Loose Ends

Making lemonade from the lemons of life is the theme to this week's Loose Ends.The comedian Omid Djalili was so incensed by having his shows cancelled after 9/11 due to his Middle Eastern heritage that he devised a stand up tour called Namaste so he could let off steam as well as make us laugh. Elizabeth Day's How to Fail podcast is, ironically, a massive success but she says her latest novel - a darkly humorous political satire - draws on her own feelings of being an outsider. Neil Morrissey had an ill-starred childhood but managed to head straight for the limelight in Men Behaving Badly, Line of Duty and is now playing Jacob Marley who brings redemption to Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. And Taskmaster contestant and comedian Ania Magliano attributes her personality to growing up playing with Sylvanian family toys rather than Barbies - find out how that inspired her new stand up show, Peach Fuzz. Plus a performance from Dracapella, a comedy retelling of the Dracula story, introduced by its writer Dan Patterso

Stuart Maconie welcomes Angie Le Mar to talk about appearing in her son Travis Jay's Radio 4 comedy Rum Punch. The actor Nabil Elouahabi talks about his role as the veteran explosives officer in the TV drama Trigger Point and comedian Phil Ellis is about to tour the country with his new show Bath Mat. He joins us to tell us why he's about to wipe the floor with his new show.And we've music from Seb Lowe and Glasgow's Goodnight Louisa, who perform their new single 'Drew Barrymore'.Presenter: Stuart Maconie Producer: Elizabeth Foster

Loose Ends is cavorting among the snow-caps of Cumbria at the Kendal Mountain Festival this week. Chef d'Equipe Stuart Maconie reaches for the summit of chat with navigation from the adventurer and broadcaster Ben Fogle - celebrating twenty five years since he was Castaway on a remote Scottish island for the BBC reality TV show that he says is more relevant today than ever. The award-winning writer Sarah Hall provides forecasts as she describes the star of her new novel Helm - a personification of Britain's only named wind, the puckish, mercurial, destructive force of the Eden Valley she grew up on. Horrible Histories author Terry Deary confesses to being an inveterate townie, but keeps our spirits up with gruesome tales from his latest book Revolting, which asks what would make you fight the power and how would you do it? He cites the Suffragists and their daring idea to wrap themselves in brown paper and post themselves to Downing Street. With music from rising Americana band Smith and Liddle who hail from

What's a Kentucky? Comedy legend John Lloyd is here to reveal all, in honour of the 42nd anniversary of his cult dictionary 'The Meaning of Liff', co-written with the much missed Douglas Adams, Jessica Swale is the writer behind the new Paddington musical and she tells us about her emotional first meeting with the bear. Jessica Valene stars as a woman on the edge in a new drama series, Summerwater. There's music from cabaret star Kit Green with her new album 'Four Letter Words' and alternative pop singer-songwriter Luvcat will be performing from her debut album Vicious Delicious.Presenter: Stuart Maconie Producer: Jessica Treen

Clive Anderson is joined by a giggle of comics or should that be a brace of jokers in the Loose Ends studio this week. Fawlty Towers creator John Cleese recalls being told his nascent sitcom - 50 years old this year - would fail if they didn't "get it out of the hotel more". Sue Perkins describes the urge to get out on a stand up tour again after a decade presenting shows from Great British Bake Off to Just a Minute, her show is called The Eternal Shame of Sue Perkins - what could be so embarrassing? Judi Love is on our screens practically daily - on ITV's Loose Women or shows from Taskmaster to The Wheel but she too is drawn to the stage - what gives? Meanwhile Hugh Dennis is not on tour, but he's on stage, as Rev Chasuble in the National Theatre's production of The Importance of Being Earnest - he may not be planning to go all churchy but he does feel right at home in clerical garb. With music from Editors front man Tom Smith with a track from his forthcoming album There Is Nothing In The Dark That Isn't T

It's a particulary spooky edition of Loose Ends as we're joined by Danny Robins - host of Uncanny and writer of 2.22 a Ghost Story and cult horror author Garth Marenghi. But which of them is the real king of horror? Rebecca Lucy Taylor, AKA Self Esteem brings us her literary debut, A Complicated Woman and there's music from The New Eves with a song from their debut album 'The New Eve is Rising' and Donna Thompson performs 'Gardner Street'Presenter: Clive Anderson Producer: Jessica Treen

Kiri Pritchard-McLean loves a bit of crime - so much so that she hosts a podcast about serial killers. So she's right at home on Loose Ends this week talking cosy crime and laminating machines with actor and comedian Kerry Godliman, who stars as the charming private detective and oyster-shucking restaurateur Pearl Nolan in TV drama Whitstable Pearl. Then things take a dark turn with The Long Firm author Jake Arnott's latest novel Blood Rival - a psychological thriller based on the Oedipus myth but also rooted in true crime journalism - turns out he worries a lot about libel suits but he names no names. India Knight's book Home is a plea to chuck out social media and get in touch with our charm-ometers at home. Nothing nefarious there but she does want us all to steal her design tips. Star folk musicians Eliza Carthy and Jon Boden sing songs from their Wassail album and attempt to solve the mystery of the top motorway service stations in the country as they head out on tour.Presented by Kiri Pritchard-McLean P

Clive kicks off in Belfast's Black Box as the Belfast International Arts Festival begins to light up venues around the city. Poet Brian Bilston is in town after putting some of his poetry to music with the help of The Catenary Wires. US folk and blues musician Chris Smither tells all about his musical journey spanning over six decades. Someone else who knows a lot about blues as of recent is opera singer Jolene O'Hara, who has taken on the role of County Down musician and 'godmother of British blues' Ottilie Patterson in the one-woman show, Ottilie. Plus, Teresa Livingstone has plenty of embarrassing stories from former jobs and her own work in stand-up, so she's channelling it all into gathering the same from other comedians in her podcast Scundered.Belfast's AOIBHA reflects on her year of her debut EP Insignificance, and folk-duo Stick in the Wheel chat about their current tour as they bring a bit of Tudor-era satire with their track The Cramp.Presenter: Clive Anderson Producer: Anthony McKeeA BBC Audio Nor

Clive Anderson is joined in Glasgow by comedian Dom Joly who first introduced the world to the concept of a very loud man yelling in to a giant mobile phone 25 years ago. He’s celebrating Trigger Happy TV on a national tour. Lauren Lyle is used to an investigation in her role as Val McDermid's Karen Pirie, and in new psychological thriller The Ridge she embarks on another kind of search for the truth, this time in New Zealand. In his varied career, actor Lorn Macdonald has made us chuckle with his turn as Albion Finch in TV hit Bridgeton, taken on Trainspotting on stage and now plays the tormented young playwright Konstantin in Chekhov’s The Seagull at the Lyceum in Edinburgh. After becoming a finalist on MasterChef in 2022 Sarah Rankin has cooked up a storm in the culinary world, and her newest cookbook Feast has the perfect recipes for hosting cosy dinner parties all through the darker months. Plus – she’ll be explaining why she’s been hanging out with the world champions of porridge-making. Cara Rose share

There's plenty of treasures, national and otherwise in this week's Loose Ends. Joanna Lumley describes selecting from a lifetime's worth of lists, poems and anecdotes to create a thoughtful, moving and often hilarious anthology that she says describes the workings of her mind perfectly. Playwright James Graham on updating his play Dear England to send it touring the country and why the story of England football manager Gareth Southgate is exactly the way to cheer us all, even if you never want or need to understand the offside rule. Journalist Esther Walker on being rejected umpteen times by "very mean" publishers before bringing out her debut novel that explores what it is children give us and what it is they take away. With music from ex-Flight of the Conchords frontman and Oscar-winning Muppets songwriter Bret McKenzie and Egyptian-British singer and TikTok star Nxdia.Presenter: Clive Anderson Producer: Olive Clancy Assistand Producer: Nancy Bennie

Loose Ends this week is full of people who aren't afraid to say or do difficult things in the name of entertainment. The actor Nigel Planer will forever be associated with the character Neil from The Young Ones, so much so that Nigel's Mum thought he was vegetarian because Neil was, though Nigel definitely isn't. At least, he says, she remembered his name. His autobiography - Young Once - reflects the fact that brilliant though Neil is, Nigel has done far, far more than that as a poet, author and performer. Life merges with art, or at least comedy in Bryony Kimmings' new show - Bog Witch - too. It's all about what happened when she moved to the country, had an eco-conversion and found out the difference between a frog and a toad. Rowan McCabe's written about being a doorstep poet, who knocks on the doors of perfect strangers and offers to write them a poem about the things that mean most to them. Find out how many ways that can go wrong. Plus music from Mercury Music Prize nominee Emma-Jean Thackray's album W

Edith Bowman is your host for a special Loose Ends live at the BBC's Contains Strong Language Festival in Bradford. Guests include the celebrated actor - from Sherlock to Mission Impossible - and writer - from Dr Who to Bookish - Mark Gatiss. He's at the festival starring in a Radio 4 comedy drama written by his League of Gentlemen colleague Jeremy Dyson. We'll hear from Amit Dhand, who credits working in his Dad's Bradford cornershop with providing the psychological insight needed to be a best-selling thriller writer. Writing as AA Dhand, he's behind the high octane BBC drama Virdee and his latest book The Chemist, set against a raging drugs war in Leeds, is his most personal yet, based on what he learnt while working as a Bradford community pharmacist. We'll have festival poet Kate Fox, who is also a standup, a Dr Who superfan and has a phd in northern comedy. All this and music from The Divine Comedy's brand new album Rainy Sunday Afternoon.Produced by Olive Clancy

Stuart Maconie's guests in Salford include comedian Josh Jones on his new tour 'I Haven't Won The Lottery So here's Another Show'. We find out what happens if he wins the lottery mid-run. Actor and writer Moira Buffini has just won the YA Book Prize for her debut novel Songlight. George Egg is the Snack Hacker, brining us goodies from his kitchen and Urielle Klein-Mekongo is the author of a new musical, Black Power Desk. And there's music from Black Country, New Road from their critically acclaimed album Forever Howlong.Presenter: Stuart Maconie Producer: Jessica Treen

Clive Anderson is joined by the multi-platinum selling American Jazz singer Curtis Stigers, Rob Webb on Mitchell & Webb Are Not Helping, best-selling Irish novelist Cecila Ahern, author of P.S I Love you, on her new book Paper Heart, director Patrick Marber discusses his spin on Mel Brook's musical The Producers and Mercury prize shortlisted rock duo Nova Twins.Presenter: Clive Anderson Producer: Jessica Treen

Stuart Maconie is joined by his 6Music weekend breakfast co-host Mark Radcliffe who's here to talk about his new book Et Tu, Cavapoo - all about Mark’s springtime sojourn to Rome alongside his dog Arlo. Andi Osho is taking on the role of Tedra in the RSC's production of the Pulitzer Prize winning play Fat Ham and prolific novelist Adele Parks is with us to talk about the twists and turns of family dynamics in her new book A Beautiful Mess. There'll be music from The 7:45s and from the musical comedian Amy Webber, fresh from her Edinburgh Fringe run.Presenter: Stuart Maconie Producer: Elizabeth Foster

Stuart is joined by Jon Culshaw, the star of the much loved comedy series Dead Ringers, which is about to hit the road for its 25th anniversary tour. Harriet Dyer is Easily Distra.... so let's hope she doesn't wander off halfway through the show. Jon Watts discovered his love of cooking in custody. After being taken under the wing of Jamie Oliver he's now a culinary star in his own right, about to publish his third book. And there's music from the Manchester based, New Zealand born singer songwriter Nadia Reid from her acclaimed third album Enter Now Brightness and soul singer Yazmin Lacey. Presenter: Stuart Maconie Producer: Jessica Treen

Clive Anderson hosts a Loose Ends party with some of the many musicians, comedians, writers and stars of the stage lighting up the Edinburgh Festivals.Ruth Jones’ latest book By Your Side is partly set in Scotland, and she’ll be in the capital sharing some of her pet peeves that have found their way on to its pages. Comedian and actor Jordan Gray is having a busy summer, her new sitcom Transaction hit our screens in June and her stage show promises to be her rootin-est, tootin-est, shootin-est hour of musical comedy so far. Stand-up Jamie MacDonald doesn’t want being blind to shut down his opportunities to be loathsome and toxic. Plus comedian Dylan Adler on growing up one half of a pair of identical gay twins. With music from Hot Mess, a musical that rides the highs and lows of Earth and Humanity's passionate love affair, and Nigerian singer-songwriter James Emmanuel shares his love for Edinburgh, the city he now calls home. Presenter: Clive Anderson Producer: Caitlin Sneddon

Clive Anderson hosts a Loose Ends party with some of the many musicians, comedians, writers and stars of the stage lighting up the Edinburgh Festivals.Tom Rosenthal is a comedian best known as Jonny on Friday Night Dinner, though I suppose you can describe him however you’d like as his new show is Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am. Thanyia Moore is back at the Edinburgh Fringe for her first time since 2022 – a summer that she looks back at in her aptly named August. Switzerland’s answer to John Oliver – Michael Elsener – gives his top tips on How to Live in Paradise, and explains where flooding a leading politician's post box with compression stockings comes in to it. Plus writer and storyteller Niall Moorjani shares how their new show Kanpur: 1857 manages to incorporate gender, an Indian uprising against British colonial forces, and comedy. With music from Karine Polwart and Dave Milligan who are raising a parting glass to a 200-year-old palm tree in Windblown, and Couplet who are spending their Hon

Listen up as Nihal unfolds the Beyoncé/Destiny's Child theme he's spotted in this weeks' Loose Ends. He's humming "Irreplaceable" for the heroine of author Jo Wood’s debut novel - The Resurrection of Flo - who's left her cheating husband Max (“To the left, to the left”). It's "I'm a Survivor" for the actor Bertie Carvel who is playing King Leontes in Shakespeare's intense psychological drama The Winter's Tale at the RSC. Newlywed comedian Rajiv Karia gets a blast of Crazy In Love on his way to performing at the Edinburgh Festival. And the actor and writer Tori Allen-Martin, who plays Cherry in the BBC sitcom Here We Go, won celebrity mastermind with the specialist subject of.....Beyoncé and Destiny's Child! All this with music from the classically trained, Bollywood influenced pop artist RIYA and from Indie folk duo Lost Chimes. Presented by Nihal Arthanayake Produced in Salford by Olive Clancy

Clive Anderson is joined in Salford by a Post-Coital (that's the name of her new show) Tiff Stevenson and by Sam Palladio is finally acting in his own accent in 'The Couple Next Door' after playing Texan Gunnar Scott in 'Nashville' for six seasons. Ella Al-Shamahi has been in search of what makes us 'Human' for her new BBC Two series. American actor and comedian Chris Grace is attempting to write a new show every night of the Edinburgh fringe. And there's music from the former Lush lead singer's new musical project, The Miki Berenyi Trio.Presenter: Clive Anderson Producer: Jessica Treen