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An hour of the best folk and acoustic music from Britain and beyond.

This week, the singer, songwriter, music director and actor John Tams talks about his 50 years in folk, as Mark Radcliffe presents him with a prestigious Gold Badge from the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS).

John, from Derbyshire, has made a lasting impression on the British folk scene through work with the groups Muckram Wakes, The Albion Band, The Home Service, as a solo artist, and in an acclaimed duo with Barry Coope.

He has received seven ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 2 Folk Awards, in recognition of his traditional and original songs, his albums, and his live performances.

John's work in the world of theatre and drama has centred around 40 years of acting and music directing at the National Theatre, notably on The Mysteries, Lark Rise to Candleford and the hugely successful War Horse. He worked on the film adaptation of War Horse with Steven Spielberg and John Williams.

During the 1990s, he starred opposite Sean Bean in the TV series Sharpe, often singing folk songs as part of the drama.

In 2006, he helped Radio 2 revive Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger and Charles Parker's classic Radio Ballads format for a new run of self-narrating musical documentaries.

As part of this programme, Mark will present John with a Gold Badge from EFDSS: an accolade presented to those individuals who have made a significant contribution to the preservation, promotion or development of the folk arts. The first award was made in 1922 and over the years recipients have included Cecil Sharp and Ralph Vaughan Williams, The Spinners, The Watersons, Shirley Collins and a further 160 individuals, many working at grass roots levels and well as in the limelight.