Laurie Taylor returns with his fifth series of intimate interviews with some of the most prominent public figures about their lives and careers.
Laurie Taylor returns for a fifth installment of interviews from the UK and across the Atlantic.
Ep1: Harry Belafonte
The first episode kicks off with singer-songwriter, actor and activist
Harry Belafonte. He talks to Laurie Taylor about topping the charts with The
Banana Boat Song, starring in films such as Otto Preminger's hit musical Carmen
Jones and serving as a close confidant of Martin Luther King Jr
Ep2: EL Doctorow
Laurie Taylor interviews American
author EL Doctorow, whose highly acclaimed and controversial novels include
Daniel, Ragtime and Welcome to Hard Times
Ep3: David Schwimmer
Actor David Schwimmer about his life
and career, which saw him achieve worldwide fame as Ross Geller in hit US
sitcom Friends
Ep4: Frank Oz
Laurie Taylor talks to director,
puppeteer and actor Frank Oz, who was the man behind Miss Piggy and Fozzie on
The Muppet Show and provided the voice of Yoda in the Star Wars films
Ep5: Frederic Raphael
Laurie Taylor interviews screenwriter and novelist Frederic Raphael, who
won an Oscar in 1965 for his screenplay of Darling and co-wrote Eyes Wide Shut
with Stanley Kubrick
Ep6: Andy Kershaw
Laurie Taylor is joined by DJ Andy Kershaw, who talks about witnessing
great moments in music history and reporting on the Angolan Civil War and the
Rwandan genocide
Ep7: Jude Kelly
Southbank Centre artistic director Jude Kelly talks to Laurie Taylor
about her 40 years in theatre, during which she has directed stars including
Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, was the founding director of the West
Yorkshire Playhouse and won an Olivier Award for her production of Singin' in
the Rain
Ep8: Ralph Steadman
Illustrator and cartoonist Ralph
Steadman talks to Laurie Taylor about his colourful career, which included
collaborating with Hunter S Thompson on Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Ep9: John Birt
Laurie Taylor interviews former BBC
director-general John Birt, a previous adviser to Tony Blair and who also
produced David Frost's interviews with Richard Nixon in 1977
Ep10: The Rev Richard Coles
Laurie Taylor interviews broadcaster, the Rev Richard Coles, a Church of
England priest who found fame partnering Jimmy Somerville in 1980s band the
Communards
Ep11: Joanna MacGregor
Laurie Taylor interviews concert
pianist, conductor and composer Joanna MacGregor, who is considered one of the
most innovative musicians working today
Ep12: Michael Mansfield
Laurie Taylor interviews barrister
Michael Mansfield, who has been involved in court cases concerning the deaths
of Stephen Lawrence, Jean Charles de Menezes and Princess Diana
Ep13: Alison Steadman
Laurie Taylor chats to actress Alison
Steadman about her career, which has seen her star in Mike Leigh's Nuts in May
and Abigail's Party, as well as sitcom Gavin & Stacey
Ep14: Andrea Levy
Laurie Taylor talks to author Andrea Levy, whose acclaimed works include
Small Island and The Long Song, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize
in 2010
Ep15: Fergus Henderson
Laurie Taylor talks to influential chef
Fergus Henderson. Henderson opened St John restaurant in London in 1994 and is
famed for his 'nose-to-tail' style of cooking
Ep16: Tariq Ali
Laurie Taylor interviews journalist,
film-maker and author Tariq Ali, whose books include Bush in Babylon, a
critique of the 2003 invasion of Iraq
Ep17: Trevor Beattie
Laurie Taylor chats to advertising executive Trevor Beattie, the man
behind a Wonderbra campaign and French Connection's controversial FCUK rebrand
Ep18: Mary Robinson
Laurie Taylor interviews Mary Robinson,
the first female president of Ireland and a former UN high commissioner for
human rights. She talks about her career, motivations and personal life
Ep19: Miriam Margolyes
Laurie Taylor is joined by actress
Miriam Margolyes, she talks about her love of Charles Dickens' work and why she
believes she is rarely offered lead roles
