Saturday Live

Game show regular and former MP Gyles Brandreth discusses the wonders and curiosities of the English language.

Veteran entertainer Bruce Forsyth shares his Inheritance Tracks and why he feels that Frank Sinatra followed his lead to New York, New York.

Star Wars obsessive Jamie Stangroom searches for the iconic characters and actors that the current episode forgot - Greedo, Jar Jar, the man inside Jabba the Hut's tail. Where are they and can Jamie get them back into Star Wars? And which role did Michael Jackson want to play?

Word Play, by Gyles Brandreth, is published by Coronet Hardback books.

Producer: Paul Waters

Michael Morpurgo joins Aasmah Mir and the Reverend Richard Coles. He describes how stories from his mother, and a decorated soldier from WWI, have inspired his latest novel; the importance of daydreaming and his reimagining of the Nativity.

Horizon: Tim Peake Special: How to Be an Astronaut BBC Two, 8.00pm (Scotland, 10.00pm) on Sunday 13 December.

Producer: Louise Corley

It's listener week on Saturday Live with Reverend Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir.

We've accepted Philip Farmer's invitation to come to his house in Wolverhampton. Philip, his wife Sarah and daughter Hannah discuss their city.

BBC Formula 1 presenter Suzi Perry, recently nominated as one of the Wolverhampton's Famous Daughters, will be talking about her connection to the city, Wolverhampton Wanderers and working behind the scenes at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

Sharing their undiscovered claims to fame will be Bob Saunders the man who makes The Phantom of the Opera Masks. Roy Perry reveals himself as the man who mapped Guernsey and James Bond boat driver John Pleace talks about his experiences.

Listener Rob Hawkins wanted to swap Inheritance Tracks for his Inheritance Snacks. He's chosen Spaghetti Carbonara and Liver, Bacon and Mushrooms on Toast.

Gemma Cairney will be talking to local people including sculptor and medallist Ron Dutton. He's behind a 1999 £2 coin design, the plaque for Wolverhampton's Famous Sons and Daughters, and his portrait is about to be unveiled at City Art Gallery. Gwen Sanchirico discusses her journey from New York IT worker to Wolverhampton brewer. Sham Sharma explains how locals helped him rebuild his business after the 2011 riots and why he's now running a fusion café.

Producer: Claire Bartleet

Richard Coles and Aasmar Mir are joined by Caroline Quentin. She became a national treasure as the long suffering Dorothy on Men Behaving Badly, followed by lead roles in Jonathan Creek, Blue Murder and Life of Riley. She has presented documentary series on Cornwall and India, and Restoration Home. More recently she's performed at Bristol Old Vic and in the West End. She joins us ahead of a new BBC one drama Dickensian in which she stars as Mrs Bumble, where an assortment of Dickens' characters meet in a seasonal tale.

Now the colder weather has finally come it seems a good time to talk about wood, more precisely, firewood. Lars Mytting has created a best seller with his book Norwegian Wood which details the art of chopping, stacking, drying and burning this ancient source of heat. He joins us to share his technical know how and cultural folklore.

Listener Alistair Kean wrote to us about his experience of almost becoming a cosmonaught. He tell us how he has no regrets...

Caroline Taggart is a word obsessive who has produced 20 books on the origin and meaning of words. She joins us to talk about her latest which focuses on the evolution of words and the phenomenon of the portmanteau.

Cuban ballet dancer Carlos Acosta CBE tells us about his inheritance tracks. He chooses Ng la Banda's Echale Limon and Polo Montanez's Un Millon de Estrellas.

We have your Thank you's and our reporter Anna Bailey meets Alan Ayckbourn.

Dickensian, a drama in 20 parts for BBC1, begins over Christmas.

Producer: Corinna Jones

Griff Rhys Jones joins the Reverend Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir, to share tales about his long association with historic buildings, hosting quizzes in museums, his great Welsh adventures and dressing as a Dame. JP Devlin meets Paul Hendy and his family to find out about their passion for making bespoke pantomimes. Saturday Live listener Polly Wright describes finding a stash of letters between her grandmother and an Italian prisoner of war who worked on the family farm in Wales during WWII, and how she has used them to trace his family. Tracey Ford discusses the loss of her son, Andre, and the foundation she launched in his memory. The singer Beverley Knight talks about the influence of gospel and Memphis on her song writing, and her latest transition into Grizabella in CATS. And the Inheritance Tracks of Kellie Maloney. She chooses New York, New York by Frank Sinatra and Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed.

Landmark - A History of Britain in 50 Buildings by Anna Keay and Caroline Stanford - Foreword by Griff Rhys Jones, is published by Frances Lincoln.

Produced by Louise Corley

Anne Reid joins Aasmah Mir and the Reverend Richard Coles. After becoming a household name as Coronation Street's Valerie Barlow, Anne's varied career has seen her seducing Daniel Craig in The Mother, and playing Celia in Last Tango in Halifax. Now Anne talks about fulfilling another ambition, by singing in her one women show.

JP Devlin meets listener Jayne Moore who set up Greensted Hedgehog Rescue in Norfolk.

Listener Andrew Morris talks about his science discussion group, which aims to show science is for everyone.

Ros Hubbard gives us a glimpse into the world of casting. Ros's first big success came with The Commitments and she has gone on to discover stars including Orlando Bloom.

Wildlife film-maker Gordon Buchanan has come face to face with many of the planet's biggest predators. He shares his Inheritance Tracks: DIVORCE sung by Tammy Wynette and Tusk by Fleetwood Mac.

Listener Ade Clewlow explains why he traced scientist Sandor Görög, who was hidden by his father in a monastery in Hungary to avoid being rounded up by the Nazis in 1944.

Anne Reid will be appearing in Kings of Broadway at the Palace Theatre in London on 29th November.

Producer Claire Bartleet

Crime writer Ian Rankin joined Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir.

Saturday Live hosted a special auction, offering listeners the chance to bid for some amazing prize packages to raise money for BBC Children in Need. LINES ARE NOW CLOSED - PLEASE DO NOT CALL OR TRY TO BID.

There was a Just a Minute VIP Experience, a Today Programme VIP Experience, a Saturday Live VIP Experience and The Infinite Monkey Cage VIP Experience.

To tell us about what the lucky winners might experience, Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir were joined by Nicholas Parsons from Just a Minute, Mishal Husain from the Today programme and Robin Ince from The Infinite Monkey cage.

They were also joined in the studio by Ian Rankin OBE, award-winning writer of crime fiction and the creator of the Scottish detective John Rebus who he has featured in 20 novels to date. His latest book is Even Dogs in the Wild.

We also heard from the Ty Hafan centre near Cardiff, where young people shared their personal experiences of how they have benefitted from projects funded by BBC Children in Need and Jess Davies was in the studio discussing her role in the 450 mile Rickshaw Challenge which she completed in 2014, which raised 2.7 million in a week.

Antiques Roadshow auctioneer, Will Farmer, kept us updated on the bids and JP was manning the phones.

We heard the inheritance tracks of Leona Lewis. She chose The first time ever I saw your face performed by Roberta Flack and One Love by Bob Marley.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor first topped the charts with Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) and successes continued with hits including Murder On The Dancefloor and Take Me Home. Sophie joins Aasmah and Richard to talk about her career, taxidermy and reaching the final on Strictly Come Dancing.

Ashley Walters found fame as rapper Asher D in So Solid Crew. He's subsequently carved out a successful acting career, including an award winning performance in the film Bullet Boy, and starring roles in Top Boy and Inside Men. Ashley discusses his career, playing PC Ryan Draper in BBC drama Cuffs, and dealing with his phobia of birds.

We visit listener Jo Rhodes's Community Soup project in Settle, in North Yorkshire. In exchange for £4, hungry punters receive a bowl of soup, entitling them to vote on one of 4 pitches. Once all pitches are heard, votes are cast the winner takes all- to kick-start their project.

Mark Mason talks about travelling Britain collecting facts and trivia from every one of its 124 postcode areas.

Cricket Umpire Dickie Bird shares his Inheritance Tracks: Nat King Cole When I Fall in Love and Barbra Streisand The Way We Were.

Donal Skehan is a self-taught cook who has been in a Boyband, had a failed bid to represent Ireland in the Eurovision song contest and has been a presenter on Junior MasterChef. He reflects on his varied career and the art of presenting food.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor's latest album Wanderlust is out now.

Joining Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles is the actor, writer and comedian Steve Coogan. He has won seven comedy awards, six BAFTAs for his work including The Trip and Philomena, and had a box office number one with Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. He discusses his childhood, comedy career and love of cars, including his mum's Morris Minor Traveller.

Easily Distracted by Steve Coogan.

Producer: Louise Corley

He rose to fame playing windmill dwelling magician sleuth Jonathan Creek, but it was quite a departure from his roots in the comedy circuit. Alan Davies has since garnered our sympathy as the fall guy to Stephen Fry's genius in TV quiz QI. But all the while he's never stopped the stand up and he joins us mid tour.

When she was only 13 years old, Yeonmi Park fled North Korea for a better life. She survived trafficking, gangsters, extreme hunger and cold, and constant fear. Her speech at the One World Summit in Dublin last year went viral, with more than 2 million views online, detailing how she wanted to "shed light on the darkest place in the world".

Brett Nielsen believes he was the first of about 35 thalidomide babies born in Australia, but says he has shaped his story into a happy one. At 55, he's a successful musician with three children and two step-children. He hasn't let the fact that he was born with no arms stop him from driving a tractor or - his great love - playing the piano. In 1964 Brett was the star of Roger Graef's award-winning documentary entitled, One of them is Brett. In February this year Roger Graef revisited Brett and the result is a new hour long film about Bretts' life some 50 years later.

Scott Bryan is entertainments editor at Buzzfeed who has made every single technical challenge from this year's Great British Bake off with largely disastrous results. In the week of the programme final, he joins us on Saturday Live to tell us about his experiment, bringing his final effort, the Millefeuilles.

Sticking with the theme of popular TV programmes, we catch up with Jeremy Vine on his participation in Strictly come Dancing.

And singer Frances Ruffelle joins us for her inheritance tracks.

Alan Davies' Little Victories tour continues in Middlesborough on 30th October. The new series of QI starts on 16th October.

Yeonmi Park's book In Order to Live is out now.

The film Brett a Life Without Arms, is scheduled for broadcast on BBC1 13th October 2015.

Brett Nielsen's latest album, Pigs in Space is available now published by Big Toe Music.

Frances Ruffelle's new Album 'I Say Yeh-Yeh' is out now.