn to, and there is so much to excavate within her. When I heard about the rest of the cast for this specific production, I couldn’t believe my luck. What did you want to bring to your version of Elizabeth? I was quite specific that I didn’t want to put any kind of spin on it unnecessarily. That’s why it’s so nice to do a version like this, so people get to use their imagination. I’m not telling you what Lizzie looks like or what she’s doing with her face – I’m trying to bring life to her decisions, her relationships and everything that’s going on in the book, but it’s a collaboration with the listener. What kind of Mr Darcy is your co-star Harris Dickinson? He plays the character perfectly true to form. You get everything that you crave from Mr Darcy, but Harris adds a lot of layers to a more modern perspective on why a man might behave in that way. That…

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Melvyn Bragg reveals his exciting new project as he explains 'retirement' decision and whether he's had doubts
type: item
date: 2025-09-15T23:00:51.000Z
creator: James Hibbs
subject: audio
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: Stepping down after 27 years and more than 1,000 episodes, Melvyn Bragg is leaving In Our Time behind – but what does the future hold for the veteran broadcaster?
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Speaking to Melvyn Bragg the day after the announcement that he will be calling time on In Our Time, the much-celebrated Radio 4 ideas programme that he has presented since its creation in 1998, I don’t know whether to congratulate him on a sensational innings or plead that he reconsider. “I feel the same myself,” the 85-year-old broadcaster says. “But, one way or another, we’ve all got to go sometime. And I just thought, I’ll go now. I’ll go before I’m pushed, I suppose.” Hopefully, there were no plans to push Lord Bragg out. Certainly, Radio 4 controller Mohit Bakaya was lavish in his praise after Bragg announced his departure, saying, “His fierce intellect, coupled with a wonderful curiosity and extraordinary passion for knowledge, marks him out as one of the broadcasting greats.” Bakaya is right; Bragg’s show, where leading academics are brought together to discuss a wide spread of subjects – episodes have included explorations of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, the evolution of crocodiles and Ovid’s Metamorphoses – in ways ordinary listeners can understand, is the epitome of the Reithian ideal. “So many people have written in, saying, ‘I went to a state school, I didn’t know this, I didn’t know that, but this is providing education,’” says Bragg. “I can’t tell you how pleased I am about that. It’s immeasurable; it’s worth my whole broadcasting career.” In Our Time has also offered the BBC much-needed credibility when it has often been accused of dumbing down. In an age of anti-science conspiracy theories on social media and campaigns against “experts”, it has been a counterbalance to the sidelining of genuine intellectual curiosity. “I hope so,” says Bragg. “Because that is disastrous, utterly stupid and destructive. It’s disappointing that quite a bit of our public life is ignorant – but we’re not ignorant.” Back in 1998, the BBC told Bragg – who had been obliged to leave his berth at Start the Week when…

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BBC launches three new radio stations: "It's all about the audience"
type: item
date: 2025-09-11T23:01:33.000Z
creator: David Crawford
subject: audio
subject: Radio
subject: BBC Radio 1
subject: BBC Radio 3
subject: News
description: The Radio 1 and Radio 3 spin-offs were approved while Radio 2 and 5 Sports Extra proposals were dismissed.
encoded: Twenty-three years since it last launched new national radio stations – BBC 6 Music, 1Xtra and Asian Network – the BBC has three starting on the same day. Previously available since November 2024 as live streams on BBC Sounds, Radio 1 Anthems, Radio 1 Dance (which has been on Sounds since 2020) and Radio 3 Unwind passed full competition assessments undertaken by the industry’s regulatory body Ofcom in July of this year and will start broadcasting on DAB+ on Friday 12 September. The three stations were part of wider proposals from the BBC, which also included the launch of a Radio 2 spin-off and the extension of the broadcasting hours of 5 Sports Extra. Both the Radio 2 spin-off and the extension of 5 Sports Extra were refused by Ofcom for the negative impact it was deemed they would have on commercial competitors. Sam Jackson, the controller of Radio 3, says that while he couldn’t be certain that Unwind would get approval, “I wasn't surprised, because I think we made a very, very strong case. I was very proud of the submission that we made, I felt we did a good job of arguing why this was distinctive and why it would be welcomed.” He points out that around 8,000 different pieces of music will be played on Unwind each year, from a broad repertoire but with a focus on recordings from the past 10 years – even of Baroque or classical pieces – and a mission to introduce new contemporary works, including from performers or composers who aren’t signed to record labels. Radio 1 controller Aled Haydn Jones is similarly robust in his defence of why we need two new stations: “It’s all about the audience. Ofcom has pointed out that the BBC needs to be doing better with young audiences. Having services for young people is a public service. Radio 1 is the biggest radio station for youth audiences in the UK, so having stations with the Radio 1 brand offering more is a pretty special thing.” Both men are keen to stress the differences between what their stations are offering and wh…

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'Lust is a great creative force': David Bowie reveals what drove him in exclusive interview
type: item
date: 2025-09-10T17:00:41.000Z
creator: David Crawford
subject: audio
subject: Podcasts
subject: BBC Radio 6 Music
description: A new BBC podcast presented by Kate Moss features Bowie and stars like Elton John, Lady Gaga, Robbie Williams and Tilda Swinton reflecting on his life and legacy – plus, Radio Times has acquired exclusive extracts from interviews not used.
encoded: The chameleon figure of David Bowie is one of the most scrutinised personas in rock and pop, as commentators continue to attempt to capture his essence, like bottling lightning. The subject of innumerable books and documentaries, Bowie has also had a touring exhibition that ran, appropriately enough, for five years, and now the Victoria & Albert Museum in London is opening on 13 September a David Bowie Centre at its new Storehouse facility in the east of the city, to house a wealth of material from his archive, including notes on his uncompleted final project – a musical set in 18th-century London. Given all that, it seems unfeasible that there is anything new to learn about Mr David Jones from Brixton. Yet the BBC 6 Music podcast Music Uncovered, David Bowie: Changeling has unearthed a previously unheard interview the Starman gave to producer Des Shaw in 2001, in which he looks back at his progression from wannabe rock star to global superstar in the early 70s, often guffawing at the absurdity of it all with a cackle to rival Grayson Perry’s. In the interview, the Starman reflected on how he reacted to the fame and success he enjoyed in the early 70s, telling Shaw: "I think that throughout the 60s and most of the 70s I was driven by lust, as much as anything. It's a great creative force. That in turn is replaced by anger, when you ask where the money is. And then you get depression, and then you go to Berlin and write really moody instrumental stuff. It’s the triptych of the 70s. Lust, anger, moody." Bowie also reflected on the differing views on what he was doing – his fusing of music, fashion, performance and art – “I think people are split into two very separate attitudes. One was that I was just this charlatan and other that I was, sort of, this rock god. There was no halfway measure. And I was rather scared of both sides!” There’s no doubting on which side the contributors to the podcast fall, including its presenter Kate Moss, who became friends with Bowie th…

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New Harry Potter adaptation adds Game of Thrones legends to huge A-list cast
type: item
date: 2025-09-10T15:04:42.000Z
creator: James Hibbs
subject: audio
subject: Audible
subject: News
description: Kit Harington and Iwan Rheon will join more stars including Keira Knightley and Ruth Wilson in the new full cast Harry Potter audio dramas.
encoded: As fans wait patiently for the new Harry Potter TV show, we've just got a big update regarding another adaptation of JK Rowling's novels - Audible's full-cast audio editions. A large number of central cast members for the audio editions were announced last month, with Cush Jumbo, Hugh Laurie, Matthew Macfadyen, Riz Ahmed, Michelle Gomez, Mark Addy, Alex Hassell and Daniel Mays all playing key roles. Now, new additions to the cast have been confirmed, with some more A-listers also joining the line-up. Amongst those who have been cast are Keira Knightley, who will play Dolores Umbridge, while Game of Thrones legends Kit Harington and Iwan Rheon will both be playing Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers, with Harington playing Gilderoy Lockhart and Rheon taking on the role of Remus Lupin. Other new additions include Ruth Wilson as Bellatrix Lestrange, Simon Pegg as Arthur Weasley, James McAvoy as Mad-Eye Moody, Gemma Whelan as Professor Sprout and Matt Berry as Sir Cadogan. There will also be a One Day reunion, as the stars of that Netflix series, Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall, play Nymphadora Tonks and Bill Weasley. On the announcement, McAvoy said: "I am absolutely thrilled to bring the fiercely determined Mad-Eye Moody to life in these dynamic audio editions from Pottermore and Audible. He's a layered character, constantly shifting between battle-hardened intensity and unexpected moments of wisdom. Capturing his commanding presence was incredibly fun." Meanwhile, Woodall added: "In creating Bill Weasley's adventures through voice, it is genuinely special to be part of bringing this world to life in a new way for listeners. "From the stellar cast to the immersive sound world that Pottermore and Audible have put together, listeners everywhere will be given a new way to be transported directly into these celebrated stories." As was previously confirmed, the roles of Harry, Ron and Hermione will be played by a different set of actors in the first three books to the latter…

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Pride and Prejudice's latest adaptation has 'stubborn, vulnerable' Elizabeth Bennet, reveals BAFTA winner
type: item
date: 2025-09-10T13:00:29.000Z
creator: James Hibbs
subject: audio
subject: Audible
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: Marisa Abela is playing Elizabeth Bennet in Audible's new version of Jane Austen's masterwork.
encoded: Audible's new full-cast audio drama version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is now available to listen to in full, starring Marisa Abela as Elizabeth Bennet and Harris Dickinson as Mr Darcy. Abela, who won a BAFTA for her role in Industry earlier this year, spoke exclusively with Radio Times about her version of Elizabeth, and what she wanted to bring to the character. "She's a very wilful character, a very stubborn character, especially at the beginning, so that was incredibly fun to play," Abela said. "Her wit is the thing that I found most compelling about her, even when I was first introduced to the book, so I knew that she needed to feel quick and smart. "But there's a softness that's there throughout, and a vulnerability that's there throughout. I'm very excited to be added to the list of people that have given it a go." View oEmbed on the source website Abela also spoke about why she thinks Jane Austen's works are so adaptable, with Pride and Prejudice having been brought to so many different mediums so many times and counting (there's new Netflix version also on the way). "She speaks to the human experience, which is often about falling in love, conflict, getting over yourself, getting over your own insecurities and your own flaws, and meeting another person," Abela said. "I think she's just brilliant at situational romance, and I think that we can all sort of put ourselves in those moments. "It's so easy to place yourself inside her world. I think she's also an incredibly smart woman, and everything feels very modern. It's kind of shocking when you read Pride and Prejudice and they feel like characters that you could go and meet today. I think that kind of classic romance really just does stand the test of time, clearly." Amongst the other stars to feature in Audible's new Pride and Prejudice are Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Mrs Bennet, Bill Nighy as Mr Bennet and Glenn Close as Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Pride and Prejudice is available to purchase and li…

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Jeremy Dyson shares "pure joy" of reuniting The League of Gentlemen stars for brand new project
type: item
date: 2025-09-09T06:01:38.000Z
creator: Caroline Frost
subject: audio
subject: Radio
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: The cast of The League of Gentlemen team up again in a new radio comedy drama written by Jeremy Dyson.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. There is a picture on the wall of Jeremy Dyson’s office, and he is gazing at it as we speak: “It’s the four of us riding the log flume at Blackpool Pleasure Beach after the end of our first big tour. We’re all screaming with joy, and it sums up the miracle of the journey – an absolute thrill-ride that we went on together.” Now, 24 years on, the quartet – Dyson and fellow The League of Gentlemen stars Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton and Mark Gatiss – is reuniting for High Cockalorum, a gentle Radio 4 comedy drama penned by Dyson and inspired by his uncle’s brush with stardom. Commissioned as part of the BBC’s Contains Strong Language festival (there’s a live playout and Q&A at St George’s Hall, Bradford, on 20 September), Dyson describes the 1978-set story as “a mini road movie about an encounter between a humble lad from West Yorkshire and a Hollywood film star”. In real life, Dyson’s uncle worked for a record label, where he was occasionally called on to look after actors working on soundtrack albums – which is how he once came to spend time with James Mason, star of such films as A Star Is Born and Lolita. Dyson says: “When I told Mark this story, he joked, ‘You write it, I’ll play it.’ Eighteen months later, here we are.” As well as the charm of two very different people brought together by circumstance, High Cockalorum explores how fame can change people. It’s a subject Dyson has long had opportunity to witness first hand, as he and his League friends reached dizzying heights after winning the prestigious Perrier Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1997. Unlike the other three, Dyson has opted to stay mostly behind the camera, giving him what he says is “the best of both worlds”. On the pros and cons of the instantly recognisable celebrity experienced by his colleagues, Dyson muses: “The inconveniences strike me more. You get hassled everywhere and there’s not much upside to that. I don’t feel deprived.”…

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Silent Witness star Emilia Fox on new true crime series: 'It's left up to the listener to decide'
type: item
date: 2025-08-29T09:23:48.000Z
creator: Abby Robinson
subject: audio
subject: Podcasts
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: "You're creating the picture of what happened in the case."
encoded: Without meaning to, Emilia Fox has largely become synonymous with crime, both through BBC drama Silent Witness, which will return to screens for season 29 in the new year, and through her true crime work, the latest of which is Audible's Crime Scenes. The podcast series explores five extraordinary cases from around the world that are, in Fox's own words, often "stranger than fiction". It opens with a 2019 case from a Florida town near Walt Disney World Resort where an "unimaginable nightmare" unfolded for one family, and concludes with the 1931 murder of a housewife in Anfield, Liverpool, which asks: is all really as it seems? "With Silent Witness, there's the added element because it's not just detective stories and solving mysteries, there's the medical and scientific side of it, which I find personally fascinating," Fox told RadioTimes.com. "But I'm very clear on the delineation between working on fictional crime series and working on documentaries. And obviously, the two things are defined by the fact that these are tragedies which have happened to people in real life, which is what this podcast series is. "It's dealing with real lives and real tragedies so obviously, one feels differently about them. And I think in the portrayal of them, that is very important too." Fox then went on to talk about ensuring that the victim or victims are front and centre in her true crime work, rather than the perpetrator. "Explaining who the people were that it happened to, and that that is not forgotten or buried by an interest in who the person is who did it," she added. "That should not be the focus of it. This is the difference for me with what happens in fiction, which very often, you follow the perpetrator. "And people have an interest in why people have done these unthinkable things, but I think there is a massive awareness now of telling these stories and being victim-focused and victim-led in the right way, and being focused on the people who are left behind." Fox also …

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BBC Radio 1 confirms Love Island: Aftersun favourite and more fresh faces to join presenting line-up
type: item
date: 2025-08-27T13:28:49.000Z
creator: Katelyn Mensah
subject: audio
subject: Radio
subject: BBC Radio 1
subject: News
description: The presenting line-up is expanding this autumn.
encoded: BBC Radio 1 has announced a dazzling new line-up of presenters joining the Friday Early Breakfast monthly rotation and the station's Life Hacks this autumn. Beth Wallace, Jack Remmington and Ash Holme have been confirmed as the next wave of presenters set to host Fridays 5am - 7am. Wallace, who has been part of the Radio 1 family since last Christmas, will kick off the rotation in September. She also presents a show on the Scottish-based local Forth 1 and was nominated for Best New Presenter at the 2025 ARIAS. "I'm absolutely buzzing to be part of the Radio 1 team for the next few weeks," said Wallace. "Radio 1 is a station I’ve always adored and it’s gonna be an absolute pleasure to kick start Fridays, get folk in the weekend mood early. Laughs, good vibes and fun times coming your way." Presenting duo Jack Remmington and Ash Holme will be taking the October slot, with both of them known for their hilarious videos on social media. Holme has built a following of over two million on social media, and was part of this year's Love Island: Aftersun panel. Remmington is known for his pop culture commentary and hosting red carpets, as well as his work on the podcast Famously... In Love. The duo said: "We're sooo excited to be back at BBC Radio 1 and this time soundtracking your Fridays through October - tune in to liven up your mornings and enjoy the energy and chaos we’re bringing your way." And while Shanequa Paris is on maternity leave, Charley Marlowe and Lina Nielsen will join Lauren Layfield to co-host Radio 1's Life Hacks, with Marlowe taking over in September and Nielsen in October. The pair will also co-host The Official Chart: First Look alongside Lauren Layfield. Nielsen said: "I’m thrilled to have this opportunity with Radio 1 and the Life Hacks team. Having been a guest on the show before the Olympics, I’ve always loved catching up with them live on air. Now, I can’t wait to join as a co-host throughout October." Aled Haydn Jones, Head of Radio 1, commented o…

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