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Closing Day for 500 Words

Chris counts down to the deadline of 2016's 500 Words competition and catches up with Eddie Izzard on day three of his 27-marathon run for Sport Relief.

Chris counts down to the deadline of this year's 500 Words competition with a little help from his showbiz friends. Plus, Eddie Izzard updates us from South Africa on day three of his 27 marathon run for Sport Relief, and Calum McDonald from Scottish folk group Runrig tells Chris about the band's impressive 42 year run.

2 hours, 59 minutes

Last on

Thu 25 Feb 2016 06:30
大象传媒 Radio 2

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Clips

See all clips from Closing Day for 500 Words (2)

Music Played

  • Electric Light Orchestra

    Don't Bring Me Down

    • Light Years - The Very Best Of ELO.
    • Epic.
    • 4.

  • Ashley Monroe

    On To Something Good

    • The Blade.
    • Warner Bros.
    • 001.

  • Steppenwolf

    Magic Carpet Ride

    • Island.

  • Pretenders

    Don't Get Me Wrong

    • Fantastic 80's - 3 (Various Artists).
    • Sony Tv/Columbia.

  • CeeLo Green

    It's OK

    • The Lady Killer.
    • Warner Bros.
    • 1.

  • Muse

    Starlight

    • (CD Single).
    • Warner Bros.

  • Justin Bieber

    Love Yourself

    • Purpose.
    • Def Jam.
    • 5.

  • Van Halen

    Jump

    • The All Time Greatest Rock Songs ....
    • Columbia.

  • Madness

    My Girl

    • Madness - Complete Madness.
    • Virgin.
    • 2.

  • George Formby

    When I'm cleaning windows

    • Box Of Laughs (Various Artists).
    • Sanctuary.

  • Ronan Keating

    Let Me Love You

    • (CD Single).
    • Decca.
    • 001.

  • Adele

    Hello

    • (CD Single).
    • XL Recordings.

  • Roy Orbison

    I Drove All Night

    • Now That's What I Call Music Vol.22.
    • Now.

  • Bruno Mars

    Locked Out Of Heaven

    • (CD Single).
    • Atlantic.
    • 1.

  • Wham!

    Freedom

    • Make It Big.
    • Columbia.

  • Coldplay

    Hymn For The Weekend (feat. 叠别测辞苍肠茅)

    • A Head Full Of Dreams.
    • Parlophone.

  • Sammy Davis Jr.

    Talk To The Animals

    • Sammy Davis Greatest Hits.
    • Curb.
    • 1.

  • Zac Brown Band

    Jump Right In

    • (CD Single).
    • Southern Ground.
    • 1.

  • Genesis

    I Can't Dance

    • Genesis - Turn It On Again.
    • Virgin.

  • Annie Lennox

    Little Bird

    • (CD Single).
    • BMG/RCA.
    • 2.

  • Runrig

    Hearthammer

  • Mark Ronson

    Valerie (feat. Amy Winehouse)

    • (CD Single).
    • Sony BMG.

  • Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

    I Need Never Get Old

  • Grace Jones

    Slave To The Rhythm

    • (CD Single).
    • ZTT.

  • Propaganda

    Duel

    • A Secret Wish - Propaganda.
    • ZTT.
    • 12.

  • The Feeling

    Spiralling

    • (CD Single).
    • Little World Records.

  • Mikis Theodorakis

    Zorba The Greek

    • Zorba The Greek OST.
    • Fontana.
    • 6.

  • Ray Charles

    Hit The Road Jack (feat. The Raelettes)

    • Ray Charles - The Collection.
    • Castle Communications.

Pause For Thought

Pause For Thought

From Reverend Sharon Grenham-Thompson, vicar in Milton Keynes:

I鈥檓 not sure if I鈥檝e clicked on something that鈥檚 made this happen, but I鈥檝e noticed my social media timeline recently has been full of those 鈥榶ou have a memory from 3 years ago鈥� posts. Now I love looking at old photos, and I鈥檓 a dedicated user of social media too, but I do find it slightly creepy for a computer programme to be picking out bits of my story and deciding on my behalf what鈥檚 worth remembering. Because I think there鈥檚 no substitute for listening to a real person recount their life, or maybe their culture or their hopes and dreams, in their own words.

Of course, stories don鈥檛 have to be factual to contain some deep truths, as 500 Words has shown over the years, and storytelling is at the heart of most societies - from inspiring myths to cautionary tales.聽 They help us learn the ways of the world: think of the hare and the tortoise, the boy who cried wolf, the ugly duckling - all stories that contain traditional wisdom, passed down through the generations. It鈥檚 no surprise then, that most of the world鈥檚 religions are also full of stories and parables, as people try to understand and communicate their profound beliefs about life and spirit.

One of the things I discovered working with people from many different faiths in the prison was how similar some of our stories are, as they try to address the deepest human questions. Muslim, Jewish and Christian colleagues, we all had stories from our scriptures about entertaining angels unawares, for example, underlining the importance of hospitality and kindness to the stranger.

I found too, as we shared our life stories together, that the search for meaning, friendship and love transcends boundaries, and even the sadder stories, of struggle and suffering, showed our common humanity more often than our differences. Whatever faith we follow, or not, we all know about loss and hope, birth and death, belonging and exile. Listening to people鈥檚 individual stories tended to keep me away from stereotypes, and broke down barriers between people who might otherwise stay firmly in their own camps.

In a world that so often divides into factions, religious or otherwise, shared stories told in our own words, rather than in headlines and timelines, can help us meet on common ground. As the writer Ben Okri said 鈥楽tories make the heart grow bigger.鈥�

Broadcast

  • Thu 25 Feb 2016 06:30
    大象传媒 Radio 2

Farewell Chris Evans: The best bits from his last shows at Radio 2

After eight years of hosting the Breakfast Show, Chris Evans leaves Radio 2.

500 Words

大象传媒 Radio 2's story-writing competition for kids.