| The High Life channel is presented by Robert Elms. This month Robert is joined by two OBEs. Thirty years after her first novel, A Woman of Substance,Barbara Taylor Bradford looks back over her career and reveals all about her new work, Breaking the Rules. Meanwhile, football commentator John Motson takes us through 40 years in the game. We mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with a guide to all you need to know about the city. Musician Nitin Sawhney and choreographer Akram Khan explain the thinking behind their festival of Indian arts Svapnagata. Robert Elms also speaks to Libbie Escolme- Schmidt. As a stewardess for British Airways for more than 15 years she knows all about the highs and lows of the job. Scottish DJ and producer Calvin Harris reveals his favourite travel destinations, gadget expert Mike Dicks introduces the latest must-have devices and Mark Eccleston tells you about the films available to watch on your flight. |
| Four excellent classic comedy shows from the BBC. The Unbelievable Truth David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which comedians are encouraged to tell lies, featuring Chris Addison, Clive Anderson, Lucy Porter and Graeme Garden, telling whoppers about the bicycle, Albert Einstein, money and penguins. Mark Watson Makes the World Substantially Better Sketches on the theme of patience from comedian Mark Watson, with help from poet Tim Key and musician Tom Basden. Flight of the Conchords New Zealand’s fourth most popular folk parody band – the artists behind songs like Hiphopapotamus and Frodo, Don’t Wear the Ring – have failed to crack the UK music scene, but that doesn’t stop them from enjoying an ecstatic homecoming at the Taranaki Tavern. Will Smith’s Midlife Crisis Management Will Smith seeks advice about his lack of success with the opposite sex from love guru Ed Robbins, best-selling author of Any Woman You Want. With Roger Allam and Simon Greenall, too. |
| Meet the Patels You’re seven times more likely to be a millionaire in the UK if your name is Patel than if your name is Smith. Perhaps this is why Patels tend to marry each other. Exploring this phenomenon, Clare Jenkins meets Patel millionaires and eavesdrops on a Patel singles night to try to find the secret of this extraordinarily successful community. The Remarkable Performance of Mr Frederick Merridew A night at the music hall ends in death in this new adventure for Sherlock Holmes by Bert Coules, inspired by a reference in one of the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Starring Clive Merrison as Holmes, Andrew Sachs as Watson and Hugh Bonneville as Merridew. Gramigna’s Mistress A beautiful girl dumps her fiancé, the most eligible bachelor for miles, to run after a notorious bandit – a man she has never even met. Dermot Crowley reads this story by the great Italian writer, Giovanni Verga, author of Cavalleria Rusticana. Clare in the Community In this episode of the award-winning comedy, Clare Barker, the social worker with all the verbal skills but none of the practical ones, ensures that a birthday party for a one-year-old is organised along politically correct lines. Stars Sally Phillips. |
| BBC Backstage with Andi Peters features chat and live music from some of today's best-known pop acts. This month, hear from Tinchy Stryder about his incredible rise to fame in 2009 and his Catch 22 album. TheArctic Monkeys have been around for some time now, but a new album by them is still something very special. Hear about Humbug from Monkeys frontman Alex Turner. James and Jas from Simian Mobile Disco drop by to talk about their new Temporary Pleasure album and Californian rockers Silversun Pickups talk about getting into the American top ten with theirSwoon album. There’s also chat from Neil Finn, Just Jack and Peter Andre. As for live music, there’s plenty of that too, with great sets from Jack Peñate, Maxïmo Park, Jonas Brothers and Morrissey. of Keane, Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga and Lily Allen. |
| In celebration of Cambridge University’s 800th year, enjoy words and music from the university’s famous Christmas Carol service. Christmas Past and Christmas Present at King’s The annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College is a much-loved Christmas tradition, shared by listeners all over the world. Former member of the choir, Brian Kay, traces the 90-year history of the festival and explores its special appeal. Carols from King’s A selection of carols from the annual Christmas Festival recorded live in the magnificent chapel of King’s College, Cambridge. The Festival begins with a lone treble in a distant part of the candlelit chapel singing Once in Royal David’s City. The sound gradually builds as the rest of the choir enters in procession and joins in. Recorded 24 December 2000 The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge Benjamin Bayl, organ Stephen Cleobury, director |
| Janacek From the House of the dead (1991) Translated and adapted from Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel, this opera was premiered two years after Leoš Janáček’s death in 1928. It’s a dark, almost plotless work that adapts episodes from Dostoyevsky’s memoir of life in a Siberian prison camp, focusing on the way people behave in extreme conditions. Wiener Philharmoniker and Staatsopernchor conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras. Soloists:Dalibor Jedlička, Jiří Zahradníček, Ivo Žídek, Václav Zítek. Opera in three acts, followed by the brief wind sextet Mládi, and nursery rhymes for chamber choir and instrumental group, Říkadla, both written when Janáček was in his 70s. |
| Arctic Monkeys Humbug (2009) Their third album and another UK number one – the Brit Award-winning Sheffield band can’t put a foot wrong. This time around their trademark rhythmic rock takes on a heavy, darker twist. Athlete Black Swan (2009) Athlete’s fourth album of contemplative, widescreen rock is packed with captivating melodies and deep, soulful vocals from lead singer Joel Pott. |
| Alison Krauss Essential Alison Krauss (2009) Krauss is one of America’s most lauded country stars and this luxurious collection of songs, beginning in the early 1990s, showcases her stunning bluegrass skills and her sweet, soulful voice. Judy Dyble Talking with Strangers (2009) These wistful songs will transport the listener back to the tender 1960s folk of Dylan, Donovan, Joni Mitchell and Fairport Convention, the band in which Dyble was the original female lead singer. |
| Frankmusik Complete Me (2009) After supporting the Pet Shop Boys, Frankmusik (Vincent Frank to his mum) has released his own hook-laden, 1980s-tinged electro-pop offering. Calvin Harris Ready For the Weekend (2009) Scotland’s Calvin Harris follows his debut hit, I Created Disco, with more euphoric power-dance pop, taking in piano and sax tones, all-out electronica, pumping rhythms and energising lyrics. Perfect for bobbing about in your seat to. |
| Pink Floyd The Wall (1979) Floyd’s 11th album is a rock opera centred on the struggles experienced by its main character, Pink, behind a self-inflicted ‘wall’ of isolation. Suitably, they performed it in Berlin in July 1990 to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Who Quadrophenia (1973) On the back of the huge success of Tommy in 1969, the English rockers released a second rock opera. Set in 1960s London and Brighton, the story focuses on a young Mod, Jimmy, struggling to come to terms with his schizophrenic personalities. |
| Backstreet boys Millennium (1999) Grammy-winning boy band responsible for the late 1990s hit, I Want It That Way. One of the original boy bands, they won the hearts of teenage girls everywhere with their powerful ballads. Christina aguilera Christina Aguilera (1999) This self-titled debut album by American popstrel Christina Aguilera included her breakthrough hit single Genie in a Bottle and saw her blend of pop and R'n'B vocal gymnastics storm the charts. |
| Scotty Barnhart Say It Plain (2009) Regular lead trumpeter with the Count Basie Orchestra and Professor of Jazz Trumpet at Florida State University, Scotty Barnhart’s CV is recommendation alone. He’s joined here by jazz notables Clark Terry and Wynton Marsalis. Ute Lemper Between Yesterday and Tomorrow (2009) In a poetic and philosophical journey, these self-penned songs were inspired by events that intrigued, fascinated, shocked or hurt the German jazz artist and actress, Ute Lemper. |
| George Strait Twang (2009) The Academy of Country Music Artist of the Decade (2009) follows his award-winning Troubadour album with Twang, which features country ballads, blistering honky-tonk and songs co-written with George ‘Bubba’ Strait Jr. Reba Keep on Loving You (2009) This is vintage Reba – feisty, edgy and strong. The country star’s 25th album, it doesn’t sound like her gale-force voice is likely to diminish anytime soon. |
| Beethoven Ode An Die Freiheit: Bernstein in Berlin, Symphony no 9 (1990) Leonard Bernstein leads the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in a ‘festival of jubilation’ after the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Faure Piano Quintets (2009) The Fine Arts Quartet, one of the most distinguished ensembles in chamber music, and Cristina Ortiz, the brilliant Brazilian pianist, perform two of Fauré’s overlooked chamber works. |
| Various Artists (500) Days of Summer OST (2009) This film soundtrack doesn’t feature love songs, but songs about love. Each song, by such artists as The Smiths, Regina Spektor, Feist and Doves, describes that roller-coaster ride we all endure. The Rat Pack the essential collection – the early years (2008) Featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr and occasional member Peter Lawford as soloists during their formative years between1942 and1955. This album celebrates a legacy that endures as strongly as ever. |
| Jonsi and Alex Riceboy Sleeps (2009) This is the debut album from Sigur Rós’s Jón Thór (Jónsi) Birgisson and his partner Alex Somers. Profound and spiritual, this dreamy music transports the listener through an abstract soundscape. Karunesh Call of the Mystic (2004) Beautifully played bells, chimes, Tibetan bowls, sitar, sarod and Chinese instruments, bansuri flute and Indian violin come alive in a symphony of celebration. |