Skin, George RR Martin

08/17/19 • 84 min

Skin from Skunk Anansie made headlines this summer when it was pointed out that she was the first black British artist to headline the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, not Stormzy. That was in 1999 and Skunk Anansie were five years into an incredible run of chart hits such as “Weak”, “Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)” and “Charity”. Skin discusses her childhood, her career and what it was like being the only black, gay woman in the 1990’s music scene.

Lisa Faulkner was scouted as a model at 16 before becoming an actor at the age of 20. She was well known for roles in Dangerfield, Brookside and Holby City before famously meeting a grisly end in Spooks. In 2010 she won Celebrity Masterchef, has since become a food writer and now co-presents John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen with her fiancé John Torode. She has published the memoir Meant To Be: My Journey to Motherhood which describes the death of her mother when Lisa was just 16 and her years navigating infertility, IVF and adoption.

Joel Golby’s book Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant: Modern Life as Interpreted by Someone Who is Reasonably Bad at Living It describes how the journalist, whose father died when he was 15, became an adult orphan at the age of 25 when his mother died. He talks about the impact of the sudden and unwelcome intrusion of adult responsibility into his otherwise hedonistic life.

Dr Dean Burnett is a neuroscientist, author and stand-up comedian. He wrote the international best -sellers The Idiot Brain and The Happy Brain. His new book for teenagers is called Why Your Parents Are Driving You Up The Wall and What To Do About It.

Game of Thrones author George RR Martin shares his Inheritance Tracks.

Producer: Laura Northedge Editor: Eleanor Garland

Game of Thrones author George RR Martin shares his Inheritance Tracks.

Producer: Laura Northedge Editor: Eleanor Garland

Previous Episode

Joe McFadden

Joe McFadden joins Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles. He started out in the detective series Taggart and went on to star in Take The High Road, The Crow Road, Heartbeat and Holby City. In 2017 he won Strictly, and he describes why he is donning sparkles again - to appear as Tick/Mitzi in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Gelong Thubten grew up in London and found himself in New York making a career as an actor. He explains how he ended up as a monk and a spiritual teacher, teaching meditation to clients including: the United Nations, Google, Her Majesty’s Prison Service, and the actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton. Victoria Nixon was spotted in Bond Street in London by the photographer Helmut Newton. She reminisces about working as an international model while grieving the loss of her entire family by the age of 24 – two by suicide. Colleen Blair became the first person to swim the Minch, the challenging stretch of water between the Inner Hebrides and the Scottish mainland. She also swam the English Channel when she was 20 and Loch Ness. She comes live from The Scottish National Open Water Championships at Loch Venachar. Professor Hugh Montgomery is a distinguished physician, known for his pioneering genetic research. He’s also climbed mountains, run ultra-marathons, and he holds the world record for playing a piano underwater. He reveals how he came to write a novel after a late night drinking session with Lynda La Plante. Susan Hill shares her Inheritance Tracks: The Sea Interludes from Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes, and Mozart’s Oboe concerto 3rd movement played by Nicholas Daniel.

Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Eleanor Garland

Next Episode

PP Arnold, John Eliot Gardiner

Kate Silverton and Luke Jones meet singer P.P. Arnold; artist Mackenzie Thorpe; poet Charly Cox and the Reverend Peter Allen. With Inheritance Tracks from conductor John Eliot Gardiner.

Soul singer P.P. - Pat - Arnold found her voice as a young girl singing gospel songs in church. Her career took off when she joined the Ikettes - backing singers and dancers for the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. When the Revue arrived in London Pat -nicknamed P.P. by photographer Gered Mankowitz -became a fixture on the London music scene, collaborating with everyone from Rod Stewart to the Small Faces. Her new album The New Adventures of P.P. Arnold is out now.

This year Middlesbrough-born Mackenzie Thorpe celebrates 30 years as an artist. He is best known for his 'Square Sheep' series of works and 'Waiting for Me Dad' - a tribute to the men who worked in the industry of the area who crossed the town's transporter bridge to get to work and the families who waited for their return. He was the official artist for the Tour de Yorkshire 2019 and collectors of his work include the actor Tom Hardy, JK Rowling and Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth. Mackenzie Thorpe’s 30th year exhibition opens at his gallery, Arthaus, in Richmond, North Yorkshire on 14th September and his book, Out of the Shadows, is available now.

Charly Cox is a poet whose writing focuses on destigmatizing mental health and the coming-of-age of a young woman surviving the modern world. In January 2017 she published her first poem on Instagram; since then she’s raised money and awareness for charities which tackle mental health issues. Dubbed social media’s answer to Carol Ann Duffy, she is an ambassador for MQ Mental Health and was named by ELLE magazine as one of their 20 power players to watch out for in 2018. Her second book, Validate Me, is out in September.

Listener Reverend Peter Allen served as chaplain at Sheffield Wednesday Football Club and chaplain for Sport in the diocese of Sheffield. During this time he opened up brand new chaplaincies in a variety of sports in the region including volleyball, ice hockey and boxing. He talks about his life in the church and how a youthful misdemeanour came back to haunt him.

Conductor John Eliot Gardiner shares his Inheritance Tracks.

Producer: Paula McGinley Editor: Eleanor Garland