Sir Roy Strong; Venetia Williams; Polly Bolton; Marcus Brigstocke

05/28/14 • 41 min

Libby Purves meets Sir Roy Strong; comic Marcus Brigstocke; horsewoman Venetia Williams and singer Polly Bolton at the Hay-on-Wye Festival.

Venetia Williams is a horse trainer who specialises in National Hunt Racing. A keen and successful amateur jockey in her youth, Venetia achieved ten jump-racing wins between 1986 and 1988 during which time she also rode in the Grand National. In 1988 Venetia's race-riding career ended following a near-fatal fall in which she sustained a broken neck. Unable to ride, she progressed into the art of training. In 2009 she trained 100/1 shot Mon Mome to win the Grand National.

Sir Roy Strong is an historian, lecturer, columnist and writer. He was director of the National Portrait Gallery from 1967 to 1973 and of the Victoria and Albert Museum from 1974 to 1987. His new book Remaking A Garden - The Laskett Transformed is the story of how he remodelled his renowned garden as a tribute to his late wife. Remaking A Garden - The Laskett Transformed by Sir Roy Strong with photographs by Clive Boursnell is published by Frances Lincoln.

Marcus Brigstocke is a comedian, actor and writer. Winner of the BBC's New Comedy Award in 1996, his new show Je M'accuse explores elements of his life. The show highlights his stints as a podium dancer and oil rig worker to his childhood eating disorder and love of musical theatre.

Polly Bolton is a folk singer and song teacher. She began singing professionally in 1970 in an acoustic folk-rock band, Dando Shaft. She has recorded with singer Alan Stival and Show Of Hands. She runs singing workshops and leads community choirs and likes to experiment acoustically by singing outside - in gorges, on hillsides and by streams.

Libby Purves meets Sir Roy Strong; comic Marcus Brigstocke; horsewoman Venetia Williams and singer Polly Bolton at the Hay-on-Wye Festival.

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Hetain Patel, Daniel Antoine, Sue Swingler, Brendan King

Libby Purves meets British Museum curator Dr Daniel Antoine; translator and editor Brendan King; artist Hetain Patel and writer Sue Swingler.

Dr Daniel Antoine is the curator of human remains at the British Museum. He is overseeing the museum's new interactive exhibition Ancient lives, new discoveries. The exhibition uses state-of-the-art technology to allow visitors to look inside mummy cases and examine what's underneath the wrappings. Visitors will encounter each mummy with accompanying large-screen visualisations which penetrate through the skin to reveal the secrets of mummification. Ancient lives, new discoveries is at the British Museum.

Brendan King is a freelance translator, editor and reviewer. Between 1987 and 2010 he worked as Beryl Bainbridge's secretary, helping her prepare some of her novels for publication including The Birthday Boys; Master Georgie and According to Queeney. He also completed the novel she was working on at the time of her death, The Girl in the Polka-Dot Dress, from his copy of the working manuscript. An exhibition of Beryl Bainbridge's paintings, Art & Life: The Paintings of Beryl Bainbridge is at the Cultural Institute, King's College, London.

Hetain Patel is a visual artist whose work crosses a number of art forms, with the body and identity as his core concerns. His new solo show, American Boy, is a warm and witty self-portrait created entirely from quotes from American movies and home-grown television. American Boy is at the Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler's Wells, London.

Sue Swingler's new book, The House of Fiction, tells the story of her complicated family background and her relationship with her father Leonard and step-mother, the Australian novelist Elizabeth Jolley. The House Of Fiction - Leonard, Susan and Elizabeth Jolley, is published by Scribe. A drama documentary The House of Fiction, based on Sue's book, will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Producer: Paula McGinley.

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Angelique Kidjo, John Browne, Helen Kirwan-Taylor, Oliver Horovitz

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.