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Actress Keeley Hawes chats to Chris about 'The Durrells' series and the new 大象传媒 Shakespeare drama 'Hollow Crown' which is on TV in May. Also athlete Ben Smith impresses the team with the story behind his mammoth record breaking 401 marathon attempt.

2 hours, 59 minutes

Music Played

  • New Radicals

    Get What You Give

    • (CD Single).
    • MCA.
  • Billy Ocean

    A Simple Game

    • Here You Are.
    • Sony.
    • 001.
  • AR Rahman & The Pussycat Dolls

    Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny) (feat. Nicole Scherzinger)

    • (CD Single).
    • Polydor.
    • 1.
  • The Human League

    Love Action (I Believe In Love)

    • More Greatest Hits Of 80's (Various).
    • Disky.
  • George Ezra

    Blame It On Me

    • Wanted On Voyage.
    • Columbia.
    • 001.
  • Madness

    Baggy Trousers

    • More Greatest Hits Of 80's (Various).
    • Disky.
  • Joe and Jake

    You're Not Alone

    • (CD Single).
    • Sony Music Entertainment.
  • The Police

    Roxanne

    • The Very Best Of Sting & The Police.
    • A&M.
  • Coldplay

    Adventure Of A Lifetime

    • (CD Single).
    • Parlophone.
  • Linda Ronstadt

    Different Drum

    • Linda Ronstadt Greatest Hits.
    • Asylum.
  • Tom Odell

    Magnetised

    • (CD Single).
    • Columbia.
    • 1.
  • The Divine Comedy

    National Express

    • New Hits 99 (Various Artists).
    • Sony Music TV.
  • Bruce Springsteen

    Hungry Heart

    • Bruce Springsteen - Greatest Hits.
    • Columbia.
  • Florence + The Machine

    Ship To Wreck

    • (CD Single).
    • Island.
    • 001.
  • Harry Belafonte

    Jump In The Line

    • The Best Of.
    • Camden.
    • 16.
  • Santana

    Anywhere You Want To Go

    • Santana IV.
    • Santana IV Records.
    • 001.
  • Dave Edmunds

    Queen Of Hearts

    • The Best Of Dave Edmunds.
    • Swansong.
  • CeeLo Green

    Music To My Soul

    • (CD Single).
    • Warner Bros.
  • The Animals

    We Gotta Get Out Of This Place

  • The Four Seasons

    Walk Like A Man

    • Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - Ve.
    • Polygram Tv.
    • 6.
  • Mayer Hawthorne

    Love Like That

    • (CD Single).
    • BMG Rights Management.
  • Chic

    I'll Be There (feat. Nile Rodgers)

    • It's About Time.
    • Virgin EMI Records.
  • Nik Kershaw

    I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me

    • Fantastic 80's - 3 (Various Artists).
    • Sony Tv/Columbia.
    • 4.
  • Captain Sensible

    Happy Talk

    • Sensible Singles.
    • A&M.
    • 5.
  • The Sugarhill Gang

    Rapper's Delight

    • The Seventies: A Very Special Collect.
    • Pickwick.
  • Gary Byrd & The G.B. Experience

    The Crown

    • A Complete Introduction To Tamla Motown (Various Artists).
    • Motown.
  • Thomas Rhett

    Die A Happy Man

    • Tangled Up.
    • Valory.
    • 4.
  • KT Tunstall

    Black Horse and the Cherry Tree

    • (CD Single).
    • Relentless Records.

Chris' Pause For Thought: Remona Aly

Chris' Pause For Thought: Remona Aly
From Remona Aly, freelance journalist and editor:

My life could be described as a series of embarrassing moments. I鈥檝e been dubbed by friends the Muslim Miranda because mishaps, faux pas, and awkward situations seem to be my thing.

There was the time when, during my first year at university, a friend and I popped down to the local newsagent and saw a very famous person in the cereal aisle. 鈥淥h it鈥檚, um, it鈥檚...鈥櫶 We just couldn鈥檛 place him.听 We decided to walk over and ask him directly: 鈥淓xcuse me, we know you鈥檙e famous, have we seen you on TV?鈥 鈥榃ell, you might have done鈥 Brian May responded cool as a cucumber, while I died inside. 听And I was a Queen fan!


Another time, years later, a potential suitor and his family came round to my house. I was very nervous and we were all on our best behaviour. Things seemed to be going well. Our two families were getting along nicely, and pondering a marital alliance over tea and samosas, when a random granny wandered in from the care home next door. We turned in slow motion, samosa mid bite, as the aged figure hovered at the head of the table in her dressing gown and slippers - like a spectre from Macbeth with a blue rinse.

Moments later, my potential suitor and his family made a quick exit stage left, and were never to be heard from again. They clearly didn鈥檛 have a sense of humour.

It was an awkward moment, but such moments teach me not to take life so seriously all the time. Being religious doesn鈥檛 mean you鈥檙e straight-laced and don鈥檛 know how to laugh at yourself.

In fact laughter was studied by Muslim physicians centuries ago. The famous Muslim polymath al-Kindi, who lived in 9th century Baghdad, defined laughter as 鈥渁n even-tempered purity of the blood of the heart, together with an expansion of the soul to a point where its joy becomes visible鈥.

Of course, life isn鈥檛 a joke. I鈥檝e known heartbreak, and I鈥檝e known grief to the point where I can鈥檛 remember how to breathe.

But these sunny moments, even the embarrassing ones, break through the dark clouds to bring light relief. They remind me that there is a time to weep and a time to laugh - even if it is at my own expense.

Broadcast

  • Mon 25 Apr 2016 06:30

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.