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The last 'Art of Dying Well' podcast of 2019 sees us focus on the painful subjects of loss and grief at a time of year that can be particularly hard for those of us spending Christmas without a loved one. Simply getting from one day to the next can be a major challenge while all around you are seemingly in party mode.Today we hear from former Sky Sports and Blue Peter presenter Simon Thomas who talks about the pain and grief of having to cope with the death of his wife Gemma two years ago. Dr Lynn Bassett brings her years of experience in palliative care and chaplaincy to 'The Voice from the Chaplain's Chair', reflecting on just how we can accompany people who are grieving.Main interview recorded originally for Premier's Christianity Magazine by Marcus Jones.

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In a packed and powerful 'Art of Dying Well' podcast we're bringing you the insight and experiences of three really interesting people. First up is the talented actor and writer Harriet Madeley - the main creative force behind a unique play about death and dying called 'The Colours'. It's based on interviews Harriet conducted with palliative care doctors and patients in Welsh seaside hospices and creatively moves through fantasy, memory and reality. 'Death Chatter' sees long-term friend of the show and palliative care guru Dr Kathryn Mannix join us to discuss medication - the three-step analgesic staircase and, in particular, the 'M' word - morphine.We finish by listening to a new 'Voice from the Chaplain's Chair' - that of Dr Lynn Bassett. Lynn has years of experience as a hospital and hospice chaplain and gives us a wonderful spiritual reflection. We also discuss the place of silence at the bedside. Fascinating stuff. Hope you enjoy it!

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Today’s podcast focuses on the launch of a new 'Deathbed Etiquette' resource - a guide to help friends and relatives prepare to be at the deathbed of a dying loved one. Dr Amy Gadoud - a palliative care professional and lecturer in palliative medicine - helps us explore deathbed etiquette. As well as being an expert in the field, she has her own personal experience to share with us. 'Death Chatter' features the award-winning LBC presenter Shelagh Fogarty who explains that the death conversation isn’t something new, but that we are entering a new phase, turbo-charged by social media. Finally, today's 'Voice from the Chaplain’s Chair' belongs to Sr Liz Farmer who offers a reflection on ‘finding the spirit’ - with one of her engaging, illustrative stories.

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Caring and accompanying people along the very human journey of dying lies at the heart of our podcasts - not to mention how we honour and remember our friends and family. Today, however, we're looking at animals and bereavement. We start by discussing the difficult task of talking to children about the death of a much-loved pet. Daniella Dos Santos - a veterinary surgeon who is as much at home talking to people as caring for animals - joins us to talk about how the professionals help animals facing death and how to explain what's happening to the grieving owners. We then engage in a little 'Death Chatter' with our newest podcast contributors Daniella Ballard and Sophie Reed who talk about their experiences of loss after the death of a pet. Finally we listen to 'The Voice from the Chaplain's Chair' - a reflection from Fr Philip Connor, a Catholic priest in Lancaster who has a dog called Bosco. Bosco brings great comfort to the patients Fr Philip visits in his local hospice.

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I can’t believe it has almost been a year since the last Art of Dying Well podcast but we’re back talking death and dying and all the issues surrounding this difficult but very human journey.Our main interview this month is a really interesting conversation with an actor – the very charming and engaging Greg Wise. If you’ve been watching The Crown on Netflix you’ve probably seen Greg playing Lord Mountbatten. But we’re not talking acting, we’re talking about his sister Clare. Clare died in 2016 after a long, hard battle with cancer and along the way kept an intelligent, witty and moving blog about what she was going through. When she became too sick to go on, Greg finished the story – continuing, in a brutally honest and engaging fashion, what they went through as brother and sister during those hard months.‘The Voice from the Chaplain’s Chair’ is a fascinating chat with a really interesting guy. It’s rare you come across someone who’s so passionate about what they do that it’s not a job it’s a calling. I spoke to hospice chaplain Fr Peter Scott from St Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney.

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Something's not right. You've not heard from your father-in-law for a few weeks. You're close. That's not usual. The milk's on the doorstep, yesterday's papers are poking out of the letterbox. You know what's happened but you don't want to think it let alone say it. This is how Erica Buist felt when she encouraged husband Dion to cross London to check on his father. "I had to find a way to get him to check on Chris knowing I was sending him to find a dead body..."Finding a loved one dead at home is deeply traumatic. But what happens if you start to think you're not even entitled to grieve? What will you say to your work colleagues? How can you explain you're struggling to cope and can barely set foot outside your house? What happens when 'normal' daily tasks become impossible?In this month's Art of Dying Well podcast, Erica joins us in the studio (accompanied by her cute Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Ludo) to tell us her story and how she decided to deal with death. It's a fascinating story that involves visiting seven of the world's death festivals. So far the Day of the Dead - Día de Muertos - has been ticked off the list with a trip to Mexico. We find out whether this experience has changed Erica's perceptions of death, grief and recovery.The View from the Chaplain's Chair is a response from the marvellous Fr George Bowen.

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February's Art of Dying Well podcast features an extended interview with BBC financial journalist Sally Bundock - co-presenter of the BBC’s flagship business programme 'Business Live'.Sally's story is moving and inspiring. Sadly last Summer, after an eight-year battle with cancer, her husband Paul died. Devastating – especially when you leave a wife and three young children behind - but in the face of this grief, Sally is strong, positive and gives a great example of Christian witness.Well worth a listen.'Death Chatter' also has an inspiring woman at the heart of the discussion - former Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell who gave a heart-rendering speech in the House of Lords about her battle with a brain tumour and how cutting-edge research and collaboration is the way forward.We finish with a reflection from Sister Liz Farmer - a lovely take on including children in the grieving process.

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Here's our packed 'Art of Dying Well' podcast focusing on how music is vital for our well-being. Whether it acts as the soundtrack to our lives or as consolation at a time of grief, music is at the heart of the human experience. First up we speak to Eric Clarke, Professor of Music at Oxford University about how music can actually be an empathiser - almost a person - in how we listen and respond to it. Next it's 'Death Chatter' and we connect via Skype with Sue Kemple from mylastsoundtrack.com - a really useful online memorial tool. Finally we take in 'The View From The Choirmaster's Chair', a slight departure from the spiritual slot, speaking to Martin Foster, Choral Director at St Mary's University College, London. Martin talks to us about Requiems - the music of mourning. Fascinating, knowledgeable, rousing, soothing and inspiring. Enjoy.

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November's Art of Dying Well podcast, fittingly, looks at remembrance. It is right that we remember the fallen of our wars and conflicts this month listening to a reflection from Fr Michael Fava from the Bishopric of the Forces. We also wanted to shine a light on how other cultures, traditions and faiths commemorate and pray for their dead. We listen to four interesting perspectives. 'Death Chatter' shifts the discussion to whether we are ever in danger of disrespecting the dead and we finish with our 'Chaplain's Chair' reflection from Bishop John Sherrington.

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We're fast approaching the traditional month of remembrance. Catholic Churches have 'November Lists' so the community can pray for the souls of the departed. But the nation also pauses to pay its collective respects to those who died in the two World Wars and later conflicts. Our guest today is the former Bishop of the Forces the Rt Revd Richard Moth. We discuss how service personnel cope knowing their lives are frequently on the line. Also we discuss mental health in the military and another form of mourning - coping with the loss of a limb. We finish with three poignant World War One stories - two from the front line and one from back home.