Midweek

Libby Purves meets ventriloquist Steve Hewlett; mountaineer Jamie Andrew; singer and songwriter Ayo and former sheep farmer turned barrister Philip Walling.

Steve Hewlett is a comedian and ventriloquist. A ventriloquist since the age of 12, his dummies include Arthur Lager; Simon Cowell and Sinitta and a lamb called Lamb Shank. In 2006 he became the new voice of Archie Andrews - at one time the nation's favourite dummy whose radio programme, Educating Archie, attracted 15m listeners in the 1950s. Steve is touring the UK with his show Thinking Inside The Box.

Jamie Andrew is a mountaineer who lost his hands and feet to frostbite after being stranded in a blizzard in the Alps 15 years ago. His close friend and climbing partner died on the mountain. With the help of physiotherapy and prosthetics Jamie learned how to walk again and returned to mountaineering. The documentary The Limbless Mountaineer follows Jamie's progress as he attempts to climb the Matterhorn. The Limbless Mountaineer is broadcast on Channel 5.

Ayo Ogunmakin is a singer and songwriter. Born in Cologne to a Nigerian father and Romanian Gypsy mother, her childhood was spent in foster homes after her parents divorced and her mother became a heroin addict. Her father, a part time DJ, introduced Ayo to music from an early age. Her new album Ticket To The World is released on Wrasse Records.

Philip Walling is a former sheep farmer who worked as barrister for over 30 years. In his new book, Counting Sheep, he pays homage to his farming roots. The book focuses on the role of sheep in the history of the British countryside and Philip writes about some of the 60 native breeds that thrive in the UK, exploring their past and future. Counting Sheep - A Celebration of the Pastoral Heritage of Britain is published by Profile Books.

Producer: Paula McGinley.

Libby Purves meets Gary Morecambe, son of Eric; novelist Rebecca Gowers; filmmaker Sara Ishaq and photographer and musician Mike McCartney.

Gary Morecambe is the son of the legendary comedian Eric Morecombe. To mark the 30th anniversary of Eric's death the play The Man What Brought Us Sunshine - Morecambe, starring Bob Golding as Eric, is on tour. Gary is the author of a series of books about his father and a biography of Cary Grant. The Man What Brought Us Sunshine - Morecambe is touring the UK.

Rebecca Gowers is a novelist and the great grand-daughter of Sir Ernest Gowers, a leading civil servant and author of Plain Words - A Guide to the Use of English. Rebecca has revised and edited the first publication - originally written as a language handbook for civil servants. In this new edition she celebrates the original text and modernises Sir Ernest's advice. Plain Words - A Guide to the Use of English is published by Particular Books.

Sara Ishaq is a Yemeni-Scottish filmmaker. Her new film, The Mulberry House, documents her return to Yemen in 2011 10 years after she left - ready to face her past and reconnect with her long-severed roots. She returns to find her family and country teetering on the brink of a revolution. The Mulberry House is being shown as part of this year's Human Rights Watch Film Festival in London.

Mike 'McGear' McCartney is a musician and photographer who is touring the UK with his one-man show Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n' Roll (I Wish!). The show chronicles his life through the photographs he's taken along the way. Born and brought up in Liverpool, Mike became part of the comedy, poetry and music trio The Scaffold which became an integral part of the 60's Merseybeat era. Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n' Roll (I wish!) is touring the UK.

Producer: Paula McGinley.

Libby Purves meets language enthusiast Benny Lewis; literary critic Professor John Carey; flamenco guitarist Eduardo Niebla and comedian Lynn Ruth Miller.

Benny Lewis speaks over ten languages including Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, French, German, Portuguese, and Hungarian. As a child he struggled to learn languages at school but in his book, Fluent In 3 Months, he explains how he conquered his lack of skill by mastering a range of learning techniques. His book, Fluent in 3 Months, is published by Collins.

John Carey is emeritus Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford. He is also a book reviewer, commentator on cultural issues and a beekeeper. In his memoir, The Unexpected Professor, he reflects on his life in literature, growing up in wartime and his progression from the family home to Oxford and the heart of academia. The Unexpected Professor - An Oxford Life in Books is published by Faber.

Eduardo Niebla is a Spanish flamenco jazz guitarist and composer based in Yorkshire. Born in Morocco, he was brought up in Spain and at eight was playing his guitar on the radio with his sister. He formed his band Atila - regarded by many as one of Spain's great symphonic rock bands - in 1973 before moving to London where he performed with Mother Gong and appeared at the fledgling Glastonbury Festival. He is currently touring the UK.

Lynn Ruth Miller, 80, is a comedian who started performing stand-up when she was 71. Born in Ohio, she is a television presenter in San Francisco as well as a teacher, painter and author. Her first book Starving Hearts is an autobiographical novel about her struggle with bulimia and an overwhelming mother. Her new show, Granny's Gone Wild, is at the Soho Theatre.

Producer: Paula McGinley.

Libby Purves meets plant hunter Tom Mitchell; psychologist Dr Akiko Mikamo; Martin White, professor of theatre at the University of Bristol and comedian Arthur Smith.

Tom Mitchell gave up his job as a banker to follow his dream and become a plant hunter. He now travels the world collecting rare and endangered plants which he cultivates from seed to sell from his nursery. He is a galanthophile (a lover and collector of snowdrops) and recently auctioned a new variety of the snowdrop flower - giving the highest bidder the opportunity to name the bulb after their Valentine.

Dr Akiko Mikamo is a psychologist who was born and raised in Hiroshima, Japan. In her book, Rising From the Ashes, she tells her father Shinji's story of survival and forgiveness. He was less than a mile away from the site where the atomic bomb exploded in August 1945 when he was 19. Akiko has drawn inspiration from her father who has devoted his life to peace and reconciliation. Rising From The Ashes - A true Story Of Survival And Forgiveness From Hiroshima is published by Lulu.

Martin White is professor of theatre at Bristol University who devised the candle lighting for the new Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The theatre is a replica of a Jacobean indoor playhouse and is lit solely by candles throughout performances - just as it would have been 400 years ago. The Knight of The Burning Pestle is at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe, London.

Arthur Smith is a comedian and writer whose show Arthur Smith Sings Leonard Cohen (Vol 2) is at the Soho Theatre. He performed his first tribute to the Canadian singer-songwriter 14 years ago and in this new production he reflects on life, death and dementia using Cohen classics to accompany his personal observations. Arthur has been a comedian since the early 80s and has also written plays including An Evening with Gary Lineker and The Live Bed Show. Arthur Smith Sings Leonard Cohen (Vol 2) is at the Soho Theatre, London.

Producer: Paula McGinley.

Libby Purves meets St Andrews golf caddie Oliver Horovitz; Lord John Browne of Madingley; artist and journalist Helen Kirwan-Taylor and singer and activist Angelique Kidjo.

A golfer and caddie since the age of 12, Oliver Horovitz decided to spend his gap year at the University of St Andrews before going to Harvard. In his book, An Amerian Caddie in St Andrews, he tells how he joined the caddie training programme on the Old Course of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews. An American Caddie in St Andrews is published by Elliot and Thompson.

John Browne (Lord Browne of Madingley) was CEO of BP from 1995 until 2007. His book, The Glass Closet - Why Coming Out is Good Business, examines the risks and rewards of coming out in business. The book explores his own experience as a closeted gay man in the oil industry and features interviews with gay and lesbian people who tell different stories of working for corporations around the world. The Glass Closet - Why Coming Out is Good Business is published by WH Allen.

Helen Kirwan-Taylor is an artist and journalist. She was introduced to art as a form of therapy to help her cope with the death of her sister who was killed in 1973. Helen's solo exhibition, WORDS, features word sculptures and prints and is inspired by language and the etymology of words. The pieces use cardboard, wood, glass, leather and draw on influences from psychology, art, fashion and literature. WORDS is at Themes and Variations in Notting Hill, London.

Angelique Kidjo is a Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter and activist from West Africa. She is performing at The Other Ball in aid of the charity Arms Around the Child. She's also appearing at the EFG London Jazz Festival later in the year. Her latest album Eve - released on 429 Records - celebrates the power of African women, particularly the women she grew up with in her native Benin.

Producer: Paula McGinley.