Philip Pittack, Martin White, Annie Tempest, Nicholas Shakespeare, Dillie Keane

11/13/13 • 41 min

Libby Purves meets cloth merchants Philip Pittack and Martin White; cartoonist Annie Tempest; author Nicholas Shakespeare and singer and songwriter Dillie Keane.

Cloth merchants Philip Pittack and Martin White have 120 years of experience in textiles between them and run Crescent Trading. They have been working together as woollen merchants for 25 years and are based in London's Spitalfields which used to be the centre of Britain's rag trade. Last September a fire destroyed their entire stock but they are back in business in a new warehouse which brims with tweed, worsteds and silks - all woven in Britain.

Cartoonist Annie Tempest started writing her Tottering-By-Gently cartoons for Country Life magazine nearly 20 years ago. Her inspiration for Tottering Hall came from her family home, Broughton Hall in North Yorkshire. The characters including Dicky and Daffy, Lord and Lady Tottering, are based on family members - Lord Tottering is inspired by her father. Annie lived in the run-down Broughton Hall from the age of 12 and recalls the draughty hallways and idiosyncratic plumbing in her cartoons. Tottering-by-Gently: The First 20 Years is published by Frances Lincoln.

Nicholas Shakespeare is an award-winning novelist and biographer. His acclaimed biography of Bruce Chatwin was published in 1999. His latest book is a personal one and tells the story of his aunt who lived in occupied France during the war. The book investigates how she survived the war and whether she really was the heroine of family myth. Priscilla - The Hidden Life of an Englishwoman in Wartime France is published by Random House.

Dillie Keane is an actor and singer/songwriter. She founded the satirical cabaret trio Fascinating Aida in 1983. Now in their 30th year, Fascinating Aida are touring the country with their brand new show, Charm Offensive, which includes a long run at London's Southbank Centre.

Libby Purves meets cloth merchants Philip Pittack and Martin White; cartoonist Annie Tempest; author Nicholas Shakespeare and singer and songwriter Dillie Keane.

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Courtney Pine, Rula Lenska, Andrew Davidson, Amrik Singh

Libby Purves meets journalist Andrew Davidson; jazz musician Courtney Pine; actor Rula Lenska and Sikh chaplain Amrik Singh.

Andrew Davidson's grandfather Fred was a doctor who served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during the First World War. Posted to the Western Front with the 1st Battalion Cameronians, he packed his folding camera alongside his medical equipment and began to secretly document life in the trenches. Andrew's book, Fred's War, gives a rare insight into life on the front line during the early stages of the Great War. Fred Davidson was one of the first medics to win the Military Cross. Fred's War - A Doctor in the Trenches is published by Short Books.

Jazz saxophonist Courtney Pine CBE has spent the past 20 years taking jazz out of its purist confines to a wider audience. Performing his album House of Legends, Courtney is appearing at the EFG London Jazz Festival. The album features his soprano saxophone exclusively for the first time and draws on his African-Caribbean roots, spotlighting the musical styles of merengue, ska, mento and calypso. House of Legends is on Destin-E World Records.

Actor Rula Lenska was born Roza Maria Laura Leopoldyna Lubienska to Polish aristocrats - refugees who fled the country during the Second World War. Rula found fame in the 1970s as 'Q' in the television series Rock Follies and her career has included roles in Minder, To the Manor Born, Doctor Who and Coronation Street. On stage she appeared in the Vagina Monologues and Calendar Girls. Rula - My Colourful Life, is published by Biteback Publishing.

Amrik Singh is a Sikh chaplain at London's Heathrow Airport. Between his chaplaincy and his role as a Heathrow ramp agent, he lives his life according to Sikh philosophies and traditions and shares his Sikhism with his co-workers and passengers. He recently appeared on 4thought, a moral, religious and ethical TV series on Channel 4.

Producer: Paula McGinley.

Next Episode

Andy McNab; Cheryl Knight; Joseph Boyden; John Lloyd

Libby Purves meets former soldier-turned-writer Andy McNab; Cheryl Knight, who is in charge of shoes at the Royal Opera House; author Joseph Boyden and producer John Lloyd.

Andy McNab is a former SAS soldier-turned-writer. He was a foundling who joined the infantry with the Royal Green Jackets, progressing to the SAS. In the Gulf War he commanded the Bravo Two Zero patrol and later wrote a book about his experiences. He has just spent the last year as the Reading Agency's literacy ambassador for the 6 Book Challenge visiting prisons and factories to encourage young people to read.

Cheryl Knight is opera footwear supervisor at the Royal Opera House and in her spare time performs as Joyce Grenfell in her one-woman show, Turn Back the Clock. The show is Cheryl's tribute to the writer and performer who died in 1979 and is remembered for her witty monologues - including her popular sketch as a harassed nursery school teacher. Cheryl is currently assembling the shoe collection for two Royal Opera House productions - Parsifal and Carmen. Turn Back the Clock is at Waterloo East Theatre.

Joseph Boyden is a prize-winning Canadian author whose new book, the Orenda, draws on his own background. He is a descendant of Canada's First Nations and was educated by Jesuits. The Orenda is set in the wilds of 17th century North America when Europeans were colonising the region and the First Nation tribes fought among themselves and suffered under the invaders. The Orenda is published by Oneworld.

Producer and writer John Lloyd is best known for his work on comedy programmes including Not the Nine O'Clock News, Spitting Image, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and QI. He is currently the Radio 4 presenter of the Museum of Curiosity, a spin-off from QI. His new book Afterliff - the New Dictionary of Things There Should Be Words For, written with Jon Canter, is published by Faber and Faber.

Producer: Paula McGinley.